Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1, Episode 24: The Spit Flower

Tommy is totally tapping Kimberly’s ass, right?  It sure seems that way from the most recent episode that I’ve watched.  There seems to be a thing between the two of them.  Nobody outright said it, but this episode sure hinted strongly in that direction.

It’s nice to see relationships being built up like this.  It adds another layer to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that hasn’t really been there outside of the Green with Evil arc that I like to write about so much.  Adding in a budding relationship (pardon the pun, and you’ll see why it’s a pun in a minute) really helps to give the characters a little bit of depth that they didn’t have before.

Here’s what we know about the characters up to this point:

• Jason is the leader and teaches karate.Billy is smart, but lacks the fighting skills that the others have.
• Kimberly is a valley girl that is way into gymnastics.
• Zack likes to dance and teaches Hip Hop Kido.
• Trini cares about the environment.
• Tommy is just as good at karate as Jason, if not better.

There’s not much depth there.  Perhaps tossing a relationship into the mix will add to the characters’ personalities and let us know them a little bit more.  It will add a new dimension to the characters.  Let’s get into the episode, though, so that I can better describe what I mean.

Season 1, Episode 24: The Spit Flower

Kimberly decides to design a float for the parade that Angel Grove is holding.  She gets help from Tommy, who is happy to be by her side.  The whole plan falls apart when Rita sends some putties to destroy the model float.  After the fight, Tommy and Kimberly are left with a float that is in ruins.  Kimberly’s emotions are also in ruins.  The rest of the gang shows up and suggests that they try to fix it.  Kimberly is too sad and says no.  Then Tommy leaves, probably because he knows he isn’t getting any right then.

Zordon calls upon the gang.  Rita Repulsa has sent a Spit Flower to Earth.  This thing looks kind of like a giant plant type of thing, but with a chin that is a giant yellow and blue scrotum.  They fight it, but it’s too strong.  So Zordon brings in Tommy, and the Power Rangers still can’t win.  Zordon calls them back to the command center.

The Power Rangers are told that they must destroy the “mist sack” to destroy the monster.  I think he’s basically telling them to hit it in the scrotum.  They all return to the battlefield, except for Tommy.  He must stay at the command center because he is Earth’s last hope.  The Power Rangers shoot the scrotum and kill the monster and Angel Grove is saved.  But Kimberly’s dreams of having a float in the parade are not saved.  Or are they?

Tommy has been working with Alpha 5 to repair the model float.  He gathers everyone at the Youth Center to watch the parade.  A depressed Kimberly doesn’t want to watch it until she sees her float.  Then she gets really happy, and Tommy knows he’ll be getting some that night.

As you can see, Tommy did a lot for Kimberly in that episode.  He fixed her model float, mostly alone!  He wants Kimberly, and we already know that she wants him.  There’s a relationship being formed within the Power Rangers gang.  It can only lead to better things in terms of the writing.  There should be slightly more complexity to the stories.  It’ll be good to see.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers may have fallen back into its old mode after the Green with Evil arc, but it is continuing to slowly grow.  There are things happening in the series that might be able to last more than an episode.  The plot threads that are being seeded in these episodes might flourish to give better stories in the future.  At least, I hope that’s how the series is going.  It would be great to witness the growth.

Next time, I’ll give my insight into another episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as I work my way through the series.  Just keep watching for more writing, and I’ll keep watching more episodes.  See you next time.