Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 2, Episode 3: The Mutiny, Part III



In the last episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, we were introduced to the ThunderZords.  Nobody used them, but they exist.  Billy and Trini were working on a device to take control of the original Zords back from Lord Zedd.  The piranha monster made Bulk and Skull ride on runaway four-wheelers.  And the Power Rangers were attacked by the DragonZord and the T-Rex Zord.  It was a dire situation that left a cliffhanger for the next episode.

This is the next episode.  It will conclude The Mutiny.  This is the episode that will wrap up the opening story arc of season two.  Lord Zedd will be defeated for the first time.  The Power Rangers might actually use their ThunderZords.  All this and more is bound to happen.  I’m excited to get to it, so let’s go.

Season 2, Episode 3: The Mutiny, Part III
The most important storyline was the Power Ranger storyline.  Their entire story was setting them up to have the ThunderZords.  After the attack of the last episode, Billy and Trini arrived with the interruption device.  The device didn’t work at first.  Billy noticed that he put a battery into it upside down.  With that fixed, he regained control of the Zords, only to have them thrown through a crack in the Earth and into lava.  The only Zord not destroyed was the DragonZord.  It was sent back out to sea.  Alpha managed to salvage enough of the Zords to finish the ThunderZords, and the Power Rangers got their new machines.

Lord Zedd’s first loss was in this episode.  Though he managed to destroy the old Zords, the ThunderZords proved too powerful for his attack.  He blamed Goldar, Squatt, and Baboo.  Finster made a comment about how his monsters wouldn’t have lost, even though the whole first season was about his monsters losing to the Power Rangers.  Oh, and Rita Repulsa was singing a drinking song in her space dumpster.

After the defeat of the monster, Bulk and Skull were still speeding around on their out of control four-wheelers.  The Power Rangers headed over to where the two were bumbling around and used the signal disruptor to free them.  Bulk and Skull had to double up on a four-wheeler to head for the finish line.  They told Tommy and Kimberly about their plan to unmask the Power Rangers.  This should be a fun season for them.

The high school storyline was the conclusion of the four-wheeler race.  That’s all.  Jason was rocking out on his four-wheeler, doing the devil horns with his left hand as he approached the finish line.

There were two real fights in this episode.  The first was when the piranha monster was controlling the two Zords.  The Power Rangers put together their gun and shot the fishy guy, distracting him long enough for Billy to fix his disruptor.  The other fight was after the piranha monster grew.  The Power Rangers got their ThunderZords and made the Mega ThunderZord.  They fought like any MegaZord fight and defeated the monster.



Two big changes occurred in this episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  The first was the introduction of the ThunderZords and the Mega ThunderZord.  Though we knew about them from the previous episode, this was where the Power Rangers started using them.  They no longer have the DinoZords.  This is a big transition that will last for the next season.  Tommy didn’t get a new Zord.  The other big change was the opening credits.  They got an overhaul.  There are newer clips.  The ThunderZords are incorporated.  Jason David Frank is no longer an afterthought.  He is now in between different Power Rangers.  He is a full part of the show.

Because of these changes, the show will be forever changed.  There is a large impact as a result of this episode.  The credits have changed.  There are new Zords.  Strangely staying the same are the Power Rangers costumes.  Now that the show has moved forward to feature clips from a different Sentai season, it seems odd to not change the costumes.  It feels like the wrong choice.

The strangest part of the episode was that moment I brought up earlier where Rita is singing a drinking song in the space dumpster.  “99 bottles of slime on the wall!”  It’s goofy enough that she sang it.  Then Alpha laughed one of the most annoying laughs ever.  Topping it all off, Zordon laughed and repeated what she said.  Even for a show that goes over-the-top with its comedic material, this seems outrageous.  Usually this kind of stuff is left for Bulk and Skull.  Making other characters this goofy doesn’t work.

Next time, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will probably revert to its good old episodic self.  That’s fine.  After this opening three episode arc, it’ll be nice to cool down with a simple one episode story.  The episode is called The Wanna-be Ranger.  It has me interested.  Come back next time and we’ll talk all about it.  I’ll see you then.  Bye!

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