Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 2, Episode 22: The Ninja Encounter, Part 1

Previously on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Tommy went into battle against many returning monsters.  The Pumpkin Rapper played a prominent role as the big bad guy at the end of the episode.  Austin St. John, Walter Jones, and Thuy Trang were noticeably absent with their characters only showing up in morphed form.  It was also a Halloween episode, which involved Bulk and Skull harassing children.

The episode about to be covered is a big one.  It will introduce three new characters, who will become the new Power Rangers when Jason, Zack, and Trini leave.  Adam will become the new Black Ranger.  Aisha will become the new Yellow Ranger.  Rocky will become the new Red Ranger.  We’re entering a new era of the show.  This episode will begin it.  Why don’t we get to it then?

Season 2, Episode 22: The Ninja Encounter, Part 1

The Angel Grove Youth Centre hosted a ninja battle, which the main characters were strangely not a part of.  Jason, Tommy, and their crew were in the audience watching as two rival ninja teams fought.  It would be revealed after the white team won that they were Rocky, Adam, and Aisha.

Tommy, Kimberly, and Billy had met those three characters in the park.  A man named Mr. Anderson was walking his son through the park in a buggy when the buggy got away from him and went on a rolling spree.  It was up to the teens to catch it before something happened to the child, Jake.  Rocky, Adam, and Aisha chased the buggy on roller blades.  Tommy, Kimberly, and Billy ran after it.  Bulk and Skull got into the action as well, chasing on their scooters.  The child was saved right before the buggy rolled down a steep hill.

Lord Zedd took the ninja battle as an opportunity to enact another evil plan.  He sent Goldar to capture the winning team and turn them to evil.  His hope was that the black team would win.  When the white team won, he kidnapped them anyway.  Mr. Anderson was captured in the kerfuffle.

Bulk and Skull were luckily there to ensure that Jake was okay.  They watched as Rocky, Adam, and Aisha were taken, as well as Mr. Anderson.  Their immediate thought was the check on Jake, who had been left in a car in the Angel Grove Youth Centre parking lot.  They took him to the park to try and cheer him up after having his dad taken away by a lion monster.

The episode ended with Aisha attempting to pick a lock to free everyone.  This is a part one of a three part story arc, so the next episode will probably pick up right where this one ended.

The Ninja Encounter, Part 1 is a very important episode for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  It is the episode that begins the transition of three of the Power Rangers.  I’ve said many times before that three actors had left the show at this point.  Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, and Steve Cardenas have now made their first appearances.  They will remain with the show for the remainder of Mighty Morphin, with Bosch and Cardenas lasting into the next series.  This is going to have the biggest impact on the show since Tommy joined the team, as it will change the cast in major ways.

It was nice to see Bulk and Skull not play minor antagonists.  They’re usually up to no good or trying to find out who the Power Rangers are.  This episode had them caring for a child and forgetting about their schemes.  It showed another side to the characters that isn’t typically seen.  They were working with the good guys, even though they weren’t fighting the bad guys.  They were babysitters while Jake’s father was out of commission.  They were able to handle one duty while the Power Rangers worked to save the kidnapped people.

There’s not too much more to say about The Ninja Encounter, Part 1 since it is only the first part of a three part story.  The post for the third episode will probably be the longest one.  The next episode up is obviously The Ninja Encounter, Part 2.  That will likely be the shortest post since it’s the middle of the story.  The first part is the setup, the last part is the payoff.  The middle is the middle.  Anyway, I’ll catch all of you on the flip side when I give you the middle of the story.