Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers: Episode 3: Climb Every Fountain

When we last left off with Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, everyone was gearing up to find a way back to their normal age. Master Vile had turned back time on Earth, meaning that all the Power Rangers were now children again. Their powers didn’t work. They called in the Alien Rangers of Aquitar to protect Earth while they figured out how to regain their powers and their age. But the Alien Rangers couldn’t survive on Earth for long, so they needed to be quick about solving their problems.

This episode will be the beginning of the solution. The Power Rangers will figure out a way to undo what Master Vile had done. It won’t be fully solved in this episode since it’s only the third episode of a ten-episode miniseries. There will be some ground made up, though, as the Power Rangers start their journey to become the Zeo Rangers. How will that journey begin? We’ll find out in…

Episode 3: Climb Every Fountain

Billy and the Alien Rangers came up with a way to get the Power Rangers back to their normal age. They would put the Power Coins into a toy robot that Billy created to affect the molecules of the kids and grow them back to normal. It was working, too, until the moon monsters got involved.

Goldar and Rito Revolto were sent down to Earth to capture the kids and steal their Power Coins. They tried to hijack a school bus at first. The children on the bus threw balls at them, scaring them away. Then the monsters chased the younger Power Rangers kids to where they were using the device. Billy had been grown back to his normal age. The monsters took the device before anyone else could grow. They took the Power Coins and crushed them to dust.

Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa decided to use the device as a monster to attack Angel Grove. The timing was perfect. The Alien Rangers of Aquitar were at the fountain in the town square, rehydrating themselves. The monster showed up and they were ready to fight. They fought off the Tenga Warriors where the citizens of Angel Grove could see, then called upon their Battle Borgs to fight with the giant-sized robot monster. They took down the monster quickly, before being a part of a commemoration by the mayor, who thanked them for saving the city.

The only thing left were the Power Rangers. Five of them were still children. They didn’t know what they were going to do to go back to their normal ages and regain powers to protect Angel Grove. That’s when “To Be Continued…” flashed onto the screen and the episode ended.

Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers was truly kicking into high gear with this episode. It brought Billy back to his normal teenage physical state. It took away the Power Coins so that the Power Rangers would have to find a new way to get back to their old selves. It showed how dangerous Earth was for the Alien Rangers of Aquitar. And, most importantly, it left the audience wanting more with a solid cliffhanger. There was a lot to like.

The opening credits felt a little off, however. After two episodes of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers that used the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers intro, this episode finally gave the mini-series its own credits. The problem was that the credits didn’t tell the audience who the Alien Rangers were. It still credited the teens, while also crediting the children who played them. The Alien Rangers were absent from being credited. Their action was shown. Their fighting was shown. But the teens and their child counterparts got the credit for everything. It was strange that the titular characters didn’t get credited in the opening. Also a little strange was the song. “Go Go Power Rangers” was changed to “Go Go Alien Rangers” but “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” wasn’t changed. Why wasn’t it “Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers” in the theme song? Just a little bit of oversight on the music director’s part.

The Battle Borgs got to shine again this episode. They didn’t do too much. They showed up, it was a quick fight, and it was over. But what they did while they were there was great. The Zords are hulking, lumbering robot things. They can move, sure, but they feel stiff in most of their movements. That’s especially true when they’re in Megazord form. The Battle Borgs feel much more fluid. Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers sort of wrote that off as there being a telekinetic link between the Alien Rangers and the Battle Borgs. Since they controlled them mentally by moving their bodies, the Battle Borgs moved like people instead of robots. That made things all the more interesting to watch when one of the Battle Borgs speed-jumped through a monster. The fluidity of the Battle Borgs is more visually stunning than the Zords, even if the battles aren’t quite as big or entertaining.

Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers has gotten off to a strong start. Between the two-parter that began things and this third episode follow-up, things are looking good for the entire run. The Power Rangers are still looking for a way to turn the world back to normal, though coming up with a new plan shouldn’t take long. Billy is back to his normal self, which means that they’ve got their tech guy back to full capabilities. This is most definitely a transitional period for the franchise. That transition will continue in The Alien Trap. Hopefully, you’ll come back to see what I write about that one. See you then.