Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1, Episode 29: Wheel of Misfortune

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is not a serialized show.  I know that from the twenty-nine episodes that I have rewatched thus far.  There are some serialized elements to the show, like the accumulated powers that they have obtained, the addition of a sixth Ranger, and the multiple episode arcs, but as a whole, the show is still fairly episodic.  This comes with one slight problem.

The main problem with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers remaining episodic is that they need to continuously heighten the stakes of what is happening.  It is tough to do that on an episodic basis.  Were the show to take a more serialized route, they could spend an entire season building up something bad that happens to Angel Grove.  Or they could use part of a season for that.  It might be harder for children to follow along if they weren’t watching every episode.  I understand that part.  As a whole, though, the show would feel more satisfying and fulfilling.

I make this criticism now, twenty years after the series premiered.  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers completed its run a long time ago, but rewatching it while not remembering much of it, I have hopes about where it will go.  I hope it will become a bit more serialized.  I hope that certain threats remain for more than one episode.  I hope that the stakes don’t get heightened through methods that are exceedingly ridiculous.  How will the series work out?  I’m sure that some of you know.  I don’t remember.

It seems like it’s time to actually get into this episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  Here it is.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1, Episode 29: Wheel of Misfortune

The gang is helping to stage a play of Rumpelstiltskin. Kimberly is playing the woman who needs the help of the title character, played by Bulk.  She brought in her grandmother’s spinning wheel to use as a prop in the production.  Bulk, in his boorish way, breaks the wheel and breaks Kimberly’s heart in the process.

Rita pounces on this moment to steal the broken wheel and turn it into a Wheel of Destruction.  Kimberly returns to the drama room to find it missing and enlists the help of the other Power Rangers to find it.  When they can’t find it, Zordon messages them to report what Rita has done.  This sends the Power Rangers on a mission to destroy the wheel and save Angel Grove from Goldar and Scorpina.

Meanwhile, Tommy has been captured by some of the putties while trying to find the spinning wheel.  They tie him up and throw his belongings back and forth.  Tommy manages to escape and defeat the putties.  He then joins the Power Rangers in their fight against Goldar and Scorpina.

The fight is the same as usual.  The Power Rangers fight Goldar and Scorpina.  Rita Repulsa makes the two grow, so the Power Rangers get in their Zords.  They fight and get overpowered, so they combine all of the Zords.  When the Ultrazord destroys the Wheel of Destruction, Goldar and Scorpina run away.  The Power Rangers were victorious.

Kimberly is still sad because the wheel is missing.  Only, when she returns to the drama room, the spinning wheel is back.  It works again, too!  Kimberly is ecstatic, and the show can go on.  During the final performance, Bulk gets nervous and splits his pants.  Everyone laughs and the episode ends.

The reason I brought up the episodic nature of the show at the beginning of this post was that this episode really doesn’t have any effect whatsoever over the rest of the show.  The Wheel of Destruction was destroyed by the end.  Nothing new happened.  There is nothing in this episode that will have consequences and repercussions in future episodes.

As much as I love Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for being fun, I would appreciate a little bit more depth than the fluffy self-contained episodes.  I want a little bit of meaning to the things that happen, especially since the first season is sixty episodes long.  It’s not a huge issue.  The way I’m writing it might make it seem like a disaster.  I’m enjoying the episodes still.  I would still highly recommend the show.  But I do feel the need to point out some of the flaws.  Oh well.

That’s it for this episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  I’ll hopefully be back soon with the next episode, which will mark the halfway point of the first season.  I know it took almost a month for this one, but all the holiday stuff and other blog posts pushed this back a little bit.  See you soon!