Power Rangers Zeo: Episode 2: A Zeo Beginning, Part II

In the premiere episode of Power Rangers Zeo, changes were coming at a fast pace. The teens discovered the Power Chamber, which would become the new Power Rangers headquarters. Alpha was still alive. Bulk and Skull got an old, rundown motorcycle that they wanted to fix and use as a patrol vehicle. The Moon Monsters left their palace as The Machine Empire bombarded them. All the while, Rito Revolto and Goldar were on Earth without their memories. It was hectic and ended on a To Be Continued… note. 

The second part would pick up right where the first left off. More changes needed to happen as the Power Rangers searched for a new set of powers with which to defend the planet. The Machine Empire had yet to attack Earth and show the true level of their threat. There would still need to be new Zords and weapons and all that fun stuff. Much of that would happen in…

 

Episode 2: A Zeo Beginning, Part II

The teens asked Alpha again what happened to Zordon. Alpha showed them immediately that Zordon was perfectly fine. They had been working on the Power Chamber for a few months in case anything happened to the Command Centre, so they had a plan of Zordon transfer in place. Zordon then let the teens know that they would be getting new powers from the Zeo Crystal. 

Billy decided it was the perfect time for a sidebar. He wasn’t going to continue as a Power Ranger. After three seasons of kicking Moon Monster butt, he was stepping down from his post. He wasn’t done helping fight evil, though. He was going to work in the Power Chamber as a technical consultant. If the Zeo Rangers needed any help with technology or science, Billy would be there for them. He would be the Q to their James Bond. He was giving his crystal shard to Tanya.

That meant that it was time for the teens to get their powers. There was a threat on Earth and the teens had to act fast. Kat got the Zeo Ranger One Pink power. Tanya got the Zeo Ranger Two Yellow power. Everyone else got new colours. Rocky became the Zeo Ranger Three Blue. Adam became the Zeo Ranger Four Green. Tommy became the Zeo Ranger Five Red. They suited up and went out for a fight.

The fight wasn’t against The Moon Monsters. They had fled from the Moon Palace, gotten into Serpentera, and headed out towards the home of Master Vile. Even Goldar and Rito Revolto, the two Moon Monsters left behind, weren’t fighting. They were attempting to move in with Bulk and Skull. Bulk and Skull freaked out at first, then turned the two Moon Monsters into their servants.

Instead, the fight was against the new foot soldiers of The Machine Empire. The Cogs looked very much like the putties of the early Mighty Morphin Power Rangers seasons, with different masks. They were mechanical robots that needed to be completely demolished to be defeated. The Power Rangers went against them much the same way they would fight putties or Tengas. The Zeo Rangers didn’t demolish any of the Cogs the first time out, though they scared them enough to run away. The Zeo Rangers also noted that the Cogs were tougher than the Tenga Warriors. The Machine Empire was done for the episode, but not for the season.

 

Power Rangers Zeo finished off the two-parter in a satisfying way, brining in the new powers and the new evil foot soldiers. There wasn’t much to differentiate the Zeo Powers from the Ninja Powers outside of costumes and morphers. They very much felt like a new packaging of the same old powers. But it was nice to see things moving forward so that the Zeo Rangers would be able to put up a formidable fight against The Machine Empire.

Billy officially stepped down in this episode. That was inevitable from Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. He was the only one of the main group who wasn’t sent through the spacetime vortex to find one of the Zeo Crystal shards. This episode made it official. The weird thing was that Billy said he was giving his Zeo Crystal shard to Tanya. Tanya already had Aisha’s Zeo Crystal shard. Billy didn’t have one. He was giving Tanya something that she already had.

There was another small Billy moment that worked much better than the passing of his non-existent Zeo Crystal shard. When everyone was getting their new Zeo Ranger powers, Rocky became the new Blue Ranger. As he was given the Blue Ranger power, the camera cut to Billy who watched on, a bittersweet expression on his face. It was nice to see that little moment of emotion as he watched someone else take on the colour that he had worn through the first three seasons of Power Rangers. Little touches like this were always a nice little treat.

That brought A Zeo Beginning to a close. Over the course of two episodes, new villains, a new headquarters, and new powers were introduced. The Zeo Rangers were beginning their journey to defend Earth against the mightiest foe it had faced, The Machine Empire. Over the course of the season they would lose one of their own, gain another, and broaden their horizons. It would be an exciting season, and it was only just getting started. The next episode continued that journey, with The Shooting Star.