Morph back into action with only the most important (and morphinomenal) episodes from the original series.
So you say you want to watchPower Rangers.
Speaking as a lifelong fan, I understand both sides of this.
WhileMighty Morphin Power Rangersis an exciting nostalgic experience, it doesnt age well (surprise).
This might sound tricky feat in itself, asMMPRis a unique TV series.
I should know.)
But there is a complete story there if you know where to look.
Trust us on this.
As Kimberly Hart would say, youre, like, so welcome.
SEASON 1
This is the era that comes to mind whenever Power Rangers is brought up.
Its what brought the magic of Super Sentai to the imaginations of kids outside of Asia, after all.
screw up) the ongoing story the show made up as it went along.
1: Day of the Dumpster
Do I really have to explain why this is essential?
After 10,000 years, Rita Repulsa is free.
Its time for her to conquer earth!
Zordon has Alpha teleport five teenagers with attitude to the command center and so on, and so forth.
(But to be fair, so did the one of the original pilots.
The remake, Mega Misson forPower Rangers Megaforcein 2013, was pretty neat too.)
We got it up front thanks to our Western sense of impatience.
It looks like that whole multitasking thing is working out for them.
6: Food Fight
Hey, look.
Much as the title suggests, a food fight does indeed occur, and its fairly ambitious one.
Raise your hand if you hadthe Golden Books version of this with the sound effects buttons as a child.
Because I did not.
13: Peace, Love and Woe
I think we can all agree Madame Woe is a bad-ass bitch.
No, not the Simpson.
Im talking about that awkward girl in the leggings that wants to ask Billy to the dance.
Shes standing right over there.
Dont make it obvious.
That David Yost was its most consistent original cast member probably had something to do with it.
17-21: TheGreen With EvilMiniseries
Crap.
I have to explain why these are essential too?
26: Gung Ho!
This episode is certainly one of the better times that trick is used.
But other than that, the Rangers fight a gigantic wheel on a string that shoots sparks everywhere.
Its more of a party favor than a threat, but Kimberly gets up in arms over it anyway.
You know how she can be.
28-29: Island of Illusion, Pt.
(I shit you not,hisZyurangercounterpart is literally supposed to be Satan.)
34-35: The Green Candle Pt.
I & II
Kimberly and Tommys OTP seemed to be constantly idling offscreen where the kids couldnt see.
That happens, too.
We also get to see Jason stab what seems to be a giant STD to death with dual lightsabers.
Whats not to love?
The Cardiatron and Hatchasaurus were like the Captain and Tenille ofPower Rangersmonsters.
The more you know…
Ep.
How can they sneak away to stop the carnage and clear their names?
Episodes about evil Ranger clones are nothing special now, but back in the day, they wereeverything.
39-40: Doomsday Pt.
42: A Pig Surprise
I dont want you to watch this episode.
c’mon understand this before we proceed.
49-50: Return of an Old Friend Pt.
That means hes back on the team!
Oh, but Billy goes evil for awhile and its slightly disturbing.
The events of Return of an Old Friend raises the stakes higher than Doomsday.
We love that thing.
59 Mighty Morphin Mutants
Another evil Ranger episode?
Other than that, get ready for some great use ofMighty Raws 5-4-1during the hard-and-fast fight scenes.
Well, who gives a damn.
Whats most remarkable about this episode is that THE GREEN RANGER GIVES THE BLACK RANGER HIS SHIELD YOU GUYS.
(Also, you must bear witness the first underwater Megazord battler ever.
Because we need more fake, unconvincing bubbles in our lives.)
Hit the drop down for season two!
If Season 1 felt like two different seasons smooshed together, Season 2 seems like three were.
After they marry, the tone of the series slides into considerably sillier territory along with Zedds demeanor.
TL;DR Season 2 is a bumpy ride.
But its worth it in the end.
1-3: The Mutiny Pt.
Okay, lets be honest.
The Thunderzords had nothing to do with thunder whatsoever.
Sure, lightning bolts shot out of the sky when the Rangers called them.
Why not call them the Lightningzords?
Because thats a sucky name, and Saban and Ban Dai America knew it.
(I should know.
I was there.)
And get used to thatThunderzord summoning sequence.
Youre going to be living with that for the rest of your natural born life.
7: The Green Dream
Early Season 2 is one of the best eras ofMMPR.
It kicked off the final Green Ranger arc ever with big emotion that was felt long after it concluded.
11 The Song of Guitardo
This episode is ridiculous but I love it anyway.
Somehow, it also manages to be about Skulls exploits in cross-dressing.
And it behaves that way.
12-13: Green No More Pt.
Sounds cool on paper, doesnt it?
Well, its not.
Its just a shame that it wasted its time setting up a great concept that went nowhere.
And Turbanshell, man.
And thoseDark Ranger outfits…really?
Couldnt Saban have the Dairanger costumes shipped over or something?
14 Missing Green
Wait, when did this show get so serialized all of a sudden?
Power Rangersrarely indulged in meaningful character studies back in its prime.
Whether or not theyre scented is anyones guess.
17-18: White Light Pt.
It also happens to be the second most famous mighty morphin mini-series event next to Green with Evil.
Any guess as to why?
Do I have to tell you who it is?
22-24: The Ninja Encounter Pt.
I, II & III
Oh god no.
No, no, no.
This is where the season gets real ugly, real fast.
Oh, and one of these episodes is the worst Power Rangers episode ever, by the way.
Ill let you figure out which one it is.
But it was weird that the trio never hung out with Tommy, Kimberly, and Billy anymore.
Rocky, Adam, and Aisha did so it was okay.
They didnt need Jason, Zack, and Trini anymore.
27-28: The Power Transfer Pt.
I & II
Do it!
Make Rocky, Adam, and Aisha the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers already!
That feels so much better.
Bye Jason, Zack, Trini and Felicia.
Have fun at the Peace Conference.
Cant wait to see one of you again in Zeo!
Whoa, check out Lord Zedds giant zordSerpenterra!
It doesnt do much, does it?
A giant floating pyramid with an eyeball?!
This time, shes played by a US based actress named Sabrina Ly.
Shes no Ami Kawai, but well take it.
So why was this the last time she appeared on the show?
41-43: The Wedding Pt.
), were treated to yet another turning point in the series.
Yes, another one!
But while theyre gone, Rita Repulsa returns, gets a makeover (i.e.
I dont necessarily recommend watching these, but theyarecrucial.
(There was supposed to bea follow-up episode continuing the Rangers vacation in Australiabut it was never filmed.)
44-46: Return of the Green Ranger Pt.
Rita summons the Wizard of Deception to clone Tommy to resurrect her evil Green Ranger.
Somehow, it happens, and the real Tommy is beside himself.
(See what I did there?)
The rest of the Rangers are sent back in time to…drumroll just…colonial California.
But its what we got.
This is definitely a highlight of the bunch, if not the funniest.
(I guess she doesnt know yet, huh?)
The dialogue is sharp, the humor is crisp, and the action is fast.
Hit the dropdown for season 3!
Let me clue you in on the brilliance of this season.
This is a year of TV that has goals, people.
BecauseKakurangerdidnt have a Pink Ranger (as youll soon find out), this was sadly true.
4-7: Ninja Quest Pt.
But Ninja Quest is where the real story arc begins.
(We also get a long overdue new US version of the Thunderzord summoning sequence.
Was that so hard?Also, another US zord battle.)
I like the movie and all, but Ive always preferred Ninja Quest because it was authentically Power Rangers.
Thats always been stuck in my brain and adopted as personal head cannon.
Hope it gets stuck in yours too now.)
12-13: Stop the Hate Master Pt.
But hear this: we get to meet Aishas grandma.
Whats really of note here though is that Titanus comes back to us.
And its not a big moment or anything like that.
Adam admits that he needs some help and Tommy is like oh, I know who to call.
It also brings attention to the dangling subplot of Ritas magical roofie-ing of Lord Zedd during the previous season.
Perfect watch for Valentines Day if youre corny like that.
Thats because shes actually an emissary of Rita, who is up to her no good brainwashing antics again.
(Whos that girl?
Kimberly asks when she sees the two together in the viewing globe.)
It also preps us for whats to come.
Yes, theres a recycled Zord battle with Rito.
We can get past that, cant we?
19-21: Changing of the Zords Pt.
While shes vulnerable, the Tengas kidnap the Pink Ranger during a fight.
He wants the other Rangers to pilot his new Shogun Zords to destroy the city.
And he visits the Command Center to tell them this!
While most of this drama is fueled by production necessities (i.e.
This isMMPRat its most exciting, and precisely the kind of storytelling it should be remembered for.
you’re able to skip this one if you want to, but I wouldnt recommend it.
But she doesnt morph or anything.
Instead, she drops some acid with Bulk and Skull while stuck in a monster cab.
Also, theShark Cyclesmake their big debut.
22-24: A Different Shade of Pink Pt.
I III
This is it:the final sendoff for Kimberly.
(Sounds nicer, doesnt it?)
Wait a minute how can you transfer your Ninja Power Animal to another person?
Shouldnt Kat go on a spirit quest to find her own gosh darn spirit guide?
(And wouldnt hers be a cat anyway?!)
Oh, thats right.
Ninjors stuck in a jar somewhere.
And there are no cat themed mecha toys to sell.
Its towards the end of the season anyway.
That would be too much of an investment.
But, to be fair, Tommy did too, and for a lot longer.
That made the situation poetic, like their fates were intertwined right from the beginning.
That another original cast member could leave the show felt like a massive shakeup at the time.
But now that Kim was gone, where wasMMPRheading now?
(Looks like shes fitting in well so far.)
29-31: Master Vile and the Metallic Armor Pt.
It also happens to be MMPRs last.
Ninjor escapes during all the commotion and returns to the command center.
That means they can use their Ninja Zords again.
We missed those things.
A thrilling mega-brawl ensues involving both Megazords and a monster that Vile puked up.
Yes, its goofy.
Yes, its campy.
Yes, its an assault on the ears and good taste in general.
But that zord fight at the end!
Thats worth the price of admission alone.
Lets not forget Kat and Aisha singing their classic Angel Grove High duet.
Theyre just like Gwenyth Paltrow and Huey Lewis.
Does anybody get that reference?
You will one day.
33: Rangers in Reverse
The third season ends on a major cliffhanger.
This makes time to go backward, turning our heroes turn into kids.
For those who dont know, theexact same scenariohappened before back in Season 2.
I just didnt deem those episodes as essential because they kind of suck.
Not as bad as, say, Storybook Rangers, but pretty damn close.
Anyway, back on track.
Rangers in Reverse is an action-packed culmination of all the dread that had built up over an eventful year.
Kinda makes you wonder why they never did this kind of thing before.
Oh wait, thats right.
They didnt have the footage for it.
(Why would they call themselves Alien Rangers by the way?
Never understood that.)
But the Rangers face a great loss when Rito and Goldar blow up the Command Center.
What will our heroes do next?
Find out next time, onPower Rangers Zeo!
But before you do, you should probably watchthisfirst.
Stephen Harbers got a power and a force that youve never seen before.
Hes got…atwitter account, awebsite, and acomic book projectthat will even up the score.
Its okay if you are.
We wont judge you.
