Command Center Commentaries- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1- Part 6

So, let's recap. We've got 10 episodes to go in the iconic and nostalgic first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. While there's still an expected amount of filler to take place, at least we have Tommy back on the team. And it might be the whole Tommy factor of it all, but the fillers in these last 10 episodes hold a certain weight of importance that I haven't seen since the first 10 or 15 episodes. There isn't a multi-parter in this batch. No major cliffhangers. And the only overarching story that exists in majority of these episodes is Tommy's struggle with his temporary powers. With all of that ahead of us, let's see how most of episodes 51-60 end the season on a high note.


Episode 54- Trick or Treat: We actually have another Halloween themed episode in this first season. However, this one's a little more ambiguous with the setting. Kimberly competes on a costume themed game show, while Rita sends down a rapping, pumpkin monster. Silly at first, but what really shines in this episode is Tommy. The guy gets an amazing fight against the Putties. And after getting called away from a karate match, shows some serious ferocity fighting the Pumpkin Rapper. It's a gem of a filler episode that is sure to keep you entertained.

Episode 56- On Fins and Needles: We get another episode for all of you Jason vs. Tommy fans out there. This time, Rita puts a spell on Jason and Tommy that causes them to be at odds with each other. The moral they're setting is to not solve your problems by fighting each other, which was actually handled a little more subtle than you'd expect. Plus, it's a great episode that showcases an underlying tension that exists when you have Tommy or Jason on the same team. The debate still goes on with the fans. You can't like both equally. You can only have ONE favorite. And when they have a side bet of who can defeat the monster first, you can hear the animosity between the two. If Tommy wins, he becomes leader of the Power Rangers. If Jason wins, Tommy has to give up being a Power Ranger. Great moment. One of the best nuggets of dialogue in this season. Of course, nothing actually comes from that side bet, but I don't care. It was so awesome!

Episode 58- Football Season: The interesting part about this episode is that the least interesting stuff in the episode is the actual Ranger footage. The guys at Angel Grove High are training to try out for the football team, so it leads to a lot of opportunities for a fun character episode. Bulk and Skull are training with the idea that Bulk needs to learn ballet in order to be light on his feet. Ernie trains Tommy at the Juice Bar, giving Tommy a much needed confidence boost. The other Rangers have a fun game of flag football in the park that reeks of '90s montage cheesiness. It's a fun episode for any sports fans out there to check out.

Episode 59- Mighty Morphin Mutants: Rita takes a bit of my advice and goes back to the idea of creating her own copies of the Rangers. The fun bits of the episode include Goldar training the Putties to be like the Power Rangers. There's this one Putty that just isn't getting the hang of it, and his failure is sure to provide a bit of a chuckle. The Rangers are actually in fear of these Mutant Rangers, since they know all of the Rangers' moves. Plus, the Zord fight involves the two Megazords battling the monster of the day and 3 giant Mutant Rangers. Talk about a stacked finale. This episode also provides an interesting story on Tommy's forgetfulness, possibly hinting that Ranger duties can have a questionable impact on one's life in the normal world. It goes nowhere by the end, and is barely mentioned in future episodes, but it's definitely a good character moment for Tommy that shows that it's ok for a Power Ranger to have a flaw.

Episode 60- An Oyster Stew: A questionable episode to end the season, as it focuses on Zack's "relationship" with Angela. If you recall in a previous review, I questioned what Zack actually saw in Angela. To this day, I still don't get it. Her birthday is coming up, and Zack feels the way he needs to impress her is with a fancy dinner at a French cafe and a pair of pearl earrings. This episode focused on a two-sided moral. For Zack, he shouldn't try to impress Angela with flashy gifts and what money can buy. And for Angela, she should stop being so materialistic and appreciate Zack for who he is. To the part of the episode having to do with the Power Rangers, this episode works for two reasons. The first is that we get to see Tommy and Zack fight off an oyster monster that shoots acid gel at them, resulting in Tommy giving Zack his shield to protect him. And the second reason is that for the first time ever, we get to see the Megazord fight underwater. While both of these scenes are cool, the episode ends with Zack romancing Angela by singing to her with help from Bulk and Skull. Not exactly how I would've pictured a season of Power Rangers to end, so this finale is pretty anti-climactic in the long run.

Character Spotlight: Tommy Oliver, played by Jason David Frank

I think it's no surprise that Tommy is my favorite Power Ranger. He's almost usually everybody's favorite and is easily the biggest legend in Power Rangers history. What a great way to introduce a character. He's the new kid at school, turned evil by Rita, fights the Rangers in an epic five-part episode. When he's turned good, he's brought in for backup like the closing pitcher for a baseball team. When they wrote Tommy out of the season following The Green Candle, fans lost their minds. He's brought back in epic fashion with Return of an Old Friend, but he's warned that his powers will be limited. He's got a romance going on with Kimberly, and a competitive bromance with Jason. He's great. No question about it. But the great thing about a character like Tommy is that his legendary status and character growth has just begun. There's a lot more layers that makeup Tommy's career as a Power Ranger that we haven't seen yet, and this is just a taste of the greatness to come.

Season Spotlight: Final Thoughts

The first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is not going to be the greatest season to watch if you aren't wearing a pair of nostalgia googles. While there are a great number of episodes that are enjoyable to watch, the filler is a bit formulaic. You could actually skip around 30 episodes in this season and not miss a thing. Don't get me wrong. I love this season. It's something great to watch, as you can see the beginnings of this over 20 year franchise. But there are better seasons with better character development and storylines to follow. The stories centering on the Green Ranger were the real lifeblood of this season, and really helped carry the momentum and weight of the show heading into season 2. But, with Sentai footage limiting even further, they would have to throw some new stuff our way to keep the show fresh and relevant. And boy, do they throw a lot of great new stuff our way. But I'll get into that next time, when I talk about Season 2 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...


Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment