Command Center Commentaries: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 3- Part 1

You're the number one kid's show on the planet, have been on the air for two years, and have just made the leap to the big screen with a blockbuster motion picture. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was on top of the freaking world heading into Season 3. And, just like in Season 2, the question was how you can keep your product at the top of the mountain. You add a few changes to the status quo and you keep the story going with season-long story arcs. And, in my opinion, Season 3 is probably the best season in Mighty Morphin in terms of the stories they tell. The season is cut nearly in half in terms of episode length and has only a handful of filler between the multi-parters. With that in mind, let's kick off Season 3 by analyzing the first 9 episodes of the season with the Power Rangers and...Hey, is that the Masked Rider? What the heck is he doing here?!?!


Episode 1- A Friend in Need Part 1: This 3-parter kicking off the season serves as a strange pilot to get buzz going for the eventual Masked Rider television series. How do we tie that in to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? Well, the Masked Rider, known as Dex, is from Alpha's home planet. That's an alright start. Alpha hears a distress call from the planet and the Rangers go as a favor to Alpha. It's a nice moment to see that even though he's a robot, Alpha can feel sad and the Rangers will do anything for him because they care about him. Anyways, they get to the planet and Dex thinks they work for the bad guys, so we get a convoluted fight between the Power Rangers and the Masked Rider. When the Rangers are fired upon just as much as Masked Rider, he comes to his senses and realizes the Rangers are allies. A lot of new things to keep up with in this first part, but not a bad way to try something new for a season premiere.

Episode 2- A Friend in Need Part 2: The Rangers and Dex share their identities in a form of trust and prepare to do battle against the forces of evil. That's really it for their part on this episode. The other main story going on in this episode is about Kimberly staying home because she has the flu. Zedd and Rita send a monster down and Kimberly gets the monster sick. The other other main story is Bulk and Skull trying to fool/impress these girls by pretending to be Power Rangers. Yeah, that goes nowhere, and it really makes me wish the 3-parter could've given us one last scheme for these two to try and figure out the Rangers' identities.

Episode 3- A Friend in Need Part 3: The Rangers return to Earth and help Kimberly stop the monster and save the day. The zord battle is interesting to see because it is one of the few times we actually see American footage of the zord suits. It does make a big difference in terms of a visual presentation of the battle. If it looks like it's taking place in Angel Grove, and NOT Japan, then it helps add a layer of authenticity to the action. On Dex's planet, he is told that their villains are on their way to Earth and he must venture there to save the planet, thus having people ready to tune into Masked Rider to see what happens next. Or not. Obviously, the show wasn't as big of a success as Power Rangers, so this episode seems a little strange in hindsight. But it's still a crossover that is a bit different than the traditional team up episodes we will become used to over the course of this franchise.

Episode 4- Ninja Quest Part 1: Now here's the episode that feels like the proper season opener. Rita's brother Rito Revolto arrives to help Zedd and Rita get rid of the Power Rangers once and for all. And their plan works pretty well. They make Rito grow and the Rangers feel like they have the day won, like usual, but then 4 other monsters show up to ambush them. They use so much power in the battle that they overload everything, destroying the zords and their powers to close the episode. It's a pretty depressing sight to see the zords pretty much fall apart, sparks and wires shooting everywhere. Naturally, based on the title, this episode will lead to them discovering the ninja powers, meaning that everything that happened in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is completely out of canon with the series. Why even bother with that being the plot of the movie at all? Why not have the movie lead into the third season? Why not give the movie a completely different plot, especially if you're going to reboot the storyline once you get to the "Ninja Quest" episode? It's always bugged me and it always will. I. LIKE. CONTINUITY.

Episode 5- Ninja Quest Part 2: The Rangers then embark on their quest to find Ninjor, creator of the Power Coins, in an attempt to get some new powers. On their way, they're attacked by the Tenga Warriors, those bird creatures from the movie that has nothing to do with the show. In this continuity, they're a wedding present from Rito to Rita and Zedd (who he, in a running gag, refers to as "Ed."). I should also take this time to mention Bulk and Skull's material for the season. Tired of trying to figure out who the Rangers are, they enroll in the police academy. Admittedly, they enlist to impress women, but you can also argue that they've picked up a sense of honor, decency, and the desire to help the city. You spend as much time as they do around the Power Rangers, and some of that is bound to rub off on you. But also, just picture the comedic possibilities. Bulk and Skull as police officers. They're training features all the stuff you'd expect. They overreact to their new haircuts, they are bumbling around the obstacles courses due to them not being in shape, and they are a thorn in the side of their new authority figure Lt. Stone. I love the new material they are given, and it paints an idea that they could go from stereotypical bullies to more developed and semi-heroic goofballs by the end of the season.

Episode 6- Ninja Quest Part 3: The Rangers discover the hidden temple of the great and powerful Ninjor. He's kind of a douchebag to them in the beginning, but changes his tune once they show they'll find a way to fight the forces of evil even without their powers. They're given those nice ninja costumes that you saw in the movie that has nothing to do with the show, and they fight off the army of Tenga Warriors outside the temple. A simple, yet effective episode that showcases the change of powers almost like birth or baptism. They've been given a new arsenal of skills and powers that they've never experienced before. Heck, there's points where Ninjor refers to their older powers as primitive in comparison. That's a huge way to make this ceremony feel like the most important thing in the universe. Nicely handled.

Episode 7- Ninja Quest Part 4: With their new powers, they return to Angel Grove to save the day from Rito Revolto. They use their new zords to create the Ninja Megazord. It's not a bad Megazord, but they lack that certain nostalgia that I'd imagine most fans have for the original zords, or even the Thunderzords. The vampire monster hatches from an egg and attempts to attack Ninjor. Surprisingly, Ninjor can grow in size and has his own fighting mode. He's a pretty formidable ally to the Rangers, I just wish he didn't have such an annoying voice. Anyways, the day is saved, and now we have a new status quo. The Rangers have new zords, new ninja powers, and a new friend in Ninjor.

Episode 9- Passing the Lantern: A lot of the filler episodes that take place during the season aren't much to write home about, but there's a few gems here and there. "Passing the Lantern" is a gem in what it provides for Adam's character growth. If you recall what I said in my last review concerning Adam's character, I said all he had to him was being the sensitive puppy dog of the team. This episode showed me that he values his family and his ancestry by trying to guard a paper lantern with his life. He made a vow to his family and knows what kind of shame he would feel if anything happened to this family heirloom. The rest of the episode is so-so, but I really like the amount of value and investment he puts into uncovering the powers the lantern holds.

Character Spotlight: Tommy Oliver, played by Jason David Frank

Maybe it's the fact that his powers aren't in jeopardy or he hasn't really been separated from his group in any major form, but Tommy gets kinda boring when he's not at the forefront of the story. I mean that with all the respect of in world, since Tommy is still my favorite Power Ranger, but he's not a character that is developed through personality and character traits. His legend is derived from his actions and memorable stories in his life as a Ranger. So if you have a story that involves the entire team or a number of filler episodes, Tommy is just there to lead the team. Nothing more. Nothing less. Really at this point in the season, his only 2 points in relevancy are that he is the team leader and he still has that romance with Kimberly to count on. This does leave the opportunity for other Rangers to develop personalities and grow as characters, since the spotlight isn't being used for Tommy-centered episodes, so you can maybe make the argument that there's a positive to take from this negative.

Character Spotlight: Adam Park, played by Johnny Yong Bosch

As I said in my thoughts about "Passing the Lantern," Adam was given a little more depth as his character grew on. He was the one that fit in the most comfortable with the older Rangers and made being a Power Ranger feel more important than Rocky and Aisha. Think about it this way, when you look back at the show and you see the Rangers lose their powers, who normally looks the most devastated and distraught? Kimberly, Billy, Tommy, and Adam. I chalk a lot of that up to Johnny Yong Bosch picking up on subtle nuances that helped him stand out as a stronger actor than the majority of his cast. No wonder he's gone on to be a pretty important actor in the Anime community, Adam felt like a character that was growing over the entire course of the show, as if he'd been there since day one. He was developing a stronger sense of confidence, humor, and a lot of honor and pride in his ancestry and family. And yes, he can still look like a sensitive puppy dog and I'm ok with it because he has a little more depth to him now.

There's still bound to be a number of changes happening throughout the third season. And I'll uncover some of those changes next time in Part 3...


Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment