Command Center Commentaries: Power Rangers Zeo Part 1

The Power Rangers that we have known for the first three seasons are gone forever. As harsh and sad as that is, it was inevitable. They kept the traditional aesthetics going on for three years, while constantly trying to update the stories and characters. It was much more trouble than was needed. You could keep the story going, while changing the costumes, villains, music, and zords, as long as it felt like a natural progression. Hence why they introduced the Zeo Crystal last season. It was the power source needed to transition Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into Power Rangers Zeo. While continuing the story, this will in many ways be its own series and will need more analysis on majority of the episodes. There's less need to skip filler because a lot of that filler will be necessary for establishing the new status quo, newer characters, or new stories for older characters. So let's see how some of these changes played out by analyzing the first 10 episodes of Power Rangers Zeo.


Episode 1- A Zeo Beginning Part 1: Picking up where last season left off, we see the Rangers in the wreckage of the Command Center's explosion. They discover the Zeo Crystal in the rubble and it sucks them underground as the Command Center rebuilds itself into the Power Chamber. From there, they find their way back into the Power Chamber and reunite with Alpha 5. That's great and all, but they'll get their big moment with the new powers in Part 2. The real big moment of this episode was the debut of our new villains. King Mondo, Queen Machina, and the Machine Empire arrive and send Rita and Zedd running scared. WOW! These guys scare Rita and Zedd?!?!? What an impression these guys made in their first episode. Will the Zeo Crystal provide a power source that can stand up to the Machine Empire? That's what we're going to find out.

Episode 2- A Zeo Beginning Part 2: In another storyline in this 2-parter, Rito and Goldar have survived the explosion, but don't remember who they are and seek Bulk and Skull out to help find out who they are. Bulk and Skull then bring them on to be their pets/slaves, strictly for comedic purposes. It's kind of interesting to see Bulk and Skull hold a little authority over the monsters that have sent them running for years. Anyways, the Zeo Crystal provides a major power supply for 5 Rangers, so Tanya offers to step down since she's the newest member of the team. Instead, Billy opts to serve as a tech assistant in the Power Chamber. This is a huge moment for Billy, being the last of the original 5 Rangers to step down as a Ranger. Unlike the others that left immediately, he's still able to serve a purpose on the team. The Rangers get their new powers and with that come some new colors. Kat and Tanya retain the Pink and Yellow powers you'd expect, but the major changes are for the guys. Rocky becomes the Blue Ranger, Adam becomes the Green Ranger, and Tommy becomes the Red Ranger. They morph and lay waste to Mondo's henchmen, the Cogs. It's a pretty good debut for the new Rangers, I just wish we could've seen a little more action from them. I like the look of the Zeo Rangers. The shaped visors on the helmets are a nice change of pace, and something about the aesthetics make the main colors look a lot brighter in contrast to the Mighty Morphin suits. I also really enjoy how the main music borrows elements of the original "Go Go Power Rangers" theme song and expands it with a new sound. This is an overall very strong introduction episode that builds upon the last season and changes the status quo. It's a natural progression into this newer series with its own brand of tone and style.

Episode 3- Shooting Star: This episode gives us the introduction of the Zeo Zords and really gives a lot of details on their actual functionality in the Zeo Megazord. For example, Kat and Tanya control the firepower, Rocky and Adam control the driving force, and Tommy controls the main pilot. Oh, and we also get to meet Tanya's new boyfriend Shawn. He's a dick!

Episode 4- Target Rangers: Not much important in this episode's plot, but I wanted to take a moment to go over a really cool feature with the zords that is introduced in this episode. They Megazord comes complete with different helmets, each exhibiting different traits and power ups based on the zord the helmet comes from. It's a pretty neat feature that actually gets them out of a really tricky situation in the episode's climax. Definitely something that allows the Zeo Megazord to stand out from others.

Episode 6- Rangers In The Outfield: As a fan of baseball, I really enjoy the baseball atmosphere in this episode. But that isn't the reason to check this one out. The real reason to check it out is what it does for Tanya's character. After making the baseball team, her boyfriend Shawn (the dick I spoke of earlier) gets super critical of her. She finally has had enough and puts Shawn in his place, breaking up with him in the process. This was a phenomenal moment in the series because it gave Tanya a defining moment of strength and confidence. Standing up to her mentally abusive boyfriend speaks volumes of the type of role model Tanya could be for the female viewers of Power Rangers, while also pointing out to the male viewers of how NOT to treat a lady. This moment also teased a very underdeveloped potential relationship for Tanya and Adam down the road. I feel like setting these two up as a power couple (no pun intended) was going to be a strong storyline that got lost in the shuffle as the season progressed.

Episode 9- Invasion of the Ranger Snatchers: I really wanted to include this one just for how bizarre it was to watch. For starters, the main plot was centered on filming a movie. I love movies and the process of filming them, so this was a fun little episode that pulled me in with the premise. And it all goes weird from here. The Rangers are then trapped in some vortex or world or something and are forced to film Prince Sprocket's movie. We then get to see them make some very interesting use of the Sentai footage, including the Zeo Rangers riding on horses to stop a bus. Not much importance in the episode other than that. It's just a kooky premise that's surreal to watch.

Episode 10- Graduation Blues: In an episode that doesn't focus on the Rangers, we actually get to work on furthering Billy's development since stepping down as a Power Ranger. With more than enough credits, he graduates early right around the time an Aquitian spaceship lands in Angel Grove and Cestro steps out looking for Billy. Long story short, they work on a new weapon for the Rangers and Billy flies off to help the people of Aquitar.

Character Spotlight: Katherine Hillard, played by Catherine Sutherland

I felt that Kat really came into her own as a Pink Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo, as opposed to her brief time as a Pink Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. We definitely saw Kat show a much more maternal side than last season. That didn't make her the most interesting character of her team, but you definitely saw growth and a defining role on the team. There's another role or element of her depth that I can't address until next time, but I'll say it involves a romantic interest. Interestingly, I kind of had the vibe that she could've ended up with Billy, but that may just be me. Still, I always like when a character can get a more defined role as seasons progress, so I'm glad Kat could become more than just the token Australian character on the team.

Character Spotlight: Tanya Sloan, played by Nakia Burrise

The only fully new character heading into this season, there was a major opportunity to really play out some ideas with Tanya in the early episodes. You're starting with a fresh slate with her and able to build her role throughout the early episodes. By overcoming her verbally and emotionally relationship with Shawn, we had a great sense of how much value and confidence Tanya has in herself when she stood up to him. That's a major moment for the season that can't be ignored. That was the major focus of the few standalone episodes she had in the early parts of the season. After a while, it was very easy for her to feel like a regular member of the team. Through these episodes, she got acquainted with the audience very quickly and you could then build upon her character further. For example, joining the baseball team on natural talent shows how athletic and sporty she can be, and we later discover she has a passion for music. With the first group of major episodes, they were really able to do a great job at introducing the character of Tanya and make her stand out from her previous Yellow Ranger counterparts. She's not Trini or Aisha. She has her own traits and qualities that make her unique.

With their new powers in full effect, let's see what's next for the Zeo Rangers in Part 2...


Power Rangers Zeo and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment