---------------------------
So we start off at the Juice Bar, and it seems like business as usual. Billy and Trini are hanging out at the bar, Bulk and Skull have another plan to find the Rangers' identities that they don't explain, Richie is being useless, same ol' same ol'. Kimberly then comes skipping in, literally, as she tells Billy and Trini that she got a letter from Tommy saying that he's coming home at the end of the week. Seriously? What happened to him being written out? Are you guys capable of letting this guy go? Well, to be fair, the plan was originally to write Tommy out so Jason David Frank could go on to star in the Power Rangers spinoff, VR Troopers. And don't bother asking me about that show, I literally know nothing about it. Fans, however, kept writing to Saban to keep Tommy in the show, so I will give Saban credit for actually listening to the fans. Anyway, they run off to tell the others and prepare a surprise party.
On the moon, Zedd catches wind of Tommy's return and isn't too happy that he just won't stay away. He mentions that he has some sort of plan, though what, we don't find out. Back on Earth, we see Jason and Zack playing football with some random no-names. Oh, and Curtis too. The others arrive and tell them the good news, Zack mentioning that it's been way too quiet lately.
*a-he-hem* FOOOOOOOOOOOOOORESHADOWIIIIIIIIIIING!
We then cut to the Command Center where Zordon and Alpha mention something about a secret mission. They then shut down the computers and teleport into a secret chamber to prepare. This is smart right here. We don't know what they're talking about, but the fact that they have to shut down the entire Command Center to prepare, essentially cutting them off from the Rangers and the world as a whole indicates that this is pretty big.
Zedd suddenly senses that Zordon's disappeared, which leads to some explanation as to how the Power Rangers' powers work. Their morphing abilities are tied to some energy force called the Morphing Grid, and any Ranger, no matter how or where they get their powers, draw energy from this grid. The Grid's power is maintained by the constant battle between Zedd and Zordon, which fans have extended to essentially mean the battles between good and evil, which is an explanation I like more than just those two. Either way, Zedd sees Zordon's disappearance as a sign of weakness, so he decides to make his next monster, as well as hatch a plan to turn Tommy evil again. He zaps some statue of a fist and calls it the Scarlet Sentinel, though it doesn't actually turn into anything yet. Right.
On Earth, Bulk and Skull are hanging around the last spot where the Rangers were, waiting for them to arrive. Skull wishes that they got some sign that they were on the right track. God apparently decided to fuck with these guys, as a meteor crashes nearby right then. Don't worry, it doesn't cause widespread destruction from the impact, it just freaks people out a little bit. Jason and Billy run off to find out what it is, but Bulk and Skull have already done the same.
And just what was this meteor?
.....HOLY SHIT IT'S RITA!
Yep, the dumpster that Zedd trapped Rita in way back in the first episode of this season has crashed on Earth, just in time for Bulk and Skull to find it. Bulk thinks this is the sign they're looking for, and somehow the dumpster will lead them to the Power Rangers. If they only knew. They grab the dumpster and head for Skull's dad's workshop, just as Jason and Billy arrive to check it out. They find nothing, leaving them confused.
The confusion continues when Zack comes across the fist statue from before, which is now dripping with this green jelly slime for some reason. He goes back and brings Trini and Kimberly to check it out, confusing them as well. It gets worse when they try to contact Zordon, but don't get a response. They contact Jason and Billy instead, who teleport there. Billy makes the brilliant conclusion that....wait for it....Zedd is behind it! No wonder Billy is considered a GENIUS!
But, since the monster isn't ready yet, Zedd sends down some Z-Putties to occupy the Rangers for a bit. A fight starts and....ugh, was it really necessary to redub them while they're unmorphed? Now it's even more obvious as to what's going on! Anyway, after that, they decide to try and contact Alpha and Zordon again.
Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull arrive at Skull's dad's workshop and get to work on opening the dumpster. Back with the group, they still don't have any luck contacting Zordon, so they decide to just teleport to the Command Center themselves and see what's going on. After they leave, we discover that the fist statue has a glowing mask on the back of it. Or maybe it's a face, as eyes behind the mask open. Creepy...
Meanwhile meanwhile, we cut to somewhere else as we see Tommy taking a swim. *insert gratuitous shirtless shot for the girls here* Suddenly, he starts flashing random colours and disappears. Uh, OK. Did Zedd grab him? Well, he doesn't flat out say he did, just that things are going "according to plan", and that the monster is almost ready. Why the ambiguity? Well, you'll see why soon enough.
At the Command Center, the Rangers see the place practically abandoned and wonder just what the hell is going on. Billy spouts some technobabble and grabs a CD that'll apparently tell them everything. The Rangers then teleport to Billy's lab. While Bulk and Skull work more on opening the dumpster, Billy discovers the hidden chamber in the Command Center where all the power is currently being focused. Before he can figure out just why this is happening, Zedd activates the Scarlet Sentinel and has it attack. The Rangers morph and head out to fight it.
After the Scarlet Sentinel (which now has the additional name of Nimrod, for some reason) wipes the floor with the Rangers, Zedd makes it grow and the Rangers summon the ThunderZords in response. After forming the Thunder MegaZord, the Rangers promptly get their asses kicked by Scarlet Sentinel some more, especially after it summons its assistants, AC and DC. Uh...the whole Scarlet Sentinel being named Nimrod is one thing, but why are its assistants named AC and DC? Is there any significance behind it? Is it just for an AC/DC reference? What's the point? Anyway, Billy escapes from the MegaZord and teleports to the Command Center for help.
After Bulk and Skull work on the dumpster a bit more, we see Billy wandering around the Command Center, looking for Alpha and Zordon to get help. He opens the secret chamber he discovered and heads in. After going through some tunnels and such, he spies on Alpha and Zordon, and the episode ends when he discovers just what they're working on: a new Power Ranger.
--------------------------------
Well, the first part of this wasn't anything big-HOLY SHIT A NEW POWER RANGER! That's all this episode was, one long build-up to the fact that they'll be introducing a new Power Ranger. If you look at it as that, it's done well. Nothing is explained right away, leaving fans wondering just what's going on, and then when the reveal happens, fans are instantly excited. Now, for the big question: who is it? Find out next time!
---------------------------------
From left to right: AC, Scarlet Sentinel, and DC. I still don't get the significance of the reference.
No comments:
Post a Comment