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So we start off with Tommy and Jason teaching karate to some kids. Why is this so important when they do it practically every week? Or is it more about the Jason/Tommy dynamic, as Billy points out? Blah blah, karate is about self-defense, blah blah blah, class ends. Yeah, probably the Jason/Tommy part is what's important here.
And I'm right as Rita gets pissy over the duo's bromance and decides to make them enemies. Somehow, the monster-of-the-week, the Slippery Shark, can do that, at least according to Goldar. Back on Earth, Jason and Tommy are walking through the park when Putties attack. They fight off the Putties for a bit, until one of them throws some weird boomerang thing. Tommy catches it, but it shocks him. Same thing happens to Jason. So I guess that's what's supposed to turn them against each other? Then what was all that about the Slippery Shark? Was it his boomerang? Anyway, they finish off the Putties, and the spell starts to take effect, the two bickering over who needed who in the fight. It culminates with Tommy saying he's tired of taking orders from Jason, while Jason saying that the Power Rangers were fine before Tommy came along. The fans disagree, but still, damn.
I have to give Rita credit here, this is a pretty good plan. Destroying the Rangers from within seems to be better than just sending a monster after them over and over. Of course, her successor would become much more well-known for that tactic...*sigh* Just a few more episodes...
We cut to the school where Jason and Tommy are still bickering, Tommy mentioning that he quit the class to get away from Jason. Considering Trini and Kimberly are watching, why don't either of them think that maybe, just maybe, Rita is being this little dispute? I mean, sure, it's not inconceivable that these two would start fighting over something, but still, the possibility is there. Bulk and Skull arrive and try to escalate things to a full-on fight. It almost works before Ms. Appleby arrives and things are broken up. Naturally, Trini and Kim are clueless as to just why these two are fighting. Again, evil moon witch who sends monsters after you every so often. Does no one consider this?
Rita gloats about how her plan is coming along, and Finster finishes the Slippery Shark monster. It's a typical hammerhead shark monster, and would actually look pretty cool, if not for that stupid mouth of his. It's always stuck in that wide-open frowny face that just looks dumb. Anyway, it gets sent down to Earth to fight the Rangers.
We move to the school for a moment as Bulk and Skull start selling tickets to the fight between Jason and Tommy, which leads to this:
Bulk: How much do we have?
Skull: I lost count.
Bulk: Well, how much did we have before you lost count?
Skull: A dollar.
Bulk: ...you're worthless, you know that?
Ouch. That was harsh.
Alpha tries to track down the monster, but it's apparently moving too fast for him to get a lock on. I'm sure this'll be important later. Somehow. We cut to the Juice Bar where...wait, there actually is a fight? I thought it was just Bulk and Skull being...well, Bulk and Skull. Jason and Tommy start circling one another, just waiting for the first move. Of course, the others show up, and Zack tries to break things up, but no good. Right before the fight really begins, however, Zordon contacts the group, so Jason and Tommy postpone the fight and leave. Bulk and Skull get chased out by the spectators, wanting their money back.
Once they arrive at the Command Center, Zordon fills them in on the Slippery Shark, as well as the spell over Jason and Tommy. He says that to break the spell, they basically have to quit being little bitches and put aside their differences. Easier said than done, of course. The other Rangers are told to stand by while Jason and Tommy morph and go to find the shark.
At the park, Tommy proposes a wager: if he beats the Shark first, he becomes the new leader. Jason retaliates by saying that if he does it, then Tommy's out of the group. Snap man, snap, this is getting heavy. The Shark, of course, travels through the ground, fin sticking out just like Jaws. Both of them try to catch him, but no luck. They run into each other again and argue over battle strategies. They separate, try again, no luck. They meet up again and it almost seems like they're becoming more willing to work together. The Shark appears and starts kicking their asses. Spontaneously, they decide to work together and throw a net over it. Apparently, the spell is now broken. But the Shark is still a threat as it breaks free from the net and starts beating the duo down. The other Rangers morph and go to help them out.
The others arrive and they all start to get smacked around by the Shark. Once it goes underground, however, Zack uses his Power Axe to blast the exposed fin. The Rangers then combine their weapons into the Power Blaster, but before they can fire, Rita make the Shark grow. So the Rangers summon the DinoZords and form the MegaZord while Tommy summons the DragonZord.
The two fight the Shark for a bit and the Shark is actually a difficult fight, considering he's so fast. The Rangers summon the Power Sword, but even that doesn't work because they can't hit him. Billy gets the idea to just block his attack and hold him in place, leaving him open for the DragonZord to score a hit. Since it's Billy, it works. The MegaZord destroys the Shark's fin before finishing him off with the Power Sword. This was actually a decent fight.
Back at the Juice Bar, Tommy and Jason resume teaching karate to the kids. Bulk and Skull arrive, both of them a mess after being caught by the angry spectators. They order Jason and Tommy to fight, which naturally doesn't mean diddly-dick. They take a swing, miss, their fists collide, they faint from the pain, group laughs, episode ends.
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I have to admit, this was much better than I thought it would be. The idea of turning the Rangers against one another is a good one, and one that is sadly not explored that much this season. The dialogue between Jason and Tommy could get a little hammy at times, but there seemed to be real conflict between the two. Not to mention that the Slippery Shark was a good monster, and the fights were decent enough to warrant mention. Overall, a pretty good episode, worth your time.
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The weird thing is, I can't think of any comments for the Slippery Shark. Sure, he didn't suck, but there were better monsters. He's alright, I guess.
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