Where we left off, the Zords had been frozen, save for the T-Rex Zord and DragonZord, which are under Zedd's control. Thing is, the Rangers need their old Zords back to get the new Zords necessary to take on Zedd properly. Billy and Trini are working on a device to free them, but the constant attacks aren't making things easy. Is there a way out of this? Let's find out!
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By the way, the new intro for this season is introduced here. The theme song is the same, but the images are different, with plenty of gratuitous explosions and actually showing the new MegaZord before we officially saw it. Way to spoil it, Saban!
We pick up where we left off, with the Zords ceasing their attack on the Rangers. Pirantishead then decides to have the Zords attack the citizens at the motocross. Oh snap! The Rangers run off to warn them, while Billy and Trini continue to work on the device. Zedd brags about his imminent victory, as he is wont to do.
The Zords arrive at the motocross and actually start attacking the citizens. Well, there go the Rangers' reputation again. They need a good PR agent. Zedd brags some more as Billy finally finishes that device. And it only took an episode and a half! He and Trini morph and take the device to the others. Except...it doesn't work.
A Billy invention DOESN'T WORK?! It's all over! Game over, man! Game over!
Jason then gets the crazy idea of combining their weapons into the Power Blaster to take out the Zords. Of course, Alpha points out that if they destroy the old Zords, they can't use the new ones. Zordon tells him to have faith as the Rangers combine their weapons. Turns out, it was a feint as they change targets and blast Pirantishead. It doesn't destroy him, but it does hurt him. This gives Billy the opportunity to fix his device, which had the batteries upside-down.
...wait, what?
The batteries were UPSIDE-DOWN?!
Tommy: "Our genius"...
Yeah, what he said! But at least this means that Billy's invention isn't a failure.
He activates it just in time to regain control of the two Zords. This pisses Zedd off like nothing else and decides that if he can't have the Zords, no one can, and so he sends them back under the earth. Of course, this happens all the time, so I don't see the problem. In fact, didn't Rita and the evil Green Ranger do this already?
Zordon gets Alpha to move the underground Zords back to their respective hiding places, hoping that if there's enough left of them, they can still create the new Zords. Luckily, Zedd didn't get to the DragonZord, so Tommy sends it back underwater where it'll be safe. Zedd then reveals his method of making monsters grow: throw a grenade at it. Yeah. Well, it catches it and throws it at the ground, which makes it grow, but that just seems so unnecessarily awesome.
Anyway, Pirantishead grows and the Rangers retreat to the Command Center. Zordon reveals that the plan worked and they were able to make the ThunderZords. However, Tommy's power is still too weak to support a Zord, so he can't get one. The Rangers teleport back out and summon the ThunderZords, which consists of their old Zords appearing, being struck by lightning and transforming into the new Zords. I like the new Zords enough, but they seem a bit out of place with the Rangers. Not sure why.
The new Zords arrive and we see that the Red Dragon can transform into the Warrior Mode. I was never really sure how this worked, but I think that the neck and tail become the legs, the front and back claws become the arms, and the head detaches and reattaches to the new neck. It makes a bit more sense when you consider that it's a Chinese dragon. They decide to form the Thunder MegaZord, with the other Zords forming a sort of armor for the Red Dragon. The Unicorn and Griffin become the legs, the Firebird wraps around its waist like a skirt, and the Lion becomes the chestplate, arms, and helmet. I like the Chinese warrior theme of the MegaZord, but again, it feels a bit out of place.
And now we come to a problem with the first few MegaZord fights. See, Saban still had some excess footage left over from what they got from Toei. They decided to try and splice the footage in with the footage of the new MegaZord, which makes for some pretty sloppy fights. You never actually see the MegaZord and the monster on the screen at the same time, resulting in one attacking, then the other reacting, wash and repeat.
Anyway, they fight for a bit and I can't stop thinking about Jason's line. He says "time to can this fish", but the way he says it, I could swear he says "bitch" instead of fish. Unintentional humour! Eventually, the MegaZord finishes Pirantishead off with its Thunder Sword. Zedd gets pissed, blames everyone except himself, and vows revenge.
At the Command Center, Zordon commends them on a job well done. Kimberly asks if Tommy could still help out with the DragonZord, but since his Green Ranger powers are dwindling, so is the DragonZord's. Tommy seems ready to leave the group, but the others promise that he'll always be one of them, and that there still may be a way to keep his powers. Tommy then wonders what happened to Rita, so they see Rita floating around space in the dumpster. They have a good laugh at that, but then discover that Bulk and Skull are still trapped on their four-wheelers, driving around like maniacs. After another good laugh, they decide to help.
They teleport to where Bulk and Skull are and use Billy's device to regain control of the vehicles. Tommy and Kim go to check on them while the others get theirs. Bulk and Skull tell them about what happened as well as their plans to discover the Rangers' identities. The others arrive and they all drive off to the finish line as the episode ends.
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In terms of starting off a season, this was the way to go. Change the status quo enough so that it's not entirely different, but different enough to be significant. Establish a new villain and put him over as better than the previous one, to instill the belief that the Rangers could lose at some point. The Zords were changed, but they were changed for a reason, considering the new monsters were so powerful that just one of them, normal-sized no less, could stop the old Zords dead in their tracks. Even the comedic duo was given something to do this season, which we'll see play out in regards to how it'll develop their characters. Things have changed, but just enough to make people interested, and not so much for people to throw their hands in the air and say "It's too different now, it sucks!". In general, just a good three-part story, well worth your time.
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The Red Dragon ThunderZord changing to its Warrior Mode.
The full Thunder MegaZord.
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