On August 28, 1993, kids got their first glimpse of Rita Repulsa crawling out of her space dumpster and declaring: “Ah, after 10,000 years I’m free…it’s time conquer Earth!” And with that simple statement, devoid of any motivation or subtlety, a 20+ year legacy was born.
It’s been 20 years since “Day of the Dumpster” aired and Zordon recruited five teenagers with attitude to save the world from a tricycle-riding space witch. The first episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers doesn’t stand the test of time at all; it exudes 90s kitsch out of every orifice, it’s pretty much nonsensical, and it barely knows how to appropriately cut to and from the Japanese footage it’s adapted from. But gosh darn it, the first adventure is just so much fun. And fun is a main reason why the series has stuck around for 20 years, and fans have been able to survive through the good and the bad. And as we have written before, it’s still okay to love it.
What follows is a selection of episodes that showcases the wide spectrum the franchise has traversed since 1993. If you stopped watching as a kid, or couldn’t get past the weirdness of the early episodes as an adult, here are episodes over the years that you ought to check out, and see what people have spent two decades clamoring over. Or if you’re a longtime fan, celebrate the anniversary by taking a gander at these episodes again.
Keep in mind that any list like this is purely subjective, and episodes or seasons left off do not necessarily mean there’s love lost towards them. (I dig Ninja Storm and Jungle Fury, for example, but there aren’t episodes that truly stick out in either season for this.) Also, since everyone already adores “Day of the Dumpster”, “Green with Evil” and “White Light”, they aren’t present…but they’re worth watching, anyway.
If you have episodes you love and think everyone should see, make your voice known in the comments!
1) “The Green Candle” (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1, Episodes 34-35)
Any fan will clamor over the original “Green with Evil” five-parter that introduced Tommy, the Green Ranger, but the silliness of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the early days has trapped even the better stories in a state of I-loved-this-even-though-it-was-awful nostalgia. Even in the awkward years, though, the show tried to reach a little higher on occasion. When Rita Repulsa crafts a candle that will drain Tommy of his powers, Jason, the Red Ranger, is stuck with Sophie’s Choice–fulfill his mission and destroy the candle, or return to his friends and rescue them from the latest monster. As the on point conversation between Jason and Zack, the Black Ranger, goes: “If I don’t get the candle in time, he’ll lose his powers!” / “If we don’t get to him in time, he’ll lose his life!” For the first time, the stakes felt real and the Rangers truly lose, giving much-needed weight to the show. While this two-parter suffers heavily from the first season’s high level of repeated recycled footage, the smaller moments–like Tommy and Kimberly finally hooking up after the crisis–shine through.
2) “Return of an Old Friend” (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1, Episodes 49-50)
If you ever want to see classic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers pulling out all the stops, look no further than “Return of an Old Friend”. Rita Repulsa decides to go all-out, putting a spell on Billy, the Blue Ranger, that causes him to bring the Dragon Dagger–and control of the Dragonzord–over the Rita. And even with this leverage, she goes a step further and captures the Rangers’ parents. The ultimatum: their parents’ lives for their power coins. With no other choice, the Rangers are forced to surrender, and lose everything as a result. The only way out is a risky move: using Zordon’s own lifeforce to recharge Tommy’s power coin, albeit temporarily. The tension runs higher than ever throughout this two-parter, which still finds time to throw in nice character beats, like Billy’s guilt and Kimberly’s frustrations about her parents’ divorce.
Continued on the next page… see the navigation below!
4 Comments
This a great list. I don’t think there’s anything I disagree with.
I have to disagree with one thing, overall.
The lack of positive mention to “Power Rangers-Ninja Storm”.
There were MANY very, very good episodes in that series, and felt it was far superior to “Light Speed Rescue”, including the Zords in the series. The commander and the team in LSR was completely lame and the acting was so, below par, I turned it off after 5 episodes.
The “Ninja Storm” was far better with the Zords, storyline (particularly with the Thunder Ranger issue), the the like-ablity of characters (The cross-over between the Wind Rangers vs. Dino-Rangers really should have made this list.)
The
Me personally? I prefer Ninja Storm to Lightspeed Rescue overall. But Ninja Storm works much better as the sum of its parts than it does with individual samplings. Lightspeed Rescue, conversely, has some really good individual episodes within the Titanum Ranger arc, even if the season as a whole is pretty weak (in my opinion, of course.) I rewatched a handful of possiblities to see what felt better, and Lightspeed Rescue’s episode just stood stronger on its own than any individual Ninja Storm episode or arc I tried again. Same with Jungle Fury. Believe me, I grappled with it for a long time.
Nice article! If I may, however, point out that Olivia’s last name is misspelled. It’s Tennet. Thanks.