YOPR: 32. A Star is Born
On April 19, MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: ONCE AND ALWAYS premieres on Netflix. I’m writing about all 60 episodes of MMPR’s first season in the lead-up to that premiere.
If you’d like to follow along on this rewatch, entirety of MMPR’s first season is available for free (with ads) on YouTube.
One-sentence synopsis: Power Rangers: The Greatest Hits.
Why it matters: Whoa boy. This is definitely an episode of Power Rangers. It’s hard to even really talk about it – there’s a “plot” at its core, though it’s really just another reason to exhibit Jason David Frank’s martial arts skills rather than anything resembling a story. That’s fine – plot isn’t the end all, be all – but “A Star is Born” goes off the rails in a hurry. Most of the last half is spent in Zord cockpits, and it’s this barrage of Sentai footage that really gets in the way of whatever this episode could have been. Both Monster of the Day – Babe Ruthless and Scorpina’s Weaveworm – deserved better, though the former’s Zyuranger origins are likely the reason for his abrupt entry and exit. There was an effort to make something sensible out of a footage buffet, but it just barely works on a functional level – and works to the detriment of the series at large when it comes to public opinion.
Episode MVP: Rita Repulsa. For feats accomplished outside of “A Star is Born,” not here. Early in the episode, Rita is exhausted and takes a nap, leaving Goldar to take charge. If you perceive this episode’s jankiness through the lens of “Oh, this definitely wouldn’t have played out this way had Rita been calling the shots,” then it’s sorta forgivable. I’m probably being too generous.
A good quote: “I take one day off and look what happens.” – Rita Repulsa
Rating: 1/5 mayonnaise jars