YOPR: 60. An Oyster Stew
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: Goodbye, Angela.
Why it matters: One of the most fascinating aspects of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is how much time it committed to developing a “will they-won’t they” romance between Zack and Angela, a recurring character who, after this episode, will never appear or be mentioned again. What’s the why behind that? It’s never been shared. It could be any number of things, including Walter Jones’ forthcoming exodus from the program in season two – why bring back a character so connected to him if he’s not going to be there anymore? Regardless of circumstances, casually erasing the only recurring black female character in your show obviously isn’t something to be proud about. Beyond the optics, it’s a shame because the interplay between her and Zack, by the time it culminates in a kiss at the end of this episode, is some of the best in the show. It’s just wrong for their relationship to bloom at the end of one season and go unmentioned in the next. At least tell us she moved!
Episode MVP: Underwater Megazord. There’s a lot of good stuff here – Dragon Shield Black Ranger is the most memorable – but the underwater zord fight is so cool. The team at Toei clearly had a lot of fun with it, and it’s the kind of scene that just can’t be replicated with pure CGI and have the same impression. Sure, an animated version of this same scene might be able to look on par – and, more importantly, be more cost-efficient – but it’s hard to dispute the impact tangibility has on most viewers. A man in a rubber suit physically walking “out of the ocean” and onto a dry set might “look cheap,” but it isn’t. I’m not sure that people who say that when discussing tokusatsu even really mean the words they’re using; what they’re often trying to convey is that it doesn’t look real. That’s such an unfortunate perception, because it will always be more real than any animation ever could be.
A good quote: “You won’t be able to take whatever I’m doing to ya.” – Zack
Rating: 5/5 singing telegrams