YOPR: 15. Dark Warrior
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: An episode that gives more effort than its name suggests.
Why it matters: Now here’s a Billy episode that has some meat to it. Trini’s got a renaissance man of an uncle who’s a master in martial arts and a renowned scientist – how convenient, especially when her best friend is in need of some self-esteem development! Billy’s “otherness” is a focal point again, but in “Dark Warrior” there’s a motivation behind it other than “ha ha look at the nerd;” he’s tired of being bullied by Bulk and Skull, and intends to improve his self-defense by re-enrolling in karate classes taught by Jason. It’s another nod to the show’s internal continuity – it was easy to gloss over that he quit some episodes back – and an acknowledgement of Billy’s biggest incongruity as a character: he’s a competent fighter when morphed, but generally leans on an instinct to evade before he yells out “Triceratops!” It’s not always handled with aplomb because the source footage allows so much wiggle room, but that general idea was a brave one for the creative team to attempt.
Episode MVP: Terence Winkless. There are some really neat sequences in this episode, the first one helmed by Winkless, who directed nearly 25% of the episodes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ three seasons. The camera turns upside down as Billy is hurled into a trash can early in the episode, initiating his desire to re-enroll in Jason’s class. Later, when Uncle Howard is held captive in a cave by the titular Monster of the Day, there was a good-faith attempt at creating a conversation between him and Howard without actually showing the Dark Warrior costume, which is admittedly as forgettable as it gets. The formulaic elements of MMPR are burned into our collective consciousness, but it’s these kinds of subtleties – most of which were definitely lost on the kids reenacting fight scenes at home – that continue to make it a rewarding watch in 2023.
A good quote: “How many times do I have to tell you not to drink from a bottle that has no label?” – Rita
Rating: 3/5 invisible punches
