YOPR: 59. Mighty Morphin Mutants
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: Evil Rangers never get old.
Why it matters: If there’s a trope that usually delivers in Power Rangers, it’s evil versions of the heroes – particularly when there’s nuance to it. Here, Goldar determines that none of the Putties in training are worthy of the device that would turn them into an evil Red Ranger variant. While the show in short order will temporarily sideline the Red Ranger as the leader, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers often went to great lengths to establish that being the Red Ranger “means more” than wearing other colors. It carries with it responsibilities that are greater than the other colors because, well, it just does. The show has evolved to a point where that isn’t an absolute – and has done plenty over the years to remind us that every Ranger matters as much as any other – but Red is important, and that it’s recognized and valued so much even by someone trying to defeat the Rangers is powerful.
Episode MVP: True finale. I think the season works better if this episode, not the true final episode, is thought of as the last episode of season one. It’s really not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things – this is a kids action show with 30 years of continuity and plenty of terrific finales that have nicely wrapped things up within a season – but an attempt to form an evil team of Power Rangers using dark Power Coin equivalents feels like something of a trump card or last-ditch effort. Obviously, the intended finale is well in the rearview mirror by now, but this would have been, I think, an even better coda. It’s not a “Whoa, there’s a Green Ranger” level of Earth-shattering, but if you’re a 6-year-old kid, the idea that Rita has her form of Power Morphers is kind of mind blowing, and a nice reminder that, just when you think you’ve seen all that MMPR can yield, it’s got plenty more in store.
A good quote: “You’re gonna be a clay pot on Rita’s coffee table.” – Goldar
Rating: 5/5 toe shoes