YOPR: 11. No Clowning Around
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: A day at the amusement park falls flat.
Why it matters: Of the five early episodes widely available on VHS during the show’s heyday, this is the strangest pick. The premiere is an obvious choice; “High Five” and “Happy Birthday, Zack” are strong character-focus pieces; “Food Fight” is ridiculousness distilled into greatness. My hunch is that it was chosen because it predominantly takes place at an amusement park and features a villainous clown, staples of kiddie fare if there ever were any. Those elements out of context seem trite, but in-universe they play astonishingly well: Pineapple the Clown proves to be legitimately terrifying well before he’s revealed to be a shapeshifting, tentacled creature from Rita’s cavalcade, and the carnival setting makes for one of the most satisfying and distinct unmorphed fight sequences in the show’s history.
Episode MVP: Water. After Trini’s cousin Sylvia – the latest child targeted by Rita – is transformed into a cardboard cutout by Pineapple the Clown’s magic dust, she is taken to Billy’s lab, where he apparently houses a device that, in real life, would make him a multi-billionaire. Alpha 5, in his first appearance outside of the Command Center, assists Trini in Billy’s lab, and stumbles upon the missing ingredient to her return to normal: H20. In the blink of an eye, not only does Zordon’s faithful aide solve the episode’s biggest dilemma, but he also subtly plants another “lesson of the day” into the mix: while you’re not talking to strangers unsupervised, you should also hydrate, kids!
A good quote: “I guess she’s a bit … board.” — Pineapple the Clown
Rating: 4/5 sticks of cotton candy
Previously on “Yesterday on Power Rangers”
1. Day of the Dumpster
2. High Five
3. Teamwork
4. A Pressing Engagement
5. Different Drum
6. Food Fight
7. Big Sisters
8. I, Eye Guy
9. For Whom the Bell Trolls
10. Happy Birthday, Zack