YOPR: 47. Reign of the Jellyfish
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: Will people remember the Power Rangers?
Why it matters: Do people still bury time capsules? They’ve always seemed like one of those things that was such a “big deal” in entertainment but, in practice, seldom actually exist. In an internet-driven world, the idea of time capsules is more interesting than their application — barring a post-apocalyptic excavation. The Rangers’ selections for their class time capsule are mostly predictable based on their personalities, but Ms. Appleby’s choice is powerful thought fodder. She opts to include a photograph of the Power Rangers to ensure that their world-saving exploits are never forgotten. Obviously, the flattering nature of her sentiment is something to which she isn’t privy, but the overall naivety at play is just delightful. The in-show year is 1993. Home computers exist, and presumably so does some form of the internet. There should be zero chance that the Power Rangers — SUPERHEROES who’ve saved the world dozens of times by this point — will ever be forgotten in this universe. That Ms. Appleby believes the world could ever forget its saviors is kind of depressing, but it’s also kind of prescient — not even 10 years later, a future world-saver will scoff at the notion of Power Rangers being real.
Episode MVP: Optimism. The time capsule plot naturally lends itself to a rosy outlook, but things are especially hopeful by the end of this adventure. Thirty years out from its filming, it’s hard to say whether the world has improved or worsened. I’m writing this the day after the most recent American mass school shooting; those are basically a staple of life, now, that didn’t exist in 1993. I’m also writing this with the aid of platforms that have allowed good people to convey far more important, life-changing messages at a mass scale to people who need to hear them. Wars are still waged, often in less visible and more destructive ways, but the measurable generosity of humanity has also never been greater. The world keeps spinning, and the Power Rangers have to keep saving it — I wonder what those teenagers with attitude would think of today?
A good quote: “Oh yes, Rita could certainly use some new clothes. Very grunge.” — Baboo
Rating: 4/5 jellyfish umbrellas