[DreamSword]

The friend who I binged the whole series with? His favorite season ended up being...

Mighty Morphin' Season 2

So I asked him to type up what he got out of the season and why he loves it so much, and he sent me this:

"Season 2 of Mighty Morphin' introduces a god damn flesh mummy straight from hell to dunk on Rita and start menacing the rangers. He also uses his Olympian tier arm to throw gourds from the MOON to the EARTH in mere seconds, which is both awesome and incredibly stupid(even for this series). He even destroys Tommy in a one on one fight just to flex. Characters continue to grow, there's a long running plot about Tommy losing his powers and the worries therein, the legendary 'Dark Rangers' make their appearance in their walmart brand carpet suits, Kimberly does a Rita impression. We even get the definitive hero moment of Bulk and Skull of all people sacrificing what they've been working all season to get just to save the rangers. It's a great time all around that maintains an air of silly nonsensical fun, but still holds some substance and develops the characters further. It's also the first time any of the cast members are replaced, so while we bid farewell to a few, we get three new in return."

...I'd say that's a pretty good summation! Hahaha.

Lord Zedd is hands down the best US original design that the series has ever had, and he makes for a fantastic villain all around. He's got an awesomely creepy design, a menacing voice, shown prowess in combat, and is even the source of some of the best jokes! What's not to love?

Bulk and Skull's' character development also really starts to kick off in this season, and if you ask me, not only are these two the funniest comedy duo in the entire franchise, but they also legit have some of, if not THE best character development outright.

Ontop of that, the show continues with its over the top action sequences and outright insane plots the series had become known for, making the season alot of fun to watch!

...But none of that matters because they replaced my favorite character, therefor the entire season sucks and I hate it. 0/10.

I'm kidding of course. Especially nowadays that we know basically all of the details about what went on behind the scenes, I'm not really blaming anyone for any of the decisions they made. But, it definitely stung to see the characters I grew to love go when I was a kid, and that's a feeling I'll always remember.

Of the Stone Canyon Trio, the one I ended up liking best was Aisha, because she was the sassy one and thus I got the most enjoyment out of her personality. However, she is not who we're focusing on today. Today, we focus on the best of the best. The honor of Favorite Episode today goes to...

Episode 31: When is a Ranger Not a Ranger?

...That's a mighty deep question you're asking there MMPR, are you sure you're ready to answer it?

We start off with Adam giving a soft spoken report on how kaleidoscopes work, and Ms. Appleby totally smokes Skull; I always got a kick out of the show's' sarcastic humor alongside everything else. And that hair on Bulk! This truly was the 90s, haha.

And in true Power Rangers fashion, this simple report is enough to give the big bad inspiration for the Monster of the Week. Zedd also answers the question the episode asks: A Ranger is no longer a Ranger when their image is scattered to bits! And a Ranger is in danger when their memory is on the fritz! Nailed it. And yes, he needs to specifically steal Adam's' kaleidoscope, no other one will do!

Meanwhile, Kim, Tommy, and Billy all decide to go stare at the mountains through the kaleidoscope because uh... OH CRAP Z-PUTTIES!

I will NEVER not love MMPR's' soundtrack. "I Will Win" rocks out in the background as the trio shows off their martial arts against the Z-Putties. Tommy showing off by taking one down with one finger, Kimberly doing a bunch of gymnastics flips, and Billy being straight-forward and to the point. I actually really dig the subtle development Billy has throughout the past two seasons; Going from a pushover of a nerd to a true martial artist who can stand his ground with everyone else.

Zedd zaps the kaleidoscope to create Scatterbrain and holy COW is this monster OP! He instantly brings the Rangers down by mind-wiping them. No attempts to stop him, no defense, no will save, just bam, memory and morphing ability gone. That's nuts!

At the Juice Bar, the Stone Canyon Trio are all spending their time staring at an abacus(???) when the REAL stars of the show arrive!

They tell Ernie that they plan to do a stakeout, and we get to see a bit of Rocky's' mischievous side with him hypnotizing the duo. Just in time too, because Zordon calls in about the new Scatterbrain monster on the loose. And the way Zordon describes how its power works is totally nuts!

"Scatterbrain fires a ray which scatters its victims into millions of pieces and then reassembles them without any memory of who they are."

Like... holy crap??? That's one of the most intense and insane things I've ever heard, and I LOVE IT!

That aside, I do like how this episodes gives the SCT a chance to shine. From Aisha appealing to Kimberly's' sense of friendship, to Rocky immediately taking reigns as the leader now that Tommy is out of commission, there's actually some good stuff here! Oh, and Adam figures that they might be able to use prisms to fight Scatterbrain. That's a thing, I guess.

The biggest takeaway though is that Bulk and Skull's' stakeout is successful, and they finally learn who the Power Rangers really are!

Side note: Anyone else ever get a small kick out of how the Rangers always looked directly at the camera whenever they morph? Cause I do.

But yeah, Rocky and Aisha confront Scatterbrain, whose Mind Ray causes frikken EXPLOSIONS!

Adam arrives with the prisms, but in classic Adam fashion, instantly gets his molecules rearranged by Scatterbrain. Nice reflexes, Adam.

I absolutely love Bulk and Skull all throughout this. They genuinely admire the Power Rangers as heroes despite what their real identities end up being, to the point of showing genuine distress not only when Aisha and Rocky get blasted, but at the mere notion that the Power Rangers could be lost forever.

And then, one of the greatest moments in the history of the show goes down.

Bulk and Skull, complete with a wild west remix of their theme song, face off against Scatterbrain, and in the process sacrifice their memories in order to save the Rangers. The two become legitimate heroes in their own right, even impressing the Power Rangers and making them in the two's' debt! SO GOOD!

This also marks one of the few times that a monster didn't have to fall before being made gigantic, as Zedd opts to just throw his Growth Bomb anyway. I like to think he was so impressed by Bulk and Skull that he out and out knew Scatterbrain couldn't handle them, and considered the battle lost right then and there. True heroes, everyone!

So of course after the Megazord fight where Bulk and Skull try to tell of their exploits, no one believes them, because Bulk and Skull must suffer. Atleast Kim and Aisha are decent enough to give them a pat on the back this time.

Overall, like most of MMPR, this episode is a total blast. It's full of energy, it's fun to watch, and Bulk and Skull get one of their absolute best moments. What's not to love?

After-Show Bonus

If there's one thing I wish had happened in this season, it'd be the introduction and use of the rest of the Dairanger suits alongside White. Don't get me wrong, I totally get why Saban opted not to use them, but man have I really grown to love those suits overtime. And while it's a total rumor with basically no basis, some say that had Saban gotten Steve Cardenas to return for Forever Red he would've shown up wearing the Red Dairanger outfit, and man that would've been awesome, I think.