Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1, Episode 56: On Fins and Needles



I only have five episodes left of the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  That is including this episode.  Will anything big happen in these five episodes?  There will probably be some sort of big event in the finale to propel me into the second season.  The other episodes, not so much.  They will likely end up being the same, run of the mill, self-contained episodes that I have grown used to in the series.  But, hey.  They’ll have action and fighting and all that fun stuff.

This is also the week that I have set a goal for myself to get at least one of these posts up per week.  That’s right.  I hope to be back on a weekly basis with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers posts.  You can expect one next week, one the week after, one the week after that, and so on.  I’m making this goal because I want to move forward.  I have spent too much time stalling with these posts and it has only led to long periods of dormancy.  That is going to change.

The first step in changing that is to write about this episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  Why don’t I get to it then?  Here we go.

Season 1, Episode 56: On Fins and Needles
The episode starts with Tommy and Jason teaching a free martial arts class at the Youth Centre.  Zack says it’s a good thing that they’re doing it because martial arts is a good way to keep children out of trouble.  But there is trouble on the horizon, like always.

Rita Repulsa is watching the gang from her moon castle.  Her dastardly plan for this episode is to send down a monster shark with some sort of spell that can turn Tommy and Jason against each other.  That would be a big problem for the Power Rangers.

Jason and Tommy are walking through the park.  Putties appear and they end up in a brawl like they usually do.  The difference this time is that there’s an electrified boomerang that shocks the two Power Rangers.  They then end up under the spell of the shark monster and begin bickering with each other.  It’s basically just the two of them complaining about how good the other one is and saying they are better because they aren’t as obnoxious about being good.  Something like that.

While Jason and Tommy fight, Rita sends her shark monster down to Earth.  It says something that I can’t understand because they put an effect over the voice that sounds sort of like gurgling.  It’s tough to understand anything through that.

At the Youth Centre, Bulk and Skull have set up a match of fisticuffs between Tommy and Jason.  Lots of people show up, paying a dollar a ticket.  Zack tries to break up the fight, but it doesn’t work.  Luckily, Zordon calls the Power Rangers away.

The only way to overcome the anger is for Jason and Tommy to set aside their anger.  Zordon sends them to fight the shark monster first.  They agree that if Jason defeats it, Tommy leaves his power coin behind, and if Tommy defeats it, he gets to lead the Power Rangers.  This seems like a good idea.

Obviously the shark monster is kicking their butts because they’re not working together.  Tommy and Jason fight some more before realizing they have to work together to not get their butts kicked.  It breaks the spell and the other Power Rangers join in the fight.

The Power Rangers put their power blaster together at the same time that Rita Repulsa sends down her staff, so obviously it doesn’t work.  The monster grows, they get their Zords, they fight, they win.

For the final scene, Tommy and Jason have teamed up again to teach the martial arts class.  Bulk and Skull show up claiming that they are owed a fight.  To get Jason and Tommy to fight, Bulk and Skull try to punch them but end up punching each other instead.  The end.



The moral of this episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was that friendship means more than anything.  Fighting is something that should only be done when there is no other course of action.  That kind of stuff.  It’s good stuff to be teaching children.  It is an attempt to get rid of violence and spread a peaceful sort of environment.

Did it further the series?  Not really, no.  Though it did sneakily establish Tommy’s leadership qualities.  His desire to become leader would be fulfilled later in the Power Rangers saga, but I’m not at that point yet.  He is not leader yet.  Jason is still around and there is other stuff that has to happen to Tommy before he becomes leader.  He still has that issue with the fading power coin, don’t you know?

I have no idea what the next episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is.  What I do know is that there will be a monster, there will be a fight, and there will be more shenanigans with Bulk and Skull.  That’s every episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers so far.  Why would they change it at this point in the season?  I’ll see you soon for another episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

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