Season One: Episode Four: A Pressing Engagement.

                     A Pressing Engagement.

        The first victory with the Megazord. 

Sentai Notes:

    In Zyuranger, this was the official debut of Daizyuzin, the Sentai counterpart to the Megazord. This was the original first battle between it and Goldar's Sentai counterpart, in addition to it fighting King Sphinx. 

    King Sphinx's counterpart, Dora Sphinx, had more action in "Scary Riddles" where he poses as a man with an Egyptian headdress, as though he were Pharaoh in a suite. He spends most of the episode in this manner, posing riddles to children, and to the Zyurangers, and imprisons those who fail to guess correctly in trees. Eventually, only the Red Ranger remains and it's to him Dora Sphinx reveals his true form, the monster seen in King Sphinx. The follow up is "Arise! Daizyuzin!", in which the namesake entity appears. 

    In both mediums, thanks to the footage, each Zord plays a part of the Megazord. The Tyrannosaurus forms the body and head, Sabre-tooth Tiger is right boot, Triceratops is left boot, Pterodactyl is the breast plate, and the Mastodon forms the arms (its head comes off to form a shield, but in stark contrast to the toys and public images, it's never in the same frame as the Power Sword and is rarely used). 

   The overhead shot of the Megazord cockpit, when it ducks under Goldar's sword, is not in the original Sentai episode. A tell-tale sign of it coming from another episode is the fact the Red Ranger's controls have the symbols of the yet-to-be introduced Green Ranger, instead of his own. 

Strategy Notes: 

    Again, Rita uses division of the Power Ranger team to attack, with a strike at the Children's Theater to lure all three in. Then King Sphinx is sent to blow away Pink and Black Rangers to the Juice Bar (demorphing in the process), thus having the Red Ranger isolated. One thing that helped the bad guys is when Black Ranger goes after Squat and Bamboo, thinking they got rid of the Pink Ranger, further splitting the two overwhelmed Rangers. King Sphinx and Goldar go further by having the fight happen out in a deserted quarry, where Rita grows them, and they attempt to step on the Red Ranger. 

    What Rita didn't count on was Zordon giving the Rangers crystals. They appear to the Red Ranger and allow him to bring the others in. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage: 

    The Sphinx is best known as the carved statue in Egypt near the Pyramids of Giza, resembling a lion with the head of a pharaoh. In the legend of Oedipus, the Sphinx appears in a smaller form to pose a riddle to Oedipus: "What walks on four in the morning, two by high noon, and three in the evening?" In fact, this riddle is even uttered by Dora Sphinx in Zyuranger. The Sentai version of King Sphinx is more akin to the Greek version as he spews riddles out to everyone in human form (a Japanese man with an Egyptian headdress) and those who fail are turned into trees. The Power Rangers version learns more to Egyptian as a kind of lesser Goldar, who accompanies him into battle. 

Misc. Notes:

   Should add an epileptic warning for first time viewers: the rapid flashing lights on the Megazord's eyes during the sequence can cause seizures to some (as can the putting together of the Power Blaster). It might be best to not watch any of these episodes of either show in a darkened room, or have some kind of protective eye wear when watching, if one is prone to them. Otherwise...

   Jason wants to break the record and do more than a thousand reps in lifting weight. He's lifting what appears to be anywhere between 120 pounds to 140, and he is trying to do that for more than a thousand times. Just thinking about it is enough to make one's chest, shoulders, and arms hurt, because that is beyond human endurance. But, Jason is a Power Ranger and maybe his powers allow him to have more endurance (they do things like leap higher than humanly possible and survive explosions forming on their chests, so why not be stronger than a mere mortal). Yet, we are led to believe Bulk held the record at 1010 in the same weight. Yeah, Bulk, the bully who looks soft and flabby somehow can do that many reps with bench weights. 

   Kimberly almost breaks a record in blowing the biggest bubble from her bubble gum. It distracts Ernie and the others, until it pops thanks to Zack. Somehow, I haven't found anyone online citing this as another old trope: a man can't make his goals because a woman distracts everyone. 

    Ernie is eating a sub while watching Jason. I may be reading into it too much, but doesn't that invoke a satire on how the ruling elite treat the working class, right there? 

    Gotta hand it to the whole pants splitting humor with Bulk, since it knocks him down a peg for being smug in his own record. 

    Somehow, Kimberly and Zack land in the Juice Bar and no one notices enough to even say, "Whoa, where did you two come from?"

    Ernie has a cake ready for Jason's victory, though it says, "Happy Birthday, Mom." Of course, Jason doesn't get to try it as Bulk and Skull wind up in it, becoming the first of such cake jokes.    

    Billy and Trini, all this time, were in the lab and came in when Zack and Kim arrive. I guess this was one of those episodes where half of our stars had to be out due to a previous commitment and only had two scenes promised. 

Thoughts. 

    A classic episode for the Red Ranger, who knows he has back up in his friends. It's uplifting to watch, especially when an adult and all your friends have moved away. Sometimes, you just want to dream of the day when they all come back and give you a boost when you need it. 

   I am questioning Jason's attempt at benching 1010 with that much weight. After a few reps, his arms would be visibly tired and aching, and he'd be lucky to not be in pain the next day. Somehow, Rita doesn't wait until then to attack, since Jason will be in a world of hurt, and likely would need painkillers, which are notorious for clouding judgment. 

   Goldar and King Sphinx make a match when it comes to a dynamic duo of villains. It is a shame they aren't paired up again, since the latter is destroyed and never brought back. They practically look alike. Their appearances can make them a foil to Jason and his friends, considering how the two seem in sync and could have crushed the Red Ranger quickly, if he hadn't been so quick. Still, we get that we all need help and it isn't too hard to ask it of our friends.