Season One: Episode Three: Teamwork.

                           Teamwork. 

   

               The Rangers get their weapons. 

Sentai Notes:

    The episodes this is based on dealt with the Zyurangers going on a quest to find their lost ancient weapons: the sword, the ax, the lance, the bow and arrow, and the daggers. They are not simply given to the Rangers. They have to find their way in a treacherous island where people turn into stones if they get sad. There's also a boy name Hiroshi, who winds up there and begins to look for his mother. The angst of Hiroshi and his mother becomes plot b while the Rangers look for the weapons. There is no environmentalist message here, just a lesson about being a good boy and listening to one's parents. 

   In Zyuranger, this plot saw the introduction of the four remaining Guardian Beasts, but they don't combine. Instead, they do individual attacks on the Minotaur, who is then called back by Bandora when the sun goes down and the world becomes cold. This explains the lack of any follow up to the Zord battle. The reason for the lack of the Megazord, also, is because in Zyuranger, the Rangers were yet to be introduced to him and were yet to obtain the crystals to make it possible. 

    Unlike in Power Rangers, the Mecha are not mere robots to be piloted by the Rangers. They are sentient beings who resemble robots, therefore have a mind of their own and can communicate with each Ranger. This is demonstrated where they arrive to fight the Minotaur, but draw the line at helping the Zyurangers find their weapons, insisting it is their own quest. They emphasize this by ejecting the Rangers from their cockpits and Triceratops is seen nodding when the Black Ranger gets it. 

     In contrast to Power Rangers, the Black Ranger Zyuranger is the brains of the bunch and the Blue is a jokester. This does present a jarring image where the intelligent Billy sometimes does silly things when morphed while Zack goes from the cool guy with hip-hop jargon to stoic when morphed. 

    The reason we don't see the Pink Ranger calling upon her zord is because the original footage had  her standing next to a child and it would lead to a goof if it was included. The fact the girls have to morph and join is because the Pink and Yellow Rangers were use to do so in Sentai while the rest already did. 

Strategy Notes: 

     Rita uses the diversionary action, followed by the main action, when attacking near the dump. First, she diverts attention by sending down the putties to attack the female Rangers, prompting the male half to come and help them. But then, she sends the diversion with Goldar, requiring the boys to have to abandon rescuing the girls. Then comes the Minotaur and the boys go after him.

     Fortunately, the girls handle the putties and fight Goldar in time. Zordon tells the Rangers teamwork is needed. At first, they call on their zords, but that goes so far (plus the Sentai footage doesn't allow for a zord battle). So, they withdraw to regroup. They arrive with the weapons and Jason decides they will test the weapons on the Minotaur, then bring them together for the Power Blaster. This worked. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage: 

    In Greek Mythology, Theseus travels to Crete to face the labyrinth, or maze, in the Court of King Minos. Inside this labyrinth is the Minotaur. The story has it this monster is the offspring of an unholy union between Queen Persiphae and the King's prized bull (before science proved the breeding of humans with members of the bovinae family to be impossible), has the body of a man and the head of a bull, yet devours flesh. 

    The journey to the weapons in the Sentai show does seem like a maze in a literal sense, especially with the Zyurangers wondering about. 

    Any fan of The Lord of the Rings may recognize three of the weapons used by the Rangers. Basically, the Black Ranger has an ax, like Gimli, the Pink Ranger uses bows and arrows like Legolas, and the Red Ranger uses a sword like Aragorn. Yet, the way Zordon gives the weapons to the Rangers, as opposed to them seeking them out like in the source material, resembles how Father Christmas in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe gave such "tools" to the children before they meet Aslan (and C.S. Lewis also featured minotaurs in Narnia). 

Misc. Notes:

   One for Zyuranger, despite the Mecha not being robots, the Sentai version of the Sabre-tooth Tiger Zord lets out noises like a robot when it moves, unlike the American version that only growls.  

   We first see the school the Power Rangers go to, Angel Grove High School. It's actually Grant High, where it was filmed, and you can see the sign saying "Grove" hiding over "Grant." Grant High School has been the filming location before (if you ever saw The Secret Life of the American Teenager, you'd recognize some of the halls and the façade outside). 

    We also meet Mr. Caplan, played by Henry Cannon, a kind of principal in the school. He starts out as something of a mean sort of guy, putting the blame on the Power Rangers when Bulk and Skull make a mess in the halls, and demands they clean up. When he comes back, he finds the hall a mess and only a call prevents him from going mad on the Rangers. When returns again, the mess is gone. 

   Rita casts her wand to make the Minotaur grow, but she says, "You're finished" instead of "Magic Wand, make my monster grow!"

   This is the first episode where Jason, or any Power Ranger, says, "It's Morphin' Time!" In Zyuranger, the Rangers say, "Dino-Buckler" and they appear in their suits. 

    Alpha yells, "Dudettes in trouble! Dudettes in trouble!" 

    Alpha is also dancing to some hip-hop in the end, causing interference with the communication, and some of the computers to blow up. 

    First time we hear the "Beep beep, beep-beep, beep beep" on the wrist communicators. Notice how it sounds just like the main theme to the show.

Thoughts. 

    Since this show was filmed at Grant High School out in California, I have a confession to make. I have seen Secret Life of the American Teenager and due to nostalgia for Power Rangers, I sometimes expected to see the Rangers walk the halls and even hear the familiar "Beep beep, beep-beep, beep beep." 

    Now for this episode, it's a run of the mill sort, with the message of environmentalism wrapped in the them of teamwork. Alone can do nothing, but together we can do it, is a good message, even following to message in John 15: "I am the vine; you are the branches....apart from me can do nothing." The Power Rangers are taught in each episode they can do nothing without each other, or without Zordon, which is something to take note of in some of the later ones. What better way to show this theme than with the environment, where the girls want to shut down the dump which is polluting the land. 

    In an interesting case of sexist stereotyping, while the girls are willing, we see the boys supporting, then backing out of helping for other commitments. So the girls must go on their own. It's only when Rita attacks that the boys must come in like white knights to help, but once again are distracted by another attack. So, in a sense, the girls are better at team work than the boys here. 

    If the episode has a flaw, it's the translation of the footage where they decide to make the Megazord, only to pull out a retreat because they have no footage. In addition, the Minotaur makes a great obstacle to the weapons and a good message for teamwork would involve the Rangers finding away to get to the said weapons, then morph, and take out the Minotaur. Then the strategy notes would be much thicker.