Season One: Episodes Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, and "The Green Candle."

 

                    Calamity Kimberly.

                                     Bad luck, bad luck, and MORE BAD LUCK!!!!!

Sentai Notes:

•    Samurai Fan Man is called Dora Kinkaku in Zyuranger, though it's still the same monster (see Biblical and Mythological Homage, below). In the Sentai universe, he not only captures the Pink Ranger but also several kids, one of who just recovered the dinosaur eggs from earlier. There is a moment in the show that gets real when Dora Kinkaku attempts to burn the gourd with the captives inside. This last was dropped from the footage, largely to keep from scaring the kids watching. 
•     The mysterious bikes seen in one shot is explained by the fact the Zyurangers didn't teleport places, but instead went from point A to point B in their motorbikes. Three of them get them (and, not ironically, all of them are male, while Boi and Mei are simply passengers). It seems that they were to be handed over to the Power Rangers too as Dino Bikes, but the concept seemed to have been abandoned when it was decided to have them morph instead. In hindsight, it does keep the show from being considered sexist as the two female rangers don't get their own bikes. However, as with the occasional appearance of Japanese extras, children, and the unmorphed Zyurangers, these bikes did pop up now and then in the footage, especially here.

Strategy Notes:

•  The capture of Kimberly and knocking out of Tommy is pure divide and conquer. Both Rangers have upset Rita's plans before and taking them out first allows her to take on the Power Rangers easier. What Rita didn't count on was Tommy waking up quick enough to bail the Rangers out or the Dragonzord Battle Mode knocking aside the gourd and allowing Kimberly to be free. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage: 

    Though Japanese in design, Samurai Fan Man also takes cue from the Golden Horned King from the story Journey to the West. He and the Silver Horned King are giants that Sun Wukong encounter on his many journeys. They like to capture and devour humans. In the case of Samurai Fan Man, he simply captures the Pink Ranger to trap her in another dimension. 

Misc. Notes:

•     Episode title comes from Calamity Jane, the famous female scout in the Old West. She was a tomboy of a woman, even dressing up as a man and doing manly things while doing her trade. A far cry from the Doris Day portrayal, though.  
•    In some parts of the world, it's possible to experience sunshine in one spot and a thunderstorm in the other. Now, usually the two are miles apart, not have it where you can see sunshine out one window and a storm in the other. 
•     Bamboo standing outside Kimberly's window is enough to ring alarm bells. If he were human, people could call the police because he is basically stalking and spying on Kimberly. Since it's a kids show, we have the blinds down and we don't have him watching Kimberly sleep or take a shower, or other things creeps do to girls and young women. Somehow, Zordon doesn't sound the alarm over that.
•     If you look carefully, you can see that footage from "High Five" is used when Rita is demanding a monster. In the background, watch as Squat and Bamboo are arguing silently over the shuttle while Finster is sculpting Bones. 
•     Due to the angles, it's easy to think when Tommy pats Kimberly on the shoulder for assurance that Kim is swatting him aside. Actually, she was flicking some of her wet hair and Tommy was wiping his shirt dry. 
•    Kimberly tosses a broken umbrella in a recycling barrel. She must be really upset to forget about recycling.
•     How is it the janitor is still working after causing that big of a spill, which Bulk slips on and slides across the floor, can't be explained.
•   Kimberly dreamed Rita was her wicked stepmother. In less than twenty episodes, we find out Kimberly's parents are divorced. 
•     Tommy somehow senses Kimberly is about to trip, but keeps forgetting things or loses his important items to a Putty attack
•      Billy seems to have done something about being in overalls constantly. 
•     While the Blue Ranger is the brains of the group in Power Rangers, it's the Black Ranger who stops all to remind everyone that Kimberly is in the gourd. 
•      Watch closely and the unmorphed Zyurangers appear in the Viewing Globe.
•      Rita clearly said, "Magic Wand, make the monster grow." Somehow, her wand didn't catch the use of singular noun because it grew Goldar too. 
•      The episode provides a shot of Pink Ranger summoning her zord, but this has never been used in the other episodes.
•     The winds of the fan used to blow away the Megazord and the Dragonzord should likely be more than three-hundred miles an hour, which is about the wind speeds of an EF5 tornado. To lift up those multi-story robots that obviously weigh many tons, the winds would be beyond the wind speeds of an EF5 tornado. Yet, if the fan generated that much wind power, it should cause major damage to the countryside, in addition to the country side, and any observer near by would be blown away. Even the Green Ranger wouldn't be able to hold on to something. That begs the question, was he in the Dragonzord the whole time?
•     The Dino bikes mentioned in Sentai Notes, while not used frequently, appeared in Micro Machines brand with the Power Rangers along with their zords (they included Dragonzord, but not the Green Ranger). 

Thoughts.

    Here we are, we're starting to get into the point of Power Rangers where the love story of Kimberly and Tommy takes shape. What better way to demonstrate it than with "Calamity Kimberly," one of the better episodes in the season. 

   The episode starts out in Kimberly's bedroom, of all places. The inclusion shows that the Power Rangers are not always just superheroes fighting Rita. They do, in fact, have private lives. Kim does what most of us adults do when the alarm clock goes off and suddenly want to sleep some more. Interestingly, they say the brains of teenagers are affected due to puberty changing the circadian rhythms. This drives teens into burning the midnight oil, often staying up to 10:00, 11:00, or even midnight, or after, before finally getting tired enough to sleep. This has proven a problem since the average high school in America starts around 7:30 (which gives Kimberly just thirty minutes to get ready). According to Adam Conover, the reason high schools start so early is because, back in the seventies, several schools thought it'd be a good idea to have teens, preteens, and children board the same buses and arrive at the same hour of their schools, as opposed to earlier when teens started high school an hour after the kids did in elementary (children are known to be hyperactive already and will likely be up before dawn, therefore they can go to school early). Now American teens are being given a wake up call with their alarm clocks, struggling to get out of bed, and rushing to school, where they can briefly get breakfast in the cafeteria, then come to morning class, where the minute they sit down they can feel their bodies shutting down from exhaustion in that morning rush, but must force themselves awake because the teacher's lessons. 

    So, we all feel for Kim when she struggles to get up. But it begins to pile up from there with her dress burned when it returned from the dry cleaners, an earthquake causes her mirror to break, her hair is messed and she has no time to fix it, and it rains and her umbrella breaks, and her pep rally plans are ruined. She thinks her day is bad and it's only morning. 

    Thankfully, Tommy comes in and is such a nice enough guy to listen to her when she complained and offer a pat on the back while telling her things will be alright. Then Bulk and Skull show up to once again bother her, with Skull playing out the whole man tears thing at Kimberly's rejection. Once again, Tommy is present and tells them to back off. Bulk pulls the Biff move and Tommy is able to outwit and outfox the two without using his karate moves. It does provide a laugh and even Kimberly appreciates it. He also volunteers to walk her home, causing her to blush and say bad luck would befall him. "I'll risk it," he says. Female readers out there, how many of y'all are saying "Be still my heart" right now? 

    Well, as Kimberly feared, bad luck befell Tommy when Samurai Fan Man showed up, knocking him out and kidnapping Kim. This proves a better way of keeping the Green Ranger out for a while, as opposed to the usual Tommy has something come up or gets captured by Putties routine. The remaining four Power Rangers who are barely in the episode then morph to rescue Kim. 

   The fight proves well done, even if it's all Sentai footage, and it becomes smooth sailing when Tommy wakes up. Tommy really shows how much he cares for Kim because he ignores Alpha and morphs soon after getting up. I am willing to admit that as a boy such stories would have bored me. Now that I am a man I do see there is a use with love stories. They are great way to develop characters.

     As to Samurai Fan Man, I can appreciate how they were willing to keep it from being offensive in some fashion. Then again, since it's all Sentai stock footage, how can Saban's production teams be accused of cultural appropriation or racism. In fact, Samurai Fan Man shows no offensive look about him and the writers were respectful enough to not make him seem cowardly when the zords come with their finishing moves. He even does the kid friendly seppuku by going toward the Ultrazord right as the latter fires off. 

     I also note the Putty waiters moment is also a cheesy moment, but enjoyable. Or the fact Kimberly is so concerned for her life that she doesn't take notice of her shoes being ruined by dirty water in the gourd, or herself getting wet with that stuff. I consider that move more realistically done.   

                        A Star Is Born.

                                          Auditions are being made for a commercial.

Sentai Notes:

   This episode takes on two Sentai episodes: "The Knuckleball of Infatuation" and "Princess Mei's Seven Metamorphosis". Babe Ruthless comes from "The Knuckleball of Infatuation" where the Zyurangers meet Dora Pixie, who throws balls around that make people fall in love. At one point, once gigantic, he causes Mei and two of the kids to become infatuated with him. In "Seven Metamorphosis", Mei faces Lami in a game of disguise, during which she makes several transformations. At one point she even dresses up in a wedding dress and another point a nun. 

Strategy Notes:

•     Rita takes a vacation so Goldar is briefly the head villain in this episode. He has Scorpina sent down with her silk worm and Bath Ruthless, who somehow becomes giant. Goldar notes that Tommy is tied up with the auditions and takes advantage of the fact by attacking while the other five are at the beach. Scorpina has the Power Rangers wrapped in cocoon, which keeps the entire team down since Tommy is unable to answer his wrist communicator. Of course, even Goldar has failed to realize there is no certainty past the early stages of the fight. When Tommy gets the car, the Power Rangers have gotten free of the cocoon and are in their zords. 
•     Dora Pixie has a human form, as a small child in costume and a helmet. With very little footage of him as a monster, it's no wonder he gets little screen time, but also his method of making people fall in love involves putting balls into people's mouths. That was dropped likely to prevent any imitation of kids into swallowing balls, likely (if some kids will eat Tide pods, who's to say they wouldn't try it with balls?).

Biblical and Mythological Homage: 

    Babe Ruthless is a play on Babe Ruth, the famous baseball player in the Major Leagues back in the early 20th Century. He played for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, as well as coached the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yet his Sentai counter part is Dora Pixie. Pixies are common in English, Scottish, and Irish myths, seen as short in stature, childlike, and usually benign, though mischievous. They like to wrestle and dance. In recent years, they were depicted with pointed ears and confused with fairies (almost like Peter Pan and Dobby the Elf)

Misc. Notes:

•     Saban's wife, Cheryl, is writer. 
•    Tommy prepares for the audition with practice. Bulk prepares by going out to the beach to get a tan. The results, Tommy does well in his audition while Bulk is made to look like a fool. Shows that hard work and discipline pay off (though plenty of readers out there might disagree). 
•     When Skull accidently squirts the sun-tan lotion on Bulk, the latter hisses, "I want a tan, not a bath." With the amount that squirted on him, they could have easily rubbed that stuff around to help. No need for the mayo.
•   🎵"Timmy P's Real Brand Mayonnaise. Mmmm."🎵 A fictional brand given its own jingo (meaning you'll never find it in your local grocery store or those online ordered meal boxes). A mention should be given to Shuski Levy, another Israeli American working on the show. Not only was he executive producer with Haim Saban, but he also composed the music in Power Rangers. He wrote several songs, which likely includes the little jingle. Somehow, it makes a good gag in the already funny scene. 
•     The way the women react to Bulk and Tommy seems much more than what you'd expect of a woman watching two teenage boys perform. Kind of like "I want to have his babies." Fortunately, she doesn't say so since..you know: they're minors. 
•     The episode of Mei's transformation doesn't have her in the cocoon with the others. In order to skirt around this, sound editing was done first and then the scene was reshot with the Pink Ranger included. This allowed original footage to be used. It's easy to tell because the Power Rangers speak in their communicators while morphed and they use their Dino Blasters to blast their way out (whereas in Zyuranger, they had their Thunder Slingers). 
•     Dragonzord Battle Mode's staff is not simply a weapon to defeat monsters with, but also some kind of shield to deflect gases from Babe Ruthless (why wasn't it used with Lokar and Mutitus earlier?)
•     Robert Manahan has replaced David Felding as the voice of Zordon. Felding's face remains in the rest of the time he is alive, but it's no longer Felding that is heard speaking, but instead Manahan says all the lines. 
•    In 2010, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was re-released with new effects and tweaked footage, known as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Re-Version (Basically, its own "Special Edition"). It came with the intent of introducing a new generation of kids to the original Power Rangers and allow a nostalgic blast for older fans, along with doing something about some of the oddities and fixing the special effects in the show, plus improving some things to make it appear up to date given how much had changed since 1993. The result was a mixed baggage, with some things well received and others now, such as those Batman style words put on the screen to obviously tone down the violence and the creation of new shots. Needless to say, it was poorly received and halfway through the first season it was cancelled. The notice came by the time "A Star is Born" which is why the Reversion abruptly ends with this episode (thus preventing us from seeing "The Green Candle" and beyond with this makeup). In addition, it prompted Saban to buy back the franchise (he sold it to Disney in the 2000s) and remove it from then called ABC Family. From what can be assumed is damnatio memorae, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was released on DVD early last decade using the version that aired in the nineties, without the re-version counterparts in either disk. Mighty Morph Power Rangers: Re-Version was never released on DVD, nor blu-ray, nor 4K, nor streamed on Disney+, but all thirty-two episodes can be found on YouTube. 

Thoughts.

    Okay, let's start with the good. 

    We see that Rita doesn't always want to be the head villain and Goldar gets his moment to shine. The episode shows him as more than just a thug, he could be really wicked enough to actually call the shots. It's a pity that sort of Goldar ends with the season. When Lord Zedd shows up in season two, Goldar becomes the "sniveling one" as he puts it and often gets chewed out by his superior. In season three, he is downgraded more into Rito's sidekick as they do missions together. By the time you reach season four, his silly nature is enough that the Power Rangers and Zordon don't even take notice of him (and we'll explain why when we get there). When we reach seasons five and six, he is virtually absent. The only thing consistent is that he is very tough for the Power Rangers and yet even that changes with time with almost no zord fights (again, we'll see why later). 

    We get another beach scene and more comic moments of Bulk and Skull. The "Timmy P's" gag is the cream on the cake (or rather mayo on the three hundred pound porker known as Bulk). It serves to remind kids that condiments are not meant to protect you from sunburn. That's what sun tan lotion is for. 

     The Dragonzord is able to rescue everyone not once but twice. Seeing it cut open the cocoon with its tail to rescue the Megazord is always a delight. 

   And Tommy auditions for the martial arts video. Mistare Fusion makes it a typical "Goofus vs Gallant" video, but I disagree. Bulk is just lazy, thinking he could somehow become the master at martial arts just by not practicing, spending time on the beach, getting a tan, and make insults at people. Tommy takes the humbler approach by stretching out (even missing out on his beach trip; personally, I should point out teenagers in real life would have added some moaning and groaning to lines), and he does a professional answering to the Q/A. His practicing paid off (not to mention his time as a Power Ranger) because he outshines all the others enough to appear in the commercial. So does Bulk, with him being the worst image and Tommy being the best. It's good enough of an image to show, especially today if people took it from Star Wars sequel trilogy that one doesn't need training or practice, just somehow do it the minute one picks up a stick. Now, maybe if something like this was done with two girls, the only change they might likely do is not have one of them fat, like they do with Bulk, since women tend to take it differently than men (insecurities of their bodily images is the particular reasoning). And I might be reading it too deeply, but I can't help but think the female judges watching Tommy had this look that reads "I wanna have his children. If only he was a couple of years older."

     Now for the bad.

     Speaking of the Tommy's audition subplot, it's an improvement over  the usual excuse to get him out of the way. However, it lacks tension. Tommy has clearly demonstrated he is better at martial arts than Bulk and one can already claim he has it in the bag. It might have helped to have Tommy express some nervousness of the audition and then Kimberly than pat him on the bicep and say, "Tommy, I believe you can do this. We have your back." That would have been a good moment between them and even help develop the ship of theirs (and realizing how that isn't progressed in this episode, I sort of regret pairing it with "Calamity Kimberly"). 

     The combining of two separate Sentai episodes does seem disjointed and awkward, especially in the zord battles, where the Power Rangers defeat Babe Ruthless and jump down to take on Scorpina, only to see her caterpillar grow big, and now must get back on their zords, which were on standby the whole time. The whole could have worked without the repetition: no need to have the Green Ranger disappear and then reappear and summon Dragonzord (using the exact same footage), keep the Power Rangers inside their zords, and even have the caterpillar be fought first, then Babe Ruthless, and then both defeated, with the former by the Ultrazord. 

    Babe Ruthless is also the bad due to most of his sports related things absent. After all, there was so much footage of him in his human form that they couldn't use it. So they had to use the climatic robot fight scene and get away with it. The only redeeming part of the fights with him are the baseball puns (don't know why Mistare Fusion hated them though). 

    For such a Tommy-centric episode, he only gets a plot in the first half and becomes just secondary once morphed. Then he disappears for an unexplained reason after Babe Ruthless is struck out. 

   So in short, we see the good and the bad evened out in this episode, making it another average episode. Since Saban wasn't concerned on story arcs at this point, the location of this near the "The Green Candle" episodes has lost out on being the start of an arc where Tommy is being discovered and must now weigh out his duties as a Power Ranger and taking it up. At least, that would explain why he becomes unable to help until he morphs and then can only summon Dragonzord. Instead, we get another that has Tommy tied up when the Power Rangers are in trouble and is unable to be free until he halfway through, and even then he can morph and only summon Dragonzord to save the Power Rangers in their zord battle. Once again, Dragonzord is the Deus ex machina in the battle, which is something that is destined to not last long. 

    

              The Green Candle, part one.

                                                       Wasn't lit by any virgin. 

Sentai Notes:

•    There is a green candle in Zyuranger, also. Unlike the Power Rangers version, the Sentai Green Candle is of a different design and it burned only when Burai left the Lapless Room. Thus, it gave Burai plenty of time to let his brother know of it. With the Green Candle here, it burns quickly and doesn't stop when Tommy is away from it. 
•     The candle in the Sentai show marks how much time Burai has left to live as he is bound to die. This idea is changed here with the magic of the wax in the Green Candle zap away one's powers once it burns out. 
•     The map Rita uses to find Tommy may not look like California but it's because in the Sentai show Bandora was using it to find where the Lapless Room was. Upon finding it, she quickly moves in for the kill, destroying the room and expelling Burai into the real world. Now without a place to retreat, Burai's days are numbered. 
•     There's a subplot in the Sentai story line where Burai has dreams of being picked up by a rickshaw (those passenger carts that are pulled by one man, seen in Japan and China) and the driver explains he is taking him to the Land of the Dead. On the way, he spots a boy sitting on a beach and is told the boy's fate is left in the balance because is destined to die, but might not. After losing the Lapless Room, Burai meets and befriends the boy, and gives him a ride on Dragon Caesar as he thinks he's terminally ill or something. It's when a monster attacks and causes harm that Burai sees the child is now dying and rushes to the hospital (seeing him run is enough to say, "Run, Forrest! Run! I mean, Run, Burai!"). Obviously, they didn't use it in Power Rangers as well as the death concept.
•     Cyclops in Power Rangers is actually Dora Gansaku in Zyuranger. A Gansaku is a fake sword with a name written on them, meant to be bought and sold as relics. The Sentai version of him resembles the Cyclops of Greek Mythology, but is given the ability to change form. Thus, the connection is how we see fake guardian beasts attacking the city. 

Strategy Notes:

•     To set the plan into motion of draining the Green Ranger's powers, Rita first employs a diversion with a Putty attack. It succeeds in causing Kimberly to drop her morpher and Tommy gets tied up and under to get his. Then Goldar moves in to send him to the dark dimension. Then she sends in Cyclops to disguise itself as the Dragonzord to draw the Power Rangers out in the open. 
•     Goldar does make the mistake of going back there to taunt Tommy. He even zaps away the golden chains that held him at bay. Tommy zeros in on the fact Goldar teleported in with his sword. He then fights an opening then steals the sword from him. Before Goldar knows it, Tommy is teleporting out of the dimension so he can morph and join his friends. All Goldar can do is gloat that Tommy's time is limited. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage: 

    The Cyclops in Greek Mythology comes in different forms and is depicted differently in stories. In most, the Cyclops is on the good side. Cyclopses aided Zeus in overthrowing Cronus, as the latter had them locked away in Tartarus, and they made the Thunderbolts that Zeus used. However, in Homer's Odyssey, we find one villainous Cyclops in form of Polyphemus, who would rather eat Odysseus' men than offer hospitality. He pays for it with the loss of his eye but he is also the son of Poseidon, God of the Seas, which makes Odysseus' trip home a long and rough journey.  

Misc. Notes:

•     With Halloween upon us, here's a remarkable coincidence. A year after Zyuranger first aired, and months before Power Rangers, Disney released Hocus Pocus. It too features witches from the past brought back and countered by teenagers with attitudes, while also having a magic candle that brings someone back to life for a short time and their life is connected to the time it takes for the candle to burn. Once it burns out, they die. One of those tied to the magic candle is also wearing green. 
•     Depending on the size, a candle might take hours to burn out. Some could last a day once lit. Since the Green Candle is no ordinary candle that explains how it melts so quickly with Tommy close by. 
•      The episode was originally titled "Green Means Go," a direction taught even before one could drive. The classic traffic light has green, yellow, and red, letting people know when to go, when to stop, and when to prepare to stop. Most likely since the double meaning might fly over the kids' heads or to avoid giving away the ending, Saban and the writers had it retitled. 
•      Tommy is nervous of asking out Kimberly and asks Zack for advice. Zack who has asked out Angela before and gets rejected is the one to give Tommy advice on asking out girls. He even gets shot down by Angela while giving a demonstration. 
•     Zack says, "Bust a move!" The catchphrase of Young MC, a rapper who made put it to a song in 1989. I consider that a coincidence (or likely Zack has heard the song at least once) and not because both are black. 
•     Goldar holding the Green Candle is US footage. Griffenzar never held a candle or spoke out the plans with Bandora, so they got his constume and have some scenes shot to feature him speaking. Now, we find out that the wax in the candle gets its powers from whoever touches it. It must have happened from before it became a candle because Goldar is holding it and he never loses his powers, or there's a monster loophole somewhere we don't know of. 
•     Bulk recites the oldest of cliché love poems with a sadistic end twist: "Roses are red, violets are blue, no girl in the world is gonna wanna go out with you." When Bulk and Skull make fools of themselves again, Tommy and Zack try it out and end it with, "We sure can learn something from you...NOT!" Interestingly, the ladies present decide to observe and chuckle at this (in reality, most of them would have called Tommy and Zack jerks and actually pity Bulk and Skull; unless they have been harassed by them constant enough). 
•     A callback to "Green With Evil, part 2". Tommy attempts to call for help and Goldar tells him his wrist communicator "doesn't work in this dimension." 
•     Jason remarks the imposter Dragonzord is just as tough as the real one, which seems odd when you recall how the Dragonzord was defeated first by the Tyrannosaurus zord and by the Megazord (the latter just threw him around). Somehow, it makes the imposter stronger than the real McCoy, but all it takes is one hit from the Dragonzord's tail to make Cyclops lose his concentration. 
•    The way Alpha says to Tommy, "You are all clear" and "You are welcome" sound robot like. Literally, since he is a robot. However, the tone seems odd as Alpha almost never speaks in a monotone voice. He's either excited, mad, or panicky. 

    

Thoughts.

    Well, here we are. The dreaded two-part episode to come has finally arrived. The turning point in the history of the Green Ranger is presented in "The Green Candle" and from this point on things won't be the same anymore. 

    We find out Rita has a special wax from the Gamma Tri System (I guess either Gamma Trianguli or some solar system that is yet to be discovered), which retains the life force energy of whoever touches it. Now, most people watching the show now, as observed in reviewers, echo Kimberly's statement of disbelief, "No way! And she's been saving the wax all this time?" According to Zordon, Tommy accidentally touched the wax while working with Rita, and as I said in "Green With Evil, part three" it was likely after Jason was teleported out of the dark dimension when he had him down that Tommy likely touched this wax. Rita then fashioned it into a candle and waited till now to use it, something that most reviewers I've read find strange. Even Mistare Fusion had a problem with it and claiming it works on Tommy touching the wax. He poses a question, what if Tommy had not touched the wax while working for Rita? Then what?

   Speaking of candles, ever saw Hocus Pocus? The connection with this episode is more than just a magic candle, but the plot revolving it. According to the movie, when lit by a virgin on a full moon during the night of All Hallow's Eve, it would raise spirits from the dead (in that case the three witches). In that movie's statement it raises the similar question, what would have happened if Max lit the candle and he wasn't a virgin? Or what if some other non-virgin lit it? Does the candle blow up? Does the flame not light? Does the flame come on in the usual colors? Does it do something to the candle that it can't be lit the second time around after it's been blown out? And suppose the virgin lights it on any other night with a full moon (considering how rare it is that a full moon falls on All Hallows' Eve)? The only thing the movie offers as an answer is that without the three requirements (lit by a virgin on a full moon on All Hallows' Eve) the witches cannot return and the whole movie has no plotline. 

    So, the same plot holes are in this episode too and we're not shown who lit it, but you can bet they weren't virgins. On a side note, I happen to like candles, mostly the scented types. This time of the year is when I would have apple scented ones lit in time for All Hallows' Eve. 

    The discovery of it is logical and one wonders why Rita held on to the Green Candle all this time, considering how much the Green Ranger has been doing. As to making the candle and then having Tommy touching it, as Mistare Fusion suggested, it would have led to another. Goldar was seen holding the unlit candle once and he didn't lose his powers. How did it happen with Tommy then? Is there a monster loophole? 

     Other moments of Part One are of noteworthy interest. Once again, we get Zack trying to ask out Angela as an example to Tommy and once again he gets shot down. Thankfully, it doesn't last long. Bulk and Skull come in to rub it in Tommy and Zack's faces that they are still single and no girl would want them. Big talk from two bullies who keep harassing Kimberly and other girls in the juice bar. If I were a feminist reviewer, I'd consider Bulk and Skull the embodiment of those creeps who think they are entitled to women and like to spread toxic masculinity by making other guys feel bad about themselves. 

     As to Tommy asking Kimberly to the dance, his anxiety over doing so is accurate, surprisingly. I can't help but think in my current age I would have given him some pep talk. "Tommy, take it from someone who has been brave enough for love for years, it's best to go for it and deal with what comes next than not to and wind up wondering what could have been. What's the worst to happen? I have been in your shoes many times, often asking out girls and finding out they are taken or they don't feel like dating - the latter I have had, on a few occasions, seen later turn around and start dating other guys. Once, I met a nice lady in college that I asked to a dance and she said she was planning to become a nun. I also had a few what-ifs going back to high school, one of whom died recently. But you know, I did eventually find someone and got a relationship with her. In each occasion, I had my own Putties and Goldar come in form of social skills, timing, and thinking I was cheating on another woman who was so nice to me, even if we weren't dating. That doesn't mean you should let it pass you by because living with what could have been." That's how I might say it. How would you say it?

   Well, Tommy doesn't get the chance in this part because of the Putty attack, but we see genuine concern on Kimberly's face when he is taken. Something about Goldar saying, "Say goodbye to Green Ranger forever" must have hit her in the heart. 

   What happens is a typical Power Rangers episode with the zord battle, where we see a monster impersonating the zords. At first, the Rangers assume Rita got back the Dragonzord when they see it. But then Zordon senses the real Dragonzord is not attacking the city, but an imposter is. That zaps the battle of its tension and the only real tension is Tommy getting out in time to summon the real Dragonzord. And, like a typical Bond villain, Goldar had to monologue everything of the plan to Tommy while holding him prisoner. At least, Goldar was smart enough to chain him to keep him from blowing out the candle. However, he made the mistake of releasing Tommy so he could make his escape. Maybe there was one effect on him. By touching the candle, Goldar is being zapped of his intelligence. Or not, since there doesn't seem to be any consistency in season one. 

     Part One ends on a cliffhanger that is better than the opening. Tommy has told all what has happened and his friends assure him Rita is bluffing. However, Zordon tells them Rita was telling the truth. The Green Candle is bound to Tommy after he touched it and she placed a spell on it so once it burns out, it will take his powers away. Tommy then summarizes, "Once the candle burns out, I'm history. The Green Ranger is finished." Then we see the image of the Green Candle burning while Rita's laughter echoes through the screen, while "To Be Continued" appears. This tells us that it's getting real, y'all. 

              The Green Candle, part two.

                                                        #bravenoughforlove.

Sentai Notes:

•     There is an episode titled "Burai Dies." No subtlety there. 
•     In the Sentai version, and in the early versions of the episode script, the Blue and the Black Ranger go on a quest to find a way into the dark dimension to prevent the loss of the Green. They encounter problems (with the Sentai version having them face a guardian of the Elixir of Life). All the while, the remaining Zyurangers face the return of Dora Gansaku and call forth the Guardian Beasts while in their civilian clothes, but have their powers restored in time (allowing for their use in Power Rangers) and it's the Red, Yellow, Pink, and Green Rangers in what will become the Ultrazord. After Dora Gansaku is defeated, the Green Ranger teleports from the cockpit, the Zyurangers head out and find him on a beach, where they briefly morph and show the shield and dagger flute passed down from brother to brother before Burai gives up the ghost. 
•     I guess it always seemed to Saban and the writers, if someone was going to try to blow out the Green Candle, it should be Jason (and not out of nepotism, Austin St. John and Stewart St. John are not related). That explains how that ending was abandoned, different footage was spliced in, and the transfer happens in the Command Center instead. Plus, it seems too much like the Sentai way because the Sentai version is a real tear jerker (made sadder with the passing of Jason David Frank last year). The only thing unchanged is the passing of the powers, with Tommy giving his coin to Jason, and we see the Red Ranger gets the Dragon Shield and Dragon Flute Dagger along with it, and he can control the Dragonzord with them. 
•     In the Sentai show, also, with Dora Gansaku impersonating the Guardian Beasts and destroying the city, a great many citizens of Tokyo wind up rightfully shell-shocked that they think the Zyurangers have turned on them. So, there's a shock of a mob coming along to toss stones and possibly lynch their heroes. 
•    As to the boy who got injured, Burai's final wish is that the long acquired Elixir be given to him. When Burai boards the rickshaw like he does in his dreams he finds a vacant bench, showing that his sacrifice was not in vain. With that in mind, he can smile and rest in peace. 

Strategy Notes:

•     Jason volunteers to go in and blow out the candle himself, having fought Goldar in the dark dimension before. He does make a few mistakes that ultimately cost him. First, he and the Rangers set up the portal device Billy designed in the park. A public place. Thus, Bulk and Skull come in and try to drive them off and it's a matter of getting rid of them. 
•      The next mistake was going in without morphing, assuming that the candle will be unguarded. Turns out it wasn't as Goldar returned to bar his way. Not to mention, he takes a while to enter the portal. Finally, he doesn't morph upon facing Goldar, even though he could have. So he has to fight him in his civilian mode once again. 
•      Turns out Rita is also using Cyclops to draw out the Power Rangers. With the others tied up, Tommy morphs into the Green Ranger and summons Dragonzord. But as the fighting drags on and Cyclops gains the upper hand, Rita's move works as the Power Rangers are forced to withdraw and help defeat Cyclops, resulting in a pyrrhic victory. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage: 

    Not so much mythological or Biblical, but the ending of the episode has some Jane Eyre vibes. In the book, Jane Eyre starts out an orphan who is hired as a governess, yet her employer, Mr. Rochester, comes to fall in love with her and Jane is also attracted to him, even with his faults. The one deal breaker was him wanting to marry her after the discovery of his hidden wife in the attic. At the end of the book, Jane returns to Rochester to find his home destroyed, his wife dead, and Rochester himself blind and disfigured. She feels sorry for him and offers to care for him, while giving love another chance. 
   In this way, Kimberly and Jason are the two halves of the modern Jane Eyre to Tommy's Edward Rochester, minus the age gap, the class differences, the previous wife locked away, the Gothic household and setting, and the ward. In fact, Kim is the kind of Jane who kicks butt and chews bubble gum (and she's all out of gum 🤣🤣🤣). Tommy doesn't get literally blind, but loses his powers, which is just a humbling enough experience on his part. Yet, Kim has fallen for him out of concern for him and for all the good he has done, despite his alienation of her while working for Rita, and Tommy has grown attracted to Kim after so long a time and has made it his duty to be on her good side. Jason might not seem like Jane as he's a guy, but he does inherit the Green Ranger powers the way Jane inherited her fortune, becoming an independent woman. Both help redeem Tommy in his or her way, with a long lasting friendship that proves a vital key to this. They may not save him completely, but Tommy comes out much better than before. 

Misc. Notes:

•   Billy creates a portal using his "molecular decoders." They pick up the particles of the Putties teleporting and use it to send Jason to the dark dimension.
•    When Jason gets cornered Goldar, the Power Rangers realize Jason is taking too long and Zack volunteers to enter. Thus half the team has been in Rita's evil dark dimension. 
•     A first: the Green Ranger is shown in the cockpit of the Dragonzord. Where before it's hinted he might be in there or riding its head in the few times we don't see him with his flute. But it's never confirmed. Now we see him there. Unlike Burai, Tommy will enter it a second time later (spoiler alert). 
•      A complete role-reversal: in the past the Green Ranger has been there to rescue the Power Rangers and Dragonzord bailed out the Megazord in a battle. Now here, the roles are reversed. Now it's Tommy who has to be saved, both from losing his powers and possibly his life. His team mates now must save him. In the zord battle, Dragonzord and Cyclops start out balanced, but the longer the fight the more Cyclops gains the upper hand. Eventually, Dragonzord is down and Cyclops is going to finish him off when Megazord shows up. 
•      In the Sentai show and in early versions of the script, Red, Green, Yellow, and Pink Rangers are in Ultrazord while Black and Blue are in the portal. After Cyclops is defeated, Green Ranger rubs his head as per footage and disappears. The Rangers then teleport to a beach where Tommy's powers fade, but not before he hands his coin to Jason. Considering how too close it is to the Sentai show, Saban and his team decided to change the ending and have it happen in the Command Center. 
•      Tommy's Sentai counterpart basically has the arc of a Byronic hero, beginning first as the villain. He proves a tough opponent to his brother and his brother's friends. But then, when Geki's brotherly love overcomes his sense of justice, he shows mercy, beginning Burai's turn from the dark. Yet, Burai's main arc is like that of someone terminally ill. In a sense, the Green Candle is a metaphor to someone with cancer or some condition that will ultimately lead to a person's death. Like anyone facing it, Burai tries to hide it and spends less time with his brother than wanted. In the end, it must be told and all efforts are being made to either spend more time with him, heal him, or prepare for the worst. And when they find a way to cure it, it comes in too small a dosage, another person is dying, and it's preordained that Burai is on borrowed time. So, he offers that cure to the kid instead and then dies. Geki is thus left to play the dagger flute while staring out into the sunset with the ghost of his brother hanging around. 
•     The words "death" and "die" are never uttered in the show. It'll be Lost Galaxy before a Power Ranger is actually killed in the line of duty. So, Zack has it coded that Tommy's life is in danger with the zord battle and "destroy" is used. 
•     Jason really does embody the nice guy trope. Like a good friend, he volunteers to save Tommy's powers by blowing out the Green Candle himself, facing Goldar on the way. He took on the burden with his friend in mind, plus Kimberly's happiness, and he doesn't get a girlfriend until Power Rangers Zeo, unlike three of his other friends. 

Thoughts.

     Reader, they're a couple now. 

    Part Two is much improved over Part One, with the stakes being higher than ever now that it's known the Green Candle is burning and will take away Tommy's powers. So many highlights come in with this episode. 

    There's a few firsts, most notably the Green Ranger piloting the Dragonzord from the inside. It's really cool to see the inside of the cockpit, which comes with the symbol of the Green Ranger, just like in the other zords. It's a shame we won't see it again for a while, considering how the episode plays out. Remarkably, while Dragonzord seems to handle the monster well when Tommy is outside, the time when he is inside shows Dragonzord being beaten down. I can't tell if there is something about piloting the Dragonzord that doesn't work out or if Tommy doesn't know how to handle this particular zord well, something that makes him make a blunder in getting the future Tigerzord and then the Red Battle Zord. It's also surreal to see the mighty Dragonzord being the one wiped out by the monster and now needing the others to bail it out. Same with the Green Ranger. Previously, he saved the Power Rangers' necks many times before, and now he's the one who needs saving in this episode. 

    Things get incredibly dark in this episode, especially when Zack tells Jason that Tommy could lose his life in the battle if they don't try to save him. Jason now faces the ultimate choice, save Tommy's powers or save his life. For such a big choice, you'd never expect a teenager, let alone one that is still in high school, to come up with something that fast. But either one will have serious repercussions on Jason and his team. 

   While the Power Rangers technically lost in the fight to save Green Ranger, a trump card was presented when Zordon says Tommy must give his coin to another Power Ranger. Tommy gives it, not to Kimberly but to Jason, for his self-sacrifice in trying to blow out the Green Candle (not to mention, the Sentai footage dictates it). Tommy doesn't make a fuss about it either. He accepts the fact he is done now and lets Jason have his coin. 

     I brought up Jane Eyre earlier and Tommy certainly is the Rochester to Kimberly's Jane. Seeing his shield suddenly disappear and then appear on Red Ranger shows his disfiguring. Without the shield, Green Ranger looks like a turtle without its shell. He even collapses, an illustration of his being humbled as the body reverts back to normal (from before Rita picked him up). Slowly, his uniform fades away until we see an unmorphed Tommy in civilian clothes. He may not sit in the garden afterward and pine away for the return of his Jane, but Tommy at least has less of a baggage than Rochester did, and still has the appearance of a Byronic hero. 

   The whole arc of episodes seventeen to thirty-five is essentially about Tommy and Kimberly's romance. They meet in a karate tournament and Kimberly is instantly smitten with him, especially when he intimidates the bullies. Unfortunately, Rita makes him her evil Green Ranger, and her spell makes Tommy give Kimberly the cold shoulder for a time. There was good in him, I noticed, even then. When the spell is broken, that good in him is made manifest and he spends the rest of the arc trying to make up for the hurt he caused. Most obvious came in "Spit Flower", "Wheel of Misfortune", and "Calamity Kimberly" with him coming to her aid in every attempt. He made her float, he helped her find her spinning wheel, and he walked her home after school. And as a fellow Power Ranger, he saved her in battle many times. In the Island of Illusion, he encouraged her when she started to fade and was the first to reward her. She returned the favor in that episode, also. So, in Part One, Tommy decides to take the big step and ask her out. 

     It's here he does it. First, he is met by her at the park where he practices karate. One thing I noticed is how Kimberly doesn't say "I love you." She just replaces the word "love" with "miss." Still, Tommy decides to take the chance and kisses her. Most boys watching would get grossed out, but I know the girls would like it after being in a sea of mostly fight scenes. When I was a boy, I preferred those fight scenes over love scenes any day. As a man, I understand the need for love stories as they usually develop the characters more. Tommy and Kim are developed here. After he kisses her, he admits he wanted to do so, and Kimberly was waiting for him to do so, and usually most people go through a few dates before they kiss (average number about three). So, he decides that means the next question should be a piece of cake. He askes her to the dance and Kimberly, after briefly teasing him to not make it too easy, says yes, leading to the famous moment of him scooping her up and briefly spinning with her in his hands shot. It's a shame he's all but written out afterward, not completely returning until episode forty-nine, but already the legend of him as the greatest of Power Rangers is born from this two-parter.

    After seeing the Jane Eyre musical, I can't help but hear "Brave Enough For Love" playing as I write this down. Can you image Kimberly singing it with Tommy? Because they are obviously brave enough for love. It takes a great deal of courage to face down monsters and pilot robots taller than buildings in the process, but it take even more to take the big step and welcome love into your life and be willing to share that love with another. That is something boys watching this in 1993 obviously needed to learn as they grew into men. It's one thing to take on monsters that are menacing, but true courage is doing something that is terrifying, like risking your life to save others or asking one out on a date. There is a vulnerability that comes with asking another out, knowing everything in your heart is going to be exposed, and should it be rejected it'll change things for the worst, while being accepted does lead to more commitment that one must continue to do. It is not easy either way, but those who are willing to go ahead obvious have plenty of courage to face any consequences that arise. I think that is what the musical number meant by "Brave Enough For Love."