Season One: The Zyu 2 Episodes: Fish, Jellyfish, Flea, and the Mantis

 

                         Something Fishy.

                                                         Another True Blue Episode.

Sentai Notes: 

• Considering how this is the first episode to use Zyu 2 footage, there might not be much to discuss on Sentai terms. Goo Fish has no Sentai counterpart. 
• Zyu 2 doesn't seem to have any plot since it's mostly battle footage. But it seems the set up of the episode in Sentai terms is Dan and Mei have come to see Golem by the shore, while investigating mutated fish sightings. That's when Goo Fish appears in the midst of the battle and does something that makes Dan to become scared of it. Then the rest of the Zyurangers came in to help them out, causing the Goo Fish to retreat and end the first battle. That could make a possible episode dealing with Dan relearning what courage is about and then challenging Goo Fish. 
• Beginning with this, we see brand new looking footage of Rita Repulsa saying "Magic Wand, make my monster grow!" This is because they got Machiko Soga for those shots. 

Strategy Notes:

• Since Billy is scared of fish, Rita uses this fear to her advantage to split up the team by setting up a monster based on that fear. It works, somewhat. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage:

• Somehow Goo Fish resembles the Cyclops from Greek Mythology, with a horn added. 
• One thing to foreshadow if Slippery Shark didn't already do so is the fact that while the monsters in Zyuranger were based off of legends and myths, the monsters of Zyu 2 are more based off animals and plants. 
• While not mythological, the design makes one think of the song "Purple People Eater" since Goo Fish also has one eye and one horn.

Misc. Notes:

• Billy is scared of fish, it's revealed. 
• According to divingcatalina.com, it's possible for teenagers to get the license and training to go scuba diving. They just have to be ten or twelve at the lowest in some places. So, it's not that far fetched for Jason to be a certified scuba instructor. 
• Interesting foreshadow, it's Jason, Zack, and Trini who go scuba diving. The footage of them getting called will be used in season two. Kimberly turns down the invitation to dive to avoid ruining her hair, yet she apparently will change her mind in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.
• Kimberly calls the snack fish and chips, a British term that seems odd for a show taking place in California. 
• If a sign says "No Fishing" it means no fishing. Just how the sign wound up in the lake and no one replaced it is odd. 
• If it weren't for the fact she is with Tommy, Kim and Billy would make a great couple based on this episode. Their chemistry is much better than in most episodes. It's possible this episode took place before Tommy showed up, considering Scorpina is not in the episode either. 
• This won't be the last time Bulk encounters a live lobster on this show (though they can't be red while alive). 
• "Something Fishy" is also the name of an episode in Power Rangers: Super Samurai. It also features a Power Ranger getting over his fear of fish. 
• "Something Fishy" has been used by Dolly Parton in a song, as well as a Thomas the Tank Engine story.

Thoughts: 

     I hope y'all had a good Christmas!

     "Something Fishy" has a good premise. Billy is scared of fishes because one of them bit him in the fingers when he was a boy. Considering that this was Billy as a child (before puberty), it's natural that he should develop such a fear that would keep him from the nearest Captain D's. Of course, there could be waves of getting him over his fears, which is something Rita inadvertently has a hand in. Without the Goo Fish, Billy wouldn't have had a battle that ultimately helped him overcome his fear of fish. Makes one wonder if Rita had left it all alone then Billy would remain the same. 

     Goo Fish is a cool design. Instead of looking like a walking, talking goldfish, the monster is designed to look like a nightmare made real. He has one eye and one horn, like the Purple People Eater, but instead of wanting to get a job in a rock n roll band, he is there to torment Billy and spray adhesive goo over the Power Rangers. And he comes with a staff that can cause serious damage. Completing it all is Robert Axelrod voicing it. 

    Other than those two points, "Something Fishy" doesn't really have many memorable moments. We see Jason, Trini, and Zack go scuba diving (largely to give Jason something to do other than teach karate and Zack to get over Angela - assuming this episode doesn't take place before they met), and the plot goes no where. We don't even have Putties appear underwater and try to mess with their gear. That might have added tension and show the dangers that they were trying to avoid. Another way to add tension was use this to capture the three, forcing Billy and Kim to face Goo Fish on their own, and that would help in Billy's ichthyophobia. Even the sight of Kimberly and Billy going on a picnic together hints at a romance that won't happen, since after all Billy is either with the girl of the episode or with Trini (depending on fanshipping) while Kimberly is smitten with Tommy. Considering how Scorpina isn't in the episode, I wonder if this takes place before she and Tommy appeared, considering how there is no mention of either one. 

                       To Flea, or Not to Flee.

                                                                   That is the question.

Sentai Note:

• Not much to go on since the monster has no Sentai counterpart. 

Strategy Note:

• Not much different from "Something Fishy" in terms of divide and conquer. Here, Rita uses it to get Jason infected, though it doesn't work out to its advantage. 
• How is it Ernie never got the flea bite or anyone else who touched the dog? 

Biblical and Mythological Homage:

• None.

Misc. Notes:

• Scorpina appears in the episode but has no lines. 
• Title is a parody of Shakespeare's line in Hamlet: "To be or not to be, that is the question." There is a line in Kiss Me Kate that goes, "To flee or not to flee, that is the question." 
• Skull must be dyslexic as he can't read "generally." Reminds me of "Frah-Gee-Lay." Remember "Frah-Gee-Lay"?
• It's not really a good idea to feed dogs chili. Unless this is some kind of stew Ernie has that has hardly any seasoning, the peppers and other spices mixed in are bad for their digestive systems, leading to nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea (and dogs, unfortunately, can't take Pepto or Alka-Seltzer).  
• Whatever the amount it was that Ernie got as a reward for finding the dog is never shown, but it's possibly above $10,000. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $20,300 estimate in today's money. That could pay up some of the bills, but not long term. Ernie will have to cut down on the free foods and drinks for a while to keep afloat. 

Thoughts: 

     "Something Fishy" may seem a mediocre episode, but this one feels like a real filler. The only thing to show something of character development is the fact Ernie is about to shut down the Juice Bar because he's broke. The kids gather to try to save it, but at best could only get enough money to buy a burger and a drink. Then a dog shows up and Ernie finds him more loyal than most customers. It turns out the dog is lost and its owner is offering a great sum of money for the finding. Naturally, Bulk and Skull get in on this because they...are greedy. And naturally it turns out the owner is a rich woman who gives the check of an undisclosed sum to Ernie, because the Rangers understand modesty. Bulk and Skull, meanwhile, run afoul of Fighting Flea, get his itch, and have to wear collars for a week just to cure it (though hardly fitting since they weren't their usual bullying selves in this episode).

     Something pointed out by Samurai Karasu when he reviewed this episode is Ernie, upon getting the check, decides to announce pizzas and drinks on the house. Maybe the party was because Ernie was so happy, or maybe the money he got he intended to put in the bank shortly after. However it is, it seems bad for business to always give people food and drinks for free when running something like the Juice Bar. At least the fact the Juice Bar is saved. 

    Hearing the song "Fight" for the first time while Kimberly and Jason take on the Putties is a great moment in the episode, also. It becomes a classic song in the series from this point on. 

    For the bad, the monster of the week seems hardly much (unless your a household pet). Fighting Flea doesn't look like a real flea and sounds more like a Chipmuck or one of the Munchkins of Oz than a giant insect. The Zord battle is barely much, especially with the death shot used when the Megazord Tank Mode fires its cannons. 

    When it comes to episodes dealing with pests, I would recommend "The Lousy Week" from Arthur, as it does a good job in highlighting a lice investigation. The reaction of the investigation is even done better in there, with all the undertones of an STI epidemic among teens. In contrast, Fighting Flea doesn't cause too much trouble other than give Jason's arm an itch, and making Bulk and Skull scratch themselves in public. And since Rita can shrink him down to get into the dog, it makes one wonder why she didn't keep Fighting Flea shrunken? Cause then the monster would be harder to detect and could spread that itch around. The only thing anti-climatic would be the Rangers squashing the monster like a bug as soon as they find him. So, "To Flea, or Not to Flee" is a low ranking episode. 

   

                         Reign of the Jellyfish.

                                                                 Beautiful, but deadly.

Sentai Note:

• None, though I can't help but think the storyline has it with the Zyurangers coming upon the Jellyfish in their civilian outfits, then transforming to do battle. After they find the stinging venom too much, they had to retreat and go on a quest for something to help. That is speculation.
• Initial shots of the dimension are recycled footage from the early battles, when the Zyurangers come in to rescue the shuttle.   

Strategy Notes:

• Goldar comes up with a diversion using the Putties. Then Squatt and Bamboo can move in and steal the Time Capsule. So used to being attacked, the Rangers fall for the trick while "Combat" makes its debut in the background. Of course, what Goldar failed at was withdrawing the Putties so soon and Squatt and Bamboo ruin the plan by carrying the Capsule manually, without teleporting too. 

Biblical and Mythological Homage:

• None. Though it should be mentioned jellyfish are members of the Medusozoa, a clad in the phylum of Cnidara. Medusozoa comes from the name Medusa, the Gorgon in the legend of Perseus who can turn any living thing into stone with one look. The tentacles are the likely reason for this. That could make one wonder why Jellyfish wasn't called Medusa, instead. 

Misc. Notes:

• Time capsules are a way for contemporary people to place items of their time in storage for the future to see. It stems from a time when ancients would have relics in storage. In more recent years, everyday items are used in place of relics. William Jarvis critiques this idea, mostly as items of little value are placed in the capsules. 
• At one point, Billy incorrectly calls the Black Ranger's Power Axe a "Battle Axe." 
• "Orange is the new pink." Kimberly's pink shirt changes to orange at one point in the park. 
• The Putties get called "Super Putties" by characters, even though the episode likely took place before Tommy arrived (evidence is the absence of Scorpina). So it'd be odd to be called thus since the materials for them are yet to be discovered. 
• Bulk and Skull should have considered a career as sandwich makers in Subway or Mike Jersey's. They can make a good one in quick time and the Bulkwich might become the greatest invention for sandwiches since sliced bread. 
• It might not be a good idea to put food in a time capsule, let alone a sandwich. Overtime, the whole thing will grow stale, the meats rot, the bread becomes moldy, and the condiments turn into goo, and should something that eats garbage winds up in there before burial than the capsule will be a breeding ground to bugs that could compromise the items. Good thing the Power Rangers buried it before Bulk and Skull could get their large sandwich in.  
• Zack calls the Jellyfish a fish. In reality, jellyfishes are not fishes. They are members of the phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones, hydroids, coral, and gorgonians. Fishes are members of the phylum Chordata, which consists of all vertebrate animals. In short, real jellyfishes don't have a backbone 😄😄😄. That explains why Finster gives Jellyfish Warrior one (not to mention give him a human form because even large jellyfishes can't survive out of the water, let alone walk, and if they were the same size as Jellyfish Warrior their weight would crush them).
• Jellyfish calls Zack's Mastodon little. In a G-rated way, it's like the monster is imply Zack has a tiny penis. Ironic because jellyfishes don't have sex for any reason. The females deposit their eggs while males send sperm in that direction in what's called exterior fertilization. Based on that, it seems out of character for Jellyfish Warrior to stoop to such tactics since (incredible as it sounds) male jellyfishes in real life don't have penises. They instead shoot sperm from gonopores, which are like the nostrils on our noses located where the genitals are. As far as I can find, it's also a chordate thing since vertebrate females evolved a uterus to carry their young until birth, which meant the males had to evolve the penis to better transfer their sperm into the female in order to fertilize the eggs. And that should be it for discussion of sexual reproduction. 

Thoughts:

    "Reign of the Jellyfish" does seem average at first glance. The monster does strike a certain beauty about it based on design. I like how they make one hand have tentacles instead of fingers, allowing for it to be less symmetrical. 

    Other than that, the episode's weakness is the lack of connection with the subplot concerning the time capsule. Now it came be argued the monster is perfect since a jellyfish drifts blindly in the water, eats what gets stung, and makes more jellyfishes, looks like the see through capsule, and jellyfishes have been around for millions of years, longer than most animals on Earth. 

    In the matter of capsules, that practically summarizes what the first season is, or any show. Looking it over, you see and hear the way teens used to talk (abit in a kid friendly manner) throughout the show, with all the "so" added for emphasis, or saying "ah man!" when things go wrong. Then there's the hair style, the clothes, and the technology shown in the episodes. For those of us who grew up in the nineties, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a time capsule, just as many shows from the previous decades were for Silent Generationers, Baby Boomers, and Gen Xers, and now there are shows that will be that way for Zoomers and the Alphas (and I don't mean anything after Alpha Six). 

    The final scene has a hopeful note. The Rangers discuss if the future might be better than the present, mentioning of a world where people "live in a peaceful and friendly world, with no hatred, no prejudice, no crime, and no war." Kimberly then asks if that could happen, to which Jason says it can happen, providing "...we all do our part and try to get along with each other...yeah I do. We just gotta hope for the best." If only we had the foresight to know when that capsule they bury opens that kind of world doesn't exist. It's been thirty years since Power Rangers first aired and we still have prejudice, crime, wars, hatred, and the world is even less friendly than it was in the nineties. The examples are many, whereas back then we had seen the end of the Cold War and the Persian Gulf, while the nation was split over O.J. Simpson and the Waco Siege. I guess that is something to find in a time capsule: the same hope for a better world. 

                         Plague of the Mantis.

                                                               Yellow Rangers Matter.

Sentai Notes:

• None, but we can speculate the story seems to center on Boi going on some quest and he encounters the Mantis roaming the woods. 
• Boi in Zyuranger is basically the youngest of the Zyurangers. He wears shorts while the men in the team wear long pants. He often gets into situations that are childish, along with Dan. Even his name is similar to the English word, "boy." So it would be likely the Zyu 2 footage centers on him attempting to be his own man and the Mantis serves as the antagonist to bring him down to Earth. 

Strategy Notes:

• The Mantis appears to use the deception to even the odds against the Yellow Ranger. First, she challenges Trini one on one by crying foul at the sight of the other Power Rangers. Of course, she doesn't play fair and summons the other Putties. 
• Targeting Trini alone adds in the divide and conquer strategy.

Biblical and Mythological Homage:

• None. 

Misc. Notes:

• Praying mantises are interesting insects. They are named due to their front legs having something like pincers at the joints, which they hold up like someone praying. They are among the few insects with good vision, though they still use their antennae for other senses, while their eyes have pupils, which can be creepy due to the fact they move slowly and the mantis never blinks. They also are good at camouflage, blending in with leaves, twigs, and flowers. You'd never notice one, or even suspect it alive, until it moves. When prey gets close, it strikes as quick as lightning with its front legs and holds the prey, allowing it to basically chew it up. Mantises are also cannibals. The females are known to gobble up their mates (basically a real life femme fatale) and they can literally bite their mates' head off. 
• It's interesting Bulk and Skull attempt to replicate their own Kong-Fu from cockroaches because they happen to be cousins to the mantis. Of course, it seems grace doesn't run in the family which is why no one ever thought of using cockroaches for inspiration.
• Master Li is played by Richard Rabago, who later appeared as Tao Chong in VR Troopers, another Saban project.

Thoughts:

     "Plague of the Mantis" is an improvement in many ways. For once, Trini has an episode and therefore we get to see the Yellow Ranger be of importance. That is something we haven't seen since "The Trouble With Shellshock." Even the monster looks impressive, seeing how they could bring up essentially and anthropological praying mantis and  have it fight the Power Rangers. The actor playing the monster got it all to the T. 

     Trini's story of learning how to do Kung-Fu by learning the grace and elegance of the mantis is a good enough of a plot to use. Here, we see that even Trini has problems of her own. She tries to imitate what Master Li instructs, and becomes frustrated when she makes mistakes. Master Li encourages her, anyway, with all the patience of Mr. Miyagi. Rabago's portrayal of Li does make him seem like a younger generational take on Miyagi. I am sure critics of The Last Jedi would appreciate this as the relationship makes a nice contrast to what was shown between Luke and Rey. 

     Then the conflict really shows how the Mantis is preying (get it?) on Trini's doubts and insecurities, plus shaming her out of going as a team player by having a one on one with her. When the Mantis is having troubles, it then summons the Putties, ending any idea of it being a fair fight. The way Trini calls it out can also bring up something feminists and civil rights activists studying gender roles, treatment of Asian Americans, and other minorities, would say how the power dynamics are used against those out of power. The Mantis cries foul at the Power Rangers being together, but has to call on Putties to defeat Trini is bad sportsmanship, but the fact the Yellow Ranger is an Asian American and a girl adds the factor of how minorities deal with rules on how to behave to function in a white and male dominated society, and often used by those in power who would then bend or break the rules in their favor. In short, it's easy to see the Mantis Monster as a stand in for racism. 

     That leads to Bulk and Skull opting to copy cockroaches for their Kong-Fu, which to me is a classic example of cultural appropriation (might be easily seen with the fact neither are Asian nor do they go to Master Li for inspiration). Then they try to use it draw in crowds, charging fifty dollars a pop for lessons, the way some companies take cultural items and patented them, packaged them, and slapped them on the plastic lunchbox, to quote Jurassic Park. Of course, the episode has them acting like fools in doing so and everyone gets a laugh. If made today, I think Bulk and Skull would have gotten a lecture about cultural appropriation, which the audience might be mercifully excused from with the credits rolling (if it doesn't happen sooner).