1.19 Green with Evil Part III: The Rescue

Season 1, Episode 19
"Green with Evil Part III: The Rescue"
Writer: Mark Ryan & Stewart St. John
Director: Robert Hughes

Episode Summary:

We open with Jason and Goldar battling it out – with Jason grunting and Goldar taking stabs at him with his sword.  Then we shift over to the Command Center with some very sad Rangers still lamenting the loss of Zordon.   We see a lot of wandering around after Zack comes up with the brilliant plan to split up and look for Jason.  For some reason we’re checking all around Angel Grove thinking perhaps Jason just forgot to show up for the big fight.

After a comical encounter with Bulk and Skull, Kim runs into Tommy where he sasses her off again and accuses her of “worrying” again – she then convinces Zack that he should talk to Tommy since he probably thinks she made it up for an excuse to talk to him.  Which is a lot more astute an observation than I think anyone in Angel Grove is capable of making.  While chasing down Tommy, Zack and Kim are attacked by putties who, they note, do not attack Tommy.  Wtf?

We learn about Rita’s new weapon – Scorpina – who is this really hot Asian woman in spandex and an uneven pony-tail.  Rita sends Green Ranger in to finish the job with Jason (Goldar is so pissed) while he waves his Sword of Darkness in Jason's face.  Conveniently Billy is able to get their communicators back on-line and they teleport Jason out of there (hooray!) before Tommy does any real damage.  Jason rejoins the team, Scorpina kicks their collective ass and then Rita pulls her team back (again).  Oh no, what could she be planning?  Thankfully she employs some exposition and tells us.

See, Megazord runs on solar energy (because this is California, duh) and she plans on creating a solar eclipse to cut off their energy source.  Instead of, I don’t know, attacking at night.  That said, we end with a giant Goldar attacking Angel Grove and the team pondering what’s up and how to fight this battle with most of their resources depleted.

Facts:

-First Line - Zack "Come on Alpha, you almost had a lock on Zordon."

-First on-screen - Jason

-Last Line - Jason "We don't have a choice."

-Introduction of SCORPINA!

Observations:

I can’t help but think the Rangers really aren’t too bright.  How many more hints do you need that nice guy Tommy who suddenly turned into a dick who wears green all the time is the Green Ranger?  I mean, nothing wrong with giving him the benefit of the doubt in order to drag this mini-series out yet another episode I suppose.

That said, seriously nothing happens here.  I feel like I waited for Godot the whole episode.  They wrap up the Jason cage-fight, they tell us the plan Rita is going to use in the next episode to defeat Megazord, and we’re still looking for Zordon.  Trini and Billy never leave the Command Center and even Kimberly is given very little to do.  Zack has some damn decent plans when he’s forced to take on the leader role.  Split up to look over Angel Grove because we can’t teleport?  Be proactive and find him instead of waiting at the Command Center?  Seriously, Zack is carrying this team and earning the unofficial title of “second-in-command”.

The only thing worth noting is the introduction of Scorpina - in Sentai-world, she and Goldar are married.  You can see this in the Japanese footage as they seem to squabble like a couple and even have this romantic way of battling the Rangers together and leaving before they're defeated.  She's the first foe the Rangers face that looks like a human - which is why I find it odd that they considered killing her.  Usually they're vary wary of battling anyone human.  Anyway, Rita is nervous about how pretty Scorpina is and asks the opinion of her henchmen.