1.29 - Island of Illusion Part II

Episode 29, Season 1

“Island of Illusion Part II”

Writer: Stewart St. John, Chris Schoon and Shuki Levy

Director: Terence H. Winkless

Episode Summary:

BACK TO ACTION!

Zack is still disappearing from the last episode, so if you watched this first run in 1993, Zack was disappearing overnight.  Ever the observant one, Kimberly shouts “Zack, you’re disappearing” to explain to us what is happening.  Trini remembers Quagmire (the little man who rhymes story exposition) and calls on him to help Zack.  He says something about thinking positive thoughts (the moral of the story, folks) to regain your confidence.  Zack is disappearing because he doesn’t believe in himself.

Zack remembers battling the Knight on his birthday when he was by himself and reappears!  Then it’s Kimberly’s turn to see an ILLUSION!  She envisions Bulk and Skull dressed as angels helping a lost turtle find his way.  If Rita can make them nice, she can do anything!  Kimberly starts disappearing before she remembers all the times she saved the Rangers asses by using her bow because she’s awesome.  KIMBERLY REAPPEARS!

Tommy, the lone Ranger (pun intended), envisions the Rangers have abandoned him and they’re all putties.  He starts to fight them before he remembers that time he fought the putties all by himself.  Tommy reappears FTW!  Next we see Trini afraid that Rita may come after her next and envisions Billy standing on a really high mountain (a la High Five).  She remembers overcoming her fear of heights to save Billy and reappears – but not in time for Billy to start doubting his scientific abilities!  Clearly he should have calculated a way for them to get off the island already.  He then remembers his battle with Madam Woe and all is well again.

Then we have Jason.  After seeing his teammates disappear he realizes he’s a bad leader.  Then Quagmire makes him remember the time he took on the Sphinx and Jason’s better again!  Now that the Rangers have beaten the illusions, they magically get their stuff back.  Apparently these are the rules.  They teleport back to Earth, MegaDragonzord forms to take down Mutitis, Lokar escapes at the last minute – and Zack wins the dance competition.

The end.

Facts:
-First on-screen – Zack
-First line - "Zack, you’re disappearing!” - Kim
-Focus - All
-Last line - "Let’s boogie!” - Zack
-MegaDragonzord kills one monster (Mutitis) but lets Lokar escape

Observations:

A couple of things bothered me about this episode, but mostly why was Kimberly’s illusion so lame?  Every other illusion fit the character’s personality.  Zack hates creepy crawlies, Trini is afraid of heights, Jason’s all about being a leader, Tommy’s always fighting alone, and Billy only has his smarts going for him.  So many things could have been done with Kimberly but the writers blew it just to make sure they honored Bulk and Skull’s “you must appear in every episode” contracts.

The other thing that bothers me is that Trini and Billy are at the end of this episode.  Trini is the only Ranger who remembers Quagmire’s name to save the day – and they let her be dumb enough to fall for these illusions?  Billy I can understand doubting himself, he’s smart but has no common sense.  Trini has common sense because she is proficient in every unique quality the other Rangers have (she does martial arts a la Tommy and Jason, she’s smart a la Billy, she does gymnastics a la Kimberly, she has legitimate cuddle time with Zack to learn his dance moves and hip-hop-kido through osmosis).

All that said, I still like the attention paid to character in this episode and appreciated the chance to see the American actors do their thing. 

1.28 Island of Illusion, Part I

Episode 28, Season 1

“Island of Illusion Part I”

Writer: Chris Schoon and Shuki Levy

Director: Terence H. Winkless

Episode Summary:

We begin with hip-hop music playing in the background, which can only mean one thing: we’re about to have a Zack scene.  He’s training for a dance competition in Angel Grove because in a city such as Angel Grove there is obviously a competition for any possible thing one could compete in.  Bulk manages to shake Zack’s confidence by challenging him to an impromptu dance-off – somewhere in there a barrel roll goes wrong and Zack realizes he doesn’t have what it takes to win.

Rita sends not one but TWO monsters to Angel Grove –b y far her most evil plan yet.  Mutitis and Lokar take on the Rangers (Mutitis has a phlegm problem and looks like Warren from Buffy when his skin is ripped off and spits on everyone while destroying the city whereas Loka is a giant head that floats in the air).  In an unprecedented move, Tommy stays behind with his students from his karate class while the other Rangers morph and take care of business.  Mutitis shoots the Zords with his toxic foam thereby rendering them useless – despite the late addition of Tommy’s Dragonzord.  Lokar sends the debilitated Rangers to the ISLAND OF ILLUSION!

Once on the island we discover that Billy forgot his sunblock and the Rangers morphers and communicators are missing.  A small man named Quagmire lives on the island and narrates the journey for them in rhyme.  First thing they all see is an army of monsters they thought they’d destroyed (of note we see Sphinx and Eye-Guy from the early episodes).  With Quagmire’s help they realize these monsters aren’t real but are shaken by the notion that Rita can do anything.  Zack turns a corner and runs into a “snake” on a branch (shhh! There’s really nothing there) and starts physically disappearing – it is then that we learn that when you doubt yourself you start to become invisible and disappear.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Facts:
-First on-screen – Zack
-First line - "Great moves, Zack.” -Kim
-Focus - Zack
-Last line - "I’m trying!” – Zack
-Rangers do NOT kill the monster
-Introduction of Lokar

Observations:

During the original run of the show, this was one of my favorite episodes (coupled with Part II) due to the fact that most of the action is out of the suits (I loved when they showed real acting and real martial arts and real story).  That said, we still see a lot of the same techniques used in earlier episodes – for one we see Tommy staying behind with his karate students during the “earthquake” (when Rita’s monsters attacked) in order to keep the Green Ranger out of the scene because he was not in the Japanese footage. 

While I find the Japanese footage marriage to the American footage interesting as an adult, it makes watching these old fight scenes very difficult to enjoy because I don’t see them as they once were.  That said, this episode borrowed Lokar who was a Zyuranger villain known as “Great Satan” who was the ultimate villain of that series.  Lokar is merely a plot aide on MMPR, which I kind of appreciate.  I like the American footage, what can I say?

Nothing else statistically significant really happens in these episodes – but we do get an introduction to Lokar whom we will meet again.  Just you wait and see.