Mighty Morphin #1.60 – An Oyster Stew

Guys. Holy guacamole. We really made it.

We’re ending with a filler episode, but I wouldn’t expect anything less of this season.

Zack is spotting Tommy as he lifts weights at the Juice Bar, but seems distracted by something else happening on the other side of the restaurant. As it turns out, Bulk and Skull are practicing electric guitar and singing at the tops of their lungs, which would distract event the most diligent spotter.

Paul Schrier does his best bad singing impression, but it’s pretty clear the boy actually has some pipes.

Kim bursts out laughing during a break in the racket, and Bulk informs her that they have a very big audition today that will make them both stars. With a snort, she leaves them to their business.

Angela, meanwhile, is stretching on a gym mat, leading Zack to whisper furtively to Kim and Tommy that her birthday is coming up and he needs to get something “morphenomenal” for her.

Now is as good a time as any to bid farewell to Angela, who will not last into the next season. Not really sure why, given she was only intermittently present throughout this season, but like most things with Power Rangers, I assume it was pay-related.

Tommy suggests flowers, but Zack thinks this is a tired solution. His idea is a nice pair of pearl earrings, which seems like way too much for a teenager to buy someone they’re not actually dating. Tommy even says so, pointing out that such a gift would be way out of his budget.

Kimberly proposes gifting Angela with “a singing telegram,” which is way worse than the flowers idea, but for some reason, that’s the one Zack latches onto. Being the most teenage boy of teenage boys, he goes way over the top, saying he’ll get her a singing telegram at a restaurant just before he gives her the earrings.

Kimberly tries to discourage him from going all-out, but he’s overwhelmingly confident and brushes off her warnings. He asks if they’d like to make it a double date (thank god someone besides me remembers they’re dating!) if Angela is up for it, and the couple agrees.

On the moon, Rita’s scheming. She and Goldar “call on the Ecocide Pearl to unleash the Oysterizer,” which is just nonsense. More coherent is Goldar’s next statement:

“We’ll pollute the sea and take over the world!”

Back on Earth, we get…a new establishing shot of Angel Grove High???

At his locker, Zack is boosting himself up before approaching Angela, whose locker, conveniently, is only a few down from his. When he finally bucks up the courage to ask her to dinner for her birthday, she seems wary of his promised “surprise.” The offer of Kimberly and Tommy’s presence does little to sway her.

When she finally asks what he has in mind, his answer of a little French place he knows impresses her. She agrees to the date and, as soon as she’s walked away, Zack jumps for joy. Now all that’s left to do is find some pearl earrings.

His attempt at a jewelry store is unsuccessful, as all offerings are well outside his price range, as Tommy predicted. Dejected, he cuts through the park and comes across a shady guy sitting on a picnic table.

The man calls out to Zack, but the Black Ranger keeps his distance as he asks if the man needs anything. We already know from an otherwise unimportant moon base scene that this guy was sent by Rita, so it’s good to see Zack showing some trepidation toward park creepers even without the information we have.

The guy opens his jacket to show a multitude of jewelry, including a pair of sparkly pearl earrings that catch Zack’s eye. Zack draws closer, though he does make sure to ask whether the earrings are stolen. The man assures him they’re not, and instead spins the tale that they belonged to his late wife:

“When I gave these to her, she fell in love with me. I always thought of them as a love charm.”

Zack offers what cash he has and the guy makes the trade, creepily calling him “my son” as he does so. As soon as Zack runs off, the park creeper reveals himself to have been a Putty all along, which is a level of disguise we’ve yet to see from them in the show.

We cut to the double-date, where Tommy is concerned because the entire menu is in French. Zack assures him he has it covered, and proceeds to snap his fingers to summon the “gar-kon.” Zack asks the table if they’d like him to order for them, which is an interesting move, but Angela’s game, so he ups the ante by promising to even “order in French.”

We cut away from that cesspool of second-hand embarrassment to see that Jason, Trini, and Billy are being attacked by Putties in the park. As they spring into action, I have to credit the show with really establishing a fighting style for Billy. He’s still clearly not equal to the team’s big-hitters, but he’s developed a pattern of acrobatics and clever dodging that keep the Putties on their toes and allow him to get the upper hand.

There’s no real explanation as to how he developed these impressive feats of gymnastics, but it’s at least something that differentiates him and acknowledges his past struggles with combat, rather than simply acting like he’s been a fighter all along or suddenly raising him to the level of a Zack or a Trini (the mid-range fighters on the team).

At the Command Center, Alpha is predictably freaking out about the Oysterizer, and Zordon helpfully explains for the audience:

“Not only can he destroy all ocean life, he is the keeper of Rita’s magic Pearls of Stillness. They can render anyone near to them as still as statues.”

At the date, Zack has of course accidentally ordered something vile for Angela, who cracks that she doesn’t like her meal quite as much as he does his frog legs, which I take offense to because frog legs are delicious.

Zordon contacts the Rangers not currently on dates (I guess they finished the Putties off-screen?) to tell them about the Oysterizer, and when Zordon mentions that the power comes from a pair of pearls, Jason is immediately suspicious of the ones Zack bought. They teleport away, presumably to get closer to the restaurant to warn the others.

The waiter returns to the table to ask which of them Angela is. When she raises her hand, Bulk and Skull burst through the entrance, guitar and harp in-hand, to serenade her. Skull spots the table first and tries to balk, but Bulk insists on keeping the assignment.

Zack is horrified to realize they’ll be performing the telegram he ordered, and Tommy remarks that the audition must have gone well, after all.

Angela is naturally disappointed by the date’s progress, so Zack practically throws the box containing the earrings at her, begging her to open it. She cracks:

“I suppose this explodes? Or a can of worms jump out at me?”

She is, however, honestly touched when she opens the gift, and the two lean in for a kiss over the table that gets interrupted when Skull knocks over a cake-carrying waiter, who deposits said cake directly onto the teens’ table.

Bulk and Skull, meanwhile, are pitched onto the table behind them by all the commotion. When Bulk accidentally ends up with a mouthful of frog legs, Skull delightedly snatches one from him and takes a bite, because he has taste.

The boys depart to clean up (Zack ended up with a bit of cake on his clothes, as well), while the girls remain in their seats. Kimberly encourages Angela to try on the earrings, and Jason, Trini, and Billy come barreling into the restaurant at the last minute, but they’re too late. The moment Angela fastens the second earring, the nearby area freezes in place.

Zack and Tommy return shortly after this and spot everyone frozen in stone. Tommy is smart enough to start taking people’s pulses, while Zack makes a beeline for Angela.

Tommy reports that everyone’s vitals are okay, and they head to the Command Center for their daily dose of Zordon exposition. He explains:

“To break the spell, lure the Oysterizer out of the sea and destroy his pearl.”

Alpha warns that if they get dragged underwater by the Oysterizer, their Zords will “have to function in deep water,” which was not something I was aware they could do. Zack agrees, commenting:

“Man, that’d be a first.”

Zordon warns Tommy about his limited power levels, but the Green Ranger doesn’t give a damn. Zack calls out “It’s morphing time!” and the two head to take on the Oysterizer.

Someone clearly did not edit this episode very clearly, because as soon as they arrive, Zack goes to take on the Oysterizer while Tommy shouts, “I’m right behind you guys!” despite he and Zack being the only Rangers present.

The Oysterizer footage-reverses out of the sea and immediately begins to trash talk Zack. It then spews the Black Ranger with some “acid gel” that Zack is upset Zordon didn’t mention. Good to see someone notices that the floating tube head often ignores crucial information when briefing his team.

Tommy leaps in to save the day, slashing the Oysterizer with his dagger and helping Zack to his feet. Zack warns him not to touch him, since he’s covered in acid and could accidentally pass it along to Tommy.

So Tommy gives Zack the Dragon Shield? It’s always cool to see it on another Ranger, but like…why?

The Oysterizer logically uses this as an opportunity to spit acid gunk at Tommy, who dives in front of Zack to be sure he takes the full force of the attack. He collapses to the ground and Zack vows to take care of the Oysterizer in his place.

Indeed, it only takes a single blow from Zack to send the Oysterizer careening back into the sea. Zack is delighted because he somehow knows that this will break the spell over his friends, and indeed, we see the French restaurant come back to life.

Jason, Trini, and Billy sprint over to the table as the waiter throws the towel in — literally — and storms out of the restaurant.

Trini points out that Angela’s earrings are disintegrating, and Angela, being a bit of a brat, remarks only, “Wait’ll I get my hands on that Zack!” She tosses the remainders of the earrings into her drink, which turns out to be a big mistake, as the water starts sizzling.

Zack rushes in just as Angela is storming out. He tries to apologize for everything, but she dismisses him with the words:

“Zack, do me a favor and don’t do me any more favors? Comprende-vous?”

It’s probably a good thing Angela marched out, because it gives Zack the opportunity to update his friends on the situation (in the middle of what is admittedly still a fully-packed restaurant). He explains that he left Tommy behind, and that they’re going to have to go underwater to fight the Oysterizer.

Billy seems unsure this will work, given the Megazord’s capabilities, but with the words “Let’s jam!” from Jason, the Rangers sprint off.

The teens find a safe place to morph, and we get our first-ever shot of the Megazord “underwater.”

The Rangers spot the Ecocide Pearl, and despite the Oysterizer’s best attempts to intercept them, they’re able to destroy it with a forehead-laser blast.

The Oysterizer wails in agony and launches itself at the Megazord, whaling on it with great initial success. Zack states that they’re going to need help, and Jason remembers that while the Megazord wasn’t meant to work underwater, the Dragon Zord is.

Jason tells Kimberly to focus all their communications on sending a distress signal to the beach where Tommy was left, suggesting that Kim might be the Lt. Uhura of Megazord operations.

Tommy hears the distress call and summons the Dragon Zord to his friends’ aid. It manages to tail whip the Oysterizer back to dry land, then rises above the waves itself to continue the fight.

The Oysterizer manages to snare the Dragon Zord with its pearl-shaped ball and chain, and then immediately blasts it with acid gel in the ensuing struggle. And then it unleashes its flamethrower.

The Oysterizer taunts the Dragon Zord as it inches closer, only to have its chain cut suddenly, sending it stumbling back. The camera pans out to reveal the Megazord back in action.

The Rangers celebrate getting one over on the Oysterizer, but Kimberly points out that the Dragon Zord is down and covered in acid gel. Luckily, the Megazord’s eye beams are spontaneously able to rid allies of such maladies. So that’s good.

The Dragon Zord climbs back to its feet and blasts the Oysterizer with its finger missiles. The Megazord finishes the one-two punch with a slash from the Power Sword, and quickly all that remains of the monster is a smoldering fire.

Back at the Juice Bar, Jason, Billy, Kimberly, and Tommy discuss their victory, actually making sure to keep their voices low for once, which is a pleasant surprise.

They clink their plastic cups to lives saved, and we cut to Trini and Zack, who are reflecting on the Black Ranger’s lesson learned:

Zack: Never try to impress somebody with money. Cause you can’t buy love.

Trini: You know, that’s a very good motto to live by. Just always be yourself.

Zack: Besides, I’m broke. These flowers are all I could afford.

Bulk and Skull arrive in tandem as Trini steps away, and Zack asks where they’ve been. Bulk explains that they had to wash dishes at the restaurant to make up for damaging their property, but Skull delightedly relays that they were allowed all the frog legs they could eat.

Zack makes them promise not to sing, and with a hand-to-god swear from each of them, the trio approach Angela. And then…Zack starts to sing.

“I was wrong to play the fool,

I went out of my way,

Trying to be too cool,

Hoping that you’d stay.

But now I know I do my best,

Whenever I am me,

So be yourself and give me a smile!”

Skull is unable to contain himself and lets out a series of high notes, but Angela and Zack only laugh. Zack apologizes for the whole pearl earring debacle, and she apologizes for her own part in it, acknowledging that she probably shouldn’t be so materialistic.

With a “Happy birthday, Angela,” he hands her the flowers, and in return, she finally gives him the kiss we’ve been waiting for.

Bulk and Skull interrupt yet again with a chorus of their screeching rock song, and the Rangers over at the bar laugh and cover their ears in response.