Mighty Morphin #2.38 – A Reel Fish Story

We FINALLY get an answer as to what the body of water in the park is, as a group of kids are splashing in it and Rocky passes in a lifeguard uniform and warns them not to go too far into the lake.

Two other kids are still on the beach, with the girl asking the boy (whose name is Dougie) why he won’t go in, given he’s the best swimmer of their group. He insists there are monsters in the water, and the girl tells him for the thousandth time that Angel Grove is protected by the Power Rangers. But he ignores her and marches past Bulk and Skull, who are inspired by his fear.

We jump over to Rocky, who is trying his hand at comforting Dougie, promising he’ll watch over him if he goes in the water, but Dougie refuses, fully convinced there are monsters waiting to gobble him up.

Rocky says he’s been out here all his life and has never seen a monster, which is a lie on two counts:

1. Rocky lived in Stone Canyon, not Angel Grove, until very recently.
2. There have been so many monsters in Angel Grove Park.

Dougie insists he’s simply not interested and storms off, leading me to wonder who his chaperone is and why they’re not the one trying to talk him into swimming.

Aisha and Billy arrive and ask Rocky how lifeguarding is going. He says it’s fine, but that he’s worried about Dougie.

Billy understands how the kid feels, because the writers surprisingly remember his former fear of fish, but the conversation is interrupted when they catch sight of what appears to be a shark in the water.

Rocky and Billy race to a jet ski instead of calling everyone out of the water, and of course discover Bulk and Skull with fins tied to their heads as the source of the panic. The bullies yell at them for ruining their plans, but Billy warns that they’re probably lucky the Power Rangers didn’t come, as they likely wouldn’t have appreciated being summoned if there wasn’t a true emergency.

Dougie is convinced this is proof of monsters in the water, but Rocky explains that they weren’t real. Billy has worked up an appetite after all that sitting on a jet ski and asks Aisha when the others will be done with their scuba diving trip, which exists solely so the editors can use that same stock footage of divers for the third time now.

Motivated by Dougie’s terror, Zedd plots to send down his fiercest underwater monsters to defeat the Rangers, targeting the three on land first because he doesn’t have any sense in his head. Goldar offers to go down with the Z-Putties first, but Zedd declines, citing their ineffectiveness because maybe he does have some sense.

He sends the Slippery Shark first, and Alpha contacts Rocky about its arrival, given Tommy is otherwise occupied. He calls out to a fellow lifeguard, Steve, and asks him to cover his post while he takes care of a personal matter. He pulls Aisha and Billy, who’ve been keeping Dougie company while they wait for the others to finish their dive, away as well.

They morph and teleport to the other side of the lake, where the Slippery Shark is waiting.

They fight for a bit and the Slippery Shark seems to have the upper-hand, but only barely. Zedd sends down Pirantishead and Goo Fish to keep it company, and it’s never been more apparent that Robert Axelrod voices both Zedd and Goo Fish.

The Rangers leap at them, with Aisha taking Pirantishead, Rocky tackling the Slippery Shark, and Billy handling Goo Fish (which is appropriate, given it was the villain of an episode about him).

To make matters worse, Zedd throws the lobster Jason fought at the end of season one, which is apparently named Commander Crayfish. Billy pulls Aisha out of its path just in time, and Rocky does his best to take on two monsters at once, but it’s clear it’s too much.

He pleads with Alpha to send them help, and the android promises to do his best. He tries contacting the other Rangers again, and luckily, they’ve just stepped out of the water.

The three morph and teleport to the battle, to the great relief of the others. They immediately turn the tides on the aquatic monsters, and Zedd decides it’s time to throw an all-new monster into the mix. He spots Bulk and Skull’s inner tube and snatches it away from them in a flash of lightning.

Zedd throws a bomb to make his monster — which is imaginatively called Tube Monster — grow, and the core five Rangers leave Tommy to finish off the recycled monsters as they call their Zords.

Tube Monster is no match for the Thunder Megazord, especially once the Rangers draw the Thunder Saber.

Tommy, meanwhile, finishes his foes off with Saba, remarking:

“Wow, I’m sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you guys — sushi’s my favorite food.”

Zedd declares he never wants to see another fish again, only for Goldar to admit that he “ordered” them trout for lunch.

Bulk and Skull’s inner tube reappears on the beach, but the bullies are still a way out. Skull freezes up with a cramp and Bulk tries to pull him in, but he’s too exhausted from the swim.

He screams that they need help and Dougie overhears. He tries to alert Steve, but the lifeguard is assisting another beach-goer and doesn’t hear him, so the kid leaps in himself. He grabs their inner tube and pushes it out to them, which is a better example for the kids watching than if he’d tried to swim out alone.

Steve notices what’s happening and rushes in, but Dougie’s already reached Bulk and Skull and helped them onto the raft. The two of them tow the bullies back in, and Rocky, Billy, and Aisha arrive as they reach the beach.

Rocky is amazed to hear Dougie went in after them himself, and tells him how proud he is of him. The kid excitedly proclaims that he didn’t see any monsters in the water, either!

Rocky says Bulk and Skull have caused enough trouble for the day, and Bulk yanks a fish out of his swimsuit in annoyance. Billy comments that he thinks he’s seen enough fish today to last a lifetime.