Go Volcanic

This article is about an episode in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.

Go Volcanic

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Episode 8x09

Air Date(s)

April 8, 2000

Production Information

Written by

Judd Lynn

Directed by

Koichi Sakamoto

Episode Guide

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Up to the Challenge	Rising From Ashes

Go Volcanic is the ninth episode of Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. It is the first of the two-parter that marks the first appearance of Queen Bansheera.

Synopsis[]

The arrival of Queen Bansheera prompts an attack on a volcano, which threatens to erupt and destroy Mariner Bay. Dana deals with a hostage situation on a bus before joining the Rangers in dousing the Trifire monster's flames and saving the city from disaster.

Plot[]

At the Lightspeed Aquabase, Ms. Fairweather comes in to see Dana finishing up diagnostics on a new seismometer to check for volcanic activity at the nearby volcanic peak of Mount Jasmine. Before leaving, Dana contacts the rest of the Rangers, who are having a lunch break with the Rescue Rover, which now sports an emergency lightbar and siren from its earlier design in the first few episodes. When it is clear she's not going to be able to use the Rescue Rover to head to Mount Jasmine, Dana opts to take a bus instead.

Meanwhile, in Skull Cavern, Diabolico and the other Demons are confronted by the spirit of Queen Bansheera when she finally arrives. Demanding to know where her palace is, they try to calm her down about the situation with Mariner Bay and the Rangers, but Diabolico assures her that they are in the process of restoring it for her. Nevertheless, the queen leaves sounding deeply displeased with her servants unable to complete their mission.

Dana is waiting at a bus stop about 30 miles outside of Mariner Bay when she catches the next bus to Mount Jasmine. After she finds her seat in the mostly empty bus, she notices one passenger smuggling several wads of dollar bill denominations into his duffel before zipping it shut. The passenger notices Dana looking suspiciously at him, but chooses to ignore her as the bus departs for Mount Jasmine, and Dana, possibly figuring that she would be making a scene on a public vehicle, decides not to investigate.

Back in Skull Cavern, Jinxer reports that Impus has a great idea with having Mount Jasmine erupt to burn Mariner Bay to the ground in the resulting lava flow. Diabolico orders Jinxer to make it happen, and Jinxer summons the Demon Trifire, who is then ordered by Bansheera to make Mount Jasmine erupt. As Trifire gets to work, the seismic activity is detected back at the Aquabase, raising Ms. Fairweather and Captain Mitchell's concerns that the Demons are responsible for the volcano waking up.

Back with Dana's bus, the seismic activity from Trifire waking up Mount Jasmine forces the driver to stop and announce they are turning back. The passenger that Dana was wary of is not pleased about this, and draws a snub-nosed revolver to show he means business. He orders the driver to keep going, despite the danger, along with threatening them with a gun. Captain Mitchell tries to notify Dana via her Morpher of the danger, but this only antagonizes the gunman when he hears Mitchell's voice and threatens to harm Dana if she tries anything heroic before turning back to the driver. However, with his attention diverted, Dana is able to disarm him and fight him as the bus keeps going closer to the danger as Trifire continues to wake up Mount Jasmine. Soon, the driver ends up losing control and crashes the bus through a bridge guardrail, leaving it dangling dangerously over the edge and threatening to fall into the canyon below. The gunman also tumbles towards the front of the bus due to all the swerving and finds himself hanging for dear life from the front steps of the bus, threatening to lose his grip and fall to his death. Despite threatening her earlier, Dana comes to his rescue, while back at the Aquabase, when Mitchell can't raise Dana on the comms, he orders the other Rangers, who have just returned, to head out and find her, and they head out in the Supertrain to do just that.

Back with the bus, as it tips further over the edge, the driver orders the rest of the passengers to the back to provide more weight and keep the bus from going over, but as Dana's grip on the gunman is starting to slip, the passenger that tried to confront the gunman earlier and the driver both come to her aid, and together, they are able to pull the gunman safely back onto the bus. However, Trifire's efforts have succeeded as the volcano is beginning to erupt, and more seismic activity result in the driver falling and dislocating his shoulder on the seat, forcing Dana to come to his aid, while the bus continues to balance precariously on the side of the bridge. Luckily, the Supertrain arrives, and Carter sends Joel in Aero Rescue 3 to aid the bus. Within short order, Joel gets the bus safely back on the road, after which the other Rangers arrive to check on Dana and everyone else. However, more seismic activity occurs, and Dana checks her seismometer to find the needle in the red zone, meaning the volcano is going to erupt any second. The driver can't carry out evacuating the bus as his shoulder is in bad shape, and Carter is forced to ask the passengers if any of them know how to drive a bus. The gunman, having had a change of heart after his near-death experience, offers to volunteer as he used to drive a bus, but the driver and passenger he threatened earlier refuse, and Carter is forced to agree with them after learning he was armed with a gun. Dana intervenes, reminding everyone they have to trust him as there are no other alternatives, and to prove it, he recovers his revolver, puts it away in his duffel with his stolen cash, and slides it between two of the seats, also removing his sunglasses and hat to reveal his true face. After Dana double-checks with the passenger and driver, who uneasily, but supportively, agree to give the gunman a chance, Dana and the Rangers leave the bus, while the gunman mans the driver's seat, starts the engine, and steers the bus to safety.

Dana quickly morphs to join the rest of the Rangers as they head to Mount Jasmine to stop the eruption. Entering the source of the seismic activity, they encounter Trifire and engage him in battle, with Carter and Dana personally double-teaming Trifire to stop his fire breath attack. Meanwhile, the gunman continues to drive the bus to safety, impressing the original driver, whose opinion of the gunman begins to change for the better, as does that of the passenger he threatened earlier. When Mount Jasmine begins to fire lava bombs around the area and cause more earthquakes due to Trifire's actions, leading to some rockslides, the gunman is able to steer the bus safely through the gauntlet before bringing it to a safe stop. The driver is very impressed after that.

Back with the Rangers and Trifire, Carter finally puts out Trifire's fire breath before finishing him off with the Unilaser, but once more, Jinxer casts a spell that revives Trifire and makes him giant, forcing the Rangers to call in the Rescue Zords and form the Lightspeed Megazord to confront him. Trifire hits them with his fire breath, but Chad douses it and covers Trifire with extinguishing foam, before Carter summons the Saber to finish Trifire off.

Afterwards, the Rangers locate the bus, having stopped at a service station once out of danger, and reunite with the passengers, driver, and reformed gunman, who thank the Rangers for saving Mariner Bay from the volcano. Dana also commends the gunman for his heroism helping get the bus to safety, and the driver and passenger he threatened earlier also agree, showing that the gunman does have the opportunity to turn his life around for the better and away from a life of crime. The gunman agrees and thanks Dana for saving his life. Moments later, a Mariner Bay Police Department Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor arrives with two officers inside, who approach the gunman, whose name is Steve Harrison, and place him under arrest. Just as they are about to handcuff him, Dana explains to the officers that Steve saved the lives of everyone on the bus, with the other Rangers, the driver, and the passengers all vouching for Steve as the passenger who he threatened earlier hands over Steve's duffel containing his gun and stolen money to the cops. The officers thank Dana for letting them know, as they will make sure to pass that on to the judge so he will show Steve mercy and give him a lighter sentence. As Steve is taken away, he asks to stop for a moment to tell Dana that he's not afraid of facing punishment for his crimes, as he'll make sure his life will be better from now on once he's served his time behind bars. Hearing that makes Dana smile as she's comforted by Carter on a job well done with helping Steve begin his road to atonement.

Back in Skull Cavern, Queen Bansheera is not going to let the plan to erupt Mount Jasmine go to waste that easily, as she's already set the plan to ensure it happens in motion as what appears to be a revived Magmavore is seen, waiting to make his move...

Cast[]

Sean Cw Johnson as Carter Grayson (Red Lightspeed Ranger)
Michael Chaturantabut as Chad Lee (Blue Lightspeed Ranger)
Keith Robinson as Joel Rawlings (Green Lightspeed Ranger)
Sasha Williams as Kelsey Winslow (Yellow Lightspeed Ranger)
Alison MacInnis as Dana Mitchell (Pink Lightspeed Ranger)
Ron Rogge as Captain William Mitchell
Monica Louwerens as Ms. Fairweather
Diane Salinger as Queen Bansheera (voice)
Neil Kaplan as Diabolico (voice)
David Lodge as Loki (voice)
Kim Strauss as Jinxer (voice)
Jennifer L. Yen as Vypra
Brianne Siddall as Impus (voice)
Dave Mallow as Trifire (voice)
Marcus Young as Steve Harrison
Peter Savard Moore as Driver
Annie O'Donnell as Woman
Wally Crowder as Officer

Errors[]

Everyone acts like you need some special skill/experience to drive a bus, but they mostly operate like standard motor vehicles. With the professional driver still conscious, he could have easily guided any passenger to drive the bus well enough for them to get to a safe location.

Notes[]

This is the second time a real life gun is seen in Power Rangers after "Wild West Rangers".
- As a result, this episode was skipped in the UK by Fox Kids, due to the appearance of a realistic firearm. The episode did air on GMTV, though.
The outcome of the scuffle between Dana and the gunman is different in the original version of the hostage situation seen in Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive Matsuri Tatsumi (Dana's counterpart) is pistol whipped after being told to be quiet as Professor Mondo Tatsumi (Captain Mitchell's counterpart) contacted her through her GoGo Brace and blood is seen from her lip was changed to having Dana fighting with the robber and knocking the gun out of the robber's hand before he dangled for his life from the bus on the bridge.
The title for this episode is a reference to the morphing call of the Galaxy Rangers, "Go Galactic".
The Rescue Rover is seen sporting a new emergency lightbar and siren from its previous appearance since the start of the season.