This article is about an episode in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. |
The Beetle Invasion is the ninth episode of the second season and the sixty-ninth episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It is the third episode of the Green No More arc.
Synopsis[]
The Power Rangers step up to the challenge of a Broomball Tournament but Lord Zedd has a challenge of his own and creates the Stag Beetle to drain Tommy of his powers once and for all.
Plot[]
Zack, Billy, Tommy, and Jason are at the Youth Center watching Ernie play a game with a ball and a broom. Ernie explains he's playing broomball, it’s like hockey only with a broom and a ball. He says he's starting a tournament and asks the guys if they would like to play, although the four are very hesitant. Two teens from Stone Canyon walk in and ask Ernie if he's gotten a team to play against them. The Stone Canyon teens are very confident they’ll win. The guys are unable to resist the challenge and decide to play against them. The Stone Canyon teens are apparently champions so the guys realize they have to start practicing.
The Stone Canyon teens put up a poster of their team before leaving. This poster gives Lord Zedd the inspiration to create the Stag Beetle monster. He transforms the Beetle from the picture into his monster. Zedd is continuing his plan to destroy the Green Ranger. The Stag Beetle is sent to ambush Tommy and drain him of his powers once and for all.
Soon after, the guys, plus Kimberly start practicing for the match against Stone Canyon. Sitting on the sidelines, Trini films her friends. As the teens practice, the ball goes out of bounds. A teen picks up the ball and walks over. Trini is immediately smitten with the young man. Kimberly tells her that his name is Richie, a new student, and he's very nice. The young man gives the ball to Ernie, and Ernie introduces Richie to Kimberly and Trini. Trini immediately offers him a position on the team. Ernie tells them that he has enough players, but he could use an assistant coach, which Richie accepts. Bulk & Skull walk into the Youth Center with their latest plan, a new invention that will sniff people. Their plan is to pretend to interview people, while using their invention to sniff them as they hope to match up the scents to the Rangers' scents and reveal who they are.
Kimberly and Tommy go running in the park and they are soon attacked by Putties. Meanwhile, Trini, Billy, Jason, and Zack put up their poster of their team next to Stone Canyon's poster. Billy points out the creature on the Stone Canyon poster is gone which puzzles the four. In the park, Kimberly and Tommy are having problems with the Putties when the Stag Beetle appears, and the two morph. The two fight, but Tommy is soon caught by several Putties. Kimberly contacts Zordon to tell him they need help as the Stag Beetle begins to drain Tommy's powers. Zordon contacts the other Rangers and tells them they need to go to the park to help Kimberly and Tommy. The four morph and head to the park, where they immediately began fighting the Putties. Though the Putties and the Stag Beetle retreat, Tommy is very weak. The Rangers teleport to the Command Center and Alpha 5 does a check on Tommy and he's okay, except he doesn't have his Green Ranger powers anymore. Billy comes up with an idea of building a device that would revert the power from the Stag Beetle back to Tommy. The Stag Beetle appears in Angel Grove again.
All the Rangers, except Tommy, go into battle. The Rangers have a difficult time against the Stag Beetle. The Stag Beetle is using the Green Ranger's powers against them. Several Putties appear to help Stag Beetle defeat the Power Rangers. Zack has a difficult time as he hates bugs, but he still goes up against the monster on his own trying to defeat it, but he fails. The Rangers eventually retreat so they can find a better place to fight the Stag Beetle. In the Command Center, Tommy is watching the fight on the Viewing Globe. He is very frustrated that he can't help his friends. Alpha 5 works as quickly as he can to get the device ready. The Rangers hit the end of the road and turn around to face Stag Beetle. The Stag Beetle fires at the Rangers but Tommy arrives and uses the device, and gets his powers back. The Rangers attack Stag Beetle using their Power Blaster, but the monster survives and catches Zedd's Growth Bomb.
Stag Beetle grows and the Rangers call for their Zords and form the Thunder Megazord to destroy the monster.
Despite the Rangers' victory, Lord Zedd isn’t too upset because apparently the monster drained most of the Green Ranger's powers and is confident that it’s only a matter of time before the Green Ranger powers are gone for good.
Later, in the Youth Center, the Rangers excluding Trini play broomball against Stone Canyon. It's a close game and the Stone Canyon players believe that they will win. The game is tied when Tommy scores the winning point. Trini, Ernie, Richie, and Zack cheer. Kimberly, Jason, Tommy, and Billy walk over to them. Richie tells them they did a great job, and Trini tells Richie it's because they had great coaches. The Stone Canyon players dejectedly walk out of the Youth Center. The Stone Canyon coach makes two of the players shake hands with Jason. Jason tells the two Stone Canyon players a good game and maybe Stone Canyon will beat them next year. The Stone Canyon players aren't too sure and reply maybe before walking out. Ernie offers free drinks for everyone and he and Richie walk away to start serving drinks. Zack tells Tommy he played great. Tommy thanks him and then tells the group that he won't be much use to the Rangers soon as his powers are getting weaker. Jason reassures Tommy they will get him to full strength again and the rest of the team backs Jason up. Tommy tries to feel better, but still feels his days as a Power Ranger are nearly over.
Cast[]
- Austin St. John as Jason Lee Scott (Mighty Morphin Red Ranger)
- Jason David Frank as Tommy Oliver (Mighty Morphin Green Ranger)
- Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan (Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger)
- Walter Jones as Zack Taylor (Mighty Morphin Black Ranger)
- David Yost as Billy Cranston (Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger)
- Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Ann Hart (Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger)
- Paul Schrier as Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier
- Jason Narvy as Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch
- Richard Genelle as Ernie
- Maurice Mendoza as Richie
- David Fielding as Zordon (face)
- Robert L. Manahan as Zordon (voice)
- Romy J. Sharf as Alpha 5
- Richard Steven Horvitz as Alpha 5 (voice) (as Richard Wood)
- Ed Neil as Lord Zedd
- Robert Axelrod as Lord Zedd (voice)
- Danny Wayne Stallcup as Goldar
- Kerrigan Mahan as Goldar (voice) (as Ryan O'Flannigan)
- Michael J. Sorich as Squatt (voice)
- Dave Mallow as Baboo (voice) (as Colin Phillips)
- Wendee Lee as Stag Beetle (voice)
- Elisabeth Fies as Stag Beetle (US stunts)
- Jimi Reed as Chris
- Dawn Zeek as Todd
Songs[]
Errors[]
- When Tommy asks the Stag Beetle, "What have you done to me?" the crew's reflection is visible off his visor, and there also appears to be what looks like a crash mat's reflection as well.
- The Stag Beetle is continuously referred to as having completely drained Tommy's powers, however, this cannot have been the case as he remains morphed.
- When the Stag Beetle fires a lightning bolt at the cornered Rangers it is dark green but turns to light blue when the Rangers duck and then splits to be blue, green, and yellow when the Green Energy Transducer absorbs it.
- During Tommy and Kimberly’s fight against the Z-Putties, they deliver several punches and kicks to the Putties chests ‘Z’ areas, but only one is destroyed.
- Just before the Power Blaster formation, the Power Axe was missing its trigger and grip.
- When the Stag Beetle catches the Growth Bomb, if the viewers look closely, she appears to have punctured a hole in it.
- As the Thunder Megazord is hit by the Stag Beetle’s first attack, the arm of the as yet unintroduced White Tigerzord can be glimpsed during the explosion.
- When the Stag Beetle kicks the Thunder Megazord, it is shown as the original Megazord getting kicked.
- The straight blade of the original Megazord's Power Sword cuts off the Stag Beetle's pincers.
Notes[]
- This episode aired the same day as VR Troopers episode 8, Computer Captive.
- The episode's title is a reference to the Beatles and their association with the British Invasion.
- A significant amount of footage was cut from this episode:
- The Stag Beetle with the original Putty Patrollers.
- The Stag Beetle slapping its backside after blasting the Rangers for the first time.
- In the original Zyu2 footage, the Stag Beetle originally fired lightning at the Rangers, which they ducked under and came back to hit the Stag Beetle.
- A shot of the Stag Beetle hopping around as fire burns at his feet and he waggles around in a daze was also cut.
- Trini does not participate in the broomball match or training for said match due to Thuy Trang receiving a leg injury during filming of a previous episode.
- This is the first mention of Angel Grove's neighboring city, Stone Canyon, which would later reappear as the home of Rocky, Adam, and Aisha.
- The Green Ranger appears exclusively in original footage, having not been a part of the plot in the original Zyu2 footage.
- A shot from the Zyu2 equivalent of the Stag Beetle and the (original) Putties being struck by lightning appears in the current version of the opening credits despite being removed from this episode.
- The sniffing gadget that Bulk and Skull use is the removed snout of the Pudgy Pig.
External Links[]
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Footnotes[]