Return of an Old Friend

This article is about a two-part episode in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Return of an Old Friend
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Season 1), Episode 1x49, 1x50
Air Date(s)	February 28, 1994 (Part 1) March 1, 1994 (Part 2)
Production Information
Written by	Shell Danielson
Directed by	Worth Keeter
Episode Guide
Previous	Plague of the Mantis
Next	Grumble Bee (episode)

The two-part story "Return of an Old Friend" re-introduced Jason David Frank in the role of Tommy Oliver.

With "Doomsday" a huge success, Toei was commissioned to create a second season of their ZyuRanger series, which Haim Saban—creator of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers—used for the rest of the first season and the first quarter of Season 2. To that end, and up until Season 2's "Green No More", Tommy returned as the Green Ranger.

Synopsis

Rita Repulsa concocts a vile scheme to blackmail the Power Rangers into giving her the Power Coins by kidnapping their parents and sending them to another dimension. Though the Rangers give up the Coins, Rita shows no intention of giving their parents back and all hope seems lost... until their old ally Tommy Oliver arrives to help by re-assuming the mantle of the Green Ranger.

Plot

Part One

It's Parents' Day at Angel Grove, and three of the Power Rangers—Jason, Zack, and Trini —are enjoying themselves with the rest of the student body of Angel Grove High at the Youth Center. Kimberly, however, is outside wondering if her parents will show up at all, considering their divorce. Trini goes out to find her and assures her that her parents are there looking for her.

Meanwhile, Rita Repulsa is planning her hugest scheme yet, when she orders Finster to create the Dramole monster, who can hypnotize its victims with toxic gas emitted from its nostrils. The plan is to kidnap the Rangers' parents with the ransom being the Rangers surrender. She sends a squad of Putties to attack Trini and Kimberly while they are still outside, and Jason and Zack join them in fighting off the Putties. Rita uses the distraction to trap all in the Angel Grove Youth Center in another dimension, just as Billy—the only Ranger not present at the party, enters and finds the Youth Center deserted. At that point, he is overcome by the Dramole's hypnotic gas, and while under Rita's control, he infiltrates the Command Center, shuts down Alpha 5, and steals the Dragon Dagger—the only thing capable of summoning and controlling the Dragonzord.

The Rangers are alerted to Billy's theft by Zordon and morph and teleport to the Dark Dimension, where Billy is just about to hand the Dragon Dagger to Goldar. Goldar keeps the four morphed Rangers busy with a contingent of Putty Patrollers, long enough to take possession of the Dagger and teleport back to Earth. Billy is set free from the Dramole's mind-control gas, and Goldar tells the Rangers that they must surrender their Power Coins to him if they want their parents back before departing with the Dragon Dagger. Billy morphs and teleports with his teammates back to Angel Grove, but not in time to keep Goldar from summoning Dragonzord and sending it in to attack Angel Grove. The Rangers summon the Megazord to hold Dragonzord at bay, but the former is slammed and severely damaged by the latter. The Rangers leap out of the Megazord in time to confront Goldar, who again demands that they give up their Power Coins in order to get their parents back. The Rangers ask Zordon what they should do, but Zordon tells them he cannot make this decision for them since it concerns their parents. With no choice but to save their parents' lives, the Rangers, one by one, hand over their Power Coins, placing them inside an ornate treasure box held by Goldar, and are powered down into their human forms. Goldar then reveals that he had no intention of releasing their parents, and with the Power Coins now in his possession, he believes, nothing can stop Rita now. In Rita's palace, Rita celebrates her victory over the Rangers.

Zordon and Alpha bring the powerless Rangers back to the Command Center, and Zordon commends them for doing the right thing. They wonder what they will do next without their parents or their Power Coins, and it is at that moment that Jason reveals that he did not hand over all the Power Coins. He still has the Dragon Power Coin, which Tommy gave to him when he was in danger of losing his powers to Rita. And meanwhile, back at the deserted Youth Center, Tommy has just entered the main hall, confused when he finds it empty.

Part Two

The Rangers, with Zordon's help, make a plan to retrieve their parents from Rita's Dark Dimension, but first, they will need their Power Coins back. With only one Coin left—Tommy's Coin—the Rangers have no choice but to ask their old friend for help. Alpha 5 teleports Tommy back to the Command Center, but Tommy wonders how he will be able to help with his powers depleted. Zordon has an idea, but it will be very risky. He intends to infuse Tommy with his own energy, morphing him into the Green Ranger for a time. The Rangers are worried that it's too much of a risk for both Zordon and Tommy, as Zordon could possibly cease to exist, and if the powers run dry too soon, Tommy will be left vulnerable. Tommy, however, is willing to take that chance

While Goldar reawakens Dragonzord to finish destroying Angel Grove, Zordon implements his plan, nearly draining himself of his own life force, but temporarily restoring Tommy's Green Ranger powers in the process. The Green Ranger teleports to Goldar's location and confronts him, but the beast-warrior merely sends Putties to deal with Tommy and weaken his powers until they are depleted again. When Tommy starts getting weaker, Jason has Alpha boost the power, putting Tommy back in the fight.

After a harrowing battle, Tommy manages to retrieve the Dragon Dagger and regain control of the Dragonzord, but Rita sends Scorpina to help Goldar destroy the Zord. As giants, the two warriors battle Dragonzord until they realize that they have left the Rangers' Power Coins unguarded. Back at the Command Center, Zordon has drained away all of his life force trying to maintain Tommy's powers, but manages to tell Alpha to bring Tommy back. Meanwhile, just as Tommy is within an inch of powering down permanently, he ekes out a victory by retrieving the Power Coins, with the energy surrounding the box enveloping Tommy before he is teleported back to the Command Center just as a Putty is about to strike him down. When Tommy reaches the Command Center, the physical and mental strain of maintaining his powers has taken its toll on him, and he passes out before powering down into his human form.

After the Rangers make certain that Tommy is okay, they work on a plan to try to restore Zordon, and Billy and Alpha decide to do the same that Zordon did for Tommy by infusing him with energy from their Power Coins. They attempt this, and to their good fortune, the energy infusion does work, just as Rita sends Dramole to attack the rock quarry outside the city. Zordon informs the team that by destroying Dramole, the Rangers' parents will be returned to Earth from the Dark Dimension, so they morph and teleport to the rock quarry to confront the Dramole monster. However, Dramole uses his hypnotic gas to mind-control four Rangers into attacking Kimberly.

Back at the Command Center, Alpha and Zordon discover that Tommy's body has been electrically charged by the force field surrounding the Power Coins. That energy has restored his powers temporarily, and when Alpha hands Tommy his Power Coin, he morphs into the Green Ranger and sends out laser blasts that incapacitate Dramole, setting the four Rangers he had put under his control free. Enraged, Rita throws her wand down to Earth, making Dramole grow. Tommy uses his Dragon Dagger to summon Dragonzord while the other Rangers summon the Megazord. A harrowing battle ensues before the Rangers call forth Titanus and form the Ultrazord, which disposes of Dramole with its finishing blast.

After the battle, Zordon is pleased to inform the Rangers that with Dramole destroyed, the citizens of Angel Grove have been returned to their own dimension, with no memory of what transpired. Jason and the other Rangers celebrate Tommy's return, but Alpha and Zordon warn that Tommy's powers are still temporary, and they could fail him at any time, but Tommy chooses to continue his work as a Power Ranger—even if it means someday he may never be one again.

The Rangers hurry back to the Youth Center and express their love for all their parents, and Kimberly (whose parents are divorced) decides to introduce her mother and father to Tommy, just as Bulk and Skull start a food fight in the Youth Center. Soon all the adults join in, forcing the Rangers to retreat to the entryway, laughing over the fact that there is still a little kid in all their parents.

Cast

• Austin St. John as Jason Lee Scott (Mighty Morphin Red Ranger)
• Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan (Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger)
• Walter Jones as Zack Taylor (Mighty Morphin Black Ranger)
• Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Ann Hart (Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger)
• David Yost as Billy Cranston (Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger)
• Jason Frank as Tommy Oliver (Mighty Morphin Green Ranger) 
• Paul Schrier as Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier
• Jason Narvy as Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch
• Richard Genelle as Ernie
• Royce Herron as Ms. Appleby
• Henry Cannon as Mr. Caplan
• 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)
• Machiko Soga as Rita Repulsa
• Barbara Goodson as Rita Repulsa (voice)
• Takashi Sakamoto as Goldar (Zyuranger Footage)
• Kazutoshi Yokoyama as Goldar (Zyuranger Footage)
• Danny Wayne Stallcup as Goldar (American Footage)
• Kerrigan Mahan as Goldar (voice) (as Ryan O'Flannigan)
• Takako Iiboshi as Finster
• Robert Axelrod as Finster (voice)
• Minoru Watanabe as Squatt
• Michael J. Sorich as Squatt (voice)
• Hideaki Kusaka as Baboo
• Dave Mallow as Baboo (voice) (as Colin Phillips)
• Ami Kawai as Scorpina
• Wendee Swan as Scorpina (voice)
• Kirk Thornton as Dramole (voice)
• ??? as Mr. Scott (Jason's Father)
• ??? as Mrs. Scott (Jason's Mother)
• ??? as Mr. Taylor (Zack's Father)
• ??? as Mrs. Taylor (Zack's Mother)
• ??? as Mr. Cranston (Billy's Father)
• ??? as Mrs. Cranston (Billy's Mother)
• Mike Shibata as Mr. Kwan (Trini's Father)
• ??? as Mrs. Kwan (Trini's Mother)
• ??? as Mr. Hart (Kimberly's Father)
• Carol Potter as Mrs. Hart (Kimberly's Mother)
• Douglas Sloan as Mrs. Hart's Boyfriend
• ??? as Mr. Bulkmeier (Bulk's Father)
• ??? as Mrs. Bulkmeier (Bulk's Mother)
• ??? as Mr. Skullovitch (Skull's Father)
• ??? as Mrs. Skullovitch (Skull's Mother)

Notes

• This episode officially returns Tommy to active duty as the Green Ranger. However, it's established that Tommy's connection to the Morphin Grid, previously severed by Rita's Green Candle, is unstable and ultimately temporary, weakening his previously-high ability compared to the other Rangers.
  • Previously, Tommy had to be constantly written away from the action of the other five rangers, to accomodate the Zyuranger footage where his counterpart Burai had to stay confined to a room that would prolong his temporary lifeforce. This would often exclude the Green Ranger from taking part in battles outside of summoning Dragonzord, if not excluding Tommy from battles altogether. As the commissioned Zyu2 footage made use of increased Saban elements however, Tommy is more active as the Green Ranger after returning, but falls to weak spells as a result of his powers failing, especially when Season 2 gets underway.
• The fight between the Dragonzord and Goldar and Scorpina uses previously unused footage from Zyuranger. This footage originally came from the "Green with Evil" saga in Zyuranger. It couldn't be used at that point as it wouldn't make sense for Tommy to fight Goldar and Scorpina while he was still under Rita's control.
• The fight between Megazord and Dragonzord in Part I is reused from "The Green Candle Part II" with their positions reversed, as in that episode it was Dragonzord battling on behalf of the Rangers against an evil (albeit fake) Megazord.
• Part I features a milestone for the show as it depicts for the first time an original morphed fight, something which hadn't been considered when the show first started airing (with the only morphed footage being used for transition purposes).
• First and only time Tommy fights Goldar and the original Putties morphed as the Green Ranger.
• First appearance of the Dragonzord, Dragon Dagger, Mega Dragonzord and the Ultrazord configuration since "Doomsday".
• Part I is the last episode to have the Season 1 intro without Tommy Oliver.
• Part II marks the only time that Dragonzord fights Scorpina.
• Although Tommy was last seen in "Doomsday", this was his first appearance as the Green Ranger since "The Green Candle".
• First time the Rangers parents are shown.
• Tommy regains his Green Ranger powers again in this episode, but he will eventually lose them again in "Green No More". Despite this, he would return as the White Ranger.
• These episodes feature new summoning footage for the Tyrannosaurus, Pterodactyl and Dragonzord as well as a new Megazord formation sequence which bypasses Tank Mode.
• The episodes debut Tommy Oliver's first theme song, Go Green Ranger Go. A teaser of the chorus appears at the very end of Part I, while the entire song plays in Part II while the Dragonzord is fighting Scorpina and Goldar.
• Part 2 is the second time the Rangers combined their power with their Power Coins since "Peace, Love and Woe".
• Part II of this episode was Scorpina's last appearance until "The Mutiny Part I". That episode and "Goldar's Vice Versa" were her only appearances in season 2.
• Even though Dramole ends up being destroyed by the Ultrazord, the shot on him shows that he was to be destroyed by the Megazord, using an upward slash.
• The Rangers saying "We call on the power of all those combined" in Part II while attempting to revive Zordon could be considered an homage to the hit TV series Captain Planet (when the Planeteers summon Captain Planet by shouting "Let our powers combine!")

Errors

• In Part I, the Dragon Dagger transforms into the box which Goldar uses to collect the power coins but in Part II the Dragon Dagger and the box are shown to be separate items.
• During the Zord battle in the second episode, the Rangers call for the Mega Dragonzord, but instead, the Dragonzord Battle Mode is formed (it appears that this was a footage error, as after the Dragonzord Battle Mode is formed the Mega Dragonzord is seen completing the Ultrazord sequence).
• During the fight with Goldar after getting his powers back, Tommy has a Blade Blaster and white holster but they are on the wrong hip.
  • This would make sense on this occasion, as with the Dragon Dagger in Goldar’s possession, Green Ranger would be without any sidearm or Power Weapon for the fight. He doesn’t use it however.
• During Tommy's fight, after he receives a boost in power and knocks out several putties, his Blade Blaster falls out of its holster. In the next shot it is back in place.
• During the Megazord formation sequence in Part I, the Mastodon (Megazord's arms), are shown to combine with the Tyrannosaurus twice.
• During the scene where Goldar plays the Dragon Dagger to command the Dragonzord to destroy the city in Part II, the Megazord can be momentarily seen.
• Right before Goldar places the Dragon Dagger by the box of power coins, it can be seen that the box holds six power coins, even though only five rangers placed their power coins into the box.
• The US Dragon Dagger prop is shown to shown to have many inconsistencies compared to its Zyuranger counterpart:
  • As mentioned before the prop itself faces the wrong way, with the blade facing to the viewers' right when played rather than to the left.
  • The coin design in the centre is pointing the wrong way, turned 90 degrees to the right (instead of pointing up towards the blade).
  • The entire back of the blade is unpainted.
  • The buttons on the handle are in the wrong place, being in the middle of the handle instead of the top (where the buttons on a flute would traditionally be found).
• Both Goldar and Green Ranger play the Dragon Dagger incorrectly in original footage, playing it by moving their fingers across the 'holes' in the blade, as opposed to the buttons on the handle.
• During the fight between Dragonzord and Goldar and Scorpina, the was a shot of Dragonzord Battle Mode.
• When the brainwashed rangers (minus Pink Ranger) go after her, she manages to avoid them in one shot, but imminently in the next shot she is being held captivated by them without them even grabbing her.
• When Kimberly says EW! GROSS! the Netflix captions read her name as her power, Pterodactyl.
• Just after the parents are kidnapped, Billy enters the Youth Center through the same entrance Jason and Zack just left through, but he apparently missed them, Trini and Kim fighting the Putties right outside the building.
• Goldar and Scorpina retreat from the fight with Dragonzord as the Power Coins were unguarded, yet Tommy was still fighting off Putties to reach the Coins. Goldar never returned to defend the Coins however.

Songs

• Fight
• Go Green Ranger Go

See Also

• Ep. 21: The Shugozyu's Great Riot - Super Sentai counterpart in Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. See comparison page. (Dragonzord vs. Goldar and Scorpina battle)
• Ep. 22: Combine! Gouryuujin - Super Sentai counterpart in Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. See comparison page. (Dragonzord vs. Goldar and Scorpina battle)
• Ep. 41: Blaze, Burai!! - Super Sentai counterpart in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. See comparison page.(Dragonzord Vs. Megazord battle)