 This article is about an episode in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
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The Beetle Invasion is the 69th episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It is the third episode of the Green No More arc.
Synopsis
The Rangers step up to the challenge of a Broomball Tournament but Zedd has a challenge of his own and creates the Stag Beetle to drain the Green Ranger of his powers.
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 Mega Thunderzord 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 sadly agrees with them, but he has his doubts.
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
Notes
- The episode's title is a pun/reference to The Beatles and their association with the British Invasion. Ironically, Walter Jones and former Beatles Drummer Ringo Starr both cameoed as themselves in the Mockumentary film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
- Richie, Trini's love interest, is introduced and would appear several times until the episode "Opposites Attract".
- Trini doesn't participate in the broomball match and she's also seen wearing a leg brace. This is due to Thuy Trang's leg injury.
- The first mention of Angel Grove's neighboring city, Stone Canyon, which would later reappear as the home of Rocky, Adam, and Aisha.
- Though Tommy was targeted in both the previous episodes, in "The Beetle Invasion", Lord Zedd formally begins his campaign to wipe out the Green Ranger, which culminates in "Green No More".
- Ernie's team is called the Sweepers.
- This is the last episode in which Austin St. John and Walter Jones provide the voices of Jason and Zack while morphed, excluding recycled footage and lines.
- In the original Zyu2 footage, the Green Ranger does not appear and there is no reference to a power-stealing plot (the Stag Beetle using a green power blast appears to simply be a random choice of color by Toei). Also, the Stag Beetle and Putties are hit by an unexplained lightning strike which is removed from this episode but used in the current version of the opening credits.
- The sniffing gadget that Bulk and Skull use is actually the removed nose of Pudgy Pig from the episodes Food Fight and A Pig Surprise since the suit was now in tatters for so much overuse over the last season.
Errors
- The Stag Beetle is continuously referred to as having completely drained Tommy's powers, however, this cannot have been the case as he remained morphed.
- In shots of the Stag Bettle and Z-Putties chasing the Rangers on the hill, it is a bright blue sky, but in shots with the Rangers on the edge of the cliff, it is bright and sunny.
- The morphing sequence with Kimberly and Tommy appears out of order, with Kimberly being first and Tommy being second as if he were the leader. The same thing would happen again ten episodes later.
- Billy calls Zedd's Growth bomb a potion.
- It's the straight blade of the Dino Megazord's Power Sword that cuts off the Stag Beetle's pincers.
- During Tommy and Kim’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.
- As the Thunder Megazord is hit by the 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 Dino Megazord getting kicked. This same error was seen in Part 2 of Ninja Quest.