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Icon-mightymorphinThis article is about an episode in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

When is a Ranger Not a Ranger? is the thirty-first episode of the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Synopsis[]

After a lecture on light refraction, Lord Zedd turns Adam's kaleidoscope into the terrible Scatterbrain monster who uses his brain-scattering powers on Tommy, Billy, and Kimberly to remove any memory of them ever being Power Rangers. When they try to resolve this using prisms, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha also fall victim to Scatterbrain's attack. Will Bulk and Skull be able to assist our heroes and save the world?

Plot[]

Adam has just finished his school report on his kaleidoscope which puts Lord Zedd in a bit of a rhyming mood as he eyes the device. While Kimberly, Billy, and Tommy are playing with the kaleidoscope in the park, Z-Putties appear to distract them while Zedd turns the kaleidoscope into the monster Scatterbrain. The Rangers morph but are instantly caught in Scatterbrain's energy beam, demorphing them and wiping their memories clean.

In the Juice Bar, Bulk and Skull are dressed up in camouflage gear. Their new plan to learn the Power Rangers' true identities is to stake out a spot and hide until they catch one morphing. Nearby, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha are studying a Newton's Cradle which mesmerizes Bulk and Skull until they pass out and they take advantage of the opportunity to slip out when Zordon calls.

After being briefed by Zordon, the Rangers meet up in the park. Tommy, Kimberly, and Billy are completely unable to recognize their friends or surroundings and they have an even harder time believing their so-called friends when they talk to them about the Power Rangers and Lord Zedd. When Goldar arrives to "refresh their memories", the three brain-scattered Rangers cautiously go with Rocky, Adam, and Aisha to the Command Center.

Inside the Center, Tommy, Kimberly and Billy are in even greater disbelief when Zordon tells them that they are Power Rangers. Adam suggests that deflecting Scatterbrain's beam through prisms might be able to reverse the effect. A plan is set up to lure Scatterbrain outside of the city so as to keep innocent people out of harm's way while Adam goes to Billy's lab to fetch prisms.

Out in the desert, the other four Rangers teleport onto the scene, however they have unknowingly done so right in front of a hiding Bulk and Skull who realize to their shock that the 'dweebs' were Power Rangers all along. The two follow closely as Scatterbrain arrives and see Rocky and Aisha morph to defend their powerless friends. Adam and Billy arrive with the prisms, with Bulk and Skull witnessing them teleporting in. Unfortunately, Adam is brain-scattered before he can do anything. The remaining two Rangers are then brain-scattered while they make one final effort to grab the prisms which fly off and land near Bulk and Skull as they watch in fear.

With all six Power Rangers amnesiac and helpless, Scatterbrain celebrates his victory. However, Bulk and Skull suddenly step out to challenge him in a Wild West-styled showdown, complete with a randomly-drifting tumbleweed. Even though Scatterbrain threatens to destroy their minds too, Bulk and Skull stand their ground. Unknown to Scatterbrain, the duo have picked up the prisms and are hiding them behind their backs. After a tense standoff, Scatterbrain fires his beam and scatters what few brains Bulk and Skull have, but the beam also hits the prisms and bounces it back to the Rangers, restoring their memories and morphing them. With their memories restored, the Rangers thank Bulk and Skull for saving them. The two are mostly fine, but have also lost their memories of the Rangers' identities and the fact that they saved them.

Zedd is furious that a couple of meatheads and not the Power Rangers have ruined his plan so he makes his monster grow.

The Rangers then summon the Thunder Megazord which makes quick work of Scatterbrain.

Back at the Juice Bar, Bulk and Skull are boasting (with some added embellishment) about how they saved the Power Rangers, but no one will believe them. Kimberly and Aisha come by to admit that they believe their story and give the pair some words of encouragement, which cheers them up... or at least until they reject Bulk's offer to take them on a date.

Cast[]

Song[]

Errors[]

  • This episode's description of a kaleidoscope (breaking up light into a million pieces) is inaccurate and would more closely describe a prism (which are presented in the episode as a crucial plot device).
  • The Rangers claim Scatterbrain is lingering around in the park, yet face off against him in a desert area just outside of town.
  • Rocky, Adam, and Aisha bring Tommy, Kimberly, and Billy with them on their mission despite Zordon having earlier stated they must remain in the Command Center for their safety.
  • Adam was the only Ranger to have his memories wiped when unmorphed, but when Scatterbrain's memory wipe was undone by Bulk and Skull, Adam was morphed with the rest of the Power Rangers when they got their memories back.
  • Tommy joined the other Rangers in summoning the Thunderzords, but the White Tigerzord never arrives.

Notes[]

  • This episode aired the same day as VR TroopersIcon-crosswiki episode 32, Defending Dark HeartIcon-crosswiki, Part Two.
  • Bulk and Skull's reaction to temporarily discovering the Power Rangers' secret identities is identical to their reaction when the Space Power Rangers revealed their identities to Angel Grove in In Space's "Countdown to Destruction".
  • This episode references "Day of the Dumpster". When the memory-wiped Rangers first return to the Command Center, Billy notices Alpha and says, "Whoa! A fully sentient, multi-functional automaton!", repeating his words from their first encounter (this scene even includes a similar view of Billy from Alpha's optic processor). Later, Kimberly uses the same remark of "Can somebody come back to Earth and pick me up?" as she did in the first episode when the situation is explained to her.
  • In an earlier script draft, the showdown of Bulk and Skull protecting the Rangers from Scatterbrain was originally going to take place in Angel Grove Park instead of the desert, and the Rangers would have originally stayed unmorphed after regaining their memories.

See Also[]

External Links[]

References[]

Footnotes[]


Icon-mightymorphin List of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Episodes
Season 1

0: Day of the Dumpster (pilot) • 1: Day of the Dumpster • 2: High Five • 3: Teamwork • 4: A Pressing Engagement • 5: Different Drum • 6: Food Fight • 7: Big Sisters • 8: I, Eye Guy • 9: For Whom The Bell Trolls • 10: Happy Birthday, Zack • 11: No Clowning Around• 12: Power Ranger Punks • 13: Peace, Love and Woe • 14: Foul Play in the Sky • 15: Dark Warrior • 16: Switching Places • 17-21: Green With Evil • 22: Itsy Bitsy Spider • 23: The Trouble with Shellshock • 24: The Spit Flower • 25: Life's a Masquerade • 26: Gung Ho! • 27: Wheel of Misfortune • 28 & 29: Island of Illusion • 30: The Rockstar • 31: Calamity Kimberly • 32: A Star Is Born • 33: The Yolk's on You! • 34 & 35: The Green Candle • 36: Birds of a Feather • 37: Clean-Up Club • 38: A Bad Reflection on You • 39 & 40: Doomsday • 41: Rita's Seed of Evil • 42: A Pig Surprise • 43: Something Fishy • 44: Lions & Blizzards • 45: Crystal of Nightmares • 46: To Flea or Not to Flee • 47: Reign of the Jellyfish • 48: Plague of the Mantis • 49 & 50: Return of an Old Friend • 51: Grumble Bee • 52: Two Heads are Better than One • 53: Fowl Play • 54: Trick or Treat • 55: Second Chance • 56: On Fins and Needles • 57: Enter… The Lizzinator • 58: Football Season • 59: Mighty Morphin' Mutants • 60: An Oyster Stew

Season 2

1-3: The Mutiny • 4: The Wanna-Be Ranger • 5: Putty on the Brain • 6: Bloom of Doom • 7: The Green Dream • 8: The Power Stealer • 9: The Beetle Invasion • 10: Welcome to Venus Island • 11: The Song of Guitardo • 12 & 13: Green No More • 14: Missing Green • 15: Orchestral Maneuvers in the Park • 16: Beauty and the Beast • 17 & 18: White Light • 19: Two for One • 20: Opposites Attract • 21: Zedd's Monster Mash • 22-24: The Ninja Encounter • 25: A Monster of Global Proportions • 26: Zedd Waves • 27 & 28: The Power Transfer • 29: Goldar's Vice-Versa • 30: Mirror of Regret • 31: When is a Ranger Not a Ranger? • 32: Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun • 33: Lights, Camera, Action • 34: Where There's Smoke, There's Fire • 35: Scavenger Hunt • 36: The Great Bookala Escape • 37: Forever Friends • 38: A Reel Fish Story • 39 & 40: Rangers Back in Time • 41-43: The Wedding • 44-46: Return of the Green Ranger • 47: Best Man for the Job • 48 & 49: Storybook Rangers • 50 & 51: Wild West Rangers • 52: Blue Ranger Gone Bad

Season 3 & Alien Rangers

1-3: A Friend in Need • 4-7: Ninja Quest • 8: A Brush with Destiny • 9: Passing the Lantern • 10: Wizard for a Day • 11: Fourth Down and Long • 12 & 13: Stop the Hate Master • 14: Final Face-Off • 15: The Potion Notion • 16: I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger • 17 & 18: A Ranger Catastrophe • 19-21: Changing of the Zords • 22: Follow that Cab! • 23-25: A Different Shade of Pink • 26: Rita's Pita • 27: Another Brick in the Wall • 28: A Chimp in Charge • 29-31: Master Vile and the Metallic Armor • 32: The Sound of Dischordia • 33: Rangers in Reverse • 34 & 35: Alien Rangers of Aquitar • 36: Climb Every Fountain • 37: The Alien Trap • 38: Attack of the 60' Bulk • 39: Water You Thinking? • 40: Along Came a Spider • 41: Sowing the Seas of Evil • 42 & 43: Hogday Afternoon

Movies & Specials

Alpha's Magical ChristmasMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MoviePower Rangers (2017)Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always

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