The Best Episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2, Ranked

The Power Rangers franchise was originally only going to consist of a single season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. With the series becoming an overnight sensation, the first season was extended, and a second season was ordered. Rather than just mimic what made Season One successful, Season 2 changes things up, and becomes more ambitious in its storytelling.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2 is an improvement in every way over its predecessor. There are more ongoing plots, more interesting multi-part episodes, and, with the introduction of Lord Zedd, a far superior main villain. This season sees the end of Tommy as the Green Ranger and the beginning of his career as the White Ranger and features the first permanent Ranger departures in the series.

10 Wild West Rangers Should Have Been the Season Finale

“Wild West Rangers” is a two-parter set near the end of the season. These episodes follow Kimberly as she’s sent back in time to the Wild West, where she meets and befriends the ancestors of her friends. With a premise this memorably goofy and with as much heart that goes into the execution, these episodes should have closed out Season 2 rather than the following episode, “Blue Ranger Gone Bad.”

“Wild West Rangers Parts I and II” are the 50th and 51st episodes of
MMPR
Season 2.

The highlight of these episodes is the Rangers’ ancestors, Rocko, William, Abraham, and Miss Alicia Morphing into Earth’s first Power Rangers. The over-the-top ways they fight and act are hilarious, and the cowboy aesthetic added to the Mighty Morphin suits is incredibly charming. Other endearing bits are Bulk and Skull’s ancestors being outlaws, Tommy’s ancestor being a Lone Ranger parody, and everyone hanging out in Ernie’s Juice Saloon.

9 Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun is Hilarious

Rocky doesn’t get many focus episodes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2. Because of this, he also lacks much of a personality in his appearances, cementing his reputation as a poor substitute for the previous Red Ranger, Jason. However, not only is “Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun” an entertaining spotlight on him, but it lays the groundwork for how his character will be improved in the future.

“Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun” is the 32nd episode of
MMPR
Season 2.

This episode follows Rocky as he’s brainwashed by Lord Zedd, and becomes addicted to Pachinko. Rocky briefly stops being entirely bland, instead acting like an idiotic, unfocused goofball. While the spell on him is broken by the end of the episode, this type of behavior becomes the standard for his character starting in Power Rangers Zeo.

8 The Power Transfer Says Goodbye to Jason, Zack, and Trini

“The Power Transfer” is a major two-parter set halfway through Season 2. While Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Emanuel Jones had already left the show, these episodes are the final appearances in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers of their respective characters, Jason, Zack, and Trini. The lack of their actors keeps this from being a properly emotional farewell, but the episodes more than makeup for this in other ways.

“The Power Transfer Parts I and II” are the 27th and 28th episodes of
MMPR
Season 2.

These episodes see the Rangers travel to another planet to retrieve the Sword of Light so they can transfer Jason, Zack, and Trini’s powers to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. The change in setting is cool, but not nearly as much as Lord Zedd’s newly introduced Zord, Serpentera. Serpentera is one of the most awesome things in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, towering over the Rangers’ Zords, and destroying the newly introduced planet.

7 Beauty and the Beast Features One of Amy Jo Johnson’s Best Performances

For the most part, “Beauty and the Beast” is an average episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2. It centers around Kimberly, still reeling from her breakup with Tommy, as Lord Zedd attempts to brainwash her and make her his queen. As she often does, it’s Amy Jo Johnson, Kimberly’s actress, who elevates the material into something special.

“Beauty and the Beast” is the 16th episode of
MMPR
Season 2.

When Kimberly is captured, Goldar attempts to catch a spell on her to make her Lord Zedd’s ideal queen, which means making her like Rita Repulsa. The spell doesn’t work apart from putting her in Rita’s clothes, meaning Kim has to pretend like it did. The result is absolutely brilliant, as Kimberly perfectly mimics all of Rita’s mannerisms and speech patterns as she shouts at Goldar, Squatt, and Baboo, and even screams about having a headache. Johnson’s performance is a riot, and makes this the funniest moment in the season.

6 When is a Ranger Not a Ranger? is Bulk and Skull’s Best Episode

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2 sees Bulk and Skull begin to develop and change as characters. No longer mere bullies, they spend the season using their ingenuity to try and uncover the identities of the Power Rangers they look up to and admire. In “When is a Ranger Not a Ranger?,” fans get to see exactly what Bulk and Skull would do with this information.

“When is a Ranger Not a Ranger?” is the 31st episode of
MMPR
Season 2.

The Rangers all have their memories erased by a new monster, leading to plenty of amnesia-based humor. Without knowing that they’re Rangers, the six teens are left defenseless but, fortunately for them, this is when Bulk and Skull discover who they are. In a precursor to their future heroic moments, Bulk and Skull stand up to the monster and do what they need to do to save the Rangers. They, unfortunately, have their memories erased in the process of achieving this, but temporarily seeing Bulk and Skull know who the Rangers are is better than if they’d never learned at all.

5 The Wanna-Be-Ranger is a Perfect Standalone Episode

On the whole, Season 2’s standalone episodes are significantly stronger than Season 1’s. The writing is tighter, the characters are more well established, the Zyu footage is much more smoothly edited than the original Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger footage and, in the first half of the season, there’s the lingering tension of Tommy slowly losing his powers. “The Wanna-Be-Ranger” is the first single-part episode of the season, and it exemplifies what Season 2 has to offer.

“The Wanna-Be-Ranger” is the fourth episode of
MMPR
Season 2.

“The Wanna-Be-Ranger” pits the team against Primator, a shape-shifting gorilla monster who can turn into each of the Rangers. The episode gets plenty of drama and gags out of this premise, and the final battle is spectacular, with it being one of only two times the Dragonzord and Thunder Megazord fight together. Even Alpha’s strange subplot of befriending a human child works because of how well it ties into the main story.

4 The Wedding Brings Rita Repulsa Back into the Fight

Despite being a three-parter, the most interesting things about “The Wedding” are the reasons why it was made. The episodes are set in Australia because that’s where Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie was being filmed at the same time, and Rita Repulsa returns following an extended absence and marrying Lord Zedd because parents in 1994 complained that the new villain was too scary, and needed to be toned down somehow. Outside this trivia, these episodes are strangely constructed, but they offer a unique flavor.

“The Wedding Parts I, II, and III” are the 41st, 42nd, and 43rd episodes of
MMPR
Season 2.

The theater the Rangers get trapped in has a nice, spooky atmosphere, and it’s shocking to see them ambushed by so many past monsters at once. The main plot surrounding Rita and Zedd is strange, as Rita brainwashes her former boss into loving her, but not before getting a makeover so she can be played by a new actress. Many fans dislike how the marriage between Rita and Zedd makes the latter a more comedic character but, at least here, the jokes absolutely land, and are worth the change.

3 Missing Green is Deeper Than Most Other Episodes

“Missing Green” is the final episode with Jason in a leading role, and the show’s original star goes out on a high note. Taking place just after Tommy loses the Green Ranger powers and leaves the team, this episode focuses on Jason’s guilt for the part he played in this happening. Jason’s issues here are more mature than the Rangers usually face, and the episode being a direct sequel to the Season 1 episode, “The Green Candle,” shows the series starting to take its semi-serialized nature more seriously.

“Missing Green” is the 14th episode of
MMPR
Season 2.

When Rita takes inspiration from Jason’s anxieties and creates candles to drain the powers of Billy, Zack, Kimberly, and Trini, it falls to Jason to save them. Jason working through his issues by succeeding where he’d previously failed makes for an excellent story, and the multiple fights he endures alone are fantastic. Tommy’s letter to Jason at the end, assuring him that he doesn’t blame him at all and that he’s rooting for him, is a genuinely touching moment. As great as Tommy’s return is shortly after this, this moment specifically would be improved if he’d stayed gone.

2 White Light Changes Everything About the Series

The arc surrounding Tommy and the slow loss of his powers dominates the first half of Season 2, and after the two-part episode “Green No More,” it seems like he may finally be gone for good. Of course, the end of Tommy’s time as the Green Ranger is shortly followed by the beginning of Tommy’s transformation into the White Ranger. “White Light” ushers in this new era in an epic fashion.

“White Lights Parts I and II” are the 17th and 18th episodes of
MMPR
Season 2.

There’s a tension throughout “White Light” that most episodes lack. The surprising return of Rita makes the plot unpredictable, the surreal way in which Billy discovers that Zordon and Alpha are secretly constructing a White Ranger makes it seem like something nefarious may be going on, and even the monster of the week receives a dramatic build up. All of this makes it so much more satisfying when the White Ranger appears to aid the Rangers, descending into the Command Center like an angel from above, only to reveal that he’s Tommy. The status quo changes as Tommy finally has a permanent set of powers for the first time in dozens of episodes, and he’s made the new leader of the Rangers. The final act of the episode is all about showing off how cool the White Rangers, his weapons, and his Zords are, and it does this spectacularly, largely thanks to Tommy’s new personal fight music making everything seem cooler.

1 The Mutiny Introduces Power Rangers’ Most Popular Villain

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2 starts off on the highest note it could have. The three-part “The Mutiny” changes nearly every aspect of the show in some way, and paces the excitement that comes from each status quo shift perfectly. By the end of these episodes, there’s a new main villain, new footsoldiers, new Zords, a new Megazord, and an ongoing story arc. All of these things, and more, are now expected from new seasons of Power Rangers, but “The Mutiny” set the standard.

“The Mutiny Parts I, II, and III” are the first, second, and third episodes of
MMPR
Season 2.

Lord Zedd makes one of the best debuts of any Power Rangers villain, being genuinely terrifying and imposing, and showing how powerful he is by easily dispatching Rita. His first monster, Pirantishead, is similarly powerful and disables the Rangers’ Zords, leading them to get their new Thunder Zords and Thunder Megazord. Zedd’s distinct brand of Z-Putties are less impressive, but they do add a new wrinkle to Putty fights, as the objective now becomes to simply strike the “Z” insignia on their chests. Along with everything else, the fights in these episodes are wonderful, Tommy beginning to lose his Green Ranger powers adds to the drama, and fans even get to see the Rangers in their suits, but without their helmets, for the first time.