Identity Crisis

Power Rangers: Wild Force, Episode 14

Original Airdate: 5-4-2002

Last Time: Zen-Aku showed up, beat the Rangers, and collected a few more crystals while trying to remember his past and playing a flute. So, just like the episode before it, and the episode before that.

On the Animarium, everyone's depressed by the fact that the only thing keeping them alive is that Zen-Aku has a rather lackadaisical approach to vengeance. Shayla is confused as to why the Rangers are so bummed out. Well, I'm guessing that unsteady leadership may have a lot to do with it. The Rangers rally and decide to fight Zen-Aku in order to get their crystals back. That is a terrible, terrible plan.

Meanwhile, Zen-Aku is still trying to remember his past and finds a stray dog hanging out near his hut and decides to take him in. Master Org and Nayzor are still worried about the Zen-Aku situation, and Nayzor has a plan to deal with it....not a good plan, but a plan nonetheless.

So, time for another Zen-Aku-led beat down, right? Well, Toxica and Jindrax lay out an ambush with some Putrids, but Zen-Aku takes a stand against filler and announces that only he will be allowed to kill the Rangers. This leads to a three-way fight, which proves to be a bit much for Zen-Aku, who freaks out when Toxica accidentally hits his dog. This gives Cole an opportunity to heroically shoot Zen-Aku in the back. This leads Zen-Aku to take his dog and leave.

In a cave, Zen-Aku mopes about not having any friends and has some random flashbacks that confuse him further. Back on the Animarium, the Rangers are also confused, as Zen-Aku injured them much less severely than usual. Cole suddenly remembers this time he saw a dog bathing with a man about ten days earlier, and Cole is sure that it's the same dog.....not particularly helpful, but sure.

But, hey, less talk, more rock! Zen-Aku sends his dog away to keep itself, because it's once more time to put a hurting on the Rangers. He summons the Predazord and uses the Bear Zords so as to make his defeat of the Rangers all the more ironic. Zen-Aku is about to kill the Rangers for good, when a glowing megazord appears in the sky and tells Zen-Aku to remember. Shayla identifies the new megazord as "Animus."

In his lair, Master Org is rather troubled by Animus' reappearance, as well as the imminent return of Zen-Aku's memory.

The events of the last scene have led Zen-Aku to more introspective flute-playing before Nayzor shows up to offer to tell him all about his past if Zen-Aku meets him later in the forest. Back up on the Animarium, Shayla explains that Animus was some important dude who would only speak to the six warriors, and she has no idea why he'd be talking to Zen-Aku. The Rangers, having the ability to count, suddenly have a rather good idea about Zen-Aku's true identity. Oh, Shayla probably could have mentioned that there used to be six Rangers earlier, but that would have ruined the surprise. Also, she probably accidentally counted Taylor twice or something.

Time for awkward filler! Toxica and Jindrax show up at a soccer field to wait for a new Org. The Org in question: A Lawnmower Org! The Rangers show up to fight the villains. Danny accidentally tears up the field, pissing off the Lawnmower Org. It's a rather humdrum fight until Zen-Aku shows up to kick ass. The Lawnmower Org gets in the way, so Zen-Aku blows him to bits, much to everyone's consternation. Zen-Aku, profoundly confused by his actions, leaves the battle and meets with Nayzor.

It's a trap, of course, and Nayzor puts a bug into Zen-Aku's skull that puts him under Nayzor's control, and thus robbing him of his ability to defeat the Rangers effortlessly.

Meanwhile, the Rangers speculate about who Zen-Aku really is, and Shayla remembers that he bled human blood last episode, which she neglected to mention until now because......well, the important thing is that she's explaining it now. Taylor surmises that Zen-Aku is really a human being.

The brain-washed Zen-Aku then attacks the city, and renews his pledge to kill the Rangers. Elsewhere, Shalya has spent the last five minutes pondering what it all means. Zen-Aku once again makes quick work of the Rangers, and Animus shows up again to tell him to remember. Zen-Aku is distracted by the bug in his brain and runs away from the battlefield again.

But, wait! What's this? Shayla has actually managed to piece together the information that she knows with the information that she really should have known given the circumstances and has identified Zen-Aku's true identity: Merrick! Merrick? Who the hell is Merrick? That's right, people, Zen-Aku's true identity was never mentioned by anyone or any back story until this exact moment! Even though, as will be extensively shown later, Shayla had every reason to wonder where the fuck Merrick was! Show Over!

Next Time: So, who the fuck is Merrick, anyway?