Taming of the Zords

Power Rangers: Wild Force, Episode 31

Original Airdate: 9-28-2002

Last Time: The Rangers went to the carnival....of death! Okay, technically the only person that died was Jindrax's brother, but still....

The episode begins with yet another rendition of Shayla's song about how much she looooooves nature. Kite, who apparently is just living on the Animarium, watches through the magic pool. Max happens by and asks if Kite remembers his past yet, as we flashback to last episode when Kite remembered being friends with Merrick.

Time for the Org of the week! This week, it's the Lion Tamer Org. Er....I thought the Orgs were possessing man's technology as some sort of consequence for man polluting the world. Jindrax is as skeptical as I am, as he's reasonably sure that the Lion Tamer Org isn't quite up to the task of avenging Jindrax's dead brother. Lion Tamer fails to tame a stray cat....and, yeah, that seems like a problem. But, hell, he's the best monster available so Toxica and Jindrax send him to fight the Ranges.

Back at the Animarium, the Rangers are edgy because they keep getting woken up early every morning by Shayla's song. Shayla shows up and demands that the Rangers appreciate the song, as the Wild Zords do. This mention of the Wild Zords further stirs Kite's memory. The monster attacks and the Rangers move out.

Lion Tamer Org shows his chops by making Alyssa jump through a flaming hoop by mind control. He then forces the Rangers to sit. Lion Tamer Org asks to join Team Carnival. Er...I thought Jindrax disbanded the team after the unfortunate business last episode.Anyway, Jindrax and Toxica decide to move the plot forward by just making the Lion Tamer Org giant-sized now, as opposed to waiting for the Rangers to kill him at normal size first. Seems reasonable enough to me. Toxica then prompts the Rangers to call their zords, which the Rangers find suspicious....but not suspicious enough to not do it. They're kind of dumb that way.

Anyway, it turns out that the Lion Tamer Org is able to tame the Lion Zord. God, I'd hope so...I mean, that's the monster's only schtick. He then forces the zords to form the Wild Force Megazord, which he then sets loose on the Rangers.

Back in the Animarium, Kite asks why this is happening. Shayla explains that it's because the Lion Tamer put then under mind control of some sort. Merrick shows up in the Predazord to fight the megazord, and wins. Lion Tamer Org tries to take control of the Predazord, and Merrick responds by punching him in the gut. The Wild Force Megazord gets back up, and Shayla recommends using the Kongazord. You know, bringing as many zords as possible into a battler with a monster that can control zords may not be the wisest course of action. Toxica and Jindrax perform some ringside commentary which ends with the Gorilla Zord throwing a giant banana at them.

The fight continues rather inconclusively and Lion Tamer Org gets the Lion to call in the Elephant and Giraffe Zords. That proves too much for the Kongazord, and Shayla recommends calling in the Deer Zord...since they've called in everything else, anyway. Kite disappears mysteriously for reasons that will become obvious shortly. Eventually, the Rangers run out of megazords and things look grim as Lion Tamer Org takes control of the Kongazord. The evil megazords then eject Merrick from the Predazord as well. Meanwhile, Jindrax and Toxica have been commentating this entire time, which got less and less funny as it went on, and it wasn't that amusing to begin with.

Kite finally makes it to the battle and demands that the zords stop fighting each other and summons a magical wind. Merrick finally realizes what's going on as the zords are returned to the Rangers control. Kite then collapses from the strain. The megazords then kill Lion Tamer Org dead. Cole realizes that he hasn't summoned the Falcon Zord yet, so remedies that by summoning the Isis Megazord.

The Rangers find Merrick still holding an unconscious Kite, and Merrick explains that he felt Kite's wind before, 3000 years ago. That should probably clue the Rangers in as to what's happening....but well, it won't.

Next Time: The Rangers finally, finally, finally, discover Kite's true identity.