Red With Envy

Power Rangers in Space, Episode 21

Original Airdate: 10-10-1998

Last Time: The Silver Ranger showed up and we learned just how evil the city of Miami truly was.

On yet another suspiciously Earth-like planet, Darkonda has a meeting with Ecliptor. Darkonda has a business proposal for him. Ecliptor responds by trying to stab Darkonda to death with his sword. Ecliptor needs to read Getting to Yes. The fight eventually peters out, and Darkonda announces his intentions to conquer the Earth, then leaves. Oh no, a monster is trying to conquer the Earth!

At his base, Darkonda gives a speech about how having many enemies trying to kill him somehow means that victory is at hand. He then decides to send some monsters called Crocatocs to spread toxins on Earth. The monsters decide to get there by swimming through space down to the planet. I do not have hopes for these creatures. A Crocatoc begins to poison the Earth by releasing an ominous black substance in a body of water. So, what you're telling me is that Darkonda is actually a less-effective version of British Petroleum? Credits!

On the Megaship, Andros has finally picked up on the not-particularly-subtle signals that Ashley has been sending him, and heads off to find her. He practices asking her out on a date on the way. Meanwhile, the captured Zordon deeply regrets not using more stringent standards in selecting Rangers. He comes upon a scene of Zhane teaching Ashley some telekinesis, which involves massaging her shoulders. Andros immediately regrets not leaving Zhane to die and leaves without saying a word. Suddenly, there's a disturbance at the beach and the Rangers all have to head out.

At the beach, swimmers are staggering out of the water with painful-looking lesions as a Crocatoc taunts them. The Rangers show up and fight him, and Zhane steals the show...right until his powers suddenly cut out. The rest of team kills the monster with their blasters. For reasons that strain all logic, this somehow cures all of the beachgoers. I don't, I guess the poison was only toxic while the Crocatoc was alive. It's just like how the best treatment for a snakebite is to kill the snake, and that's an important lesson for the children. Zhane pops out and is evasive about why he disappeared and demorphed. Ashley flirts with Zhane some more, and Andros wonders if he can put Zhane back in the freezer. Darkonda shows up as a giant projection in the sky and taunts the Rangers with his army of Crocatocs.

Back on the Megaship, the prospect of the Earth being overrun with deadly, deadly monsters does not distract Andros from the real issue of winning Ashley's heart. He tries to ask her out, but Zhane interrupts by bringing up all of the monsters Darkonda is launching at Earth. Stupid Zhane, doesn't he understand that Andros asking Ashley out is way more important than saving the Earth? Anyway, Zhane's intereference saps Andros' confidence and he leaves. On the bridge, they discover that Darkonda has indeed managed to land several Crocatocs on Earth.

Zhane goes down to some sort of lab to inform Andros of the news. Andros acts passive-aggressively towards him and accuses him of stealing Ashley. Zhane claims that he wouldn't do that to Andros. Andros doesn't believe him. It's worth noting that the actor playing Zhane has a weird voice that is hard to describe...it's kind of like they put a forty-old math teacher's voice in a Brad Pitt lookalike. They head to bridge to find that the others have located Darkonda's base. Andros orders Zhane to stay behind out of spite. The Rangers managed to get captured in less than a minute, a new record!

On the Megaship, Zhane flashes back to when he and Andros swore to be B.F.F.s, and despairs of the transitory nature of friendship. The he flashbacks to getting blown to bits saving Andros. This memory inspires him to save Andros once more. He heads to Earth and is immediately set upon by Ecliptor, who figures he might as well fight some Ranger this episode. Zhane, realizing that something is wrong with his powers, decides to fight him unmorphed.

In Darkonda's base, Darkonda is taunting the trapped Rangers. He explains that his plan involves breeding a bunch of Crocatocs which will lead to him conquering the universe. I think his plan is missing a few steps. He orders the Rangers destroyed, regardless. Elsewhere, Ecliptor is winning his fight with Zhane, who is somehow able to sense his friends' distress. Zhane decides to morph, but fares no better until he calls upon his Silver Cycle, which runs into Ecliptor and defeats him. Zhane heads to the base and is able to defeat the Crocatocs with his motorcycle. He also blows up Darkonda's lab. The other Rangers are able to escape their bonds by virtue of Andros' Battilizer. The Rangers finish off the last Crocatoc with a carefully chereographed power punch that involves a variety of physics defying gymnastics. That somehow makes the Crocatoc giant-sized, so the Rangers call for the Astro-Delta Megazord. The Rangers takes that giant Crocatoc out as Zhane eliminates the last regular-sized monster just as his powers run out again.

On the Dark Fortress, Astronema finds out that the Silver Ranger and Darkonda are both alive, and Elgar makes an inopportune comment about these revelations. He is sent to play with Scrudley. Astronema considers re-hiring Darkonda.

Back on the Megaship, Andros and Zhane make up, and Zhane encourages Andros to hit on Ashley and get it over with. Ashley shows up and basically asks him out. Meanwhile, Zhane goes to Alpha to ask about his impotence problem. Show Over!

Next Time: Zhane discovers the health secret that the experts don't want us to know about: lightning!