Episode 4 - A Pressing Engagement

Before we get into the so-called 'plot' of this episode, we need to get one thing straight. This episode has exactly one redeeming quality, and that is that Jason has really nice arms.

The actual plot (and we use that term loosely) is this - Jason is trying to break the pench pressing record of Angel Grove. The record is currently held by Bulk, and Jason needs to do 1,010 bench presses (with what looks like a significant amount of weight) to beat it. There are many things wrong with this - first, would Jason and Bulk even be in the same weight class? Second, 1,010 reps? What were the writers thinking? Third, we refuse to believe that Bulk would be able to hold the record. We could keep going, but we might might just start chanting FISH really loudly, and we don't need that.

Anyway, Jason does not manage to achieve his goal at the beginning of the episode, because a) it would be a very short episode and b) supposedly wacky hijinks involving Ernie not being able to count, Zack on a skateboard, and Kimberly chewing gum. It does not end well for anyone, and amazingly people besides Bulk and Skull end up covered in food.

All Power Ranger seasons need an episode where the Red Ranger learns to trust his team and the value of teamwork and all that, and this is apparently that episode for Jason. The problem with this episode is that Jason failing to achieve the bench pressing record has nothing to do with learning to rely on his friends, and everything to do with knowing that your friends shouldn't ride a skateboard into someone who is chewing gum while you're trying to set a bench pressing record. If anything, it should show that you shouldn't trust them. But this is Power Rangers, so we really don't expect any internal consistency, so we'll just ignore it.

The rangers continue to be horrible to Bulk and Skull, there continues to be fat jokes (Bulk's pants split. That was totally unnecessary) and outside of Jason tickling Bulk it just continued to be another moment showing that the Rangers are jerks.

Rita, of course, has nothing better to do, and decides that what she will do is send down a monster with a capability to isolate Jason from his friends. Jason's communicator goes off, and in a first (and possibly a last, we're not sure) for Power Rangers, someone actually notices the communicator beeps. Zack responds to this by grabbing Jason's wrist (in a particularly slashy moment. Or at least TSB says so) and Jason, Zack and Kimberly run out of the youth center without paying for their food, and unenthusiastically morph.

King Sphinx, who at least manages to look awesome, has the ability to blow people away from the battle, so both Kimberly and Zack end up magically appearing in the middle of the Youth Center, and the entire town fails to notice. We're beginning to suspect that Zordon is drugging the water. So poor Jason is left to battle two now giant monsters on his own (without calling his zord. Why? We don't know) while Kimberly and Zack go to look for Trini and Billy instead of just morphing and going back to the battle. They find Billy and Trini at Billy's house, not answering their communicators. We'll let you wonder what they were up to. We certainly have thoughts on the subject.

Then there's a long section that makes no sense and they never flat out explain why the Rangers just don't teleport back to the battle, but instead there is something complicated to do with their power crystals, and we basically spent the entire time IMing each other FISH repeatedly, because honestly, it made no sense. We would say that maybe they just hadn't figured out exactly how the grid works, but since they will never actually figure out how the grid works, we're just going to call fish on that one (again). This plan apparently involves sending their essence to Jason through his sword so that they could teleport back. Jason yells something about relying on his friends, which is an ok moral, but still has nothing to do with the main plot of this episode. They finally summon their Zords and beat King Sphinx, and Goldar runs away.

Back at the Youth Center, on what is apparently the same day since they are wearing the same clothes (and we have tried so hard not to comment on whatever that thing is that Kimberly is wearing) Jason is making a second attempt at the bench press record. Which means he's done over 2,000 that day. That has to take a long time. He succeeds this time, and says something about not being able to succeed without his friends, which still makes no sense. Ernie provides Jason with a cake that says "Happy birthday, Mom!" and then Bulk ends up wearing the cake.

In conclusion, Jason has nice arms.

Lists:
Covered in food: Kimberly and Zack end up covered in gum, Bulk is covered with cake

Billy speak: NONE. What is WRONG with these episodes?

Fish: 4.5