Episode 134- A Different Shade of Pink Part 1

Oh show. This is both a happy and sad episode, and I both love and hate episodes like this. It's the end of Kim being a Power Ranger, which is really sad since Kim is AWESOME! She will be missed. But, we get Kat, who can be pretty great in her own right. This also means that Billy is (very very soon) the only original ranger left on the team. It's only a matter of time. :(

So we start off with Kim and Tommy in the Youth Center. Kim is doing gymnastics while Tommy watches. A middle-aged man walks in wearing a shirt that is so bad it's crossed into cool. He introduces himself as Gunther Schmidt. Tommy is duly impressed. Gunther is also duly impressed with Kim's routine, though I have to admit, it wasn't all that impressive. Anyway, she is all star struck and Gunther wants to speak to her coach, of which she has none, so he agrees to train her himself in what little spare time he has. He seems a nice guy!

Rita observes and, after calling Kim a Mallrat, makes plans to muck up her life... in a very uncomfortable place. Like the back of a Volkswagon.

So Kim, all excited about her chance at Pan Globals, calls a meeting in the Command Center. Rocky determines it's very serious and Kim starts to mention Gunther Schmidt. Apparently Tommy has already told them all everything about what Kim wanted to talk about. She didn't even get to share the good news herself! Not cool, Tommy, not cool. But the others are very happy for her (being good friends for a change! They must have taken relationship seminars) and Zordon is sure she can balance training and rangering. He is very supportive of them following their dreams instead of rangering and I totally approve of this. A definite Zordon!Win here!

So we get an awesome training montage where Kim does some much more impressive routines and there is lots of gratuitous running (of which we wholeheartedly approve). She brings Gunther to the Youth Center for one of Ernie's protein smoothies, and Bulk and Skull overhear a news broadcast on a spy in the area. He's middle-aged, greying hair, 5'11", and speaks with a heavy accent. Gunther Schmidt is middle-aged, greying hair, 5'11" (ish), and speaks with a heavy accent. Of course Bulk and Skull are sure he's the spy and they intend to find out! But first we get a fantastic Bill Clinton joke. :D

Kat, meanwhile, is slowly but surely breaking the spell. She's remembering her past as a diver. This is one aspect of her story I had completely forgotten and I'm quite happy to rediscover it. It's an interesting back story.

Rita decides Kim has had enough training and sends down tengas, Rito, Goldar, and monsters. The others won't call Kim until they absolutely have to, and they are overwhelmed pretty quickly. Zordon calls Kim and she eventually begs off training, after a lecture about priorities from Gunther, and goes to rescue Tommy. She saves the day and returns to the Youth Center just in time to get called back to the fight yet again! She passes out after all the rigorous fighting, but still manages to beat the bad guys WITHOUT a power coin. Because she's just that UBER.

Bulk and Skull attempt to observe Gunther by doing gymnastics, completely with spandex (lovely lovely spandex) and bathrobes. Skull does not like being upside down, however, and we hear it went very badly.

Tommy drives Kim back to the Youth Center, despite it being closing time, and drops her off, though he at least tried to convince her to let him stay for her safety. She refuses, but does convince Ernie to let her close up and practice. He leaves and she stays while Kat, lurking outside, remembers her past as a diver who injured herself and ruined the chance at the Pan Globals, and completely breaks the spell. OF HER OWN FREE WILL, PEOPLE! Kat broke the spell BY HERSELF because she was too strong for it to keep hold. I kind of love her a little right now.

Anyway, she rushes into the Youth Center just in time to see Kim fall. Kim is uninjured but passed out and Kat feels incredibly guilty while she tries to figure out what to do to help her. And we're left with a freeze frame and quite the cliffhanger!

Fortsetzung folgt. To be continued!

1.5 fish. It wasn't bad!

(also of note: Can anybody please throw your up-for-grabs Kat icons at me? I need a good one!)