Episode 165 - Graduation Blues

By luck of the draw, I'm writing the recap this time. Which is good, because if Queenriley was writing it, she's admitted that the recap would go something like this.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BILLY NEEDS ALL THE HUGS AND THE RANGERS SUCK AT BEING FRIENDS.

Which um, I agree with, but will write about with slightly less caps (in a weird reversal of our normal roles.)

Anyway, the episode opens at Angel Grove High, where Billy has been called to the principal's office. Here we find out that even though Billy claims he's a junior, he has more credits than anyone else in the school, including the seniors. So now it's time for him to graduate.

This is wrong on several levels.

1-Like Billy wasn't keeping track of how many credits he has.
2-So they're just going to dump the smartest student in the middle of a year instead of letting him being valedictorian, and they're not even giving him any time to apply to college. That is CRAP.
3-There is no way that they're still juniors. For the record, I FIRMLY believe that MMPR1/MMPR2 is junior year, and MMPR3/Zeo is senior year. I don't really care what the canon tells me, because I've stopped counting the amount of summer vacations they've had.

So yeah, Billy has now graduated with no notice at all, so the Rangers do the only thing they can do - party at the youth center! \o/

Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull are on garbage pickup duty at the park. Or rather, they intend to have slave!Rito and slave!Goldar do it. Goldar is getting annoyed about how they're being bossed around, but Rito is just glad they have a home. Oh, Rito. You need so many hugs. But this is interrupted when a spaceship lands. Hey, it's Cestro! He needs Billy, because Billy is the only one who can save the world.

Well, duh.

Also, Bulk and Sull have no idea who Cestro is, so we're guessing nobody remembers the whole turned into kids thing.

Anyway, Skull kidnaps Billy at his party, and Billy is very glad to see Cestro. Cestro explains that Aquitar is under attack by hydrocontaminators, and that is destroying Aquitar's computer systems, so they can't teleport, except they can totally still launch a space ship. Riiiiiiiiiiight. Billy offers to help Cestro build his weird device thing, that coincidentally, should also help out the Zeo team.

Back at the park, Lt. Stone has noticed that there's an alien ship being guarded, and comes to the brilliant conclusion that Angel Grove has been invaded by aliens. REALLY? I'm SHOCKED. SHOCKED. Lt. Stone then decides to be a superhero and chases them all over the park.

Billy and Cestro work on the device, when the Hydrocontaminator monster shows up and attacks them. Billy could totally have handled it, but the other Rangers show up and fight, and Mondo is all "Hmm, someone else is attacking the Rangers. Let me help!" and sends down some Cogs. Billy and Cestro go back to the Power Chamber to work on the device. They are terrified that if the Hydrocontaminator contaminates one lake, then all the water in the world will be destroyed. Except it doesn't work like that. Whatever.

Billy is all stressed but he's nearly finished with the device. Cestro claps him on the back of the head, which knocks out his contacts, making it seem like he can't finish the device. But never fear, Billy has backup glasses. LIKE HE'S SUPPOSED TO. He makes the final adjustments, but Cestro isn't sure that he can do it by himself back on Aquitar, so Billy says he'll go with Cestro, and Queenriley goes into an "I has a sad" blackout for the rest of the episode. (Understandably, considering what's coming in the future.)

Anyway, the device works, and Billy packs his bag and goes off with Cestro. His alien fetish is STRONG. But you know, I can understand and this part at least does make sense for the character. Billy totally grew up on scifi, and I wouldn't turn down the chance to go visit an alien world or go travel with The Doctor or join Starfleet or any of those things if I had the option. And Billy makes a good point - the Aquitian Rangers came to help them. Billy totally has to do the same.

Billy goes into the space ship and claims his parents gave him permission, and they head off. The other Rangers defeat the monster, and then go to find Billy, but they're too late. Billy is gone. Tommy says they'll miss him, but it isn't like they miss Kim or Aisha or Trini or Zack or Jason, so... Yeah. :(

In conclusion - Billy has an alien fetish and the Rangers are bad friends, and David Yost needs all the hugs in the world. BUT, Billy going to Aquitar actually does make sense for Billy's character development, so we will save most of our ranting for the end of the season.

Fish: 4. GRADUATION DOES NOT WORK LIKE THAT, SHOW. Also, the nonsense about not being able to use a teleporter because the computers are down, but they can still launch a spaceship. RIGHT.