Season 1, Episode 15: Dark Warrior

"Dark Warrior"
Episode 15
Air Date: September 28, 1993

So Trini has an karate fighting scientist uncle!!? O_o Only on Power Rangers! The episode starts with her uncle coming up with an invisibility potion. Isn't in funny in the PR universe, these scientists can make such advanced stuff??? Flying cars and invisibility potions won't be the only things that's just casually created (and just accepted) in the PR universe. Anyway, Billy is eyeing Jason's karate class and gets the idea to rejoin when Bulk and Skull actually succeed for once in bullying him!! But of course, their stupidity gets in the way and they look like idiots in the end.  Billy joins Jason's class again and everything seems like it will be ok....but....

Rita is watching and sees Trini's uncle formula and wants it...to make the rangers disappear for good??? Ok, being invisible and disappearing isn't the same thing writers!! O_o  But anyway, Finster makes the monster of the week: Dark Warrior...who looks more like a Dark Soldier with all the camouflage but whatever!! Anyway, Uncle Hower meets Trini's friends and they ask him to teach Billy some moves to defend himself. He forgets his formula right on the counter at Ernie's Juice Bar....I don't know which is dumber that this genius fighting scientist just left his formula on a corner where ANYONE could take it and use it accidentally or that Ernie just TAKES it without questioning who it belongs to!? Anyway, Billy and Uncle train in the park when Putties arrive to kidnap the forgetful one. Billy actually manages to take one Puttie down unmorphed for once but unfortunately, Uncle Hower is taken but spouts some random words of wisdom as he's taken!! Why?!

In some random cave, Dark Warrior threatens Uncle Hower and Trini unless he gives him the formula as the Putties tie him up....in front of a bomb......at least it's not a detonator (Power Rangers Turbo....*shivers*) Billy rushes to the others at the Youth Center and tell them what happen. Ernie then gives Trini some ugly black balloons and they just randomly pop!  Looks like Dark Warrior wants that formula at the Park or her uncle is finished!! The rangers teleport to the Command Center.....Zordon and his exposition.....the rangers then teleport to the cave to save Trini's uncle. I got to say, decent Puttie fight now that all 5 can at least put up a fight. Good for you Billy! Also, this Puttie fight don't need unnecessary editing or weird slo mo effects etc to amp up the action. Just show these teens kicking a$$ outside their suits and we'll enjoy it! After the Putties leave, the rangers run into the cave to save her uncle and he gives Billy some words of wisdom again to disarm the bomb....ummm....ok. O_o I don't think karate is really essential in disarming bombs but ok Power Rangers, thanks for that stupid message to kids! -_- Billy disarms it because shut up!, Uncle Hower just walks away trying to find his formula and my God, that morph call is really getting better! :) Even the morphing sequence sounds like the iconic one I remember from a kid.

The rangers fight the Dark Warrior and he puts up a decent fight until Rita escalates the battle and makes him grow. We get our first megazord fight in quite some time and the rangers defeat Dark Warrior with the typical Power Sword finisher!  Back at the Youth Center, Billy and Jason are sparing as we see Billy has improved immensely after a short amount of time.  Jason gives him a yellow belt....Awww, that brings me back to my karate class days....left after a few weeks....got tired of it! Anyway, Bulk and Skull think this is the proper time to bully Billy again, Jason stops Zack from helping him for some reason, I guess to see how much Billy has learned from his brief training and Uncle Hower stumbles on to his formula. He uses it become invisible and embarrass Bulk and Skull before a freeze frame ending like every episode with everyone laughing at the two.

Overall, I liked the episode; though the whole "one off character of week in peril because of Rita" plot is getting to predictable. I think it's because of the Sentai footage but man, couldn't the writers work their way around that at the time? O_o

Final Morph: C