Season 1, Episode 38: A Bad Reflection of You

"A Bad Reflection of You"
Episode 28
Air Date: November 27, 1993

I don't know why, but I really LOVE this episode!!!  It introduces a trope that would become a staple for most seasons: with the Power Rangers having to face evil versions of themselves!!! Of course, this plot point wouldn't be perfected and made into an excellent arc until Season 6 ("In Space") but this was a great first episode in introducing it and just having some fun with it for the first time.  The episode actually starts definitely than most with Rita, at the Moon Palace, coming up with a plan to ruin the rangers' reputation with a duplicate evil team of Power Rangers. It's Rita's best plan in a while inside of the usual "I'm gonna ruin the rangers' day/send a monster down/make it grow/plan fails/wash, rinse, repeat.  What makes it such a great plan is that Rita actually thinks about it and makes sure to get the rangers out of the way by sending the clones down to get the teens in trouble in school. Of course, she could just trap them in her otherworldy dimension so they have no way of getting away and stopping her plan but I still give her credit for finally thinking outside the box and using a different tatic to defeat the rangers!

Anyway, the fake teens arrive on Earth, looking like some evil agents from the Matrix (seriously, what's up with the sunglassses??? Since when does wearing sunglasses mean you're evil??? O_o) Anyway, they head to the Angel Grove High and put some kind of powder into the water fountain. Bulk and Skull notice and interact with them; Skull asking Kimberly out on a date. Seriously, when will Skull get it that when she accepts your date invite, she doesn't like you, she's under a spell or evil...SHEESH!! lol Oh and evil Billy messes with one of Billy's real friends and throws him onto the ground. Then Mr. Caplan goes to the water fountain, turns it on and whip cream sprays in his face as well as all over the hallway. The evil teens laugh and walk away...just as the real rangers show up to help Mr. Caplan.  They end up in detention with Bulk and Skull...urgh just as the evil rangers begin attacking Japan....I mean Angel Grove! As Bulk and Skull continue to annoy, the 5 teens try to figure out what caused them to be detention. Bulk then decides to take out his TV and watch some cartoons with Skull until a newsbreak shows the rangers destroying the city; to the teens shock and disbelief. I love how Jason almost outs their identities!! Great job leader! -_-

Zordon and Alpha briefly appear to also be shocked about what they are seeing....but never contact the rangers or tell them how beat these fakes. I mean I like that Zordon did nothing here, allowing the rangers to figure it out on their own but it's so out of character to not have either him or Alpha contact the rangers, teleport them to Commanc Center and give exposition! O_o I guess he didn't want to out them being rangers being in detention but still...HUH!? Anyway, the rangers trick Idiot and Dumba$$ to cover their eyes and block their ears so they can morph and confront the evil rangers. They do and begin to fight the fakes. Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull realize the teens have actually disappeared and search from them. Scorpina is there during the beginning of the fight and just...disappears herself. The ranger vs ranger fight is cool; I especially like the moments of confusion with Trini accidentally hitting the real Kimberly! LMAO!!! But each ranger eventually defeats their counterpart until Jason's is revealed to be the monster of the week....Twin Man!! You know, it's a pun for Tin Man! HAHAHAHAH...-_-..anyway, the monster and rangers fight until the rangers blast him with their triangle blaster formation and combine their main weapons to form the Power Blaster to defeat him. Rita during all this is pissed by everyone's incompetence just as the citizens of Angel Grove are all too forgiving of the Power Rangers. I mean I know they realized what was going on but it's done in such cheesy and forced fashion....then again, it's Power Rangers so what am I thinking???

Back at Angel Grove High, Bulk and Skull try to get the disappearing teens in trouble as they teleport in.....but.....sigh....anyway, Mr . Caplan comes in to see they're there and tells Bulk and Skull they'll be in detention til they're 50 like he previously mentioned. I swear Bulk and Skull could be outsmarted by a squirrel. Anyway, this is a very fun episode that introduced something different for the show; I just wish there was more footage of the fake rangers attacking the people of the city but then again, they could only go so far on the kids show. Either way, I was really entertained throughout and this could be one of the best episodes of the season! :)

Final Morph: A-