Season 4, Episode 10: Graduation Blues

"Graduation Blues"
Episode 10
Air Date: May 4th, 1996

Well, finally not only do we get a great episode but one focused on the technical expert member of the team who use to be a ranger. I've always liked....ok, LOVED Billy and it's great to see him not only get some development but seeing the plot move forward a bit. I'm not surprised Billy had graduated early when Caplan tells him as this guy is a genius. I mean creating teleporting cars and inter dimensional portals device to other worlds would definitely make the guy smarter than your average high school student. :) Anyway, we get the return of one of the Alien Rangers in Cestro, who ship lands near Bulk and Skull as they force Rito and Goldar to do their work again. Moving along, Cestro is in need of Billy's help immediately and asks them where he can find them....though a part of me is wondering why Cestro isn't more concern of why Rito and Goldar are there and not attacking them but I guess since it's so urgent he can't think about that??? O_o

Anyway, at Billy's Graduation party, he and the rangers celebrate while Skull approaches him and brings him to Cestro. As Cestro and Billy reunite at the Power Chamber, Cestro tells him why he has come. Apparently, the Aquitains are at war with beings called the Hydro Contaminators who are poisoning their water on Aquitar as well as damaging their technology on their planet; meaning they can't use their Battle Borgs or teleport, that's by he came in his spaceship. He needs Billy's help in completing a weapon that will destroy the Hydro Contaminators and end the war. But soon one of them lands in Angel Grove, after Cestro and to destroy all the water in Angel Grove. Flashforward to Lt. Stone chasing after Rito and Goldar and Billy and Cestro arrive to get his equipment. But soon the Hydro Contaminator arrives to stop them. The rangers soon arrives in between them to stop him.

As King Mondo and Queen Machina watch, Mondo orders a platoon of Cogs to defend him as he heads for the lake to poison it. The rangers fight off the Cogs and struggle to get to the monster as he gets closer to the water. Tommy finally breaks free and Zeo flying power kicks the monster down. The other four rangers block him from the water and he teleports away saying he'll find another source of water to contaminate. The rangers soon head back to the Power Chamber as Hydro Contaminator heads to the Angel Grove Water Planet. Sprocket soon arrives with a platoon of Cogs to make the monster an offer to help him get more water if he destroys the Power Rangers. At the Power Chamber, the rangers head back into action as Billy continues to work on the device that will not only help Cestro but help the rangers defeat Hydro Contaminator.

The rangers arrive at the plant and fight off an army of Cogs with their Zeo weapons until they run into Hydro Contaminator. As Cestro hilariously knocks out Billy's contacts and Alpha steps on them, Billy finds his old glasses to help him finish off the weapon. As the rangers battle Hydro Contaminator, Billy finally finishes the weapon and sends it to the rangers. They use the Zeo Blaster, a combination of their weapons, to finish him off. Back at the Power Chamber, Billy makes a bold and shocking decision to go to Aquitar with Cestro to help the Alien Rangers beat the rest of the Hydro Contaminators. Hard to believe Billy would just take off like this but he says he's doing it after the Alien Rangers helped him and the other rangers out. But you're not even gonna say goodbye, dude. Also, I wonder how his parents were "ok" with it??? Did he just tell them, "guys I'm just heading to another planet for a while! Be back home before dinner!" O_o WTF??? As Billy and Cestro take off, the rangers arrive sad and shocked to see him blast off. They stand there wishing him luck. Overall, this was a nice episode that moved the plot along and gave Billy his own plot as well as character development for the season.

Final Morph: B+