“Never Give Up!” Power Rangers Wild Force (Episode 4)
Friendship. When you’re fighting an endless horde of monsters, all you’ve got is your friends. This episode showcases one of the strongest bonds in PR history, that of Danny and Max. Max, eternally not wanting to be seen as a kid, tries to prove his worth while his best friend, Danny, is distracted by a girl. It’s a simple story but if you’ve ever had a best friend? It hits home.
“The Samurai’s Journey Parts 1 and 2” Power Rangers Ninja Storm (Episode 16 and 17)
These episodes involve ninjas, samurais, and a character meeting his mother and father before he’s born. Power Rangers is such a crazy mish mash of styles and it works beautifully here. I really won’t say anymore, just feel free to skip part 3, it’s not really connected to the first two.
“Idol” Power Rangers S.P.D. (Episode 9)
Another episode centered around friendship, but unlike “Never Give Up!,” “Idol” exemplifies how friendship can change and how friends can become enemies. The story and character work done here is a high water mark for Power Rangers, an episode that could easily stand aside anything from a franchise like Star Trek.
“Ranger Blue” Power Rangers RPM (Episode 10)
They actually address the explosions that go off behind the Rangers when they morph. Yes, you read that right. As fun as that is, the episode’s biggest accomplishment is what it does when it shows up the backstory of Flynn. Equal parts funny and moving, after this episode you’ll be screaming, “I’m Scottish!” over and over.
“Doctor K” Power Rangers RPM (Episode 11)
If any episode of Power Rangers will make you cry, or make you ponder your own humanity… this one will do that and so much more. The tragic tale of someone who “just wanted to go outside,” Power Rangers has never been this this emotional and heart-wrenching.
“The Matchmaker” Power Rangers Dino Fury (Episode 13)
This is a funny episode so it could have gone under the comedy section but the fact this gives us TV Power Rangers’ first canonical queer character is more than enough to justify it as “all the feels.” The mistakes Javi makes in trying to set Izzy up with a guy are genuinely sweet, if misguided, and it’s all worth it for that shot at the end where Izzy and Fern walk off hand in hand. It had been a long time coming but Power Rangers did queer fans right by this episode.
