Facing The Past
Airdate: November 09, 1999

 
Karone and Leo play in the park with some kids. Karone mopes about never having had a childhood.   Trakeena's new monster, Magnetox, appears. Leo morphs and fights, but Magnetox absorbs his powers.

 
The Rangers arrive and hold off Magnetox long enough for all of them to escape and take a powerless Leo back to the Megaship.   Karone comes up with a plan to restore Leo's powers. She recalls a warrior she had turned to stone years ago, and his magical keys.

 
The plan is set in motion. Leo and Karone leave for the planet where the stoned warrior is, and the rest of the team stays to battle Magnetox.   Mike, Maya, Kai, and Damon battle against Magnetox, but the monster is too powerful now that he has absorbed the Red Ranger powers.

 
He could always use some more power, and he absorbs it from Kai and Maya, rendering their morphers useless.   Leo and Karone reach the entrance to the cave. A skeleton holds them back, and tests Karone.

 
Astronema appears, and fights Karone. After a brief battle, Astronema grabs the fallen Leo and holds a sword to his throat. Karone surrenders herself to save Leo, and in doing so, passes the test, and is given access to the cave.   Meanwhile, the two remaining Rangers are still trying to beat Magnetox, and save their powerless friends at the same time. Magna Defender and Green Ranger are grabbed next, and their powers are drained as well.

 
Karone and Leo find the warrior, frozen just as Karone had left him. The keys however, are gone. Karone cries over all the evil she had done in the past, and apologizes to the warrior.   Karone's tears fall on the warrior, bringing him back to life. He forgives Karone for turning him into stone, and gives Leo the keys, saying that they will restore his powers, and then some.

 
Injured and tired, the Rangers stand on the brink of defeat, as Magnetox closes in on them to go for the kill.   Karone appears in her Jet Jammer, and rams into Magnetox, knocking him away from her friends.

 
Leo shows up, and uses the keys to summon amazing techno armor, which gives him shoulder mounted claws and torso armor.   He locks on to the monster with computerized targeting, and blasts away with his lasers, destroying him in a huge explosion.

 
With Magnetox destroyed, the Ranger powers return to their true owners, restoring their Transmorphers.   As the guys play football, Karone and Maya have a little fun by spraying them with a hose.

Comments:
  • How did the warrior know that Leo was a Red Ranger? And how could he so easily forgive someone who turned him to stone for years?
  • Magnetox was one tough monster! I wasn't too impressed by his "audition", as beating a group of Sting Wingers isn't much of an accomplishment. But man, he really had the Rangers on the ropes.
  • You could see the pain in Damon's face as he took a direct hit in the back from Magnetox while unmorphed. That's gotta hurt..
  • In the tradition of the Red Battlized Ranger, Leo gains armor based on a toy. If only a Ranger other than Red would get a power-up.
  • Interestingly enough, Leo had the Orion armor underneath the battle armor, which he didn't even summon, and shouldn't be able to without the other Rangers doing so as well.
  • Once again, Archie Kao appeared on ABC's Once and Again . He seems to have a recurring role as one of the architects at Rick's firm.