01×17 to 01×21 – Green with Evil
Introducing arguably the most well-known Power Ranger, Green with Evil is the debut of Tommy Oliver. Setting the precedent for all future 6th Rangers, Tommy’s appearance as the new kid on the block pretty much blew the mind of every kid when Rita revealed a sixth power coin and made him her own personal Ranger champion.
On top of being the being the coolest looking (that shield!), and commanding the awe-inspiring Dragonzord, the Green Ranger was a ruthless villain who remains unparalleled to date (though I’d say the White Dino Thunder Ranger could give him a run for his money).
While the arc concludes with Tommy being freed from Rita’s control and joining the team, the character goes on to become one of the primary catalysts for multi-episode arcs in the first two seasons, and is arguably the first Power Rangers icon with over five seasons of active duty, and appearances as lead, recurring, or guest in 10 seasons over 25 years of Power Ranger history.
In addition to Tommy, the Green Ranger Powers, the Dagonzord and Dagger, this arc also offers the first glimpse of the Dragonzord Battle mode (or Dragon Megazord) when combined with the Mastodon, Sabretooth Tiger, and Triceratops zords.
01×26 – Gung Ho!
Between Jason’s natural leadership and Tommy’s lone wolf tendencies, tensions arise when the team’s cohesion is put at risk by the pair’s conflicting styles. To force them to work together, Zordon sends the two to retrieve the Thunder Slingers, weapons needed to defeat Rita’s new breed of Putty Patrollers.
The Slingers are guarded, however, by the legendary Titanus, marking its first appearance. This is also the first time Tommy transfers the Dragon Shield over to another Ranger, albeit it’s not a complete transfer as seen later on.
01×27 – Wheel of Misfortune
Rita’s antagonising of Kimberly continues when she turns a stage prop from Kim’s play into a monster. While not particularly a memorable bad guy, he does receive the honour of being the first to be obliterated by the original Ultrazord, where in the Mega Dragonzord combines with the recently introduced Titanus, the carrier zord, accessing maximum firepower.
Note: The Mega Dragonzord (wherein the Dragonzord combines with the standard Megazord as the epitome of ’90s shoulder pad fashion) would itself only be introduced as a formation (sans Titanus) in the subsequent two-parter, Island of Illusions (episodes 28 and 29), which have been removed from this suggested viewing list due to a lack of plot progression or significant events.