‘SWITCHING PLACES’ (MMPR)

Please feel free to comment on my review.

This is a mind-boggling ‘Power Rangers’ episode. I mean that in every sense of the word. One night, Squatt sneaks into Billy’s garage to mess around with one of his new inventions. Next day, Billy invites Kimberly over to try out his latest invention that allows people to read each other’s thoughts.

But when Billy and Kimberly try out the machine, the device switches minds into each other’s bodies. Billy’s mind is inside Kimberly’s body, and Kimberly’s mind is inside Billy’s body. Yep! It’s that kind of story, everyone. 😀 This is ‘Power Rangers’ attempting to do ‘Freaky Friday’. And it’s so entertaining!

I just wish that the Billy and Kimberly’s mind/body swapping story was explored further in the episode. It would’ve been intriguing if Billy and Kimberly told Jason, Zack and Trini straight away that their bodies have switched places. But that isn’t what happens in the episode until much later on. 😐

Instead, Billy-in-Kimberly and Kimberly-in-Billy try to carry on with what they do with their lives. Or rather Billy does what Kimberly does in making a cheese soufflé for a class, and Kimberly does what Billy does in tutoring one of Billy’s peers with a computer. The results are disastrous to say the least.

Bulk and Skull also overhear with what’s going on with Billy and Kimberly, and they try out the machine themselves to read each other’s thoughts. Instead, Bulk ends up in Skull’s body and Skull ends up in Bulk’s body. This was amusing. Bulk and Skull should’ve stayed like that by the story’s end.

Meanwhile, Rita Repulsa unleashes her new monster, the Genie (as in the Genie from the lamp in ‘Aladdin’), to attack the Power Rangers. Interestingly, the episode didn’t have Billy and Kimberly unable to morph into Power Rangers because of the body switches. That would’ve been fascinating.

An interesting point to note is that the Power Rangers don’t defeat the Genie when they fight him in their Dino Megazord. It’s Zordon and Alpha. They come up with the answer to destroy the Genie by destroying the lamp. But they have to do it at the precise moment. Thankfully, it works in the end. 🙂

‘Switching Places’ is very entertaining. I would’ve liked the episode to explore further into how Billy and Kimberly’s body switches affected their normal lives. Had this episode been a two-parter, it could have allowed more time. In fact, I’m certain this episode was screaming to be a two-part story.

‘Switching Places’ (MMPR) rating – 8/10