Recap: Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, Episode 8 – Both Sides Now
The Rangers are in Istanbul, Turkey to search for the Houou Bird.
Rose explains that the Houou is a legendary Japanese king of birds which if you set free, will give you clues to find the world’s most precious diamond: the Toru. The Houou will also bestow upon you a great power.
The Rangers find the office of their source, but find it’s been ransacked and the safe holding the Houou is empty.
The Rangers return home. Mack, Rose, Dax and Ronny wonder why Will has been speaking privately with Mr. Hartford for such a long time.
Hartford comes down to the base to inform the Rangers that he has let Will go. But he warns them that Will did not leave his Tracker and that is dangerous in the hands of someone as “unstable” as him.
Somewhere in the forest, Miratrix is training on her own when Will approaches her.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“Bad news. You found me.”
Will morphs as Miratrix charges at him. They fight for a while, but Will stands down when he’s got Miratrix down on her back.
Will says he is not here to hurt her, but instead suggests they join forces. He tells her that Hartford fired him after he sold zord technology to a rival company for money since being a Ranger doesn’t pay too well.
Miratrix thinks he’s trying to fool her. But Will compliments her for being a strong, independent woman which actually makes her even more attractive.
“You’re cocky! I like that.”
Will says he calls that “confidence” and that he will do everything to team up with her.
As the Rangers keep looking for Will, he breaks into Gen Tech to steal a Thermal Bivalve Reticulating Laser. Miratrix thanks him for the powerful gift and she begins to leave. But Will grabs her and tells her to hold on a minute.
Just then, the Rangers arrive and believe Will has proven he hasn’t turned bad by capturing Miratrix.
But Will tells them they’re mistaken. “It is us who’ve gotten you.”
Will morphs and shoots at the Rangers. They also morph and the Ranger battle begins. Will knocks Dax and Ronny aside. Rose is able to kick him back toward Miratrix.
Miratrix steps forward to help her new partner. Taking her necklace, she places it in the device and it releases Kamdor from his imprisonment.
Kamdor shows the Rangers what he’s capable of. Miratrix stops Will from joining in the battle that has Kamdor easily overpowering all four Rangers.
Kamdor first forces Dax to demorph before Miratrix joins in the battle and forces Rose and Ronny to demorph as well. Mack takes his turn at Kamdor, but one slash and Mack also demorphs.
Kamdor tells Miratrix they have much work to do. Will asks about the Rangers, but Kamdor says they are defeated and no longer of concern to them.
Will turns to the Rangers and says they are lucky today before he walks away with Miratrix and Kamdor.
The Rangers head back home and are trying to understand the confirmation that Will has turned his back on them. Ronny says she would’ve bet anything that Will would never betray them. “And I don’t lose bets.”
Dax is even more perplexed. “I can’t believe he’s with her. You don’t just hook up with a friend’s ex.”
Ronny and Rose have no idea what they’re talking about.
Dax and Mack look at each other and explain: “Man law.”
Over in some mysterious lair, Will asks Miratrix if she can really trust Kamdor. She explains that two years ago she got into some trouble on a distant planet and Kamdor was captured trying to save her. He was then confined in the crystal until now.
Miratrix thanks Will for helping her release Kamdor.
Kamdor says it’s Will that shouldn’t be trusted. Had he known the colorful foes earlier were his former teammates, he would’ve destroyed them. So now, if Will wants to prove himself, he must be the one to end them.
The Rangers get a faint signal of Will’s Tracker and head over. Sure enough, Will is waiting for them and intentionally led them here.
Rose says this is a trap and they quickly morph, as does Will. They battle as Miratrix and Kamdor watch.
When Will gains the upper hand he says it is over for them. He shoots and they are somehow transported back to the base. The four Rangers are very confused.
Hartford explains that he modified Will’s Tracker to send them back here. Rose figures it out. This was all part of Hartford and Will’s plan. Figuring that it was Miratrix who got to the Houou before them, Will was to infiltrate her ranks in order to give him the opportunity to take it.
Will had convinced Hartford to go along with the act so it would be more believable especially as he would be risking his life for this mission.
In front of the legendary Houou Bird, Will flirts with Miratrix by complimenting her and she reciprocates the vibe.
“I hate to break up this mutual admiration society,” Kamdor interrupts as he is eager to get to their mission.
At the base, Ronny picks up a strange signal and Rose recognizes it as Morse code. She quickly translates it and it is Will confirming Miratrix is in possession of the Houou.
As Will is transmitting the Morse code using his Tracker, Kamdor approaches him and thinks he’s acting very suspicious. Kamdor warns Will that one more sketchy move and he’s dead.
Will follows as Kamdor and Miratrix find the perfect spot in the sun to revive the Houou Bird. When Miratrix finds the right angle, the Houou awakens and flies toward away. But the Rangers arrive before they can follow the Houou.
Miratrix realizes she was indeed fooled by Will. Will says it’s just like how she fooled Dax.
“Man law!’
Kamdor orders a dejected Miratrix to follow the Houou while he takes care of the Rangers. But Will also tells the others to follow Miratrix, leaving just him and Kamdor to battle.
Miratrix and the Rangers run into a family enjoying a picnic. The family runs off as they battle. Dax is able to kick her into the picnic set-up. But Miratrix has an idea. She picks up a purse and has Kamdor turn it into a monster.
Will thinks he’s destroyed Kamdor, but he survives the explosion.
While the Rangers are busy with the purse monster, Miratrix follows the Houou who drops her a parchment before turning back into an artifact. She runs off.
Will rejoins the others and Mack upmorphs using his Defender Vest and they are able to destroy the monster. Kamdor, however, embiggens it and the Rangers hop into the Megazord.
With Will using the new Crane Driver zord, the Rangers are able to activate a new Megazord formation and finish off the monster for good.
Kamdor finds Miratrix and acknowledges the Power Rangers are strong. She shows him the parchment that the Houou gave her, but she cannot decipher the writings.
Episode Thoughts
It’s amazing how the show was able to film in Istanbul, Turkey! When will your faves?!
Just kidding of course. But this is one of my favorite aspects of Operation Overdrive. Seeing the Rangers travel around the world was always very exciting. Especially when after watching enough Power Rangers seasons, you will begin recognizing the same familiar New Zealand (and Greater Tokyo Area) locations. And it does get old.
As much as the budget allowed, it was great to see them staging these unique and different locations. The perception that the Rangers were in different locations around the world instead of the same, familiar fake-California town they’re always in was enough to add something different. And I really appreciated that about Operation Overdrive.
This was a great episode. Definitely one of the best of the season. It’s so narratively satisfying and a lot of fun to watch.
The plan that Will and Hartford came up with may have been predictable. But the way it played out was a fun ride to hop on and it resulted in a very satisfying conclusion. They didn’t get the Houou clue, but that’s the beauty of the season where the story doesn’t end in each episode. There’s a next time.
The whole plot between Will and Miratrix was great. And it served as an awesome, explosive introduction to Kamdor as well. (Plus also giving us more on Miratrix too.)
The Will-Miratrix dynamic though was so good. Their initial fight was so well-done. And then their conversations were definitely something you don’t see on Power Rangers often. The, frankly, sexual tension in that first scene and later the more flirty moments are something you see in a James Bond film or something similar. A fun, PG-rated version here.
Speaking of PG, one funny moment was Dax and Mack’s “man law” moment with Rose and Ronny’s reactions. That’s probably one of the jokes that will be funny to the adults watching, but is harmless and innocent enough for the “target audience” since it’ll go right over their heads.
And then having it connect in the end to Will being able to trick Miratrix, partly as revenge for what she did to Dax is the most “bro code” thing ever. Lol Just a fun, amusing aside next to the more important events in the episode.
I thought it was so clever how they inserted that picnic family just so they could use the purse monster. It’s the little things like that that can help bring everything together.
Overall, a great, fun episode. It was a good Will-focus episode with some Miratrix/Kamdor-focus. But the other Rangers were still very much involved as well. One of the best, most complete episodes of the season.