Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Episode 8: I, Eye Guy

Some kid who may or may not be related to Billy invents a virtual reality roller coaster. Rita has him kidnapped so she can steal his intelligence.

Episode Summary

We start in Billy’s Garage, where he, the other Rangers, and Willy (his mini-me) all test a virtual reality system. After putting on goggles, the teens see themselves on a roller coaster. Everyone’s amused except Kimberly, whose complaints force Willy to shut off the device.

The device isn’t Billy’s invention, but Willy’s, who’s planning to enter it into the junior science fair.

On the way to the fair, Billy, Willy, and the others are intercepted by Putties, but they are quickly dealt with. Willy sure isn’t as freaked out as one might have expected in his position, being in the middle of a life or death struggle between teenagers and people made of clay.

Eye Guy

Rita cackles like a mad woman in her palace. Willy has caught her eye and she wants to steal his intelligence. Why not go after Billy instead? Finster suggests they use Eye Guy, a monster they once used to capture the smartest children of the planet Rigel II.

Dozens of floating eyeballs appear and combine into a humanoid form. Meet Eye Guy: “Eye Guy at your service, my queen,” he says, “you are a sight for sore eyes, your loveliness!” What a suck up.

Science Fair

Billy and the others arrive at the science fair, which, like many events in the city, takes place at the Angel Grove Youth Center. Bulk and Skull show up. “If it’s a fair, where are all the rides?” Skull asks. Skull snatches a spray pump from a kid and sprays Bulk with it, causing his pants to disintegrate. Everyone laughs.

Zach, Billy, and Jason taunt the two bullies, and a scuffle commences; Bulk and Skull fall on a cart and roll into a booth, the Funky Fashion Machine. “Two fashion makeovers, coming up!” says Kimberly. The booth opens and we see new, feminized versions of Bulk and Skull. They shriek and run out. The sole adult in the room, a professor of some sort, is not amused and tells Willy off for his “thoughtless antics” and disqualifies him. But Willy didn’t do anything!

An upset Willy sits by a lake to contemplate his failure. Eye Guy shows up and takes him away. Billy and the other teens search for their missing friend. Billy finds a clue on the ground – Willy’s lucky cap! Zordon calls them, and they teleport to the Command Center.

Freeing Willy

Zordon tells them that Rita is indeed responsible for Willy’s disappearance. Furthermore, Willy is held prisoner in “a world located inside Eye Guy’s main eye.” The only way to free Willy is to destroy the main eye.

The teens morph into Rangers and fight Eye Guy. Zordon reveals that Eye Guy hid his main eye in another part of the park, so Billy goes off and stabs it with his Power Lance. Eye Guy is injured, but not fatally, and Rita throws her staff and makes him grow. This segues into the episode’s Megazord fight, where Eye Guy is dispatched, and Willy is released from captivity. Though, one would think that destroying Eye Guy, and the world in his main eye, would in actuality kill Willy.

All’s Well

At the Science Fair, we see Ernie and the Professor riding the virtual reality roller coaster. “I owe you an apology, Willy. It seems I overreacted to something that wasn’t your fault,” says the professor. Willy is not only undisqualified but is also awarded the first place prize.

Bulk and Skull show up, now wearing striped towels, and ask for their clothes to be returned. “We washed and we sterilized them,” says Kimberly, returning the clothes…but they were shrunk in the wash.

Thoughts

This episode’s title references Asimov’s I, Robot. That’s the best part. Moving on…

We get yet another episode of the Rangers hanging out with a child half their age who never appears again – probably because the frequent monster attacks force their parents to move. In Willy’s case, he probably went straight to college because of his virtual reality invention, though one wonders how much work he did on it, compared to Billy, who seemed to have a hand, if not two, in its creation.

Willy’s voice was obviously dubbed over by a voice actress. It seems that all the child actors have their voices dubbed over (like Maria in episode 7), but it was a little more distracting in this episode.

Billy features prominently in this episode, and so far all the Rangers have had at least one episode focused on them…except Zach. Don’t worry, Zach. Your time will come, soon.