The Rangers are enjoying a day at the fair with Trini's cousin Sylvia, not knowing that the fair itself is a trap set up by Rita Repulsa. She has her latest monster Pineoctopus disguised as the clown Pineapple lure in the Rangers by turning Sylvia into a cardboard cutout, with plans to do the same to the Power Rangers.
Tropes
- Adaptational Jerkass: Dora Endos was far from a nice guy, but he never betrayed nor wished to harm the boy he called a "kicking genius" that he manipulated into spreading his sneeze powder. Pineoctopus merely pretends to befriend Sylvia, callously turning her into cardboard For the Evulz, and openly admitting after she was restored that he only did that to hurt Trini.
- Adaptational Superpower Change: Dora Endos's dust caused people to sneeze uncontrollably, whereas Pineoctopus's dust causes people to turn into cardboard. Hence why the Power Rangers are mostly immune (but do sneeze when hit with his cardboard dust), because the Zyurangers were not immune.
- Affably Evil: The Monster of the Week poses as Pineapple the Clown and acts like a Non-Ironic Clown towards Sylvia to lure her into danger.
- Afraid of Clowns: Played with. Upon seeing the Putties taking off their clown disguises to fight, Jason quips "Guys, ever been afraid of clowns, before?"
- Amusement Park of Doom: Obviously, complete with a literal Monster Clown.
- Apologizes a Lot: Downplayed when Trini apologized to Sylvia with Sylvia reassuring her at the end of the episode when it would have made sense to be the other way around, but likely justified as Trini probably felt guilty and was just so glad to have her cousin back.
- Behemoth Battle: Dino Megazord vs. Pineoctopus.
- Covers Always Lie: This was one of the first episodes to be released on video, but for some reason the box art shows Kimberly fighting Pineoctopus and heavily focuses on her despite that the episode proper is about Trini and her cousin.
- A Day in the Limelight: This is a very Trini-focused episode, she's also the one who comes up with the plan to defeat Pineoctopus.
- Enemy Rising Behind: Pineapple does it with Billy when he attempts to turn him into a cardboard cutout.
- Exposed to the Elements: Averted. Trini may have been the only one in shorts but it seemed to be a warm, sunny day.
- Funny Background Event: When Bulk and Skull steal cotton candy from some women, one of the two looks behind them only to see their treat missing. They can be seen later looking around for whoever took them before returning to their game.
- Improvised Weapon: The Rangers use the fair's rides to their advantage against the Putties, such as Zack leading one of them into the path of an oncoming pendulum gondola.
- Innocuously Important Episode: This episode we learn the Putties have the ability to take human form. The Rangers found this out as well, a moment before they assumed the clowns are regular humans working for Rita.
- Irony: Bulk tells the Rangers to leave the fair before things get messy, and the eggs Billy was juggling drop on his and Skull's heads.
- Jump Scare: Pineapple the Clown pops up in front of the Rangers.
- Kick Chick: Trini usually isn't this trope but is in this episode to emphasize her legs (the only Power Ranger in shorts this episode).
- Kick the Dog: Pineoctopus admits after Sylvia was restored that was his reason for turning Sylvia to cardboard.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- Pineoctopus's magic powder turns people into cardboard and immobilizes them, and is defeated by being frozen into a Human Popsicle by the Mastadon dinozord's ice breath.
- Bulk and Skull steal cotton candy off of some girls but only get to enjoy about half of it before juggled eggs fall down and ruin what's left. Bulk likely was none too happy about this (seeing as how it took an earthquake for him to leave his ice cream behind in a later episode).
- Leg Focus: Trini is the only one of the main cast wearing shorts in this episode and the camera often pans to her legs, she also does a fair amount more kicking in the putty battles than her usual Kung Fu-based martial arts style.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Not that Pineapple wasn't already but see below for more details.
- Look Behind You:Kimberly: "Hey look, it's Rita!"
[The Putty turns around and gets hit.] - Make My Monster Grow: Done by Rita to Pineoctopus.
- Monster Clown:
- Pineapple the Clown.
- The Putties in clown wear.
Kimberly: "Oh yeah, some clown, huh?"- Pineoctopus, the monster form of Pineapple the Clown. His pineapple/octopus appearance has some clown-like features, and he does make a clown pun during the battle as a Call-Back to his human disguise.
- Monster of the Week: Pineoctopus.
- Mundanger: Poor Trini experiences the biggest fear of any parent/child caretaker when Pineapple the Clown takes Sylvia away with his friendly facade and almost successfully loses Trini by walking into a crowd of people. This was especially uncomfortable for older Power Rangers fans who maybe had younger siblings.
- No Ontological Inertia: Averted surprisingly, Sylvia is changed back before Pineoctopus is destroyed and the carnival continues afterward despite Rita claiming it as a decoy.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Trini usually isn't a Combat Pragmatist, being borderline Honor Before Reason when it comes to fair play and honor (a trait that would reappear later on). But she clearly HATED Pineoctopus for what he did to Sylvia and suggested he be frozen solid before Megazord takes care of him.
- One-Winged Angel: Pineapple the Clown is the first monster on the show with this talent. There would be many more.
- Plot Armor: Goldar, Squatt, and Baboo get hit by Pineoctopus' "turn people into cardboard" dust (which was previously shown to also affect the Putties), but it merely sends them into a sneezing fit (a result of
Stock Footage Failure; see Adaptational Superpower Change). - Pun: "Uh oh! I guess she's looking a little... board."
- Secret Identity Vocal Shift: The pitch of Pineapple's voice drops considerably as he starts melting away to reveal Pineoctopus within.
- Series Continuity Error: In the opening, the other Rangers are watching Zack play around on stilts and Kimberly claims that she couldn't do it because she has bad balance. That's right: Kimberly, who does gymnastics and was introduced skillfully executing a balance beam routine, supposedly has bad balance. It may have been a self-deprecating joke on her part (and an acknowledgement that skills from one balance-based sport don't transfer to another) but it still stands out as odd.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: When Goldar is unable to keep fighting as he, Squatt, and Baboo start sneezing uncontrollably (see Plot Armor above), Pineoctopus tells them to get lost, at which point the trio teleport back to the moon. The irony of it all is that it was a clown-based monster shooing out the comic relief (clowns).
- Targeted to Hurt the Hero: Pineapple revels in endangering Trini's younger cousin Sylvia and seeing her distraught reaction after turning the child into cardboard, and during the final battle even admits that Sylvia "was just the bait".
- Tempting Fate: Skull bragging that only one egg hit him before the final one lands on his head.
- Title Drop: Pineapple recites "No more clowning around" before he becomes the Pineoctopus.
