Different Drum

Different Drums is the fifth episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Synopsis
Kimberly's deaf friend, Melissa, has a tough time fitting in at the noisy Youth Center. When the Gnarly Gnome monster strikes, using music to hypnotize the children of Angel Grove, her handicap allows her to remain unaffected. Can she aid the Power Rangers in putting an end to the Gnome's symphony of destruction?

Plot
Kimberly is teaching her dance class at the Youth Center. Billy trips on to Ernie's cart and ends up rolling into the middle of the class. Kimberly tells Billy this isn't the way to meet girls. Kimberly tries to encourage Melissa who is having problems with the dance steps, because she's deaf, accidentally bumping into another girl. Meanwhile, Zack challenges Bulk to dance competition. Bulk insists that he can do anything Zack can do. Zack shows off his stylish moves on the dance floor. Bulk barely pulls it off, but needs Skull's help moving afterwards. Zack shows off by doing a handstand on the Juice Bar. Bulk tries to do the same, but ends up falling into the food behind the counter.

Rita demands Finster to make her a monster that can control people with his music. The girl that Melissa bumped into invites her to a mall along with some friends, but soon, Finster's creation, the Gnarly Gnome uses his accordion to put the girls under his spell, but Melissa isn't effected, because she can't hear it. The Gnarly Gnome brings the girls to a cave in the woods. Melissa runs to get help to rescue her friends.

Melissa leads the Rangers to the cave, where the girls are being held. The Power Rangers engage in battle against the Gnarly Gnome with the Power Blaster. The Gnarly Gnome is overpowered and defeated. Rita makes the Gnarly Gnome grow with her wand. The Rangers form the Megazord to take him on. The Gnarly Gnome uses his music in an attempt put the Rangers under his spell. But he is unsuccessful, and the Megazord takes him down. The Megazord uses the Power Sword to destroy the Gnarly Gnome.

The Ranger teens and Melissa rescue the girls from the cave. Rita yells at her minions for failing again. The Rangers celebrate their victory by relaxing at the Juice Bar and Jason attempts some sign language, which fails humorously. Meanwhile, Melissa finally teaches Billy how to dance.

Cast

 * Austin St. John as Jason Lee Scott (Mighty Morphin Red Ranger)
 * Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan (Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger)
 * Walter Jones as Zack Taylor (Mighty Morphin Black Ranger)
 * Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Ann Hart (Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger)
 * David Yost as Billy Cranston (Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger)
 * Paul Schrier as Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier
 * Jason Narvy as Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch
 * Richard Genelle as Ernie
 * Ronda Belser as Beth
 * Mercedes McNab (?) as Melissa
 * Machiko Soga as Rita Repulsa
 * Barbara Goodson as Rita Repulsa (voice)
 * Takashi Sakamoto as Goldar
 * Kerrigan Mahan as Goldar (voice)
 * Takako Iiboshi as Finster
 * Robert Axelrod as Finster (voice)
 * Minoru Watanabe as Squatt
 * Michael J. Sorich as Squatt (voice)
 * Hideaki Kusaka as Baboo
 * Dave Mallow as Baboo (voice)
 * Steve Kramer as Gnarly Gnome (voice)

Quotes
Zack: My main brain, whassup?

Billy: Well, I'm intrigued by the rhythmic modulation, yet daunted by the coordinating movements of the appendages.

Zack: Say what?

Trini: He can't dance.

Billy: Precisely.

Jason: (does some sign language to Melissa, badly. Kimberly and Melissa laugh) What? What?

Kimberly: You just told her your dog smells.

Jason: I'll have to work on that.

Errors

 * The Megazord's Power Sword is called the "Mega Sword" when summoned.
 * The Rangers' Power Weapons (except Red Ranger's Power Sword) are given alternate names for this episode only, which incidentally are semi-alliterations.
 * Power Axe: Cosmic Cannon
 * Power Bow: Battle Bow
 * Power Daggers: Dino Daggers
 * Power Lance: Mighty Mace
 * In several shots, the Pink Ranger's costume appears gray (the color grading is off in the entire shots in question compared to the restored Zyuranger DVD, but the Pink Ranger costume is the most noticeable).
 * Whether it was a mistake on Saban's part or Toei's is unknown, but several shots with the gray-colored Pink Ranger have similar shots where the Pink Ranger is the correct color. In addition, when the shot of the Rangers posing with their weapons is reused in Foul Play in the Sky, the shot is at the correct color levels from Zyuranger.
 * The 2010 reversion corrected only the first occurence.
 * There are balls of light that escape from Gnarly Gnome's ashes after he is destroyed by a slash from the Power Sword. Those balls of light were actually trapped children souls. They are also the balls that were Baboo's secret ingredients while cooking for Gnarly Gnome (in the Zyuranger episode, Dora Goblin was eating children's souls).
 * Gnarly Gnome's boots switch feet with no explanation during the scene when he's leading the captured girls into the cave. In a later scene they switch back after he's woken up. In the original Zyuranger episode, they switched feet as part of a trick to make the Gnarly Gnome visible to the Zyurangers. Gnarly Gnome's attempt to sneak away while invisible is another artifact from the original Zyuranger storyline.
 * Whilst fighting against the Rangers and thier Power Weapons, Gnarly Gnome had his rake before Jason jumped at him, didn't have it when he reacted to Jase, and had it again when he was struck.