Man, looking back at these nineties shows makes you realize how crazy television used to be when we were younger. The episode called A Nightmare On Rodeo Drive from that wild show Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills is pure nostalgia. You have this evil emperor named Gorganus sending down a sorcerer monster to mess with the teenage heroes. The plot gets heavy because the sorcerer puts them into a deep sleep spell, and they start living out their absolute worst fears. It actually reminds me of how stress works in real life when you feel like everything is crashing down at once.

The way the show handles their nightmares is hilarious but also kind of relatable if you look past the cheap costumes and the rubber monsters. You have Laurie getting her birthday dinner ruined, Swinton getting a failing grade, and Gordon losing his big college acceptance. As a father, I know how much kids nowadays worry about school and their future, so seeing these superhero teens stress over a bad report card while a giant space wizard is trying to conquer Earth is just too funny. They even think their blob mentor Nimbar stripped away their powers for good. It really captures that dramatic teenage feeling where one bad mistake feels like the absolute end of the world.

Eventually, the kids figure out it is all a dream, snap out of the trance, and beat the monster like they always do. It is a cheesy, low budget piece of television from 1994, but it has a good little message about not letting your fears control your mind. The special effects look like something made in a garage, but the episode is entertaining to watch if you want a good laugh and a trip down memory lane. It is not high art, but it does exactly what a Saturday morning kids show is supposed to do.