Is this the only piece of fiction, in the history of writing, to have fart jokes with a purpose? To successfully weave fart jokes into a dramatic narrative? This is an episode where the word "fart" is thrown into serious lines of dialogue and...it works. This is still meant to be a comedically-tinged episode, but it reveals some backstory about Yamimaru and ties into it successfully.
Yamimaru lures Zuruten to a location with the vague idea that he's reuniting Zuruten with a "friend." The "friend" is really the latest Bouma-Beast, Hazer Bouma, who Zuruten's not very happy to see. And for good reason, as Hazer Bouma soon takes out a whip and begins lashing Zuruten so hard that he...lets one rip. Soon, Zuruten is on a leash, being pulled around the city by the monster, whipping him to get him to unleash some foul farts. Not only is it a nasty smell, but Zuruten's toots cause humans to fall into a deep sleep.
This episode makes me realize that maybe placing the previous episode where it is carries some logic. After that lackluster plan, here we have Yamimaru terrorizing the city with Zuruten's farts. Your first reaction is "No! Why do something so goofy? Why, after Kirika's face-less slave episode, would you have a fart plan? Why are they making the two cool new villains seem dumb?!" And I feel like 33 is there for that purpose, so this episode takes you by surprise, tricks you, and makes more of an impact as we're told the reasoning behind this episode's plan...
Yamimaru's out for revenge. He talks of his persecution from humanity, and we see a scene from ancient times of a wandering, exhausted Yamimaru catching a glimpse of humans at a camp fire. He uses some magic to make their fire grow, scaring them away, then flocks to the camp site and digs into their food. Shortly after, the people return with buddies, throwing rocks at and attacking Yamimaru. He tries to plead with them, he asks for their help. But they don't trust him because they know he's not human, so they attack him, stringing him up in a tree and firing several arrows into him, leaving him for dead.
For Yamimaru, taking over the world and punishing the humans in such a goofy manner is amusing and serves them right. But that's not all. Throughout the episode, Zuruten keeps trying to escape the Bouma-Beast. The Turboranger catch up with him and he's pretty pathetic. He's begging for their help; he knows he's lowly and a slob, but he doesn't want to go down as the Bouma who died farting people to sleep, he'd rather die in a battle. He's weak, exhausted, embarrassed. Yamimaru reveals that he's never forgotten how, after being left for dead by the humans, he sought help from the Bouma. He happened to find Zuruten with some Ura in a cave, and he pleaded for their help. Zuruten spat on him for being a half-breed and ordered the Ura to attack him, Zuruten eventually attacking him at this low point, as well. So the main goal of this whole plan is to humiliate and shame Zuruten for revenge. It kind of says to me that maybe Yamimaru expected such a reaction from humans, but not Bouma, and that he's maybe a little more angry with that side, as well as that side of him.
Riki decides to help Zuruten, despite the other four thinking he's insane. (We get some cool scenes of Riki riding the Speedster Zuruten bike as they're being attacked by Dragras -- Kenta Sato himself riding through some massive fireballs!) This is rewarded when Zuruten, feigning an attack on the Turboranger team, actually gives them something that counteracts with the sleeping gas, something with which Dazai can concoct a cure from.
An episode that mixes slapstick goofery with dramatic elements and the drama doesn't suffer, but still works, is a rare thing. (Especially in a toku show.) But Turboranger succeeds here.
Random note: at the end of the episode, Yamimaru and Kirika are flying on Dragras, with Yamimaru making cryptic threats of taking down Ragon. This is setting the stage for the awesome, awesome 39th episode.
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