[DreamSword]

Episode 33: Badge

I could recite this entire episode in my sleep.

And by that I mean that out of all the episodes this season, this is the one I remember rewatching the most as a kid, and even now I still love it.

If you've been reading my reviews for awhile, this statement probably won't be any sort of shock to you, but the biggest thing carrying this episode is its overall mood and atmosphere. It helps make the entire episode feel big in scale.

And it is! Not only is an emotionally powerful episode for all parties involved, but it's essentially the signal that SPD is starting to enter it's endgame. With one of the following episodes hammering in that nail. It managing to be both close and personal as well as a big piece for the grander plot is impressive.

Icthior, Cruger's' old rival, is also my favorite monster of the week this season. Him being the evil counterpart to Cruger always stood out to me due to how much both his design and attitude lean into that idea. The Ocean Saber opposing the Shadow Saber, his predominantly red design standing against Cruger's' blue, and how Icthior fights for personal gain, when Cruger fights to defend others.

The guy being a "hero killer" of sorts is also a big plus. That Icthior is able to take out the entire B-Squad with such ease and brutality, to the point that he even fractures some of their bones, makes for a very big threat even compared to alot of the other crooks that SPD has gone up against. And it's of course what leads to that great "heroic stand" moment from Jack and Z. There's so much good character work here, just as there always is in Power Rangers.

And I can't possibly end this one without noting how I believe this episode highlights more than any other how smart and careful the writing on SPD is with its wording. Yes, TV censors are much different in the USA than they are in Japan, but SPD almost always puts in the effort to still make the dialogue sound as natural as possible despite the limitations. Case in point, this episode features Morganna stealing giant gallons of blood for Gruumm, and to get away with it all they not to do was not say the word directly.

It's just a really enjoyable episode all around, and I'll always have a soft spot for it even if it's not my personal favorite episode(but man is it a good one).