In the twelfth episode of Death Note, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHOW. Intrigued? Then it’s time to watch Death Note.
I felt like the last episode escalated this story quite far in very little time. I WAS WRONG, THIS ONE WENT EVEN FURTHER.
Light
I am learning that I should never underestimate how Light and L will adapt to a situation. On the surface, it seemed pretty obvious to me: L would utilize Light to gain on outside perspective, all in an attempt to flush out the Second Kira. But there’s so much more depth to this act. L is still behaving in a way that acknowledges that there is not a 0% chance that Light is Kira. He doesn’t invite Light to contribute to the case unless he can also trap him into incriminating himself along the way. So L sits Light down in front of Second Kira’s tape with no introduction or context whatsoever, and he watches him.
And watches.
And watches.
Now, Light isn’t a fool, and he’s quick to realize that he’s been set-up. If he doesn’t deduce that there’s a second Kira, that means he is – more or less – ensuring that L must appear on television, putting L in danger of death. Thus, Light has to go along with the case. He has to identity a copycat, and he has to do what he can to “save” L from death, lest he arouse a whole lot of suspicion along the way. Y’all, this is so brilliant. It’s proof of why L is such a valued force!
And then Second Kira throws a curveball, and this show becomes something else.
The Tape
I thought the escalation in the previous episode – which pushed the entire Kira narrative into the public sphere in a shocking way – was about as far as Death Note would take it for a whole. I’m certainly settling in for a wild ride at this point, I should say. It’s not like I’m expecting this narrative to get stale. But “Assault” felt like this huge development, and I thought the show would focus on that for a while. Instead, we are given two huge pieces of this story, and both of them alter the narrative irrevocably.
SECOND KIRA’S REPLY TO THE FAKE KIRA EXPLICITLY REFERENCES BOTH THE SHINIGAMI AND THE SHINIGAMI EYES. WHAT THE FUCK.
See, I was right in assuming that she would slip up. She’s not as careful as Light, and she has no reason to be. In her mind, she’s as good as invincible. She has the Death Note, she has the Shinigami eyes, and she’s got Kira’s attention. Obviously, she’s not invincible, but she’s got an advantage that no one else has, not even Light. Light, on the other hand, desperately needs to locate Second Kira and stop her before she blows the whole thing. Yet how is he going to do this with the scrutiny of L and the police officers hovering over him? I honestly don’t know. Any attempt he makes to contact her might end up in L’s hands, and it might lead them straight to her or Light, and if that happens? Well, then they might just discover the Death Note.
Love
There’s so much going on in this episode that I was positive the show would cut away right before Second Kira’s shinigami revealed how to kill him. Why would they reveal something this huge so early into the show? Because Death Note doesn’t give a shit about me, and I was shocked to watch an extended flashback sequence play out. It introduced me to a shinigami named Gelus, who made the mistake of falling in love with a human, who he saved from death out of love. Now, I think it’s clear that it’s pretty hard to actually “love” someone you’ve never met or interacted with in your life, and that one-sided relationship did not end well for Gelus. But I also understand the shinigami much better, too. They aren’t reapers at all; they simply exist to take life from humans before those people are meant to. That’s how they stay alive for so long. Therefore, Gelus is punished when he spares a life that was supposed to end.
Oh, was that not mind-blowing enough? SECOND KIRA IS THE SAME WOMAN THAT GELUS SAVED THAT NIGHT, which means his Death Note is NOW HERS. I’m interested to see what weight that holds in the narrative. Is she special because of this? How many humans have inherited a Death Note prior to this? Is Second Kira’s shinigami aware that she’s trying to get them to fall in love with her? HOW EASY IS IT FOR THEM TO RESIST HUMAN LOVE? When will this show give me a break? Probably never. My gods, are Light and her going to meet in that cafe in the next episode??? I’M NOT READY, Y’ALL. I AM TRULY NOT.
The video for “Love” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
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– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be Death Note and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
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