In the fifteenth episode of Death Note, Light and L both make a wager. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Death Note.
Trigger Warning: For police brutality, torture.
I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS EPISODE.
Light’s Wager
Picking up from the last episode, Light begins to set in motion his plan to finally kill L. With Rem on his side, he negotiates calling Misa to give the final order to execute his nemesis, and even when doing that, he is utterly creepy. I really did not like it when he kissed Misa, and I disliked it even more when he outright admitted that he needed to make sure that Misa stayed infatuated with him. UGH, HE IS SO GROSS. I do wonder what the intent was in portraying Misa as she was in these episodes. Since there are so few women on the show, that means there’s the unfortunate implication of Misa feeling like a stereotype. Is she written to be so single-minded because the writers felt like this is what a woman would be like with the Death Note powers? I can’t tell because I have nothing to compare her to, you know?
I am certain that Light’s behavior is indicative of his need to view everyone as if they aren’t an actual human. I CAN STATE THAT. And it’s because of this – and Misa’s presence – that Light makes his wager: it is time to kill L. Definitively. And he resolves to do it within 24 hours, using the Death Note to make it seem like an accident. What’s so thrilling about watching this moment unfold, though, is that it shows us Light being impulsive. He doesn’t know how he’ll kill L, nor does he even say how he’ll get L’s real name. At one point, he event tells Ryuk, “I can only speculate what’ll happen after he dies.” Is that how desperate Light has become to resolve this? Light doesn’t speculate; he meticulously plans everything.
L’s Wager
Which makes L’s wage EVEN MORE EXCITING. Immediately following this, the show cleverly parallels L and Light. This time, L makes his wager by telling Souichiro that if he dies in the next few days, then Kira is most certainly his son. Why? As insurance because L’S WAGER IS DELIBERATELY PROVOKING LIGHT SO THAT LIGHT WILL HOPEFULLY REVEAL THE TRUTH. His “sneak attack” is catching Light off-guard at school, telling Light of what he told Souichiro, and then waiting, just to see what happens.
The funniest part? I guessed it right before it happened, and I didn’t even really think it was possible.
Misa
BECAUSE MISA ALSO SHOWS UP UNEXPECTEDLY AND MY ENTIRE SOUL IS RIPPED OUT OF MY BODY BECAUSE EVERY SECOND, SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNREAL HAPPENS. She sees L’s real name. SHE SEES L’S REAL NAME, AND SHE CAN’T TELL LIGHT BECAUSE A CROWD OF PEOPLE RECOGNIZE HER AND THEN LIGHT IS TRYING TO CALL HER AFTER LYING AND THE WHOLE SCENE IS JUST SO TENSE AND TERRIFYING. Y’all, anything could have happened in that moment, and I was at the mercy of Death Note. That’s honestly amazing, you know? It’s great when a story can grab you so much that you’re fully immersed in the adventure, and I most definitely was. I had to know who would act first. I needed to see the ramifications of that fateful run-in. Would Misa get L’s real name to Light before L could do anything? Would L put the pieces together because of the way that Light blocked Misa when L said his alias?
I STILL WASN’T READY.
The Arrest
I find it really bizarre that Kira’s arrest involves her being shackled upright, blindfolded with metal, and then tortured (off-screen) for three days, and at no point does the narrative itself seem to suggest that this is a bad thing. I don’t even think that this is an issue of American police brutality versus Japan’s version of it. It’s just… not addressed? Did they have permission to do whatever they wanted with Misa? Did anyone else know of her arrest? What room did they manage to get where they could set up that creepy device? Thankfully, the scene didn’t trigger me at all, and I think that was because I was so focused on the logistics of it all that I never thought too hard about it. I get that catching Kira is a big deal for all of these people, and I’m happy that they all believe that Kira’s murders are 100% wrong. Does that mean they should be allowed to do something like this to a teenage girl??? No, not at all!!! It’s horrifying! Did they feed her? Anything???
It’s a really frightening thought. She was tortured, and they got nothing out of her. In the end, she begged for Rem to kill her. His solution, though, while more complicated, keeps Light accountable for how he used her. (Though I hope she’s made to be accountable for all the murders she committed. She did those willingly.) I forgot that a person could forfeit their own Death Note. It allows her memory to be wiped out so that she holds no knowledge of the entire affair. But Rem refuses to let Light off the hook. And really, that’s the most dangerous wager that’s left. If Light does not save Misa from her fate, Rem will kill Light.
THIS WAR KEEPS GETTING MORE AND MORE MESSED UP.
The video for “Wager” 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.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– 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.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
