Mark Watches ‘Death Note’: Episode 18 – Ally

In the eighteenth episode of Death Note, WHAT IS GOING ON. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Death Note. 

SO MUCH TO DISCUSS.

The Fight

I feel like the show is avoiding many of the deep logistical question I have about this arrangement. How do Light and L use the bathroom? Shower? Put on clothing? Are they not allowed to change clothes at all while in this predicament, or does someone come and separate them for a moment so they can remain under surveillance? What has Soichiro told his family to explain why everyone was away for such a long time? I expected that period would last a few days, but FIFTY DAYS. What does the family think at this point??? WHO KNOWS?

But there’s one thing here that does feel realistic: L and Light finally beat the shit out of each other. WHO SAW THAT COMING? Actually, I didn’t, but after being attached to one another for TWO MONTHS STRAIGHT, I’m surprised it took that long for them to take a swing at each other. But I wanted to unpack the scene because it’s so fascinating to think about what each character means by what they say. The fight starts because Light is certain that L just wants him to be Kira, the evidence be damned. L DOESN’T DENY THIS. This whole conversation takes place while both of them slug it out, and it’s thrilling to watch because I didn’t expect these two to fight so early in the show. It’s almost like it’s a precursor to a much bigger fight, WHICH IS GOING TO BE SO RIDICULOUS.

But L’s obsession with Light is a fair thing to challenge. That obsession has consumed him so much that for months upon months, he’s done nothing but work on this case. Nothing! Do we even know anything about L aside from his love for sugar? No, and it’s never been relevant to the story, either. L focuses on the case, and thus, that’s all we focus on, too. At this point, does L even suspect anyone else aside from Light and Misa? No, not really, even when he guesses (correctly!) that Kira’s “power” can jump from one person to the next. I don’t think L will ever take his eye off of Light for the remainder of the show.

Kira

It’s also really weird to think about how the rest of the world perceives Kira. At this point, so many months have passed that it’s easy to presume that the general public has moved on. Does anyone think that the case will be solved? On top of that, Kira’s techniques have changed now that the Yotsuba Group is using a shinigami to take out their rivals. To everyone but Light, Kira still seems like an impossible person. But still a person. L still frames his understanding of this case with the idea that there’s an actual person behind Kira. With the Yotsuba murders, L postulates that Kira’s powers passed to someone knew within the company.

He’s not wrong, but he’s still thinking about this all in the wrong way. That’s unfortunate because Kira morphs in this episode. For the first time in the show, Kira blackmails people. Obviously, this is because the eight men at the ttop of the Yotsuba Group have a different endgame in mind. They’re simply interested in gaining power and becoming unbelievably rich. They aren’t a subtle, as careful, or as calculating as Light was, and there’s a part of me that’s convinced that Light knew this. He probably sent Rem specifically to these people or someone like them, just so that the attention would be off him and on someone else who is far better at distracting L’s attention.

There’s an surprise consequence to this, though: Kira blackmails the police, who shut down the investigation on Kira. Now, as I said earlier, I’m assuming that the general public has no faith in the police to solve this case, so I wonder if that was another factor in the decision to threaten the remaining members of the task force. It doesn’t matter that they’d collected decent evidence or that they were closer than ever to catching Kira. The head honchos of the police force decided to save themselves instead. All of this puts the team in an uncomfortable position: if they keep pursuing Kira, they’ll get fired. If they stay a cop, they can’t work on this case.

It’s a terrible predicament, but more so for Aizawa than anyone else. Soichiro has a personal stake in this case, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t hesitate to keep investigating. Matsuda is dedicated and exuberant, so I wasn’t surprised when he vowed to quit his job to stay on the case. Aizawa… well, things are a lot more complicated. His family life requires his attention, and it’s subtly hinted that he needs his job, which is why he’s so angered by L’s reveal that he would have taken care of Aizawa if he had stayed. It’s heartbreaking to watch because the man has tried so hard to do his best. So why is he crying at the end of the episode? Is it out of joy because he gets to spend time with his family? Or is he distraught because he may have thrown away a huge opportunity? I don’t quite know, but I’m not sure we’ll see him again. Maybe? He’s not dead, so there’s still a chance.

SO WHO ARE THESE TWO NEW TEAM MEMBERS? A con-man and a thief? WHERE’S THE LEVERAGE CROSSOVER. JUST DO THAT.

The video for “Ally” 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.
– I 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!