In the twenty-fourth episode of Death Note, this show just evolved in ways I can’t even begin to fathom. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Death Note.Â
I don’t even know how to deal with this show anymore.
I think that based on the last review, it was pretty clear that I had at least set myself up for the possibility that one or more of these characters would touch Rem’s Death Note and get the answer they’d been searching for this whole time. But given how many more episodes there were, I figured that somehow, Light would be the sole person to do so, keeping his secret safe from the world at large.
I certainly did not expect Higuchi to admit that he used the Death Note to everyone watching, and in no world did I ever anticipate THE ENTIRE TEAM TOUCHING THE DEATH NOTE. That’s what I mean whenever I talk about how far Death Note is willing to go. The story could have stayed a lot more contained than this, but nope. NOT AT ALL. Every member of the team (including L and Aizawa, who rejoined the group!!!) touches the Death Note, and they all see Rem looming over Yoichiro and Mogi. (Well, some of them do wait until later to touch it.) In that instant, this whole show changes. That’s probably the most memorable thing about “Revival,” at least for me. The whole direction and tone of Death Note shifts, and it all feels markedly surreal. This is no longer just a police procedural for all the investigators. It’s all supernatural, and they can’t deny it anymore. And I guess I didn’t realize how much I’d compartmentalized the narrative. I viewed everything as part of one of two stories unfolding at the same time. I don’t think that’s wrong, since Light’s narrative is frequently an inner monologue or conducted in secret.
But it goes beyond that. Light lives in a world of the supernatural, and up to this episode, every other character aside from Misa lived separate from that. What happens now that they’re all in the same world???
I’ll address that, but let me back up to Light’s flashback, which explains the complicated machinations that went into Light’s plan to hide in plain sight. I now wish those cards that appear at the halfway point would stay on the screen longer because I feel like they would have helped me grasp what happened when Light relinquished control of the Death Note. So, he passes his own Death Note back to Ryuk, who gives it to Rem, making him the owner of it. That’s the same notebook that Higuchi takes possession of and Light will eventually touch in “Revival,” bringing back all his memories of being Kira. Now, he was smart enough to save a piece of the ORIGINAL notebook he had so he could kill Higuchi in the open AND gain possession of the notebook he held. That leaves the other Death Note, which he had buried so that Misa could find it and join him, both of them now fully aware of what they’ve done and who they are.
Actually, I feel like I understood that pretty well! NEVERMIND, I JUST HAD TO TYPE IT OUT.
Anyway, the point is that Light has manipulated everyone and everything specifically so that he can end up on top. That includes Misa, and I’m predicting that he purposefully manipulated her into making a second deal with a shinigami so that her life would be drastically reduced. I would not be surprised if she was never meant to be a part of Light’s new world. He might say he wants her there, but I don’t believe him. Light cares about himself and himself only, and he just asked Misa to halve her life A SECOND TIME.
I’m also hoping that L is only publicly claiming that Light and Misa are innocent, all so he can quietly keep suspecting them. I’m so nervous about this development, though, because it allows Light to be completely free of the investigative team. Oh, sure, he’ll probably stick around so he can monitor everything, keep these people from getting close to him, but now? He’s won, hasn’t it? At least for the time being. However, there are now a bunch of variables and chaotic factors just sitting around. All these detectives and cops and investigators all know the truth of the Death Note. (Well, except that Light lied about one of the rules that governs the notebook. HE IS SO EVIL, Y’ALL.) How are they going to approach this case knowing the truth? I bet that Light will start killing criminals in the next episode, and I don’t know how this will progress from there. Don’t they all know way too much? Can’t they use the knowledge they have of the Death Note to be better detectives? How many red herrings will Light give them to keep them busy?
I am comfortable stating that something like that can’t last forever. Something will have to come crashing down. What could that be??? Look, I still have hope that L is way ahead of Light here. HE’S TOO SMART. He’s got to have figured this out, right?
The video for “Revival” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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