In the twenty-eight episode of Death Note, Light realizes what he’s up against. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Death Note.Â
GOOD LORD, THIS WAS TENSE, AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN LIGHT SO VISIBLY UNCERTAIN AND UPSET ANDÂ THIS IS A GREAT DEVELOPMENT. Granted, I am not thrilled that Mello now has the Death Note. He’s a chaotically evil version of Light, and he’s only been in TWO EPISODES. But Light has never been so far behind or out of step before, and it gives the show a completely new dynamic to work with.
The Swap
I didn’t actually know how far this episode would go. Would Soichiro really hand over the Death Note? It’s not that I questioned his love of his daughter; I believed that his characterization thus far pretty much guaranteed that he’d do anything for his family. But come on, would they really give the Death Note to Mello? THAT CAN’T HAPPEN.
The elaborate, complicated, and utterly ridiculous means that Mello and his men go to in order to obtain the Death Note is significant because, as I said before, no one had been able to truly best Light. Ever. L tried, and LOOK WHERE THAT GOT HIM. (I miss him.) But Mello comes out of nowhere, concocts a truly absurd method to get what he wants, and executes it flawlessly. Seriously, let’s go over this. He:
- orchestrates the quietest hijacking of an airplane ever, all so that it can land somewhere in the middle of the desert in America and then continue on to its final destination of Los Angeles. (Can you imagine how fucking terrifying that must have been if you were on that plain? IT LANDED IN THE DESERT!!!! Good lord, they’re probably all traumatized now.)
- is fully aware that Soichiro will be monitored by satellite, so the entire swap is UNDERGROUND IN A SECRET BUNKER THAT SOME GANG OR MAFIA ONCE USED.
- has his man utilize a revolving door that is so deviously brilliant that I can’t even believe a human thought of it.
- has that same man making the trade test out the Death Note before accepting it
- then has two separate “vehicles” leave the compound at the same time so that those surveilling him don’t know which one has the Death Note on it.
- makes one of the vehicles a missile. I cannot even remotely exaggerate here, y’all. A missile. A MISSILE.
- waits until the missile is out of sensor range, then blows up the helicopter with his henchman onboard, guaranteeing that no one will be able to be arrested and possibly identify him.
I THOUGHT LIGHT WAS RIDICULOUS AND OVERLY-DETAILED ABOUT HIS PLANS, BUT HE HAS CLEARLY MET HIS MATCH. Look, it’s not just that he’s detailed and able to consider multiple angles; Meelo is chaotic. WHO ELSE THOUGHT THAT HE HAD THAT GUY SHOOT SAYU? I believed it. Without Near, I think that Mello is unpredictable. And this is just the start! He has the Death Note for a few minutes and he kills off the majority of the SPK staff. What’s next?
Ally
I still wonder if Near thinks that the replacement L is Kira. I can’t tell! Perhaps Near is trying to set up Light to fail so that he can definitively catch him. Regardless, I still find this new development – the partnership between Near and Light – to be brilliant even if Near has no suspicion. It unnerves Light because it’s way too close to what he escaped after killing off L. But he’s at a disadvantage here, isn’t he??? Perhaps that’s the reference in the episode’s title. He’s so impatient with what Mello’s done that he begrudgingly accepts Near’s help, knowing it puts him at risk. I think you can see that impatience in the frightening examples of him lashing out at Misa throughout the episode. He’s fraying around the edges because he suddenly can’t control everything.
Shinigami
SO LET’S ADD YET ANOTHER VARIABLE: RYUK STOLE THE DEATH NOTE THAT WAS DROPPED IN THE HUMAN WORLD AND NOW ANOTHER SHINIGAMI IS GONNA COME DOWN AND MESS EVERYTHING UP.
THIS SHOW CONTINUES TO ESCALATE. IT’S SUCH A FUN RIDE.
The video for “Impatience” 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!
