Mark Watches ‘Monster’: Episode 25 – Thursday’s Boy

In the twenty-fifth episode of Monster, two university students become obsessed with the secretive life of a wealthy man they work for. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Monster. 

Trigger Warning: For mention of abuse and discussion of suicide

What the fuck, y’all? I have no idea what this new twist/story thread means, but I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS. Monster has done similar introductions like this, where the beginning of an episode seems unconnected from the larger narrative. So, on that front, I was prepared for this. I figured this would somehow tie into what we’d seen, but lord. Now I remember that there was the theory put forth that Johan was setting out to “erase” his past because he’d found a family (and relative stability). This seems to suggest that at least part of that is true???

But before I jump ahead into Johan’s apparent life as a law student (THAT SEEMS DELIBERATELY EVIL, HOLY SHIT), I wanted to discuss Karl and Lotte, who I suspect we’re going to see a lot of while the story remains in Munich. They’re curious characters, particularly Lotte, but they’re also just good people. And I think that’s the point. Neither of them know what they’re getting involved with, and that’s especially the case with Karl, whose attempt to connect with his birth parents hasn’t left him terribly jaded. He has had what sounds like a challenging life, moving from one foster home to another, often because of abuse. What we see of him on the show, though, is kind. Considerate. Maybe a little eager for validation. I think he really wants to win over Mr. Schuwald and feels self-conscious about his reading ability.

In every respect, though, these two students feel pretty normal, and by that, I also mean that they’re unattached to the greater nightmare. AT LEAST I THOUGHT THEY WERE. How would their lives intersect with Dr. Tenma or Johan? I assumed if it was with anyone, it would be with Tenma. He was headed to Munich. But as someone who was adopted, I was intrigued by Karl’s attempt to connect with his potential father. It’s interesting to me that Karl has this odd sense of pride around Mr. Schuwald. He suspects that this is his father because his mother told him as much, but… is that even true? That’s what makes this such a bizarre and intriguing story. What if Karl is operating with bad information? What if Edmund Farren was correct, and Schuwald was his father? WHAT IF THEY WERE BOTH RELATED? Whatever the truth is, when Lotte and Karl follow Schuwald, they discover that he’s been visiting a sex worker to pay her out of guilt. Schuwald knows that the mother he screwed over has passed away, and this is what he does to alleviate what he’s feeling. And if Karl really is his son? HE’S RIGHT THERE. Once a week!!! GOOD GOD. 

I admit to being shocked by Edmund’s suicide, and I don’t know how important that is to the story at hand. It’s hard to focus on that both because I have so little information and because the reveal of Friday’s boy was so upsetting. But this is also Monster. This show is so methodical and intentional that I have to believe this isn’t a coincidence or else I’m going to be in TROUBLE.

So how fucking long has Johan been attending this school??? How long has Lotte known him? Does anyone suspect he isn’t who he says he is? I have a million questions, y’all, and I just want to point out one really cool thing. If you change the music and the context of everything around it, Johan’s appearance here looks exactly like when an anime introduces a super hot, mysterious character. I feel like that’s intentional, and it’s why it’s so fucking disturbing. Lotte might think he’s that kind of person, but THE AUDIENCE KNOWS BETTER. Oh god, this is going to be a lot, isn’t it? We’ve so little time with Johan, and he’s about to be front and center. RIGHT?? h e l p

The video for “Thursday’s Boy” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

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About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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