{"id":7449,"date":"2019-12-04T13:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T21:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7449"},"modified":"2019-11-15T21:00:23","modified_gmt":"2019-11-16T05:00:23","slug":"mark-watches-monster-episode-34-at-the-edge-of-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2019\/12\/mark-watches-monster-episode-34-at-the-edge-of-darkness\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Monster’: Episode 34 – At the Edge of Darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the thirty-fourth episode of Monster<\/i>, Johan takes care of a loose end, and Dr. Tenma helps someone in need. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Monster<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of violence against sex workers, racism\/xenophobia, poverty<\/b><\/p>\n

This show is perpetually The Most, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. THE MOST.<\/p>\n

Red Hindenberg<\/b><\/p>\n

I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get why Johan did all of this.<\/p>\n

The Red Hindenberg was certain that she did<\/i> know what was going on, and sadly, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think she was right. Unless I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m missing something, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see why Johan would ever need to get revenge on Schuwald. And how is it getting revenge to help his biological son find him and reunite with him??? That is some weird-ass revenge, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. So what is actually going on here? Why did Johan get involved with all of this?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a working theory aside from Johan just enjoying his ability to manipulate people. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153At The Edge of Darkness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about that answer, though. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about darkness and how both Johan and Tenma approach the concept. Red Hindenberg knew too much, and Johan had her executed by Roberto. (And really, this episode pretty much outright confirms that Roberto is working directly with Johan all the time.) But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a simplistic description of what happens here. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just that he needed to tie up a loose end; Johan delighted in besting this woman. He seemed to thrive<\/i> at seeing the horror and shock on her face when she realized her \u00e2\u20ac\u0153man\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was not with her, but with Johan. He says something very telling to the Red Hindenberg before he leaves: he found an even darker place beneath the darkness that was already<\/i> in him. And unlike what we hear later, Johan marched proudly into that darkness. He lives there. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set up an estate in that darkness, and he seems to have no willingness to stop<\/i>. (Does that make his message to Dr. Tenma on that rooftop a lie???) This is who he is.<\/p>\n

The Doctor<\/b><\/p>\n

Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this show so often drops me into a new plot with no introduction to it at all, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so cool how I can just settle into it, knowing that the show is going to bring me to a place of understanding as long as I trust it. So, there had to be a reason that Tenma was in the waiting room of that clinic. (He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just keeping his sniper rifle with him at all times, right???) Yet \u00e2\u20ac\u0153At the Edge of Darkness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d takes me on a wild journey of xenophobia and poverty before giving me the reason for this detour. And was<\/i> it a detour? I think Monster<\/i> places an equal value on character development\u00e2\u20ac\u201dincluding character studies like this episode\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand plot momentum. Both of them are necessary for the story, and this episode worked so well as a reflection of where Dr. Tenma was at in this part of his life.<\/p>\n

In essence, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a deeply moral person. He may be descending into a darkness, but he hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lost that moral center. While visiting this clinic\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich serves almost exclusively Asian immigrants in Munich\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhe immediately leaps up to help the seventeen-year-old \u00e2\u20ac\u0153doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who is running the place after the last doctor died. But notice that he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do the work that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needed until he has<\/i> to. He teaches the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u009d what to do because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be much better off with knowledge rather than someone to swoop in and save the day. I also bet that Tenma was aware of the fact that he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stay here, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that whole adage of teaching someone to fish rather than giving them fish. This young woman would be able to keep doing what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing and<\/i> do it better.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget that Dr. Tenma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s final lines to this doctor are such a fascinating mirror for Johan. Tenma knows he is descending into a darkness, but he still tells this woman to shine a light on the darkness. Maybe he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s willing to go as far as he is for his own reasons. But he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want others<\/i> to follow his path, while Johan is actively encouraging other people (LIKE CHILDREN!!!) to go along with him.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am listening to my friends\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 podcast, Deadline City<\/i>, while writing this, and the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Destination: Villain Mansion\u00e2\u20ac\u009d episode is so relevant here. These characters are two sides of the same coin, and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on opposite ends of the spectrum. Well, actually, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say they started<\/i> that way, and now\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I think Dr. Tenma is worried he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s moving too close to Johan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s side. The question is: Does he think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth it?<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153At the Edge of Darkness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now OUT!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"