Quote Originally Posted by Xrlderek
No mystery/speculation at all(except Battler and Rosa suspecting each other), which is a little disappointing. Loved the grotesque scenes. Maria's promise was great. Good "fight" scenes. I thought the dialogue between the witches was slightly short but other than that I thought it was great.
I disagree about the mystery and speculation completely. The bookends of the episode (Shannon and George's death scene and the discussion between the witches) were the most important parts.

That Bernkastel hasn't been an observer is interesting. If she is as formidable as Beatrice claimed at the end of the first arc, then Battler may have gained an incredible ally, while Beatrice has gained a very large foe. On the other hand, now that it seems Lambdadelta, the witch who is absolutely guaranteed to slay her target, isn't quite dead, Battler may be in even deeper than he thought. I like the dynamic between the three, Beatrice's amusement, Bernkastel's dignified disgust at Beatrice's personal taste, and Lamdadelta's mischievous fury at Bernkastel.

The other key point, was Beatrice's reaction at Shannon and George's trust in each other. Beatrice is usually much amused by those who oppose her. She certainly is at Battler, and she loves to toy with Kanon. The same has typically been the case with Shannon as well. Until her speech about her and George's love. Beatrice became swiftly very serious, and enraged, something that we have never seen before. She had a very negative view of love and relationships. That they were only physical, that George would look at Shannon lustfully and just use her. Shannon defended their bond, and pushed Beatrice over the edge.

When you combine that Kinzo's behavior, and especially his remarks about apologizing to Beatrice, it becomes a potentially huge character development for Beatrice. There are rumors that she wasn't simply his alchemist, but perhaps his mistress as well. Did Kinzo seduce Beatrice, then betray her? Perhaps this lead to her death, and she is attempting to return for vengeance. She simply needs Battler to acknowledge her, as the others do.


While I want to think that Maria figured out that Rosa lied to her, that scene was more likely Beatrice torturing Rosa the same way that she toys around with Kanon's semi-dead body.

As for Battler, I'm glad he has his spirits back, but he is still pathetic for giving up in the first place. Maybe Bernkastel can straighten him out.

I think Bernkastel finally solved our dilemma about how the hell this was all happening under the rules of the game. Beatrice was cheating. She was trying to force Battler to give up. The "one-sided game that isn't entertaining" simply wasn't fair in the first place, just a display of Beatrice's power. She was giving Battler all these helpful hints, like the red text, but making it impossible to be explained without magic anyway. That's why she created not only one "closed-room" riddles, but two.