How did I not realize last episode that Gaap's dress was completely split on that one side?!
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What did the handwriting match prove to Ange? That Maria wrote all those letters, that the entire journal could be faked, or something else. Also, was it just me, or did she see Sakutarou in that bag at the boatman's place? If so, does that mean...what does that mean? Maria has been alive all this time, tricking both Eva and Ange for 12 long years? Or that all the hopes that Ange based her life on reading Maria's journal have been a lie? Too many questions!

Jessica's stand didn't really do anything for me, but George was badass. Quite a contrary to the usual devoted but helpless loser we're used to. It might have been a bit hard to swallow that he's had such proficient martial arts training and has not used it in any of the prior iterations, but that surprisingly didn't really detract from his badass resolve. Tricking Gaap into thinking they had created another monster, only to immediately betray them, well played. His words about how monarch's display their strength convinced me completely. I can see how his sudden burst of confidence and resolve could be viewed as magic to Gaap and her kind. His words earlier about how the whole world becomes his enemy as Shannon's husband struck a chord too, well spoken.

The one good thing Jessica caught was that Ronove is far more closely related to Genji Ronoue than we might have believed earlier. It puts a very different spin on his death here, as well as the showdown the pair had in a prior iteration. There is certainly now room for Ronove to be Genji, at least in a manner of speaking. They are both Genji. Here, "Genji" was killed, leaving only "Ronove", a highly loyal servant to Goldsmith (and Beatrice's forces) and no one else. "Genji" and he have fought before the same way that Eva was struggling against Eva-Beatrice, her own monster within. While "Genji" cares deeply for the entire family, "Ronove" is loyal only to the murderer. When one "dies," Genji remains alive, but no longer conflicted. That would leave plenty of opportunities for that Sealed Room mysteries to be resolved, as well as eliminating a need for the non-existent 6th (or 7th?) Master Key. So while it may be true that "Genji" is not betraying anyone, "Ronove" certainly may be.

I'm really looking forward to Battler's Question and response. He doesn't have any easily exploited romantic or familial love here. He didn't even mention Ange until the last arc. Way to forget about your own incredibly adorable sister. I suppose they might press him on whether or not he loved Kyrie as a mother since she isn't his by blood. The answer would be obvious then, she taught him his favorite catchphrase about chessboards after all.

If anything disappointed me, it would be that this arc seems to have forgotten about the game between Battler and Beatrice. He's got the blue truth now, and he hasn't even questioned a single one of these recent events.


tl;dr
Maria not quite dead(?) / Ange's hopes dashed?
George = Badass.
Genji = Ronove?
Battler, where have you been lately?