Yes, Philomela, I will really help you. I hate that Philomela has to ask so many times, but each time Chise responds it becomes more real. Their simple, quiet, comfy hug means so much more, because at this point Philomela can’t recall being hugged. Alcyone, freed from Lizbeth’s hacking by Elias, also embraces Philomela, saying she was created only for her.
But as our good guys are having some lovely moments, shit is going down with Lizbeth: she’s now possessed by the book and doing the whole “turning coal black and having roots for hair” thing. She asks why Chise is butting into a matter that isn’t her concern. Because as soon as she learned Philomela was a good person (which was not long after they met), she knew she couldn’t sit back and let her be hurt.
Lizbeth lashes out with the book’s powers, but they’re not that effective against the likes of Elias. We also get the arrival of the female werewolf, who intends to punish Lizbeth for what she did to them and made them do. Alcyone gets between them, and in the process unlocks something within her.
This something is a “curse” implanted within Alcyone’s “programming” that is summoned when Alcyone is attacked with malice protecting Philomela. The curse takes the form of Adam, to serve as a fail-safe should both he and Alcyone fail to protect his daughter.
But now that he’s out, Alcyone’s duty is completed, and she begins to disintegrate. Before she does, she apologizes to Philomela, her charge, for failing her for so long. All she can offer in consolation is all of the recordings of her with her parents, which suddenly flash within Philomela’s head, changing her and making her a more complete version of herself: one who remembered herself. It’s a beautiful gift, and Philomela appreciates it, but to quote Switch, Not like this.
I concur; it’s absolutely gutting when Alcyone suddenly bursts into a cloud of blue feathers and ends up in the form of a beautiful blue bird. Especially when none of the recordings she gave Philomela include her, since she was the “cameraman”. At least she goes out knowing herself, the good and the bad, and knowing with her memories back and her friends, she’ll be alright without her.
I subtitled this review “Calls of Duty” not to call to mind the game (though this episode is full of great names for CoD games: Call of Duty: Shadow of the Deceased; Call of Duty: Incomplete God), but because that’s in effect what this episode is about: people being called to their individual duties.
It starts with Lizbeth: her duty is to bring back Adam. Alcyone’s duty to protect Philomela. Curse Adam’s duty to carry out his master’s revenge. Lucy interrupts him from finishing Lizbeth off because her duty is to learn as much as she can about why her family had to die.
The werewolf’s duty is to avenge her family. But as she claims Lizbeth as her prey, she is interrupted by the arrival of Morrigan. There seems to be some warring going on here, and she wants a piece of the action, as that’s her duty as “parent.”
As the most powerful entity there, Morrigan gets to the head of the line of people wanting a piece of Lizbeth. But Lizbeth is absorbed, Morrigan’s target becomes the eldritch “incomplete” god with no name Lizbeth had started to summon. When asked to serve as her “claw”, Curse Adam accepts, because in means he still gets to destroy Lizbeth.
When Philomela, now remembering her father and who he was to her, instinctively grabs at his coat, he stops her right there, saying she shouldn’t be calling him “father.” There’s enough programming him to be nice and tactful, but not nearly enough to be the dad she lost.
That isn’t this entity’s duty! Instead, he becomes a cool-ass spear that Morrigan, who is the best, by the way, relishes her second opportunity to do battle today.
Ruth helps Morrigan out as her hunting hound, darting about and lining up the nameless god’s tentacles so she can knock ’em down. But it’s still dangerous out there for mere humans. The werewolf ensures to the safety of Lucy and Isaac, while Elias has Chise and Philomela hide within him.
As they observe, Elias notes that Morrigan isn’t going full out, as if she doesn’t intend to defeat the nameless god with Lizbeth within it. That’s because she is a god and the other god was summoned by a human. As such, only a human can send it back.
Morrigan is holding the god at by for them, but she expects them to end it. Philomela believes the only way to do that is to get the book back, and because she was the book’s user before Lizbeth, she’s immune to its negative physical effects.
But as Philomela is being incredibly cool and confident and gallant as she describes how she’ll be the one to go get the book, Lucy arrives and punches her in top of her head, telling her that as her friends (taking what Curse Adam said to heart), it’s their duty to make sure they get the book back without losing her.
The plan they devise to do this involves Chise having Elias split into two hellhound forms, one ridden by Lucy and Isaac, one by Chise and Philomela. Lucy will add another target in addition to Ruth and Morrigan, the latter of whom is free to pierce the eye of the nameless god. The book falls out and into Philomela’s waiting hands. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Having the book is one thing; using it is another. Philomela knows how, but she lacks the magical power. No problem: Chise, Isaac, and Lucy are there to give all they’ve got. But more than the magic they’re transferring, it must mean so much for them to simply have their hands on her in support and love.
Love is something she now remembers, which makes all the years she lacked it all the more painful. But that’s in the past; it’s time to move forward, with Chise and Lucy and Isaac, and … Oh, I’m so sorry you’re missing out on all of this Rian … ah well!
I was actually pretty astonished how many different character threads this episode managed to juggle effectively, while keeping the focus on our dear reawakened deuteragonist Philomela. Now let’s send that nameless god back to whatever dimension it came from, and head back to the College to finish that par-tahy! Or, on second thought, maybe first visit the infirmary…
P.S. I did not think a shark-toothed Chise was something I needed in my life, but now that she’s here, I don’t know how I lived without her! Will we ever see her again?
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