As expected, Kotetsu finds it difficult to tell his co-workers that he's deciding to hang up the cape. This episode reinforces the darker themes that we've seen lately, as we hop back onto the Ouroboros track. I felt that this episode was weaker compared to others, but seeing Barnaby flipping out is pretty cool. Being Barnaby is suffering.
Before we get into the Barnaby stuff, how about something a little more light-hearted? They think that Kaede has the power to mimic the powers of the last NEXT she touched, kind of like Rogue from X-Men. I think these powers can prove quite useful; perhaps Kaede has a future in being a Hero. Perhaps she'll finally be relevant to the plot afterwards because of these powers. And of course she's angry that Kotetsu breaks his promise. The guy just can't catch a break, huh?
Kriem has finally woken up from her coma since she fell from the helicopter about a year ago, and we get a little back-story form her. She was persecuted because of her NEXT powers, and Jake was the only one who accepted her existence. Though I didn't really feel sorry for Kriem, I hated her parents. I can't believe that they only cared about their own image; I thought parents always worried about their children before worrying about themselves. I also liked that Kotetsu called her out on her hipocrisy; to persecute or be persecuted aren't the only options.
Yep, I guessed that she was going to say that after seeing the preview from last week's episode. This isn't exactly surprising because we all know that Ouroboros-themed episodes haven't finished yet, so they wouldn't give Barnaby his closure with his parents' murder. She even reveals that they were only a small part of Ouroboros, which isn't surprising either. Her story provides Jake with an alibi because Jake kidnapped her on Christmas Eve 21 years ago, the same day Barnaby's parents were killed. And, looking back on the tape, Kotetsu and Barnaby confirms that Jake didn't have a tattoo on the back of his hand.
Barnaby seems to be suffering from confabulation. His faulty memory puts the faces of many people as the murderer, including Samantha, Maverick, Rotwang, Lunatic, Kotetsu, and even himself. I think it's likely that he's having this memory trouble because of the trauma he experienced when it happened. Now, the theory that the sleeping chambers is actually Maverick's plan to alter Barnaby's memories doesn't seem so crackpot after all.
Wow, look at Barnaby's face. Doesn't look really happy, does he? From here on, I think there are plenty of ways the writers can handle this Barnaby/Ouroboros thing. Maybe the big bad will finally make his/her appearance. *cough* Maverick *cough* We'll probably get an Ouroboros-related villain next week either way, since we didn't get a criminal-of-the-week for two weeks now. Will Kotetsu be able to tell Baranby he's going to retire? Will Kaede be skating in that rink? Looking forward to next week's episode.
-Bern
