As the title may suggest, the Big Boss of Tiger & Bunny has finally been revealed. Well, it shouldn't come as a surprise, because the writers have thrown hints in here and there, in earlier episodes. The first half of this week's installment is just a bunch of angsty drama, which I don't really care for. The latter half is much more entertaining.
This is pretty much a continuation from the end of the previous episode: Barnaby being a sad bunny. I'm not a fan of angst, but I guess I can't fault the guy. If your own memory is suspect, what do you actually know? I can see why they're showing him as if his world has been shattered.
 |
| Dat pimp hand. |
I think both guys are at fault here. I like both characters, but here's where their flaws collide. What Barnaby said is pretty much half-true. Kotetsu plays the father figure to pretty much the entire cast of the show. But that's not Barnaby sees orwants; he wants to be treated as partners, as equals. Kotetsu listens to the problems of others, but never opens up himself. His brother pretty much forced it out of him. I guess he plays the goofy/clumsy guy because it's much easier than sharing your own problems.
While what Barnaby said about partners trusting each other is true, I don't see where Kotetsu helping him out has anything do with it being easier to quit. As the viewer, we can see that Kotetsu genuinely cares for Barnaby and wouldn't quit on his partner during his most trying time, whether he still has his NEXT powers or not. Wouldn't this be so much easier if they could both just talk it out?
And the not-so-big reveal is that Albert Maverick is the final boss. We were already given several hints that he was behind this. To name a few: there have been events of staged arrests, and Mr. Legend couldn't quit because of the Hero TV ratings. What we didn't know is that Maverick has been in league with an organization, which is likely Ouroboros. I began to suspect this bastard a couple of months ago, linking him with Jake Martinez - and, by proxy, Ouroboros. The photo above pretty much prompts the entire confess-before-I-wipe-your-memory deal. Watch out, Samantha, your death flag has been raised.
 |
| Watch what you drink, kids. |
Super-villains shouldn't be flashy; they should be extremely meticulous. Does Maverick really fit the bill? Maybe you're asking why he didn't just wipe Samantha's memory as well. Perhaps he didn't know about her and placed himself alongside Barnaby just to have an alibi. What about Jake's non-tatooed hand? Well, that's probably Maverick's fatal slip-up.
Since Barnaby tells him that Kotetsu was the only other person present when Kriem said her bit, it's only logical to assume that Maverick is going to implant a memory of Kotetsu killing the Brooks couple. That would pit Barnaby against Kotetsu, and more drama will ensue. Though there's no way that any of the other heroes will believe that Kotetsu could do such a thing, the preview suggests that Maverick will try to convince them otherwise. Then again, T&B has had a lot of misleading previews. Personally, I'm hoping for Kotetsu teaming with Lunatic or maybe meeting up with Samantha. There are still six episodes left to resolve this.
-Bern
