I don’t know if Matsuda is quite naïve enough to be classified as the “holy fool” literary archetype, but he’s certainly got that elusive combination of nobility and stupidity (with one perhaps feeding the other.) I mean, he might not be the sharpest tool in the shack, but you’ve got to respect him for agreeing to go on TV with the understanding that it might spell his doom. That takes guts, if not smarts.
It’s fun to watch Higuchi sweat like this, but why go through all that rigmarole to deny him a name? If they’re taping him anyway, why not just not give him a new fake one and watch him write it in the Death Note? Or did I miss something and they’ve only got those specific offices under surveillance, so he has to be there? It certainly puts our good boy Matsuda in even more danger, though. iguchi’s packing heat - - there’s a good chance he’s just going to charge in there and gun him down.
Some of you keep referring to some fearsome shift in this series. If it's this arc, I really have to disagree, because I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this bizarre premise flip that’s had Light join the team. Goes to show how circumstances and context can make allies or enemies out of anybody. I guess it begs the question as to which identity is the real Light, though. Did the Death Note corrupt him, or just unleash latent tendencies he’d always harbored? Could L have become Kira if he’d found the Death Note, instead? Definitely some interesting notions to chew on.
I do find it fascinating how Light’s investigating himself so earnestly from this third person perspective; how he’s even theorizing about what conditions might have allowed him to be Kira and then forget about it. Light’s such a rationalist, he’s almost outfoxing his own amnesia.
And, man… L’s so close to figuring this whole mystery out. I wonder if the missing link is him factoring the Shinigami x-factor in to this deduction? I mean, he’s freaked out about the mere mention of them, he’s seen the hair flip… the gods of death have to be on his mind.
You can watch this episode, “Guidance,” for yourself on Hulu here, and read my comments about the previous episode here. Keep commenting! Give me your interpretation! Call me out on anything I'm getting wrong! This comments lives on discussion. I feeds on talkback messages like a vampire feeds on blood... SO FEED ME!
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Studios and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. HYBRID BASTARDS! is available here and UNIMAGINABLE is available here for pre-order on Amazon.com.
