“Sorry, I’m not good at remembering faces.”
Oh, you’re a sly one, Mr. Yagami.
It speaks to the quality execution of this show that such tension can be wrought from a simple scene of two characters checking in at a reception desk. I’m really hoping Light doesn’t kill the fed’s widow too, but I get the feeling there’s no guarantee that she can last. Every statement she shares with Light might as well be another nail she’s hammering into her own coffin. And you can tell that Ryuk’s sick mind’s just finding it all delicious.
Speaking of what Ryuk finds delicious, I find it amusing to think of the preponderance of “forbidden fruit” in this show as a sign of this being a covert ad for Apple. C’mon… what is world-class master detective L’s computer of choice? A thinly-disguised iMac. It’s such an amusing thought to entertain that this could serve as extended commercial like those BMW HIRE shorts were. It would surely the most morbid ad campaign of all time, wouldn’t it?
"There's not better device to track an omnipotent serial killer down with than the new Mac G5."
Enough of my bizarre flights of fancy, though…
L’s reveal here was great. I really wanted to avoid comparison to Sherlock Holmes throughout this, because… well… I’ll admit to having a limited knowledge of the detective genre and I’m sure there are other characters who are better fits for comparing, but… I can’t help seeing similarities here to the “eccentric Bohemian” angle that was taken for the Robert Downey Jr. movie. Maybe you can compare him to Columbo too... except if he had dark circles under his eyes and went around barefoot everywhere.
Either way, I’m quickly joining the throng’s of you L fans. He’s a fascinating character and I’m endlessly intrigued by how he applies logic to understand Kira’s motivations and impossible methods. And it’s just as intriguing to see Light sensing how he might be getting figured out, and then subsequently devising ways to spread disinformation. This is turning into quite the game of cat and mouse.
Check out this episode, "Unraveling, on Hulu here. You can also see my thoughts on episode #5, here.
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Studios and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.
