So we got some pretty big confirmations on a few things this episode. I was beginning to wonder if they just forgot about the Dullahan after a while. Especially since they made it out to be a big deal… but it doesn’t seem like it did much. However, this was a very Ocoho centric episode and we got to learn all kinds of things revolving around her.
I think it’s safe to assume that Mordred is the traitor and the one summoning the spectre nemesis. Though it was made blatantly obvious the episode prior when someone who looked just like him walked in as one of those magic ghost things. He was pretty suspicious beforehand though. Especially after he kissed Ocoho, she was acting strangely. And we finally find out why exactly that was. One of the biggest things they were building up to was Ocoho’s curse. They made a point not to reveal it to the audience when it was brought up. I also like the very subtle hint to it in episode 6 where it shows Mordred pressing down on Ocoho’s neck, but we didn’t think much of it at the time. Especially since the kiss was a pretty big distraction.
The fact that someone just has to touch a certain spot on Ocoho’s neck to control her is pretty terrible. Ocoho must have some sort of fear always present in the back of her mind because of it. I’d be scared too if I could be put under mind control so easily like that. And while Brangoire was harsh, he’s right in how it’s a terrible weakness that could easily be taken advantage of. I honestly feel really sorry for her. Especially now that it seems like this weakness could cost her being a Sorcerer Knight. Not only that, but because of that weakness, Mordred had been taking advantage of her and essentially forced her to be an accomplice without her realizing or remembering.
Speaking of Brangoire, I have come to develop a respect for the guy. While yes, the guy’s suspicions were not correct, but he was actually pretty dang close. Especially since Ocoho was actually involved with the Spectre Nemesis despite her being unaware of the fact. And he is a lot more observant than he lets on. Because let’s face it, some of Ocoho’s actions were pretty suspicious when looked at from an outside viewer. However, what I can respect that he was never jealous of her as I thought he was and decided to look into her suspicious actions rather than trying to sabotage her. Not only that, but I appreciated him telling Ocoho that he will catch the people behind this. There was just something behind that statement that felt so genuine that he’s doing this for both her sake and the kingdom. And while he followed it up by saying he can’t let someone who is too easily manipulated by enemies be a Sorcerer Knight, I do appreciate that it’s because of her curse rather than something she personally did that has him against her coronation. Yes it’s unfair to Ocoho, but he has a point. Ocoho can easily take her own life if ordered as we just saw. However, I’m sure that she’ll find a way to overcome or find a way around it just like all the other characters we’ve seen so far.
We also get a clarification on who the “Dullahan” actually was. And I honestly was surprised and I smacked myself in the face for not putting two and two together. You’d think I would get a hint when Ocoho had skulls on her knees that could literally fly off as an attack. They blended it in so well that I never would have guessed. I went back and looked at the scene when the Dullahan first appeared and there wasn’t much else besides the glowing skull. Though I do wish that the “Dullahan” appeared more instead of that one time appearance. As time also probably had kept me from guessing since there were a lot of things in between the time where we see the “Dullahan” and Ocoho using her skulls. Actually that’s a lie. We see Ocoho using her skulls literally the next episode. However, they punctuated those two scenes by having Seth and Melie’s first confrontation in between. So when I saw Ocoho’s skull ability, my initial thought was: “Oh, that’s pretty cool.” No sort of suspicion even crossed my mind. Especially when Ocoho is just a good person overall. Thinking about it, if they had shown the Dullahan more, we probably would catch onto who it was after a while and it wouldn’t have been as a surprise of it being Ocoho than it was.
I’m honestly really worried for what’s in store for Ocoho. Especially now that we know what triggers her curse. Not only are we most likely going to get a confrontation with Mordred next episode, but I’m also worried about what is going to happen with those merchant people. I still have no clue what they’re all about, but it looks like they’re joining forces with the Inquisition, though more specifically Dragunov and Liselotte. This is very worrying because the merchants have shown interest in Ocoho’s powerful Gysoni ability. Combine that with her curse of falling under whoever’s control is a really bad mix. Since taking control of Ocoho could mean taking control of a lot more people in that sense. However, because Mordred is her childhood friend (and possible crush), I feel like Ocoho is going to have a hard time confronting the guy in more ways than one. Especially since it’s obvious he knows about her curse. And what if it’s not just Mordred, but Sagramore as well considering how close they are with each other. That would mean she would have to go against BOTH of her childhood friends.
Both Seth and aggro Melie make their appearances after some time. I was actually wondering when aggro Melie would come back, though I wasn’t expecting her back without much of a trigger. Though I guess it was the growing anxiety of seeing Brangoire just eventually got her stressed out enough for aggro Melie to come out. And I admit that Ocoho loving aggro Melie because she makes a great sparring partner hilarious. It was also interesting to see aggro Melie actually really levelheaded and wasn’t going around blowing things up like usual. She was more calculated this time around and quietly watched and followed after Ocoho and Brangoire. Also thank goodness that Seth finally decided to come back when he did, especially before Ocoho could cause some massive damage. Though I will admit that I didn’t like how Melie, especially when it was aggro Melie was getting overwhelmed in the battle. Come on girl, I know you can do better than that!
Anyways, looks like a lot of confrontations are bound to happen. Since it most likely won’t just be with Mordred, but also Diabal since Seth is starting to sense some sort of connection between them. And now that we know that Diabal is also a horned infected, we can kind of conclude that there’s SOMETHING between all the horned infected, but we just don’t know what yet. I like that we got to know more about the situation and Ocoho. However I’m also really worried what will happen to Ocoho now that we know how susceptible she is to being taken advantage of because of her curse #protectocoho. So many parties are making their moves soon and Seth and the others are probably going to get caught up in the crossfire.
Due to the Christmas Holiday, episode 13 will be in a double post with episode 14 next week!