Monster ep.22-23

September 19, 2004 | 3 Comments

The series finally returns to good form with these two episodes. The story and characters have become quite complex now that I can't help but wonder where to go from here. The series also decides take a rather new direction in regards to Runge involvement in the story. I originally thought that his character is similar to the detective character in The Fugitive but episode 22 seems to suggest that this may not be true after all. Episode 23, on the other hand, shows a rather interesting revelation, which does a good job of not only integrating Eva into the current storyline but also in further emphasising her selfishness. This episode also sees the return of Roberto in a way that is quite unexpected.

Episode 22 begins with a murder investigation of a childless couple lead by Runge. There is a suspicion amongst the media that this murder is perpetrated by the same killer who murdered other childless couples throughout Germany. Runge seems intent on encouraging this assumption and at one point tells a journalist to write this as a piece of article in his newspaper. The truth is Runge suspects that this is the work of a copycat killer and his suspicion falls onto a man named Ziebel, the nephew of the murdered couple. Despite having this suspicion, Runge never the less decides to keep on with the charade of believing that this murderer is someone else. He even blackmailed a journalist so that he won't retract the article that he has written for a local newspaper. In doing so, Runge hopes that he can entice Tenma to come and investigate the crime scene. True enough, just like a moth to a flame, Tenma arrives in town to investigate the murder, thinking that he maybe able to get more clues about Johan.

After retracing the murderer's step, however, Tenma realises that Johan is not the one who killed this couple. He, however, is shocked when Runge appears inside the house and tries to catch him. Thankfully, Ziebel also appears inside the house, stabs Runge and proceeds to tell the detective that he's the one who committed the murder of his aunt and uncle. Runge, however, can't care less and decides to shoot Ziebel on the spot and tries to catch Tenma. However, before he manages to do so, Runge falls unconscious from the loss of blood. Being the good person that he is, Tenma decides to help the detective. This turns out to be a big mistake because Runge manages to capture Tenma and forces the doctor to admit that Johan does not exist and that he's the one who committed the serial killings that happened throughout Germany. Tenma, of course, refuses and instead insists on helping Runge to stop his bleeding. Tenma's luck seems to work its charm again here because Runge then falls unconscious for real. Tenma manages to stop Runge's bleeding and escape from his clutch.

The next episode begins with Eva waking up inside a prison. Apparently she got drunk on the street the night before and the police decided to arrest her for her own safety. When she is released, however, Eva realises that she has lost her bag and can't seem to find it anywhere. To add insult to injury, she returns to her rented apartment only to find that the place has been ransacked and the owner wants her to pay up her rent or else she'll have to leave. Just when she thinks she's down on her luck, Roberto, the creep who appeared two episodes ago, appears and starts giving her the bag which she supposedly 'left' in a bar a couple of nights ago. Since she's not the sharpest knife on the block, Eva buys Roberto's BS and the two ends up talking about Eva's past in a restaurant. During the conversation, Roberto reveals a slight interest in a photograph that is missing from one of Eva's photo album. Eva claims that she lost the photograph but Roberto does not believe her and decides to pretend that he's interested in her.

Once they get into a room, however, Roberto starts to show his creepy side and begins to slap Eva around, asking her where she hides the photograph. Much to his surprise, Eva reveals that she knows that the photograph shows a picture of Johan, who now has turned into a mature adult. The episode then shows a flashback a couple of years ago when Eva started to realise that she really wants Tenma back. Back then Eva felt that Tenma belongs to her and therefore, attempted to sabotage any possible dates that Tenma has with other woman. Anyway, Eva apparently saw Tenma that night when he chased Junkers into an abandoned building. While Eva didn't see what transpired upstairs, she, however, managed to get a glimpse of Johan's face once he got out of the building. Johan seems to see her as well but for some reason decides not to kill her on the spot. Back to the present, Eva is seen sleeping in a bed while Roberto is aiming his gun at her head. He, however, also decides not to kill her for now.

Impression:

These are two good episodes that once again show the ugly personality of Runge and Eva. Maybe I'm wrong about this but I'm getting the impression that Runge is one hell of a twisted character. To me, his intention in chasing after Tenma is not so much because he wants to catch the person who committed the serial killings, but rather because he gets off on it. Maybe that sounds harsh but he clearly shows to have zero interest in solving the other murder case and doesn't seem to be willing to entertain a possibility that Tenma is probably an innocent. Because of this, I wonder if Eva actually ever told Runge about what she saw that night. My guess is that she never did and to me that also makes her equally contemptible. I do wonder how she managed to dig all of the information about Johan when a supposedly 'clever' detective like Runge never managed to do so. And while we're at it, I also wonder why Johan didn't bother to eliminate Eva back then. I also want to know whom Roberto actually works for because I have the impression that he doesn't work for Johan.

© memento 2003