Monster ep.43

March 19, 2005 | 10 Comments

This episode marks the addition of another supporting characters for the series. This time around the character is a rather innocent detective called Suk. I have to say that it's been a while since the series shows an adult with this kind of innocence. Tenma started out this way but it doesn't take long before he wises up and becomes a darker character. It will be interesting to see how Suk turns out in the next couple of episodes. That is, of course, assuming that he doesn't die in the next episode. Unfortunately, judging from the way the body counts start to pile up again, there is a likelihood that someone as innocent as Suk may not be able to survive in this series.

This episode begins with a murder investigation of Zeman and his two henchmen, lead by a young, impressionable detective called Jan Suk. Apparently Zeman used to be Suk's mentor and because of this Suk wants to do his best to solve the murder mystery. While drowning his sorrow for the lost of his mentor, Suk spots a pretty girl who shares physical resemblence to Nina inside a bar. Suk falls head over heels in love with her but when he asks for her name, the girl claims that she can't remember anything except the words 'Cedok Bridge' and 'The Three Frogs'. The next day, the police managed to identify two of Zeman's henchmen as former STB sergeants as well as create the profile of the person who bashed the two men to death.

During another conversation with Nina look-alike, Suk realises that the person who was being interviewed by Zeman for the murder of Petrov and his maid fits the profile of Zeman's murderer. Because of this Suk tries to contact the police to notify his finding. While he does, so, however, the Nina look-alike girl decides to leave building. Suk is disappointed about this but her disappearance reminds him that he actually knows a place called 'The Three Frogs'. Suk decides to visit the place just to confirm his memory and along the way unknowingly bumps into Dr.Tenma. The next day, Suk decides to investigates Grimmer's apartment to interview him but he finds out that Grimmer has left the place two days ago.

Much to his surprise, however, his colleague, Detective Patera, is also there. Patera claims that he's investigating the place and congratulates Suk for being able to figure out the person who maybe responsible for the murder. Having said that, Patera tells Suk that it's better if Suk doesn't reveal his finding to anyone else. He tells Suk that Zeman was involved in a secret investigation to reveal former STB agents who have infiltrated the Prague police. Because of this, he believes that Suk could get killed if he pressed on with the investigation. The sleazebag then decides to divert the conversation by telling Suk that he heard Suk are dating a pretty girl now. Suk claims that he and the woman are just friends.

Upon hearing this, Patera decides to come to the bar to check out the Nina look-alike. Meanwhile, Suk finds a book containing detailed background of every investigators in the police department inside Zeman's locker. Upon reading the book, however, Suk realises that the pages containing Detective Pater and Janacek's information have been ripped out. When Suk stumbles onto a stash of money hidden in Zeman's locker as well, he concludes that Zeman has been receiving bribes to cover up his knowledge of the two detectives' ex-STB past. Suk decides to report his finding to Chief Vrabec, not knowing that the Chief is also involved in the cover-up. That night, however, Chief Vrabec, Detective Patera, and Detective Janacer are found dead after consuming some candy given out by the Nina look-alike.

Impression:

There's no way that the girl who Suk likes could be Nina. To begin with, Dieter came with Nina to find out Tenma's whereabouts. I find it hard to believe that Nina will just leave Dieter to his own device while she sits in a bar drinking alcohol. I also don't think Dieter will sit quietly in a hotel room while Nina prowls the city life late at night. Second of all, this Nina actually gave those corrupt cops some poisonous candy. The last person who have committed this kind of act before was Johan. Although I find it hard to find some resemblance between Johan and this version of Nina, I don't think it will be hard for him to imitate his sister. I do wonder, however, why he needs to do so in the first place.

Posted by Garten

Comments

March 19, 2005 | Chris wrote:

I actually scrapped the idea about the mysterious woman being someone else than Nina. I think that was just a trick i.e., showing something *so* obvious that you can't or don't want to believe it.

I'm surprised that you think she isn't Nina. You assume this is Johan? No way! ;) Isn't her face and especially her voice much softer? Though, from the preview for this episode, I got the same idea first because her face looked more like Johan's in that shot but that seemed to be a minor perspective inconsistency - I've seen this before when she was in the disco with her friend.

She's strangely calm though but I rather thought that something has happened to her respectively her mind. On the other hand, I still find her hair a little different than before - it looks darker and more dense. ;)

It's not really clear whether this "Nina" gave the candy to Patera. He said, he got it from a "real hot babe". While he called this "Nina" this way, I could imagine he uses the same description for any good-looking woman he likes and it's told that he's popular with the ladies.

Regarding Dieter, well it's very late and he's a child so I wouldn't find it unrealistic or odd if he were sleeping in a hotel room. Or, assuming that Nina somehow got insane, she might have killed or at least hidden him.

The "three frogs" seemed to be a hint to something (more than just the name of a bar). I wonder whether that will be resolved soon. Maybe there are three Ninas? ;)

March 19, 2005 | Garten wrote:

There is another reason why I don't believe that this is Nina. She mentions how she can't remember her name. I don't see any reason why Nina needs to lie about this since she has so many fake names she can use (Anna, Nina, etc). If she's afraid of the police, wouldn't it make them more suspicious if she claims that she can't remember her name?

It's also annoying that we never get to see this Nina in a normal daylight environment. I agree with you that her hair is rather dark. There was a shot of Nina in a dark environment in episode 39 (when she woke up from her nightmare) and her hair still retains that silver yellow color instead of orange yellow color.

March 19, 2005 | Chris wrote:

I didn't assume that she was trying to lie about her identity. She told her friend (and maybe Tenma but I'm not sure) that she doesn't know her real name or rather who she is because she doesn't remember her childhood properly. By the way, I suspect that it wasn't a incident that Suk had met her before. I guess she was following him.

Well, if you think there's more than one Nina, the woman in ep. 39 could as well be the other one, but somehow I suppose that this nightmare scene indicates a major change. She remembered something or maybe she's a so-called "sleeper". As far as I recall, there have been rumours that the former DDR (East Germany) had trained secret agents to subvert the BRD (West Germany). These so-called "sleepers" do not remember anything about this until they get their "wake-up call". At least, this would match time/setting of the story and the mystery around Kinderheim 511. Maybe her instructions included to color her hair. ;)

March 20, 2005 | Gprei wrote:

Chris wrote:
I'm surprised that you think she isn't Nina. You assume this is Johan? No way! ;)

Er..This is a bit..too asumming. Don't you think. There is a possiblity that it is Johan or the twins mother. Even if she is nina, the possiblity that dieter is not with her is also possible. But have you forgotten on the past eps that even at night, dieter is still with Tenma ? The eps that they decided to set fire to some street so as to welcome Johan.

At the same time,
the 3 corrupted people got killed by poisonous candy. An innocent person got involved. Isn't this very similar to the cases of Tenma ? Isn't this obvious as well ?
The 3 corrupted police, the 3 corrupted doctors. Same method is use.

Whoever think it in this way and know about these incident, one word will came to mind.
"Johan"

But at the same time....if Johan is a living monster, would it be that nina is a awakened monster ? Twins think alike. Thus even their method would be similar as well.

March 20, 2005 | Chris wrote:

Nina might have left Dieter behind at the train or bus station. At least, I found it odd that she let him go with her after a minor attempt to stop him. After all, Nina and Tenma are simply different persons. Perhaps Tenma thought it was OK or better to take Dieter with him even at night. Tenma is also a wanted murderer so he has to move and behave more cautious. I had completely forgotten about the murdered doctors in the early episodes. So I guess Eva must be the "real hot babe" which gave Patera the candy. Or not? :)

March 20, 2005 | Gprei wrote:

If we recall back the past eps, Dieter is not someone to leave anyone alone. He will follow that person wherever the person go....even if they do not allow Dieter to follow, dieter will still accompany that person.

I thought that Eva is nearly broke ?
How did she got hold of those candy ?
Poisonous candy, I don't think that these are cheap stuff....neither do I think that she got any connection wth the underground.

March 20, 2005 | Chris wrote:

Get a syringe, regular (filled) candy, arsenic (or cynanide etc.), inject the arsenic into the candy, give the candy to your victim(s). Boom, your victim is dead and this site is illegal now. Eva has some connection to the underground, if you remember where she appeared last. Seriously, it's more difficult to believe that Johan or Nina (they were little kids back then) would have gotten poisoned candy. Actually, I back then I thought it was meant to kill Johan - the doctor was just stupid/greedy enough to steal them. If Nina Redux was the "real babe" who gave Patera the candy, it might have been a present to her that she happened to pass as "consolation" to him. Whoever prepared the candy, he/she doesn't seem to care about collateral damage - or maybe not even who's the victim at all. The last time, it could have been Tenma, Johan(?), a random nurse or doctor. This time Suk might have taken a candy as well.

I agree, Nina Redux is too young for being Nina's mother - she looks like a perfect clone actually. A sister might be more reasonable and triplets would match the "3 frogs" mysterium.

Oh, look what I've just found: http://www.koenigdermonster.com/

*LOL*

March 21, 2005 | KyoshiroM wrote:

I was so baffled by the events since the last episode, where Grimmer may have another personality, that I decided never to jump into any conclusions for this series ever again :P But, I can't help it! -_-" I'm also leaning towards the triplets theory, but I also have another one. Is it possible that Nina has suffered such a shock that eventually caused her MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder)? I am 100% though that, as Garten said, at least one character from all these remaining IS an MPD patient.

March 21, 2005 | Gprei wrote:

Maybe...Garten is the one that have MPD and thus his thoughts are MPD biased.
Hahahaha....just kidding.

www.koenigdermonster.com, the band is shuting down. Am I too late to see what I was supposed to see ?

I am not sure if those connection that he got are smart enough to use posionous candy to kill off their victims. Beside, their method are most likely, talk, punch and shoot..

March 21, 2005 | Chris wrote:

I found the website when googling for "arsen" the German word for "arsenic" and the way "Monsters" is written on top of it, reminded me a lot of the anime as well. That's all - I didn't even check what the site is about before posting it. I just found it funny that "arsen" took me (more or less) directly to "Monster".

As for the poisoned candy, I just thought that it's not so horribly clever or sophisticated that you'd need special connections or knowlegde. You can even get such knowledge from TV series e.g., once in a while a murderer explains that he got his knowledge from there. Eva even knew/knows medics (e.g, her father and Tenma, possibly many colleagues of those). I was merely kidding about Eva though, don't take that guess too serious. Still, kids poisoning candy doesn't sound more likely to me.