Monster ep.50-52

August 6, 2005 | 1 Comments

These episodes prove that one of the strength of this series is the inter-correlation between some of the characters in the series. I am surprised to see how the connection between the characters actually shed a light on many of the series' mysteries, such as why Johan knows so much about Karl and Schuwald. It is unfortunate that the pacing in these 3 episodes are so uneven. It was annoying to see one of the episode feels really slow and stretched out while the others are so tight and jam-packed with events and characters. I also think that some of the transitions between two different storylines are too abrupt. There was a point in episode 52 where I thought a flashback actually belongs to an established character when it turns out that it belongs to an entirely new character.

Episode 50 begins with Suk having dreams about 'Anna'. When he awakes from the dream, he realises that Runge has been waiting by his bedside to ask some questions. Much to Suk's surprise, Runge doesn't actually suspect him. Before he left, however, Runge tells the young detective that he should start suspecting those he least likely to suspect if he doesn't want to be betrayed anymore. Runge then manages to persuade the SKB agent who's guarding Suk to take him to Colonel Ranke. Through his conversation with Ranke, Runge realises that there's something behind the sealed door inside a mansion that is owned by Franz Bonaparta. Meanwhile, Tenma is seen doing his own investigation about Franz Bonaparta by visiting an editor who used to work with Bonaparta. Unknown to Tenma, however, the editor recognises him as the fugitive and decides to report the doctor to the police.

Episode 51 starts off with a flashback of Margot Langer and Schuwald during their time together. It was then that Margot told Schuwald about a friend of hers who lived in Prague. Back in the present day, Dr.Reichwen reports the finding of his recent Prague trip to Schuwald. It looks like Schuwald believes that the reason Johan knows so much about Margot is because he is the son of the woman who used to be Margot's friend. Reichwen and Schuwald's attention, however, quickly changes into another matter when they find out that Tenma has been captured by the police. Those who believes in Tenma's innocence try their best to find ways to set him free. Unfortunately, the only person who can vouch for Tenma's innocence is the same person who holds a grudge against him: Eva Heinemann. Nevertheless, Eva insisted on coming with Reichwen to see Tenma in Prague.

When Suk finds out about Tenma's captivity, he decides to investigate the woman who's introduced herself as 'Anna'. Before he can go out of the hospital, however, his two colleagues greet him to inform him that he's been cleared of any suspicion because Grimmer has sent a letter to the police admitting to the murders. Meanwhile, Runge continues his obsessive investigation into the mysterious Rose mansion to the point that he doesn't care anymore about Tenma's capture. He, however, manages to give Tenma a cryptic message telling him that the most difficult people to interrogate are those whose facial expression never change and those who never says anything. Runge's attention, however, is mostly concentrated on a letter he finds inside the mansion. Titled "A Love Letter from a Beast to a Beauty", the letter seems to be addressed towards a woman depicted inside a painting found in the mansion.

In episode 52, two new characters are introduced to the series. The first one is Gunther Milch, a small-time criminal who's serving time due to robbery. His crime seems to have originated from his desire to go to Tunisia after he's been left by his parents inside a coin locker. Despite failing to achieve his aim time and time again, he never lose his hope of being free and advises that Tenma do the same thing. The second character is Fritz Vardeman, a lawyer whose own father was accused of a crime he did not commit. As a result, ever since his father died, Fritz has been defending people who has been mistakenly accused of crime that they didn't commit. In the end, Fritz decide to take Tenma's case after Tenma's former patients asked him to represent Tenma. One night Fritz decided to send his partner to talk to Tenma. Unknown to Tenma, the partner turns out to be Roberto.

Impression:

It was nice to see Tenma's former patients as well as his friends trying their best to prove his innocence. It is interesting to see their kindness being sharply contrasted to Eva's bitterness. The thing is, I still don't understand why Eva is so bitter. After all, she was the one who rejected Tenma to begin with. But I guess this is one of those cases where the thin line between love and hate no longer separates the two emotions. In other areas, I am amused by Runge's sudden change of attitude towards Tenma. I am interested to know what everyone think about his 'advice' to Tenma to keep quiet. Was he trying to help Tenma or was that just his opinion as to why Tenma is in this predicament to begin with? Finally, it was a shocker to see Roberto alive and working with Tenma's new lawyer. I wonder if he's still working for Johan or if he just has a grudge against Tenma.

© memento 2003