Taking the opposite view to some above negative comments about story elements revisited in this episode, I can firmly and safely say elements like this are actually what made the series so interesting, thought-provoking, meaningful, and worthwhile to me to watch in the first place and it would be an entirely different series and a much more straight-laced and vanilla one at that without them. Some people would also love or even very much prefer that theoretical differently written series in an alternate world, but I for one certainly would not in comparison to what we instead have.
One of my favorite lines of dialogue from the entire series up to now comes from an earlier episode in season one - The one where Elias in a fit of jealousy and anxiety about the uncertainty of what he was feeling goes rogue and goes running off on all fours in mixed bestial form into the forest, then holds Chise hostage after she pursues him until she threatens to injure or kill herself with a knife until he releases her. Anyway, at the end of that episode Ruth aired a very insightful comment I thought put a great perspective on their relationship. He says something to the effect of "One moment just before they were like father and daughter, and now they're walking home like a mother and son". Then you throw in the fact that one bought the other as a slave and property even if he didn't mistreat her or have an intention at the time of purchase of mistreating her, and it was essentially used as a framing device which was dispatched with functionally within the first episode. Then the fact that even after relegating their technically on paper master-slave/owner-purchased relationship to more of a formality he still as a mage served as a master educator to her and she an apprentice/student, and then later in the first season that master-apprentice/student relationship also started to go in dual directions as she would also teach him innate traits and quirks of humanity to which he'd be the pupil. And throw on top of all that, last but definitely not least, the romantic and (potentially moreso down the line) sexual aspect with her becoming a bride and their marriage ceremony in the season finale of season one.
How could those who acted like a father and daughter in their respective roles to each other one day now take on seemingly the reverse roles of being more like a mother and son, and also all the while growing more comfortable in a domestic situation with sparks of romantic chemistry and attachment to end up as husband and wife, while still being master and apprentice? Maybe they could in some ways be all of these things and in some ways not be bound by placing any one name or title on the nature of their relationship as a limiting factor for others to categorize and classify. Maybe it could be a relationship which spanned several categories, defied set roles and naming conventions, and was uniquely and marvelously just for them.
All this culminated (although I'm sure it will continue yet still and wind and meander, maybe stagnate, maybe take one step forward two steps backward, and possibly even go in unforeseen directions) in this episode with the discussion about the nature of any relationship between two individuals - familial, romantic, friendship, professional/business, or something which cannot be adequately described in words and combines several different aspects of these, is inherently subjective to the subjects of said relationship.
Relating to all this, this episode definitely solidified my position that Renfred is easily and by far my least favorite character in this series. And I don't mean that as in he's a bad character in the sense of being badly written or a bad addition to the series or anything like that. No, he is perfectly fine and more likely than not a positive addition in that respect to add to the story, drama, and showing of different sides of human nature and thought processes. I mean that I harbor an intense personal dislike of his attitude and actions, and the condescending, self-righteous attitude from him was on full display in this episode. It was present and front and center in everything he said and did to Elias and Alice both. He essentially epitomizes the type of person and mindset I find extremely infuriating and let's just say...have very little patience for. About as much patience as they themselves have for anyone who doesn't line up with and conform to their rigid outlook of the world and people and how other people are, should behave, and what roles they should fulfill.
I don't "ship" Alice and Renfred in the way that I do for Elias and Chise, even though I like Alice well enough, just because of the aforementioned strong distaste for Renfred and the type of attitudes and thinking his ilk represents, but at the same time, if Alice wants to be with him in "that" way as well as the apprentice and bodyguard role, then hopefully it happens for her sake. If things get screwed up with them because of his intransigence or some unrelated random reason, then I just hope they don't project it onto and derail Elias and Chise. |