The Promised Neverland S2EP8 Review: Who is the real enemy?
Emma must find Mujika in time before Norman carries out his mass extermination on the demons. The moral clock is ticking—who is the real enemy?
As we progress (or digress, if you’re a manga reader) further into this world of humans versus demons, of child farms and demon societies, it’s getting harder and harder to decide whose side is right, or to put into context, whose side should suffer the consequences of this cruel world. And as Norman so bluntly puts it—these are the words of a kid, by the way—kindness alone can’t win in this world.
In Episode 8, our beloved Grace Field protagonists fall deeper into the moral rabbit hole, especially Norman, whose stint in Lambda we finally see through a series of flashbacks, which get very graphic real quick. For those of you confused with Norman’s sudden 180 this season, here’s your answer. But can we really blame him?
Over at Emma’s camp, she, together with Ray, Don, and Gilda, believe that they can reverse the “promise” that cursed the humans and demons to be at war with each other. Through the help of their allies Sonju and Mujika, especially, Emma also believes that she can redeem Norman back from the doom of his extermination plan. But can she pull through in the end?
There was a lot to stomach in this episode and sometimes it was hard to watch. The world chose violence on these kids and now they chose violence as well. While the manga is much more brutal, the show certainly doesn’t fall short in reminding us from time to time. However, at this point, it’s getting kind of draggy, especially since there’s been a lack of real action to balance out all the moral dilemmas.
Plot-wise, it was nice to see Norman’s backstory from when he was shipped off because we get some context to his present actions. We also meet Peter Ratri, the brother of James Ratri, aka William Minerva, and the overseer of the farms. Since we only have three episodes left, it’s unlikely that we’ll get to see him again, but who knows, right?
Another thing: what about that other location the Promised Pen revealed to the Grace Field kids? The shelter in the far west? After the gruesome events of this episode, the show needs a new direction. It would not only benefit the characters, but also the viewers, especially those who have been clamoring for the “skipped” story arcs and “erased” characters.
But again, Season 2 is hell-bent on making us stick around until the end. The last shot of this episode was incredibly powerful and one of the most hair-raising images in the entire Promised Neverland series. Let’s hope it’s not too late for everyone to save everyone.
Have you watched this episode? Leave a comment down below and let's discuss!
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