What’s the show? Steins;Gate 0, Episode 19.
So what happens in this episode? This is the most Steins;Gate-ish Steins;Gate 0 has felt since the start—and I’m not quite sure how I feel about this…
Does this go back to your annoyance about the show not being about Okabe’s grief and choosing to move the narrative forward? No, I’ve come to terms with the fact that the show needed a time-travel narrative, in this a show ostensibly about time-travel. Where my apprehension comes from is the idea that the conclusion to this series will somehow negate everything that’s come before in Steins;Gate 0 and end us up back at the point where the original Steins;Gate ended. I would absolutely not be happy with that eventuality.
There’s kinda no point obsessing over that now though, shouldn’t you just enjoy the show you’re given and stop trying to think ten-steps ahead? I’m a writer, that’s what writers do. But you’re right, agonising over what may or may not be is a real good way to miss the joy that’s right in front of you—or rather the crippling misery of Okabe having to go through his time travel shenanigans god-knows how many times in order to stop Mayuri and Suzuha being blown up by Professor Leskinen’s goons from DURPA. Oh and stopping World War 3, that’s probably important too.
Right. So they invent the time machine then? Yes, with Daru and Maho’s direct help and the help of Faris, Ruka and Moeka indirectly they manage to get the time-leap device operational and Okabe jumps back 48~ hours to before the incident on the Radio Building. But despite Okabe’s best efforts and arriving before all the bad stuff went down it still pretty much happens again, with the time machine (with Mayuri and Suzuha in it) being blown up by the attack helicopters. This leads Okabe to wonder if the time machine being destroyed is a fix point in time, but he’s not about to stop now—and so begins the agony of him repeatedly travelling back to try and save the girls and the world.
So how many times does he try this episode? Well the episode ends with him doing it for only a second-time. But there’s something interesting that happens after the ending credits that makes me curious…
What’s that? Well, the normal time-date read-out thing appears on the screen as it does to signify a change in time but the screen cracks. I very much doubt this was just a stylistic addition, it’s got to mean something sinister… maybe it means Okabe’s not going to be able to travel back any more? Maybe time is fixed in place? Maybe another thing entirely, either way I don’t want to say it’s the most interesting thing that happened in the episode because that’s a bit harsh, but it’s something that shows the most ~promise~ for something different happening other than Okabe just brute forcing a solution through repeated attempts at changing an outcome.
Will you be annoyed if it turns out to be nothing? Why would you even bring that up? Uh, yeah I guess so. I can’t say I’d be terribly interested in watching a 2 or 3 or however many episodes of Okabe trying to fix the problem with the same outcome more-or-less happening each time. It worked well in the original Steins;Gate but here, well you know what they say the definition of insanity is…
Anything else you wanted to add about the episode? I loved that we spent some time getting Maho to a point where she’s content with her position in life, albeit intellectually speaking—and that she has a bit more confidence in said intellect. Now all we gotta do is get her and Okabe paired up and everything will be just fine!
You’re still shipping the two of them even though Mayuri confessed her love for him last episode? What can I say, I loves me some legal loli (in anime).
You’re absolutely terrible. Teehee!
Previous Steins;Gate 0 Reviews:
Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 5 Review
Episode 6 Review
Episode 7 Review
Episode 8 Review
Episode 9 Review
Episode 10 Review
Episode 11 Review
Episode 12 Review
Episode 13 Review
Defying the Protagonist – Episode 14 Review
When Daru Met Yuki – Episode 15 Review
Truth Is A Mirror – Episode 16 Review
A Life Sentence – Episode 17 Review
Blowing Up The Gate – Episode 18 Review
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