86 - Episode 10 Review - Spearhead Gets a Moment of Peace
Warning: Spoilers follow.
The episode begins with a montage of Spearhead enjoying a beautiful, peaceful place. Filled with animals frolicking, no fighting, no enemies. The scenery made me think it was symbolic of heaven - Spearhead’s reward after all their suffering. As the group of five enjoy a peaceful night in camp, they suddenly smother their fire. A herd of recon Legion are passing through in the distance. This dangerous moment breaks up the peaceful mood.
The next day, everyone has a chat. Theo notes how they finally feel free. Raiden, Anju, Kurena and Theo discuss moving forward on their mission. But Shin asks if they can stay in the area a little while longer. The group happily agrees. It’s not like there’s a time limit, and Anju wants to do laundry.
I’m surprised that we got treated to a second montage of the 86 having fun. I really enjoyed these peaceful moments. It was refreshing after so much suspense and darkness throughout the season.
Raiden has a moment alone with Shin. He’s glad Shin is happier, but something seems off. He asks Shin if there’s anything he wants to see or anywhere he wants to go, but Shin’s answer hasn’t changed - he’s not hoping for a bright long future.
The group wants a nice bath but they have no hot water. So they go into the neighboring abandoned town. It’s another peaceful adventure, but Shin notices something down a tunnel. Raiden warns him not to go off looking for it, so they continue with their search for hot water. Luckily, Fido finds a boiler that still works. We get a very minor bit of fan service with Kurena and Anju in the tub.
That night, Shin falls asleep first. The rest talk about him. They’re relieved that he finally seems happier and softer, now that he’s achieved his goal putting Shourei to rest. But Raiden notes that it’s a little sad. He voices his worry that Shin has nothing driving him to keep going now.
The next day, the group finds out that Shin has left somewhere without a word, so they go looking for him. They find him in a zoo down that tunnel he looked at earlier. Shin had heard an 86’s voice trapped in a Legion Juggernaut that was almost destroyed. The 86 wants to be put out of its misery, and Shin complies.
After this, Shin reveals that he does hold a vague goal - to go to an inhabited land that’s not San Magnolia and not Legion territory.
The post credits was my favorite part. We see how Fido met Shin, and we see Fido with Shin his whole life. We get lighthearted moments with Spearhead, and more character development for the fallen members than we got this whole season. We also get some very dark moments mixed in it. Lastly, we see Fido’s death, but don’t see how we get to this moment. It hit me harder than any character’s death so far.
