「その執事、出向」 (Sono Shitsuji, Shukkou)
“His Butler, On Loan”
After the cliff hanger last week, we get a 2 minute re-cap even though we’re only 3 episodes in. Was that really necessary? I suppose they needed to fill the time somehow, but not the most exciting follow up to the greatness that was last week’s episode.
Indeed- the miasma is no normal evil miasma, since such curses shouldn’t be able to effect demons like Sebastian. Nor are demons capable of having the emotions one would associate with tears. Not only does Sebastian cry, he breaks out in horrible pustules and rashes. They built up the suspense leading to the discovery of Ciel’s break out quite well- you could feel the impending horror.
This puts the normally cool as a cucumber Sebastian into quite the panic, rousing Sullivan from her slumber for an emergency cure. I guess there are some things that are beyond Sebastian’s control. The treatment room put me strongly in mind of the Potions classroom in Harry Potter. Indeed, both Sebastian and Ciel have to take a dunk in the giant cauldron while Sullivan does her thing. I’m sure the sight that followed filled many a fan of a certain variety with glee. Sebastian and Ciel in a bath screams “doujin fodder”.
While Sebastian is out of the woods, Ciel is not. The next morning, the boy freaks out when any of the adults touch him- clinging to Finny, the only servant close in age to him. The miasma not only robbed Ciel of his sight, it seems to have done something to his mind as well. He starts talking in the third person and acting as if he were reliving his past. We’ve seen these flashbacks before- nothing new- except that for the first time, we see that he appeared to have another child he bonded with, who, unlike him, didn’t make it out. Now, that really piques my curiosity, especially seeing as it’s something he clearly tried to bury deep within his memory.
I like when we have these moments of vulnerability with Ciel, reminding us that though he’s experienced what he has by this age and has a contract with a demon butler, he is still a human child with fears and a desperation for safety. This is indeed quite the change in Ciel- the Ciel normally surrounded by adults and confidently commanding them at will, now recoiling in fear of all adults, clinging to the company of other children. This speaks a lot to the human psyche- you can put time and distance between past traumas, but they’re always going to be there in a dark corner of the heart, particularly if you push them aside and don’t deal with them. Ciel doesn’t really deal with them as such- he pushes on forwards to exact revenge against them, which is not the same as growing beyond them. The past haunting the present is very much a theme that pops up over and over throughout this series. Ciel, understandably, never reacts well when it rears its head, but this is the first time he’s outright rejected Sebastian.
It’s definitely an interesting turn of events, seeing Sebastian have to beg for something, coming face to face with his own limitations. Which, who knew demons had those? Sebastian vows to follow any order of Sullivan’s in payment for curing Ciel. That’s not something to be taken lightly, given where that child’s mind goes. Her request is surprisingly innocent, but wise on her part- have Sebastian teach her about the outside world and teach Wolfram how to be a better butler, something which seriously grates on Wolfram.
I love how despite the terribly grave situation, Sullivan still manages to turn the conversation sexual, pondering on carnal visits and Ciel’s preferences. Wolfram gets surprisingly pissed that Ciel and Sebastian visited the forest, forcing the werewolf to do its dirty work. I would’ve thought he would’ve been fine with the werewolf cursing the outsiders. This does get our Britishers dangerously closer to the truth of the miasma, so that they survived is certainly bad news in that respect. Although if they had died, that would have been equally bad news, given they are a secret envoy from the Queen. For now, the Emerald Castle is in a state of friction, though our little Emerald Witch is eating up the male attention.
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