I’d question Dorothy’s decision to use her mother’s name but then again we also have two BFFs who basically just swapped their birth names so I guess anything goes.
With this being Case 18, I have to wonder how long Princess Principal is. There is no official episode count on MyAnimeList and really, who’s to say this show will fill in the all blanks. Still, if there is a second cour or season in the works, I am all for it. This show has easily been one of my favorite anime this season so more episodes would be nice.
Since Beatrice and Chise have gotten their standalone episodes, it was about time for Dorothy to have the spotlight. Interestingly, Dorothy is paired with Beatrice this episode whereas Beatrice and Chise were paired with Ange in Episodes 3 and 5. I suppose this pair up was done since we already know how Ange and Dorothy get along. I quite like Dorothy and Beatrice’s chemistry anyway. It’s a sort of “opposites attract” dynamic since Dorothy is so assertive and outgoing while Beatrice is a lot more timid. It’s also a big deal that Dorothy is completely open about her past with Beatrice this episode. Everyone has something to hide in Princess Principal; you have Ange on the team for crying out loud! It’s so rare for someone to be truthful; no wonder Beatrice viewed Dorothy’s honesty as a sign that they’re real friends.
And I get that Dorothy figured Beatrice would understand her since both girls’ fathers are hardly “Father of the Year” material. Considering that Dorothy is the third girl with an terrible dad, I’m beginning to think that daddy issues are a major theme in Princess Principal. I suppose Ange and Princess could break that recurrence but then again, how much do we really know about them?
I have to give the writers some points on how well they characterized Danny MacBean. He’s a terrible father and will do almost anything to get out of a pinch. And yet, I ended up pitying the man instead of despising him. There is so much emphasis given to how desperate he is to turn his life around and I like that he didn’t want to miss his chance to finally reconcile with Daisy Dorothy. He especially comes across as redeemable when Dorothy finds out he refused to hand his daughter over to some loan sharks. Honestly, I was a bit sad to see him get axed off (literally) even if it was kind of obvious he wouldn’t make it. And what a poignant ending that was too with Beatrice singing the MacBean family’s lullaby, Dorothy patiently waiting for her dad at the pub, and Danny’s body being brought to the morgue. It’s easily one of the best scenes in the anime so far.
Now I do have to question why Control thought it would be a great idea to have Dorothy work with her dad (who’s in cahoots with the Kingdom) to find a cipher at a morgue. Granted, the plan did work with Danny spilling the beans to his daughter but if Dorothy lost her cool at any point, this operation would’ve gone south real quick. Simply put, Dorothy is way too close to this case and the episode proves it since Dorothy ultimately chooses to help her dad and give him the cipher. Dorothy still copied the cipher as per Control’s orders but any other spy would think to keep the Kingdom in the dark as long as possible. I wouldn’t go as far as say Dorothy jeopardize the mission but she did make a huge gamble.
Dorothy’s actions sure says a lot about her character though. She’s a far kinder person than I initially expected. She’s willing to tell her teammate the truth and help her father despite her estranged relationship and the risk it brings to the mission. I’ve paid a lot of attention to the intentions of Team White Pigeon versus their orders from higher ups. Ange and Princess are basically playing every higher up like damn fiddles and Chise sort of wavers between personal interest and loyalty. In the case of Dorothy, she’s a person of good nature in a world where such compassion would be discouraged. She is evidently a good spy since she can use guns and flirt her way through missions. But being a good spy and a good person at the same time is bound to have consequences.
Thanks for reading!
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