The Promised Neverland – Ep. 8

“Don’t flatter yourself, you were never even a player.”

This episode sure took me by surprise. Say what you will about The Promised Neverland being a slow burn but were it not, I don’t think the twists and turns the show dished out here would’ve worked nearly as well as it did. All the careful planning, all the manipulations, all of it comes crashing down. Not only is it a low point for the heroes, it establishes how dangerous Isabella is to them. If you were wondering about Isabella seemingly letting everyone do their thing (Ray and Krone especially) well, this episode elaborates why. She was just that confident that she’d have everything under the control and the reality is that she does.

As presumed, Sister Krone is getting transferred though not because Isabella reported her. Instead, there’s an opening in the Mother roster and as per Isabella’s “recommendation”, Krone is offered the job. Of course, this ends up being a test of loyalty for Krone and when she tries to undermine Isabella, she learns that a demon was ready to kill her. I’ll admit: I’m a little bummed to see this character get the axe. There may be flaws with Krone particularly in how over the top she acts and the way she’s drawn but not once did I ever think she was boring. She, in fact, an imposing figure and to see her killed off after episodes of building her up is shocking.

While I wouldn’t say Krone is “likable” in the traditional sense, her pre-death flashback does work in making you feel a little sorry. I am with Emma in calling out this character’s complicity but at the end of the day, Krone was just trying to make do with what little craps of dignity she had. She still lived an arduous life and deep down, she still despised the world she was born in. That her dying wish is to see the kids succeed in rebelling the system makes sense too.

Of course, that’s easier said than done for the kids. Everyone devises a plan for Emma and Norman to go beyond the wall only for Isabella to finally put an end to their shenanigans. Something that I love about is that all three main characters are defeated with a bit of irony. Krone’s death throws Ray’s careful planning awry. Emma loses to Isabella in a physical confrontation which, in turn, causes Norman to panic and freeze in the middle of his plans. Regardless of how much Isabella planned on this, it’s become clear that she is more than capable of outmatching her children.

Regarding Isabella herself, this episode sheds a lot of light on what her deal is. Deep down, part of me figured it was possible that she does care about her children on some level based a couple scenes from previous episodes. I simply hesitated to lean towards that interpretation because I just felt that I need more clues to go off on. Leave it to Isabella then to flat out confirm that she does love her children….way, way too much in fact.

That attitude is kind of akin to Krone’s worldview. Isabella is painfully aware that her children are doomed but like Krone, feels tied to the system. Thus, she resolves to at least make everyone’s lives as enjoyable as it can be before they die and fears that to let them escape would send them to a death far worse than what’s planned. I kind of get where she’s coming from but goodness, this actually makes more Isabella a more disturbing character. Heartless would’ve been more straightforward; this notion that she loves her children to the point that she’d rather raised them as quality produce is so logically warped that it’s unsettling.

I’m getting the impression that we should take notice of how everyone reacts to seeing an injured Emma. While Isabella can easily say that Emma fell and injured herself, it might not be a lie everyone will readily believe it. I mean, Emma is the most athletic out of the bunch. What are the odds of her tripping and injuring her leg? And once again, there’s another choice shot of Phil looking like he’s suspecting something. Seriously, who is this kid?

As for Norman getting shipped out for tomorrow, I wonder if Neverland will actually have the gall to go through with such a thing. On one hand, he’s a main character and we all know how much plot armor a main character can be graced with. But to be honest, I actually think killing off Norman at this point in the story could work really well. Not only would be a huge punch to the gut for Emma and Ray, it would really make a statement on Neverland‘s part that no one in this series is truly safe.

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