Tokyo Ghoul Re – S3E3 – fresh: Eve

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Previously on Tokyo Ghoul, “Fragments: member”

It finally happened, the dreaded set-up episode. We trudged through them in season one, watched them bog down season two, and now they’ve reared their ugly head once again. You can change the director, but it’s the same source material. This go around, Watanabe’s new pace comes in handy as the chess pieces, old and new, get positioned for next week’s fireworks. It almost makes you forget the hardest pill to swallow about fresh:  Eve.

You Tease!

So, remember how we got that touching semi reunion between Touka and Kaneki that ended on a cliffhanger? Well, go ahead and put that on the backburner. After the mysterious cold open, we move on to Urie and his issues. That’s all fine and well except there is exactly ZERO mention of it. Sasaki / Kaneki gets plenty of chances with his inner monologues, but nope, nothing.

Did he at least say thank you instead of staring like an ass? Did anyone else notice the tears? Did Kaneki also tear up when he realized Yomo was cleaning glasses? Give us something! I get that it wouldn’t be fully addressed, but if you had no memories and drank coffee that stirred enough emotions to make you cry, wouldn’t you at least think about it at some point the next day? Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty to chew on this week, but like a wise man once said, “That’s bullshit.”

Come On Down

Instead, we get a healthy helping of character work and world building, with some silliness on the side. Conveniently, Urie is absent for the wacky fun thanks to his recent surgery. Sidelined, he still shoots his shot at Captain again by getting the last Quinx member, the obnoxious Saiko Yonebayashi, to finally pull her weight. He did what Capt. Shirazu couldn’t, but his aim is more devious. He figures she’s such a mess that the group will implode without his help, all of which backfires on him. Of course, that won’t be deterring him, but each move edges him down a darker path. He may be underhanded, but it’s a noble pursuit (from the human point of view anyway) that can easily be irrational, and that’s a dark hole he could be going down.

Attitude Adjustments

As for the Quinx Squad, their investigation into Nutcracker (yes, a ghoul known for smashing her victims’ nuts) leads them to team up with Division II, which is rare, and an old returning favorite, Juzo Suzuya.

Last seen crumpled like toilet paper, this Suzuya is a little older, wiser, and less high strung and bloodthirsty. Humbled, he seems to have taken some of O.G. Mado’s teachings to heart and uses his head, in the field and in the office, as an Associate Special Investigator. Surprisingly, he turns out to be close to Sasaki, a complete 180 from the old Suzuya. I’d love to see how that came about.

Suzuya squad’s raid on Nutcracker’s house turns up a list she’s preparing for the auction. Of course, since she’s looking for young women, the Quinxes all dress as women and hit the club. In between all the goofiness you’d expect, Mutsuki finally gets a win. After getting self conscious, Muttsy downs a few drinks, and walks right up Nutcracker and gets herself invited to the auction. Despite being the scrub, D2 head Matsuri Washu (not CCG Jesus) wants her to go in solo, but Suzuya makes the save and talks his way into joining her. It’s unclear how, or if, Chief Washu and Matsuri are related, but they are polar opposites. This Washu has no love for ghouls, half or full-blooded.

Up in the club, Roma and, our favorite problematic character, Nico pop up for a cameo. Yamori’s old boyfriend Nico is the easy one to remember, seeing as he gives South Park’s Mr. Slave a run for his money, but I wouldn’t have picked off Roma if they hadn’t dropped her name.

Her previous claim to fame was being the Anteiku waitress who kept breaking dishes. You could say she’s a bit different these days. After recognizing Kaneki, she fantasized about torturing him before deciding to kill Sasaki, but not right now apparently. With Nico agreeing, we’ll be seeing them again, but remembering how she used to be, can she really be about that life in the span of 2 years?

Hardcore Softness

Politics and weird vendettas aren’t the only problems for Sasaki. Donato, our favorite incarcerated kid eating priest, kicks it off by asking Sasaki what he plans to do if his memories come back. He says he doesn’t care about them, but Sasaki wonders if his life is right like this.

Rather than let him answer, he points him to a ghoul that could unlock Sasaki’s memories but we don’t get to hear his name. Now with that and Nishio’s words still haunting him, Sasaki shifts this episode. He has almost accepted his memories will come back yet he can’t let go of his new life.

In a conversation with Mado, she tells him that those with the least to lose have the most power. In her view, Sasaki is alone, however Sasaki see the Quinxes and others as family. They are all he knows and they are his weakness. When his memories come back, or the past catches up with him, there will be a third side pulling him across from Anteiku’s remnants (The :re Clique) and Aogiri Tree. With Anteiku and the CCG, he has made familial bonds and felt at home. Aogiri, on the other hand, will make up for that in tenacity whenever they get their chance. In a way, he’s the weakest character on the show because his heart isn’t built for that life. Even Hinami has gotten harder than him. He could try running away again, but my man is running out of places to hide which might be part of the point. From day one, Kaneki has been running. He ran from home to Anteiku, to Aogiri Tree, and now with his new brain at CCG. He has had his chances to take a stand, and every time he ends up bouncing. Creating a whole new personality is a whole new level  that guys like Nishio may never let him live down. Word is out on the “guinea pig.”

Okay, I Might’ve Jumped Up

As I said before, there was much to chew on, but there was one shining moment that you should’ve known I had to give love. In the cold open, we see a bedridden shady figure sniff and inspect a pair of underwear but not recognize the scent. Later, the servant who helped him is seen with our old pal Chie Hori, the human girl who sold Torso information for Sasaki’s underwear. She was doing a solid for the servant’s master who was a former classmate, Tsukiyama: The Gourmet!

Through a series of quick flashbacks, we see their relationship could be complicated at times, but they were close. From the bright early days to Tsukiyama’s depression over Kaneki’s disappearance (that’s our buddy above on the rooftop), she was around for the ups and downs and is trying to bring her old friend back. I can’t wait for it to happen.

This was a dense episode with a lot of moving parts. It’s not a show killer that they didn’t follow up on the cliffhanger, but it definitely hurts. On the upside, Suzuya and The Gourmet are back in the game, plus there’s too much going on for Sasaki / Kaneki be able to skate for too much longer. By my count, next episode’s auction will have Sasaki, the Quinxes (minus Urie), Mado and Suzuya with CCG redshirts and other minor characters, our mystery ghoul, along with Ayato and his Aogiri Tree crew just in the closing montage. The powder keg has to blow.