Predictions and Observations:
Mirror, Mirror II

Why Hassleberry’s play-by-play instead of a “Previously”? Perhaps they thought it needed some explanation as well as just showing what happened?

For the answer to the question of how Sarina gets to summon eleven monsters at once, I’m going to go with “it’s part of the special ability.”

I have a feeling that Sarina told Sartorius that she would find out which one was the Chosen Duelist by doing this, and she told *them* that so the stakes would actually show her, but I don’t think she was going to actually capture the Chosen Duelist; she was going to get him to go save Sartorius. She was planning not to come back from cyberspace anyway, for reasons that are still unclear to me (she was a file that just got deleted; *how* is that a better way to look out for Sartorius again? Then again, Noah did say he’d come back…), so she wouldn’t have to answer to Sartorius for it, and she could tell the truth and send the most likely person/ended up people to save him that could.

It’s Jaden; of course he admires his enemies’ monsters, if they’re cool! It’s because he loves dueling itself, even if he’s losing!

The term “dino-brain” was used. Unsettling? Oh, yeah—come on, Sy and Sarge; Weevil and Rex are not a good duo to resemble!!

“I hate to admit it, but—okay, I *won’t* admit it, but I will try it out.” Aster’s getting there. He’s not there yet. I was actually quite impressed at the sheer quantity of pride he’s managed to swallow in such a short span of time.

Aster actually said that he had never seen anything like Jaden’s final play, that if anyone could defy destiny, was the chosen one, it was Jaden. Again, I’m impressed at how honest he was about it; what Aster had going when we first met him was darn near impossible to entirely give up.

I bet that card that turned Sartorius evil was the same one that was stolen from Aster’s dad! It would all fit—it’s a rare hero card, and Aster was close to it all along and didn’t know it! We all know that it *would* have to be something like this where the situation actually crops up again, not just *any* kidnapping and card theft. But—how could a nice, normal, duel-loving card designer like Aster’s dad make a card that divides someone’s soul between gentle and harsh, then suppresses the former? Not only would it be out-of-character coming directly from the man who created the Destiny Heroes for people to enjoy, but how could he bust out evil magic of that magnitude if he’s just a simple card designer? There’s something more going on here, and if you ask me, someone tampered with that card before it got to Sartorius. Now, the next question of import; who was the guy Sartorius read for that night, the one who paid with said evil card? Why did he pay with it? Why did Sartorius accept it as payment? Did the guy intentionally plant it to turn Sartorius evil, or was it an accident? What was the fortune Sartorius told for this guy (the Wheel of Fate, perhaps?)? Okay, next subject: Sarina said that Sartorius’ soul was split in two (what is it with the “Sar” siblings and alliterative tongue-twisters?); is that what the half-crying-half-smiling thing meant? It would make sense; his mean side is in control, nourished by evil magic and so forth, and it’s the one that smiles and sees the light. However, the gentle side is entirely apart, and without one side of this to soften the other, the “mean” side that would be simply a strong will doesn’t have the compassion to make good choices, and the gentle side doesn’t have the will to endure tragedy, such as Chazz’s downfall and the confrontation with Aster we saw in Taken By Storm I, in which Aster turned his back entirely on Sartorius. Hence, one side smiles, entirely free of morals, and the other cries, expressing all the emotions Sartorius would feel at what he does, only without any strength to hold the tears at bay.

Hang on—Sarina said that the card disappeared. They *don’t* need to get it away from Sartorius, then!

It was *very* hard for Jaden to leave Sarina behind. That’s just the kinda guy he is.

I noticed that the Light Brigade is back. Since T-Bone is pals with Jaden, I wonder if the four of them became friends with Jaden and his pals?

“Any idea how to help a guy who’s possessed by an evil card?” Might want to direct that question at Grandpa; Yugi’s helped some folks like that in his day, and Grandpa *might* actually know!

For no apparent reason, at the very end when we saw the buses leaving, I heard a trace of Alexis’ theme. Wonder why?

They came by boat, but they’re leaving by bus?

Okay, next week’s episode is What a Doll! I think it might have to do with that bizarre, doll-like duelist (as in, she looks like some sort of puppet, or like one of Bakura’s monsters in The Dark One Cometh) we’ve seen in a preview or two. Anyway, yeah—that’s game! -Clio

(Posted jointly with Capsule Monsters' The Fiendish Five I)