Stein’s Gate 0 still needs to work on its pacing, but episode 11 actually resolves the series’ first arc fairly well.
Gunshots in Akiba
When they’re ambushed by another strike team, Okabe has to run to keep Kurisu’s laptop from falling into the wrong hands. Interestingly, before the attackers can make off with the laptop, another team show up and destroy it by firing blindly into an alleyway. This poses a few crucial questions: were they expressly aiming for the laptop, and if so, why wait so long? It’s possible, although unlikely, that they knew Okabe was responsible and were trying to kill him as a bonus.
The identities of these factions are as yet unknown, although it’s hinted that they’re Russian and American defence companies. If so, this puts the lab members directly into the middle of a new Cold War – stakes significantly higher than those of the first season.
Goodbye, Salieri
Just as the plot starts getting too complicated, Steins Gate resolves it. With Kurisu’s laptop no longer a threat, Maho and friends return to America. There’s a telling shot in this montage, however, with the camera lingering on an object hidden under Judy’s blanket.
Alexis makes a point of inviting Okabe to America. While this would usually be a throwaway remark, the other characters comment on it, with Okabe even getting Mayuri’s permission to leave. Could the next arc take place outside of Japan? One of Stein’s Gate’s OVAs showed the gang visiting America already, so it’s not exactly uncharted territory for the series.
So long, Kurisu
With Kurisu’s character arc complete, and Amadeus returning to America, this might be the last we see of Makise Kurisu. On one hand, it’d be a real shame since the dynamic she had with Okabe was excellent, but on the other, there’s very little drama left on this front. Perhaps she’ll serve as an advisor from now on, kind of like Batman’s Oracle?
We have to give credit to the writers here: not many shows would kill off one of their main characters, and fewer still would refrain from bringing them back permanently. This lets the audience feel a real sense of loss when a cast member dies and helps them get into Okabe’s mindset very well.
Daru’s your man
There is one small issue, though: Stein’s Gate 0 seems to use Daru as a quick and easy solution to every problem. Tech issue? Daru. Need something hacked? Daru? Secret escape route? Research? Need to find a missing person? You get the point. There’s clearly more to this character, but a season and a half in, we haven’t really seen much of it.
Nonetheless, with the show’s first major arc complete, we’re interested to see what happens next. Will DURPA step up their attempts to create a time machine? Will Okabe change his mind about time travel? And just what did Judy take with her? Hopefully, we’ll find out in the episodes to come.
