The sixth episode of Steins Gate 0 was a little slower than expected, but ended with a bang – literally. This final scene poses several questions, each more fascinating than the last.
Recognising Limits
Okabe has been ignoring Amadeus’ calls since that night on the rooftop. Until now, his primary coping mechanism has been to run or isolate himself, but not this time. He’s come to realize that Kurisu is gone. There’s no replacing her, not with an almost-identical character, not with an AI companion, not even with a clone, were such a thing possible.
It’s a bittersweet realization. That said, Okabe is going to grow as a person because of it. For too long, he’s watched other people have fun, and now that he’s let go off all his emotional baggage, he’s free to join in. Or he would be, if he were a normal person.
Group Integration
It seems like the original lab members have accepted Maho and Kagari as part of their group. Even the professor and Judy seem to be fitting in, even if they only appear sporadically. This is the first step towards including them in Okabe’s plans. Even though he’s hesitant to ask for help, this problem is simply too big for one person to shoulder on their own. He even requested Moeka’s assistance, despite his better judgement.
Of course, let’s not forget that his new companions are professional scientists. They’re better poised than anyone to explain why time travellers forget their missions, and the psychological effects of moving between world lines. Okabe may have claimed to be a mad scientist back in season one, but this time, he’s squarely out of his depth.
It’s Happening Again
This episode ends with Amadeus cutting out abruptly and a team of gunmen storming the lab. If we think back to Mayuri’s death loop back in Steins Gate season one, it’s likely that Maho is the one injured by the single shot that was fired. However, it’s also possible that Mayuri is simply destined to die, and that Okabe’s actions only delayed it.
There is another possible reason for Amadeus’ outage, though. Perhaps this strike team isn’t the only one. If team A entered Okabe’s lab and team B simultaneously hit Amadeus’ servers, there’d be no warning. In this situation, there may not even be any casualties.
The big question is “who sent them?”. The obvious candidate is Moeka, but really, anyone who knew about Kagari is a suspect. Could it be that there’s a traitor inside the lab?
Steins Gate 0 does a fantastic job at suddenly turning everything you know on its head. To be honest, this episode was slow and light on plot, right up until the final scene. It immediately turned the episode from filler to thriller and made the audience desperate to see what happens next.
