It may have taken us a while to get there, but Steins Gate 0 is finally moving forward at a satisfying pace. This episode explored themes of responsibility, duty, and, of course, the inevitability of Okabe’s actions.
Progress At Any Cost
This episode’s most dramatic moment came when Suzuha attempted to force Okabe to jump world lines with her. In the first truly violent moment of this season, she grazes him with a bullet. The consequences of this action are overlooked entirely, so we’d be very surprised if it isn’t revisited at some point. After all, there has to be a world line where the bullet killed him, right?
It’s also explained that SERN aren’t the only organization interested in time travel. DURPA, a secretive government agency have also been snooping around, and their interference may actually be bringing World War 3 around sooner than expected. This is clearly intended to be the impetus for Okabe to take charge: when pushed to make a now-or-never decision, he’s obviously going to go for it.
A Tender Moment
Until this episode, Daru’s relationship with Suzuha has been… honestly, a little creepy. However, he finally starts acting like a father here, giving calm, measured advice and reassurances. It’s clear that he cares about Suzuha deeply, although he probably feels pretty awkward about the whole situation. This could explain his cringey attempts at humour.
It’s easy to forget that Suzuha is just a kid. Sure, she’s battle-hardened and more adult in some ways than ther friends, but she still needs advice now and then. It’s possible that being around people with cooler heads could even save her life.
Closing Ranks
For the first time, we’re actually seeing the lab members function as a single unit. The group finds a safe place to hide Maho, and formulates a plot to push back the coming apocalypse. This multi-pronged approach offers several advantages, not least of all, reducing the risk of a single attack taking out every single lab member and all their research.
We’re waiting with bated breath for the return of everybody’s favourite mad scientist Houin Kyouma. Even though Okabe doesn’t like who he used to be, you can’t deny that this persona was charismatic in a way, and that may be exactly what’s needed to rally his friends around him in tough situations.
All in all, Steins Gate 0 feels more adult than the first season. The cast are far less reckless, and although they aren’t soldiers, they’re weighing the possible consequences of their actions a lot more. The problem is, as we discovered in season one, if something is supposed to happen, it’ll happen, and no amount of preparation will stop it. With Okabe swearing off of time travel, will he have the tools he needs to save the future?
