[DreamSword]

Episode 4: Freedom and Phantoms

Reality is often disappointing.

Sure, the line became a meme what with Avengers Endgame and all, but it's something everyone has to deal with eventually.

It's so easy to get caught in the idea of something that we often don't take a step back to examine something objectively, or to wait and see what actually transpired. Our craving to make our dreams reality often results in us getting caught up in another dream. A delusion.

Likewise, just because someone showcases on behavior doesn't mean that they're never capable of the opposite. A doctor who saves lives can still kill. Someone who insulted you today can still dispense great wisdom tomorrow. The oppressed are still very much capable of becoming the oppressors. Anyone is capable of good or bad.

And indeed, that is the struggle Rouge herself deals with in this episode's' climax. Can she really call herself free, or someone on the side of the Neans, if she in fact takes orders from humans, and in turn, kills her own kind?

Likewise, Verde has a point. Can the Neans ever really call themselves free, even if they can dream? Verde still follows orders. The Neans still succumb to mob mentality. The government still takes a blatant excuse to invade a settlement that's meant to be owned and governed by the Neans. And of course, there's the matter of the Three Laws to contend with. This episode is all about the contradictory nature of existence, and I love it.