[Fish Sandwich]

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Originally Posted by Layton13

it really feels the change in production, starting with Gavv, to be able to simulcast in China has paid off in spades in this season. I don't think this episode would have been nearly as good if they had more chances to "course correct" with viewer feedback like they used to.

It is interesting to note that since we know filming is now roughly half a year behind what's currently airing (as opposed to the two-ish months it was before Gavv), that does suggest they executed this entire plan before having any viewer feedback whatsoever. I mentioned how it wouldn't surprise me if they decided actually doing the twist was unnecessary, but I suppose not having to factor in the way fans are engaging with the experience of the show would probably make it less tempting to pull back? (Also possibly more tempting, too, though? Depending on the specific feedback?)

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Originally Posted by JusticeMagnum

turns out the crew was very careful to not film the moon at any point in the "real world" during the first 24 episodes of Zeztz as it would've given the twist away immediately

The greatest mystery really *was* subliminal, as it turns out! I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like the absence of the moon in real world scene is the kind of thing my brain might've noticed early on and then rationalized before it even had a chance to become a conscious thought? Like, you know, maybe they just don't want viewers seeing the regular moon and thinking it's also supposed to be the dream moon! Probably nothing more to it than that, right?!

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I'm worried that Baku may have played his hand too early though. He had the opportunity to become a double agent and find out the true meaning of the darkness inside CODE.

Even assuming he did, the very human way Baku freaks out there made it my favorite scene in the episode. It's sort of sweetly naive of Baku at first, how he's clearly thinking something along the lines of "Zero will know what's going on! I'd better ask him!", trusting that partnership they once had, only to end up having that instinctive reaction when Zero reaches for his Capsems, and realizing those days are just kinda gone at this point.

It's also just an interesting scene visually, for how it's the first time we've ever really seen ZEZTZ in-suit have body language that isn't all about the cool factor, and for the neat image of him then chaining off that door. If the room represents his subconscious mind, he's essentially kicking Zero out of his heart, which is pretty sad to think about! I miss the days when those two could chill around in there exchanging witty banter between missions!

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Yep, I hope Miyuki can still find the courage to be honest with her husband.

Either that, or without a Nightmare actively fanning the flames of her fears, she just gets on that plane and realizes it's not as scary as she'd thought. I guess we'll see if the show feels the need to directly address any of those characters beyond having the Bomb Nightmare defeated before escaping into reality here, but yeah, it's interesting to imagine how things will go for some of those people now.

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Originally Posted by FairyKing

IMO it actually makes the crushing defeat in the previous episode feel more meaningful, not less, because there was no comeback, no last-minute turnaround, no way Baku somehow managed to make things work out. He just lost!

The character relationships are the part that I'm still a little iffy on, but in terms of the stakes of the plot, yeah, I think "it was all a dream" and "it was all a prophetic dream" are two pretty different statements, and choosing the latter definitely makes everything we've seen so far relevant in a major way. I do like the idea of that bad ending being a road Baku now always has to consider the possibility he's still heading down, even as the details rapidly start changing.

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Originally Posted by FairyKing

There's a also some really neat symbolism between waking up from a dream and breaking free from a lie.

Definitely! This is something I started clocking myself around Plasma's debut. I kind of took Baku saying "arise" when making the Plasma Capsem (which, just in case that isn't clear in translation, means "wake up") as basically symbolizing his newfound determination to face the truth, and from there, that started making sense of stuff like why the belt itself says "arise" to begin with, and the whole open eyes/closed eyes thing with the suit desgins I've mentioned before too. In a way, the main skill of a lucid dreamer to begin with is the ability to consciously recognize the inherent falsehood of dreams. It's an interesting way the show is making its themes more specific than the usual use of the concept of dreams in stories as just desires and/or fears.