At last, the awful truth has been revealed. After working for months to improve the conditions of Spearhead’s lives, and assuring them that reinforcements must surely be on the way, Lena’s subordinates finally informed her of her unit’s true nature. Spearhead isn’t just the most dangerous combat unit: it is explicitly designed as a death sentence, where soldiers endure unending frontline action until they ultimately expire. Lena’s attention is well-meant, but ultimately meaningless; in the end, every soldier she is commanding is going to die.
This reveal colors Shin’s reputation as the “Reaper” in a new light. He mentioned early on that he’s been the last survivor in the past, but given the nature of Spearhead, it’s likely he’s survived through multiple iterations of this execution-by-combat, carrying the hopes of his companions with him. The Republic established this unit specifically so the 86 could not build heroes and legends; through Shin’s work, he is quietly rebelling against that desire, and insisting his friends be remembered.
This knowledge will also undoubtedly impact Lena’s perspective, dashing any lingering faith in the righteousness of her homeland. The Republic is not blind to the conditions of the 86; in fact, it established Spearhead specifically to “address” those conditions, by executing any 86 who stretch too close to freedom. The Republic explicitly designed this system, and having learned its true nature, I can’t imagine Lena will be able to sit comfortably in her gilded palace. The Rubicon has been crossed, and I’m eager to see Lena’s next moves as we return to 86!
Episode 8
We jump right back into the evening of August 27th, the day of the botched assault. Our first shot is of their spray-painted mural, with the text “Welcome to the base closest to heaven!” now possessing a much clearer meaning
Apparently they couldn’t find any of the remains of Chise, one of their allies
“If that weapon’s completed, it means the Republic will fall. That doesn’t mean much to us, but I doubt the Major will agree.” As Raiden has picked up, Shin is now considering Lena’s feelings without a second thought while organizing his plans
And Shin’s found his brother! The next battle may be their last, then
Interesting texture effect for this last shot of Shin’s face. I’m not sure the chalk-reminiscent cross-hatch shading really works with 86’s general aesthetic; this show is normally too clean in its linework, even in this shot, for the shading to feel naturally integrated
86’s aggressive scene cuts feel even more frantic than usual this episode, appropriate for the tension Lena is feeling
Henrietta advises Lena to give up, to which Lena fires back with “stop pretending you’re a bad person to have an excuse to do nothing!” Effective use of shaky cam here, as their usual politeness gives way to frantic argument
Apparently, Henrietta’s childhood neighbors were 86. She was actually close friends with one of them, but when the war started, all of the 86 were taken out of school, and Henrietta herself was bullied for being “friends with a filthy colored.” Hoo boy, that is some charged goddamn language! But it’s certainly not uncalled for; it doesn’t take much to stoke the fires of racial resentment, and there are plenty of historical examples of previously coexisting races driven to animosity through the animus of a particular ruling party
“He didn’t understand anything, and still wanted to play. So I said it, ‘you filthy colored!’” Fear of social ostracization can make monsters out of any of us. I appreciate 86 offering us this on-the-ground articulation of how racism doesn’t necessarily emerge from personal animosity, and instead can easily flourish through social conditioning and censure. And once you are complicit in this discrimination, it’s hard to turn back without condemning yourself. One can come to genuinely resent an underclass purely because of what they reflect back on you. You don’t want to think about the moral compromises you’re complicit in, and so you genuinely hate the underclass for provoking these feelings of guilt, or try to avoid thinking about it like Henrietta has
“I said he wasn’t my friend. I said I wouldn’t put myself in danger for him.” Henrietta made her moral choices long ago, and has been living with the self-hatred they instilled ever since. No wonder Lena, who never had to express her outright support for this regime, so annoys her
“I think my dad wanted my support. But I gave him a way out.” Collectively, Henrietta and her father gave each other the excuses they need to absolve themselves of the unconscionable
Apparently her neighbors could also wordlessly experience each other’s emotions. It seems like Shin’s power is not unique to him
Henrietta’s father research into this phenomenon eventually birthed the RAID system, at the cost of countless 86 lives
Eventually, Henrietta’s father committed suicide. Henrietta must blame herself for that death, then, since she was the one who “gave him a way out” in the first place
The expression work is generous in this episode, but frankly, I don’t think I can call it good. Henrietta is over-emoting her every emotion to an impossible extreme, overselling a moment that really doesn’t require much visual theater. I feel like it’d be more effective if she maintained a more controlled series of expressions throughout, emphasizing how this horror has become an almost mundane part of her history
And so ends her friendship with Henrietta. As Lena walks back, 86 repeats that effective trick from last episode, wherein any backgrounds noises are replaced by the hammering soundtrack to emphasize how disconnected Lena is from the world around her
We jump to September 10th, with Spearhead’s suicide mission approaching. Lena storms up to her uncle, with this shot layout dramatically emphasizing the differences in their positions. Her uncle stands bathed in light, literally shining in the radiance descending from this republic statue, while Lena is separated from him by a foreground pillar, shadowed in the murk of the republic’s true nature
“The Eighty-Six must all die. When they’re all dead, they’ll cease to have existed.” At last, he’s honest about the republic’s intentions
“A few know the full truth. But the vast majority who look the other way, or just don’t care, are supporters of this.” As much as I’d hate to disagree, he’s not wrong. Human beings are capable of staggering acts of cruelty and dehumanization, and fear of the unknown, or of losing your place in deference to another, is likely the principle political motivation of the average person. It actually takes unusual personal strength to acknowledge an ugly truth, and even greater strength to put yourself in danger for the sake of another. Though people living in times of peace often wonder “what could drive regular people to support such cruelty,” the fact of the matter is that the average person just isn’t particularly driven by an unerring view of global-scale morality. Having just lived through Donald Trump’s term as president, it seems hopelessly naïve to argue that the average person is working in service of the greater good – many people are driven by hatred, and many more are driven by fear
“It’s a country full of fools and villains, who executed Saint Magnolia for the sake of their own wealth and greed. What did you expect of them!?” Lena preaches of higher virtues that her country never embodied from the start. It was birthed in blood and hatred, so why should anything change?
“Humans were not ready to have freedom and equality. And I don’t think we’ll ever be.” To be honest, I kinda like this side of her uncle. This is a question that’s haunted me ever since I read Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, whose first act is essentially framed as a proud statement of intent from a committed cultural irritant. Underground’s protagonist acknowledges the grand project of building a just and fair society, but then adds “the thing is, I am always going to be trying to destroy that paradigm. And there will always be lots of people like me, and with us existing, it will never ever be possible for true freedom and justice to be achieved.” And he’s not wrong! Some percentage of all human beings will always be selfish and cruel, or simply driven to achieve personal success at a greater scale than their contemporaries. Any utopian image of the future is likely to fail simply because humanity itself is not a utopian species; it is a near-sighted, fearful, and greedy one
“You’re just saying that to justify your despair!” As with both the 86 and Henrietta, Lena is here driven by an optimism that has no grounding in reality
“Hope and despair are the same thing. You want something, and you can’t have it”
In the end, Lena urges Shin and the others to run away
“I don’t want you to hear my brother’s last words. So please, don’t contact us again”
But then, he offers her a genuine escape, telling her to head east for potential support
The final shot of their conversation serves as a clear visual reversal of her conversation with her uncle. This time, the foreground bar is separating the darkness around the window from the light next to Lena, emanating from her desk. The intent is clear: her connection with Shin embodies her sense of justice, an escape from the moral rot of the capital
Onward to September 27th!
Their absent friends hang over the remaining 86, as they reflect on who they’d like to join them for this final mission
This last evening with the 86 is heartbreaking. As they go through the motions of final chores on the night before their mission, the vast empty spaces around them emphasize how many people we’ve already lost. This mess hall used to be brimming with kids, and now Anju has it all to herself
And as always, the senseless cruelty of war comes through so clearly. No glory, just a death sentence imposed for some distant ruler’s greed
The next morning makes this absence even more clear, as the remaining survivors barely even fill one table of their cafeteria
Their genuine pride and camaraderie as they head out is even more heartbreaking. They’re dying on their own terms, the only thing about their life they can control
Hoo boy. And for the stinger, we get the truth about Shin’s last meeting with his brother. Everything’s set for the family reunion
And Done
God damn this show can be a hard watch! In spite of the lack of any overt violence, this episode felt like the most painful segment yet, as all of our leads were forced to acknowledge the limits of their power. Lena’s discussions with Henrietta and her uncle struck with the impact of genuine ugly truth, as she was forced to realize most of her countrymen simply aren’t interested in the fate of the 86. The best she can hope for from the Alba is resentment, as she dredges their past sins up to the surface. And then that slow goodbye to Spearhead, as we lingered over all the spaces they made into a home, now again depopulated by the ravages of war. 86 is so furious in its perspective and so focused on its themes that I’d hesitate to call it “entertainment,” and believe me, that’s high goddamn praise. I love a story driven not by its eagerness to entertain, but by its commitment to illustrating the difficult truths of the world.
This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.