The Promised Neverland Episode 7 Review: 011145

Last week’s episode marked a potential turning point for the series. But as proved time and time again, things are not always as they seem in this series. The quintet must act quickly in their escape plans and decide if a risky alliance is worth it. On the other hand, the adults are moving in the background playing their own game of cat and mouse.

Plot

Our heroic five form a tense alliance with Sister Krone after the confrontation in the forest. Sister Krone tells them that her one goal is to become ‘Mother’, and if they managed to escape it would give reason for Headquarters to get rid of Isabella and put Krone in charge. Of course, no one actually believes this. Krone, Norman, and Emma play a tense game of wits, while Ray and Mother seem to be working on their own, separate, plans behind the scenes.

Episode Highlights

Mother Training: Another great reveal in this week’s episode was that Sister Krone, and by extension Mother, were once children in farms of their own. Krone explains that girls who meet special criteria (smart and with a mother’s blessing) are given the choice to make it past year twelve and train to work in the farms as Mothers. I wonder if that would have been Emma’s fate if she had not discovered the truth.

Sister Krone: Speaking of her reveal, seeing that the adults are just as chained up as the kids made me feel a spark of sympathy for Sister Krone. Especially when she told the children that she knew she could not leave and just wanted to live the best life she could, that’s what I call positive thinking – making the best of a bad situation!

Phil Strikes Again: That’s right! Yet again, Phil is in the right place at the right time. Appearing just as Sister Krone starts tearing apart Ray’s bed to try and find the device he’ll use to break the trackers. I’m onto you, kid!

Themes & Trivia

Trapped: Many viewers would have noticed the series does a fantastic job of conveying a sense of surveillance through camera movements and angles. It’s quite a striking contrast to what happens in the scenes. For example, in this episode, when Sister Krone is talking to her doll about her grand plans of becoming Mother, the camera angle appears as if the doll is watching her. Her excitement ultimately seems moot as she is just like the children, trapped and constantly under watch.

Comments

It seems impossible, but each week I just become more in awe of how absolutely badass the kids are in this series. Emma and Norman, while not completely successful, really held their own against Sister Krone and her mind games. I think some viewers often forget how intelligent Emma is because she seems so happy-go-lucky and a bit impulsive. But it’s great to see her work alongside Norman trying to pick apart Sister Krone’s plans. I’m also glad to see the original trio include Don and Gilda into discussions a little bit more. Still waiting for another great moment for Gilda to shine; maybe it’ll happen next week.

But what truly stood out this week was the tension between Mother and Sister Krone. I’ve been so focused on making sure the kids escape, I almost forgot about the adult’s inhouse fight. But here we are, at the climax of it all and gosh did it build up spectacularly. I really appreciate how the show used their story to expand on the world outside of the farm, hinting at their shared past and digging into their personalities besides being the ‘big bad’. Their scenes were also the parts where directing and story pacing shined. If they’re in the room, I’m nervous, but I’m even more nervous when they’re out of sight!

What Does that Letter Spell?

In previous episodes the cliffhanger ending has mainly caused concern for the kids at the farm. But this episode finished off with a lot of intrigue surrounding the adults. What was in Sister Krone’s letter, and, perhaps more interestingly, what was Mother’s secret that only Ray knew!? Guess it’ll be another long wait until next week’s episode.

While we wait, make sure to check out the MANGA.TOKYO team’s other episodic reviews for Winter 2019! You can find the full list of them over here.