I. AM. DONE! Listen, there is no escape. THE PROMISED NEVERLAND Episode 9 – 031145 did an exceptional job in installing despair into not only the kids, but us as the viewers as well. RIP Norman.
I really liked how they portrayed the despair and anguish that the kids are going through after Mom busted their plans for escape. The scenes of Norman walking out to get some water for Emma was amazing. You could really feel the weight of his fears as he comes to the realization that his worst nightmare are coming true. Which makes what Mom said early kinda true. She takes care of the kids so that they’ll live a peaceful and happy lives, up until their death. Knowing that you’ll be eaten the next day must be taking quite a toll on Norman’s mind.
Despite all of this though, aside for Norman, the rest aren’t ready to give up yet. I really liked the scene of Ray desperately trying to keep up faith of all of them escaping. It got to the point of them being willing to break their bones and get sick, all in an effort to stop Norman from being eaten. That’s something only kids would do when pushed to a corner. That scene also tugged at my feels when Norman finally let go and expressed his desire to live.
I mean, they had a solid plan but at this point, we’ve learned that nothing will work. This whole effort to escape is a real reflection of the real world. As a kid, you always thought that you could outsmart your parents with anything, but no matter what you do, they seem to be always one step ahead of you. Even though, they made their plans, Norman finally found what Sister Krone left behind. We still don’t know what it is yet but that item will be the trump card for their escape as nothing else seems viable. It was here too that we learned how Ray knows so much about the world. At it turns out, he remembers his own birth and everything that went on. This is where we learned that the gate leads to their headquarters and not the outside world. Good thing, they didn’t try that route.
Seeing Norman say goodbye to the kids as they congratulate him on being adopted puts that scene on a whole new perspective. Mom watching Norman say his goodbyes with a soulless expression was kind of twisted and messed up. This is what she’s done day in and day out. So the chances of her converting is 0% at this point.
After all this, we finally learned what was beyond the wall and why Mom didn’t jump over when she had the chance way back. A cliff! There was a huge ass cliff that no matter what the kids would’ve tried, it would be impossible to clear. That killed Norman. The episode ended on a cliff-hanger too so there’s a pun for ya. Well, I don’t know how they’ll escape now. The only other way I can see how is if the note that Krone left behind is a map that leads to an underground passage that no one knows about, up until now. Otherwise, GG!
