For me there’s no “be careful what you wish for” with this season of Sousou no Frieren. I’m getting exactly what I wanted (so far) that can’t be denied. This is Frieren at its most ambling and wryly sardonic. One could even call it “directionless”, but there are few series about which that’s more a compliment and less a criticism. If there’s one phrase that describes this series at its essential best it’s “life is what happens along the way”. I’m glad it has the confidence to proceed the way it is at the moment, though I suppose by this point the manga was already a massive hit so it was easier to be.
What this episode makes clear is the essence of the current situation, which is not new information but perhaps hasn’t been presented in such stark (no pun intended) terms. Heiter and Eisen both became “fathers” late in their (mortal) lives. And both have tasked Frieren with raising their children. That’s the ultimate compliment but in truth, it comes pretty much by default. Frieren is so long-lived as to be by normal (even Eisen’s) standards almost immortal. Who else could they ask, even if they wanted? Frieren is well aware of her deficiencies in this field – she’s basically an elderly child herself. But in her (flippant) way, she does seem to take the responsibility seriously.
The MacGuffin of this week’s sidebar is a search for the Secret Hot Spring of the Etwas Mountains. This becomes an option because the onsen in the village they stop at has dried up (and the village been abandoned, more or less). Frieren is less than enthusiastic about heading for the secret onsen, but Stark recognizes the name. And when he remembers why, insists that they find it. This is uncharacteristically assertive from him, but Fern seems open to the idea too so in the end, Frieren relents and lets the kids have their pull on the lead.
After a ridiculous adventure (which is what Eisen called Frieren’s first time on this journey) including a battle with a three-headed lizard with Stark being used as bait, the trio reach their target. And in the end it’s just a footbath, too shallow for actual bathing. That’s fine, Stark says – this way the three of them can enjoy it together. And the view is great, which Eisen – who seemed normally unsentimental about such things – told the young Stark.
Refreshed from the ankles down anyway, the three head off for the castle city of Hei. Hei has its own for-real onsen, which is where Frieren spends almost all of her time on arrival. That leaves Fern and Stark more or less on their own, and while Stark is better with idyll and suggests he might have some weapons maintenance done, Fern makes it very clear she doesn’t wish to be left on her own. Stark cheekily suggests they go out on a date the next day – a rather tone-deaf move that gets him in way deeper than he ever intended.
Stark asking Frieren for dating advice is probably as absurd as she suggests. He notes that it’s more like a grandma hanging out with her grandson, which earns Stark a serious rebuke and a reminder of the consequences of a third strike. But in effect what’s happening here is that Stark and Frieren go out on a date. That’s nice, because we don’t get to see much one-to-one interaction between them. Everything Frieren knows about Fern she learned from Heiter – or so she says, anyway. But her advice is sound enough, she’s a much more attentive mom than she realizes, and she clearly enjoys spending time with her son for its own sake.
Frieren’s level of self-awareness is always an interesting unknown with this show. How much of her lack of emotional intelligence is her playing a character and how much is genuine? However she sees the stakes of what’s to come the next day, Fern and Stark both clearly see them for what they are. Something will surely come along to disrupt the flow before things develop seriously (that pattern is well-established at this point) but that we’ve even gotten this far is breaking new ground for the pair of them.
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