English Dub Review: Deep Insanity THE LOST CHILD “take 09”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Vera is trapped in a time loop as she tries to complete her assassination mission. She ponders how to best make the mission succeed.

Our Take: 

Time flies when you’re trying to assassinate a child that can end the world. But, in this case, it flies in a complete circle. The last couple of episodes had done well in showcasing Vera honing her incredible skills with her scythe. Now we see that she has a powerful ability to repeat time, as explained in the last episode.  

The beginning of “take 09” wasted no time in showcasing that Vera is in the time loop the entire time. She knows when she is called before the Steering Committee, and she knows what the members will say before they even say it. It turns out that she’s been using her ability to figure out the perfect solution to kill EL-Cee without her team getting killed. Meanwhile, the Platoon plans to invite Vera to the BBQ, which messes up the timeline, shocking Vera. We also see Daniel visiting the Asylum to learn more about Leslie’s notebook and EL-Cee. However, his action could cause him to be removed from the team.

The episode takes a simplified “Groundhog Day” approach and focuses on Vera’s recent attempt to complete her assignment while avoiding going to the BBQ. Fortunately, Deep Insanity doesn’t rely too much on Vera repeating the same day over and over again like the other shows and movies centering on time loops. Instead, it offers a compelling character-driven episode showcasing Vera’s complexity towards her team, mainly Daniel, and her time ability.

So far, Deep Insanity has delivered plenty of familiar plot elements that would’ve resulted in some light-hearted comedic moments amid the action and drama. Instead, it uses them to provide suitable development for the characters and their relationships while allowing the humor to follow suit. This episode is another solid example of the show’s use of storytelling and humor, especially Vera’s failed attempts to avoid going to the BBQ. That scene, in particular, happens to have a well-handled mixture of seriousness and comedy.

Overall, “take 09” uses its time effectively to deliver another solid Vera-focused episode. The episode’s handling of the time loop plot elements, along with its mixture of storytelling and humor, help stand alongside the other content centering on reliving the exact moment repeatedly. We only have three more episodes left in this season, and with Daniel getting the boot at the end of the episode, things have already gotten worse than they are now. It makes me wish that I could use Vera’s ability to prevent this unfortunate chain of events.