Any episode where Victorique sings is going to have that as the headline moment, but there was an awful lot else to recommend this excellent offering, one of the best of the series so far.
The primary role of the episode was to shed some background on Grevil, and his relationship with “Q-chan”, his sister – and it does an awfully good job at that. The plot involves a beautiful but ditsy woman named Jacquilene with business both at the library and the police station. She has some books to donate – which are unfortunately switched with a salesman’s travel case at the train station – and she knows Grevil, too. She was accused of murder once, that of a veternarian who failed to save her chipmunk (yes, really). He fell in love with her then and, knowing in his heart she was innocent, sought out Q-chan’s help to exonerate her.
This is where the perceptions of teh characters change a little. Grevil’s hairstyle is the price demanded by Victorique to solve the case – and odd price, at that – and contributes to his feeling that while he doesn’t possess the intelligence of his “Gray Wolf” sister, she doesn’t possess a heart.
Or much humility. She says her “wellspring of wisdom” is what guides her rather matter-of-factly. She’s also of the opinion that Grevil of wrong about her, but maybe only since Kujo came along. Her tears at Grevil’s renewal of the accusation are proof of how much he means to her, but the fact is that Grevil comes off looking like a pretty decent guy. He was genuinely kind to Jacquilene and truly loves her, but unfortunately she’s married to a fellow who “looks like a carp”. He doesn’t even get to renew their acquaintance – their paths never cross during her visit to Sauville to deliver her books, and that’s that.
Lots of interesting stuff here. In her flashback to the case, we see Victorique still living in her dungeon – so we know that at some point she moved to her dollhouse in the garden maze. Something Grevil did out of kindness – or under duress? We also see Kujo get to use the elevator for the first time – an historic moment, indeed. And I wonder if Grevil’s pet name for him – “Baby Squirrel” – comes from his involvement with Jacqueline’s chipmunk.
As this series progresses, it’s really starting to dig deeper into the characters and what drives them. The mysteries still aren’t all that compelling, but as plot devices they’re used effectively. The main trio of characters are extremely interesting people, most obviously Victorique herself – she’s a moe creation of the highest order, but her genuine quirkiness and sense of danger elevate her above simple cuteness. Her relationships with Kujo and Grevil are complex and continue to grow in interest as they’re slowly revealed like layers of an onion. For all it’s flaws, Gosick remains a stylish and truly worthy series.
