Episode 12: Working Girl
What They Say:
Satou’s back (and recovered), Aoi gets it together, Kirio discovers his first crush, Souma develops his inner shutterbug, Wagnarialbums are born, Taneshima faces reality, Todoroki strikes out on her own, Inami and Takanashi concur, and Shizuka looms.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I will be the first to admit when I am wrong, so I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that the “working girl” alluded to by the title of this episode did not turn out to be Todoroki. (Although I did enjoy the follow up regarding that character.) Actually, this episode’s title should have been Working Girls! As a fully recovered Satou’s returns, Takanashi’s issues take center stage. He’s been reprising his role as Kotori the past few days, so everyone else tries to do what they can to ease his mind and get him back to normal. The most startling of these would-be reformists is Yamada (Aoi), who actually motivates herself to learn order entry by abstaining from the consumption of food (until she can put in her own order).
Takanashi’s cross-dressing for the sake of sorting out his feelings for Inami, or at least that’s what he’s telling himself and others. As much as it’s socially unfortunate how everyone treats this as a symptom of a problem, I do like that the show doesn’t always go for the obvious yuks. In the cold open, Takanashi’s reveal and “I don’t have any problems” refute are just too well timed not to inspire laughter, but the bit about Taneshima not being able to watch over Takanashi because he was being too girly was a little bit of bliss for how out of character her disapproval was. The cross-dressing also allows the series to tie up another loose end: Kirio’s crush on Kotori. I’ll give the key animators their due here: the expressions on Kirio’s face were perfect in divulging the fact that he was hiding his suspicions and not wanting them to be discovered.
Of course Kotori’s presence more than justifies callbacks to several gags, one of which is Taneshima’s obsession with her and everyone taking pictures. These combine in a precisely timed bit, during which Souma’s voyeurism is being noted and shamed. The mistaken identity and subsequent reaction shot on the part of the accused is precious. The confrontation with Souma and condemnation of his secretive surveillance can also be conceived of as a tied loose end, and it manages to be a chuckle-worthy, almost tender, bit with the help of “Wagnarialbums.” And “That’s what happens when you’re the cameraman” is a little solemn given the atmosphere but is itself a callback to a much earlier (S1 or S2) episode in which Souma is constantly dodging the camera.
As part of the series’ exiting bow, it’s congratulating itself on how much its characters have grown, just like in the first episode, except everyone has actually grown this season. Even Taneshima (by one whole centimeter), but that’s not the only way in which she’s grown. Of course, Taneshima’s still obsessed about being vertically challenged, but she’s also accepted and grown into her role as Takanashi’s senpai. And this episode actually shows it with her asking some pertinent questions, repeatedly, to not let Takanashi escape. These come in handy for the penultimate scene, which is a double inadvertent confession.
It’s a great scene, not only for the precise timing of the half-utterances and reactions to the barely restrained take-backs, but for casting off of pretense, consideration of the other, and acceptance of inner truths. And in addition to setting up the inevitable in the next episode, this intentionally protracted emotional distraction lends to what has been, all along, a flow of events just a little too perfect that makes this episode fly by in a fit of laughter and aww. And this, in turn, allows the last few seconds to be truly and delightfully horrifying. It’s an ending everyone should have seen coming. The series kept teasing it … even in THIS VERY EPISODE. The casual drops allowed the threat to fall into the back of our minds. And then, from the shadows it emerged.
Next week’s gonna be a lot of fun.
In Summary:
As loose ends start to tie up and the cast begins to ready for change and departure, this truly feels like transition. The end is nigh, and it’s been a wonderful ride. As stupid and funny as this series has been, the characters, without our knowing it, have grown and in doing so wrapped themselves around our endearment. This episode is all about the last few remaining characters standing either with less aid or on their own, with two last holdouts. I cannot wait for the next episode and am already incredibly sad that this trail of laughter will trail off to a definite conclusion.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Xbox360 running Crunchyroll app via HDMI to Toshiba 40” LED 1080P HDTV. Sony 5.1 home theater system.
this was such a wonderful review! i have enjoyed reading your posts on Working!!! every week, and you’ve always pointed out all the nuances of the show that makes it so great.
this episode was such a treat and i also cannot wait to see how this all ties up together. i’ll also be very sad that we’re heading towards the conclusion, but it really has been a fun ride. over the span of the 3 seasons, i have found myself getting more and more invested in all of them as characters, and also their character dynamics.
thank you for writing these very colorful and interesting reviews!
Many thanks for your comments across the season’s posts! Explanations of jokes can be a bit of a droll read, so I really do appreciate your readership and enjoyment.
Also, let’s hear it for even more Working!!!