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Now that I'm no longer behind on Shin Sekai Yori, I realise how inattentive I've been with the series.

At this point in the series, I realise how little attention I've paid in the previous episodes.  Actually that's an inaccurate statement.  What I should say is, I haven't paid the series enough attention.   This realisation comes a little late in the game, but it just goes to show how well orchestrated Shin Sekai Yori really is.

As the series continues to go down the reversal of fortunes route, it rehashes little bits of information from past episodes.  Not only does it do this, but it does so effortlessly and with shock value.  Bringing everything together, Shin Sekai Yori is showing us that it has given us the clues, but it skirted them so much that I couldn't see a lot of this coming.

Just about the only thing that was within my predictions was the identity of the fiend.  I suspect this wasn't that big of a reveal to me because of what we learned later concerning Squealer's tactics.  Mamoru and Maria's child (I suspect) was just an example of what's to come and a heavy example at that.  Now Saki's thrown into disarray once again as she's filled with questions she might not want answers to.  Does this mean the pair were killed after bearing a child? Did Squealer lie to them? Was this all a part of his plans? Only time will tell.

As I watched this episode with a fellow blogger, all you could hear was the episode.  No sounds of talking like with other series. That's just how engrossing Shin Sekai Yori has been lately.  It also makes me want to go back and re-watch the first twelve or so episodes in continuity.  Mostly to refresh my memory of all the hints dropped, but also to better enjoy those particular episodes.

There isn't much else I can write for this episode.  In two words, it's terrifyingly beautiful.  Now the plot has reached the final stages, and the series has four episodes in which to wrap up everything up.