PSYCHO-PASS - 15
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Riots, ultraviolence and androids that dream of electric sheep - yep this is still the PSYCHO-PASS we know very well.
After what I thought to be a one-off trick, PSYCHO-PASS brings back the helmets to incite the great riot. Interesting to see the series' take on a futuristic riot would be. I for one can't help but think back to V for Vendetta. The premise is essentially the same for both of them; like a country not used to snow, being covered in so much white powder brings everything to a complete halt. The violence dominated this episode. It was the most memorable part and aside from resembling a darker and more violent V for Vendetta, it provided the distraction for later on. However during the chaos, it made for some more commentary.
Understandably, the Sibyl system has once again emerged as the villain. The riot actually hinges on it, by playing on people's sense of freedom. Freedom, the one thing that advocated to be an integral part of our lives, has been stripped away by the system. Not physically at times, but psychologically - that can be the same thing. People complaining about being pigeon-holed into a category or better yet, caste, do so because it offers no freedom. The "recommendation" given to them, is as good as it gets. This way, anger triggers hatred for others, and violence ensues.
A strength in this episode of PSYCHO-PASS lies in the small screen time of Makishima. Personally, I'm not crazy about villains taking over the entire series once their role is revealed. Much less when they put their own plan into action, it feels very rough and poorly thought out. Makishima continues to be the puppet master villain, playing his role from the comfort of his home. He also shares some of his views through literature as you might expect.
Makishima's preference for Philip K. Dick's work over Orwell's or Gibson's is certainly interesting. What he describes as the most accurate representation of a novel parody, lies with the first authors works. "Not as controlling as Orwell's and not as wild as Gibson's" is what he used to describe the situation of the town. You can tell PSYCHO-PASS has drawn inspiration from many works, and it continues to make no apology for it. Makishima's remark about it being too perfect that a hacker is into Gibson is proof.
By setting the stage, we've entered the foot of the battle grounds. PSYCHO-PASS still has seven episodes left in which to settle the fight. No pacing issues, though I do worry the story is lacking in refinement at times. I just hope there will be a near flawless conclusion to PSYCHO-PASS.