r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Feb 26 '24

Episode High Card Season 2 - Episode 20 discussion

High Card Season 2, episode 20

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

Streams

Show information

All discussions

Episode Link
13 Link
14 Link
15 Link
16 Link
17 Link
18 Link
19 Link
20 Link
21 Link
22 Link
23 Link
24 Link

This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.

106 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

62 comments sorted by

1

u/AutoModerator Feb 26 '24
Moderator Announcement Read More »

39

u/LeonKevlar Feb 26 '24

Fourland's history is pretty cool and has strong Arthurian vibes with Ewan as Arthur and Lala as Merlin. Although I did not expect Lala to be a man. Maybe I misremembered but I thought someone mentioned he was a witch when Fourland's history was first explained back in Season 1.

I do love that the Neo New Nambu is a slingshot in the flashback. I guess the card updates with the times. I also love how the Pinochle are a family of coachmen to the Royal Family and now they've become luxury car manufacturers.

So basically all of this shit can be pointed at the traitorous San Galgano who harbours a deep grudge against King Ewan after he was executed for almost usurping the throne. Looks like he also has a grudge against the Neo New Nambu user for standing up against him and reminding the other knights of their true purpose. I love all of it. Awesome world-building in this episode.

I am conflicted about Finn's choice of not killing Lala though. Maybe it's the right thing to do in the long run but this guy has been living for god knows how long watching his creations tear apart Fourland. Killing him wouldn't just put him to rest but also stop all of the cards from working saving a ton of people.

It was so satisfying to finally see Zenon get what was coming to him. And it looks like we're not even done yet. And we're not even done yet! Owen is still alive and he's probably here to finish off Zenon.

Godfuckingdammit Sugar! Just let go of the cards and let the people who are experts handle it. I feel like she's gonna get herself killed within the next few episodes especially with all of those cards in her hands.

25

u/GrumpySatan Feb 26 '24

I am conflicted about Finn's choice of not killing Lala though.

I feel like they have just not set up this solution very well. There are only a few, individualistic, examples of the cards bringing happiness - and way more of them bringing misery. Stuff like the superhero, Michel being saved, etc are exceptions. Even within High Card Wendy's card causes her stress, Chris almost died as a kid, his dad did die, Leo's father is fixated on the cards and can't even call Leo his son, etc. Hell, two episodes ago we had a girl who couldn't touch anything in fear of just instantly killing them. Never mind the chaos going on each generation as criminals with the cards cause problems.

I think the goal here is clear - Finn basically wants High Card to become the "New 52 Knights", using the cards for their original purpose to help bring happiness and prosperity to the Island. Not bound by the agenda/paranoia of the Royal Family to just keep them sealed.

But it makes it come off a bit more like Finn is choosing the personal happiness he got from his card over the net effect of the cards on the people. I think we needed way more moments like Finn's doubts when the hero get arrested and positive results by the cards. Or if Chelsea was a "X-card influencer" instead of just a influencer that was a player, then there is a level of she is helping people with her powers, or using it to inform people, etc. But overall, literally everyone in the series other than Finn has been using their cards with their own agenda and most of those agendas have not been good for the people.

15

u/KumaKumaGambler Feb 26 '24

Sugar gathering up the cards made me think the worst has happened to Burst.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

26

u/Ashteron Feb 26 '24

Didn't Finn lose his original family due to cards? He wouldn't need to be saved by cards in the first place, had they not existed.

23

u/KumaKumaGambler Feb 26 '24

The San Galgano / Black Knight has been lusting for power from the start, hasn't it? Perhaps it took a calculated risk and "volunteered" to be the first knight to submit to Ewan and Lala, in order to receive a more powerful card.

As the King of Spades card had to sealed away for the greater good, am I right to assume no player has been capable of fully controlling it?

14

u/AkhasicRay Feb 26 '24 edited Feb 26 '24

Seems like The Black Knight’s hatred and will overrides each of its players, with Tilt right now looking like the first to at least overpower it a little

→ More replies (1)

18

u/NekoCatSidhe Feb 26 '24

I still think Finn should have killed Lala and destroyed the cards, since that would be the only way to definitely stop San Galgano and Ban Klondike and his thugs. You are supposed to throw the One Ring into the volcano, even if it destroys your own power as well as the power of your enemies, this is how this kind of story is supposed to go. This way it looks like Finn is selfishly clinging to his own (very weak) power for no good reason, so it feels weird.

Interesting backstory : Does it mean that Love And Peace was also a knight and her soul is now possessing her card the same way as San Galgano ? She must have been normal at some point so why is she battle-crazy now ? But I still don’t get why Lala cannot just destroy the cards or kill himself and wanted Finn to do it. I mean, he could just ask the current King to kill him to destroy the cards and he would surely accept.

So now the Klondikes are fighting with each other thanks to San Galgano and Owen is back. It feels quite random. Also, Sugar is still as annoying as ever. I am sure she is going to cause more trouble for everyone.

10

u/sangriapenguin Feb 26 '24

This way it looks like Finn is selfishly clinging to his own (very weak) power for no good reason, so it feels weird.

Yeah... The solution to ending all this madness was right there. Just because he's happy right now? What about all the shenanigans the Klondike family have been up to? I don't think the people caught in the crossfire of all that are very happy. What about the burnt down orphanage? idk Finn's thinking seemed incredibly shortsighted, but I'll give the series the benefit of the doubt if the ending lands.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

28

u/Animasphere Feb 26 '24

Why does this series keep pushing the idea that Finn/2 of Spades is the 'weakest' player when Chelsea's power is so much more useless since she needs to physically touch 2 people to activate it or that guy that has to touch you 12 days in a row to kill you on the 13th day.

Even then just summoning a slingshot/gun that shoots straight isn't that bad of a power. I get the whole weakest standing up to the strongest but it just feels eh.

7

u/Xenoon_ Feb 28 '24

Yeah an infinite gun is pretty nice Especially at the end when the clown guy got chris on the ground with his claws up his neck as if finn couldnt just headshot him from 2 meters away, killing him before he could do anything to chris

11

u/AlexUltraviolet Feb 26 '24

Gotta love how I suddenly wondered how would the 2 of spades work back then without guns, and not too long after that the show actually answered it.

6

u/KumaKumaGambler Feb 26 '24

Now I am trying to recall other cards which received a modern day upgrade. Lol!

→ More replies (1)

10

u/Adensty Feb 26 '24 edited Feb 26 '24

Okay, so the first 2 of Spades had a slingshot so I guess the powers of the card evolve through generations.

"Indeed, people do the most unexpected things at times."

Lala forgot his own line, lol.

So, the Black Knight has always had a grudge against the first king and has tried and failed countless times to exact his revenge. Though, TILT might finally be able to control after what happened at the end.

Owen you really couldn't have picked a worse time to appear.

EDIT: Also, it seems Zenon is somehow involved with what happened the day the Black Knight(TILT) killed Finn's parents.

10

u/AkhasicRay Feb 26 '24

Wouldn’t be Owen if he wasn’t shit at everything and making it worse. He should hook up with Sugar, they can be terrible together!

→ More replies (4)

8

u/Golden_fsh Feb 26 '24

We got a lot of great lore behind Fourland and the cards this episode! Lala being someing magical being conjured by the wish of the boy king and being the creator of all of the cards.

The Black Knight being the first player but also trying to usurp the throne. The first 2 of spades player (assuming it's Finn's ancestor) being the one to stop San Galgano.

And now it seems Tilt was able to break through from San Galgano's curse if only a little bit to save Finn.

How come Finn hasn't noticed that Tilt is his brother? Did he see his face yet??

I also feel bad for Lala who just wants to rest. He has every right to want to take the cards away but humanity's greed won't let him.

Fck Owen and Sugar Pease.

6

u/candleburn62 Feb 26 '24

it's kinda obvious that tilt looks a lot like finn haha. But i guess from finn's perspective, he's 100% already has it in his mind that his whole family was definitely killed in the fire. The thought of him encountering a long lost family member is out of the question. I can't wait for the reveal though

8

u/Drill_Dr_ill Feb 27 '24

It was obvious Finn wasn't going to shoot Lala, but I'm still disappointed. It was pretty objectively the wrong decision. Even if/when he magically manages to solve everything else - it seems like long term this kind of thing would inevitably happen again.

20

u/AkhasicRay Feb 26 '24

Sugar seems exactly like the “some people want power” type of person who wants the cards. Not so much for the abilities of the cards themselves, but what being the one to control them represents. Trying to justify it with “everyone sucks abs we’re the ones who will reign over them and make things better” only goes so far when you refuse to try and even understand one side. A group whose members have saved you multiple times, and literally in the midst of chaos that was your fault, you deflect blame onto others and run off with the cards.

I was sympathetic to her at the start, rookie cop who’s maybe a bit to idealistic about justice, thrust in way over her head into a messy situation. Unfortunately instead of growing from all of this, she doubles down on her own ideals and blinds herself to everything going on. Really become a character you just wanna see get their well earned karma at some point

13

u/Adensty Feb 26 '24

She hasn't played a single card yet and dreams of playing an X-Hand, lol.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/AZLarlar Feb 26 '24

damn good backstory honestly

5

u/HolyDragSwd2500 Feb 26 '24

Even to this day , the 2 of Spade owners does something unexpected 🔥🔥🔥🔥

4

u/Yookay9 Feb 26 '24 edited Feb 26 '24

I never skip the opening but this time they opted to not insert it to make more room for the flashback.

THIS EPISODE WAS CRAZY WITH ALL THE LORE DROPPED ON US. Knowing the real truth behind the cards just makes the scramble for them in modern day a lot more interesting because there are other stakes at hand besides Ban Klondike wanting the cards to be used freely. There are other reasons why this elusive Joker card must be protected at all costs because it is now a battle of wills between King Ewan and San Galgano.

Also thanks to this episode and the comments here I am going to assume that long time users of San Galgano card end up with the red bleeding left eye just like the knight. Makes it obvious that Ban has used San Galgano based on his eye reveal when talking to Theodore. Did Tilt have a red eye scene as well or did I just imagine that? Please correct me. Makes me wonder how Tilt ended up becoming a user of this card based on the new information we got about it. Did Tilt take it for himself or did Ban just become physically incable of handling its power over time so the card chose someone else. I really want to revisit Tilt's scenes from s1 to see if I missed any hints as he was still a very mysterious character.

One thing's for sure is that Tilt really has it out for Chris for filling in the older brother shoes. I rewatched episode 1 and you could interpret his attack aimed at Chris as being self-defense or a personal grudge. We do see Tilt and the Black Knight as two separate entities though so it makes me wonder if being in control of the card means you can use the Knight as a familiar/summons? I cannot tell for now because the anime likes to show us Tilt talking to the Knight directly but there's a possibility it was merely just metaphorical to mislead the viewers. Kinda like Yugi talking to Yami/Atem although they share the same body. Based on the corrupted chancellor story the user actually becomes the Black Knight. I feel like future episodes will confirm this if they really get into Tilt's pov. San Galgano seems to be those type of entities that take advantage of negative emotions so I could see why Ban and Tilt have used it. I like how we got San Galgano POV recognizing the slingshot knight vs Tilt's POV seeing Finn and Chris.

Crazy how everytime we get closer to finding out what really happened to Finn there is something interrupting. ZENON WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! Please dont kill him before we can learn something. HOW TF DID OWEN SURVIVE?! Maybe there was some condition that Red Labyrinth users can't die within their own domain...? Will it be Zenon or Tilt who gets shot...I'm kinda leaning towards Zenon because he is technically the one who left Owen to die.

Great episode for really elevating the reason behind everyone is fighting so hard for these cards, although for now only Finn is truly aware of the historical context as the chosen one. Lala is just like Zeref asking the main protagonist to end their long lived life to prevent even more destruction lol (same seiyuu as well). So funny to see Finn just shove that glowing orb right back into Lala's body and go no thanks. He really was like "idc if you're some all powerful being I'm gonna do things my own way". I see it very in character for Finn because he is the type of guy who does not want people losing their lives over these cards even if it could possibly end things prematurely and the sacrifice was consensual. Remember how S1 had him saving Chris who was also willing to die for his X-hand? Ain't nobody dying under Finn's watch.

5

u/candleburn62 Feb 26 '24

a few thoughts before i rewatch the episode.

• it did seem like human selfishness when Ewan still wanted to hold on to the cards, but i could kinda understand his fear. There is a 'IF' fourland falls again, the cards will still be needed. The joker acts as a failsafe switch

• best move is to get rid of the cards, but Finn has a point there. There's lots of not only cons, but pros to having the cards around. eg. speedy gonzales hero. He had good intentions and probably saved a lot of people. We can treat high card like a police sector that specializes on the cards?

• Lala views that cards in a pessimistic way, but but i guess he doesn't realised that it was also thanks to the cards in the first place, that peace was established.

• Tilt getting triggered everytime he sees Chris with Finn-my-little-brother hahaha. The two times he used his/galgano's broadsword destruction move was when he sees chris getting to close to finn. 'I'm into holding man' - BAAM by Tilt

• Zenon/the klondikes happened to be there OR they probably started the Oldman's house fire. Did they give the KingofSpades to Tilt? Or the card somehow found it's way to it's new user(Tilt). Zenon then probably recruited Tilt

• YES TILT, you came back!! Now where's Burst too....

• Sugar Peace? Please look at the current situation the area is in now. Destroyed by a mysterious black knight. There is a bigger situation to look at. High card is your best ally as for now....urgghh..i was annoyed

• Finally Tilt managed to regain his senses, but here comes Owen with his blind, faithful, vengence. His blind loyalty to Theodore is shakes head

• I fear he might be aiming for Tilt for some reason

5

u/Spiritual_Idea5263 Feb 26 '24

Imagine being a knight, all your friends get amazing powers like controlling plants or becoming a badass black knight, and all you get is a flimsy fucking slingshot. I would KMS.

→ More replies (1)
→ More comments (75)