Alice in Borderland S1E4
Now: Episode 4
Kicking off this episode is Usagi. Look away if you are into *animals are our FRIENDS* kind of crowd. She finds a rabbit caught her net and she snaps its neck. You know, because in this dystopian world, you gotta eat.
While walking through the war torn streets she sees Arisu making his best impression of a water puddle. She leans over to her out of concern. Arisu says he wants to die and Usagi just fucks off to eat her food. All is fine and dandy and she steps back outside in the pouring rain.
Oof and Arisu is literally in a puddle of water in the same motherfucking spot. All Usagi can do is gawk at this poor fella.
Now there is a flashback with her and her dad out hiking. Sitting atop the mountain or whatever the fuck, they just share some mundane corny stuff just to symbolize how close their father-daughter relationship was. Then one day, Usagi comes home where she is hounded by reporters as her dad was purported to be a fraud claiming to climb Mount Everest which is supposed to be big news? She ignores them and comes home to the sight of her dad already packing. He maintains his innocence and someone is spreading lies to defame him. Now, he's going to go back out to the mountain. Usagi begs him not to go but he says the mountain is the only place where he feels he can be himself before he takes his leave. He is never seen again. Usagi is big depressed.
Now, let's get back to modern times. Depressed Arisu is now with Usagi as she is eating. He has survivor's remorse thinking he didn't deserve to be the only one left in the game. After all, 2 of them were his bestest friends in the world and he saw one of them literally explode right in front of him. He wanna die. Blah blah blah.
Usagi empathizes she was in that mindset once upon a time but then she got hungry. It started with little steps so she just ate. Baby steps turned into bigger steps which led to her recovery. So toughen up, buttercup. Plus, she doesn't want him to die after saving her life in Tag.
Those were just the words he needed to hear so he garnered some strength to join her in the next game. The one they chose to do this time is located at a tunnel. The further they walk inside the tunnel, they see a funny looking bus with graffiti on it. Upon boarding, there's already 3 dudes that will be playing with them.
They introduce themselves as Yamane, Takuma and Seizan. All three of them met on their first game and stuck together clearing 4 games since then.
Before more can be said, the registration closed and the game is now commencing. Looking at their phones it is announced the current difficulty on this bad boy is Four of Clubs. The game? "Distance" and the objective is to endure the trial while striving for the goal under the time limit being 2 hours. Literally word for word. Not sure if this was mixed in translation but yeah.
There is counter on each of their phones to track the distance.
Yamane's first instinct is to start the bus and drive there but the bus does fuck all to start. Bummer it's out of gas. Takuma got injured in a previous game so he can't run like at all so he volunteers to stay behind. His buddies are like NOOOOOOOO but in the end they know he is being logical and will only slow them down.
The 2 dudes reluctantly exit the bus while Usagi nudges to Arisu that he made the right choice. The phone dings that they now have 110 minutes remaining. Everyone takes off running except dummy Arisu but after a quick retrospect of his dead friends wanting him to go on, he goes in pursuit and it now in last place.
They continue running for what seems like forever and to their surprise they come up to a solitary table with a sign that says "replenishment station" with an assortment of water bottles. All are hesitant to drink from it. Usagi has a fanny back and whips out her own water bottle and hands it to Arisu. He is nice enough to share it with Yamane and Seizan.
Resuming to run their little hearts out, they reach a section of the tunnel where most of the lights are either knocked out or dimmed, there is denser cluster of cars now so they tread carefully. They come to a complete halt because...
A BLACK PANTHER COMES CHARGING AT THEM!!!!
They scatter in different directions trying not to get mauled by this beast. Usagi takes a flare jamming it in his face to save them some time and reunite back with Takuma. Before Seizan can reach the group, he gets pounced on by the panther. He simultaneously stabs the kitty cat while he being munched on. Takuma wants to help his friend but Usagi urges him to go forward to continue to game.
Now it is party of three. Their agility is starting to wear thing. Takuma stops midway and ways even though he knew those guys a few days, it's like he knew them his whole life. Now one is dedz. Arisu, steps forward since he can empathize says some nice words to pep talk him into resuming the run.
They go back to the 2nd most grueling task in the game and run, run, run. Arisu sees something to tickles his fancy. A diesel bike. He has a flashback to when Chota says only old school analog devices will work since it is not reliant on electrical circuitry. He thinks this is a sign. Since the bus also run on diesel he has an idea that if he can makes the bike to the bus and gas it up it will help them win the game. There's no keys so poor Arisu has to run it back to the run the Flintstone's way.
Usagi and Takuma resume their run in the meantime. They get to the goal which is the end of the tunnel being sealed off so they decide to wait until Arisu can drive that bus over to them so they can clear the game.
Yamane on the bus is shedding a few tears thinking he is totes gonna die for not doing shit, he surprised when he sees Arisu come rolling on it. However, happiness is short lived when he sees lights flashing? Flashing?!?
While they sit down to wait, Takuma whips out his picture of his wife hoping to reunite with her and their baby. The phone chimes and says 5 minutes are remaining. Good, right? Screws start popping off the walls. They see water leaking. Holy shit water is popping they better RUN!!
They quickly made a mad dash to the bus but Takuma trips. Water be like: stragglers get left behind and swallows the poor dude.
Yamane is seen driving the bus while Arisu has half his body out reaching for her and she makes it before the water can claim someone else because: plot points. In a weird strange version of Noah's Ark, that is how they survived.
When the water is clear, they make sure everyone is okay. Even Yamane made it out alive. Just the 3 of them now. Since the bus landed on its side, they have to climb their way out. When they stand up on the side of the bus, they realize their dumbasses should have paid more attention to that graffitti on that bus because:
Even though Yamane didn't know it, he was the only one who did played the darn game correctly. That motorcycle diesel thing? LOL, must've been to just troll him. Jokes on him.
Anyway, Yamane decides to go his own way. Why? I don't know he's better off with friends but he does say he hopes to run into him again. GET IT?!
It is now the next morning where Arisu finally tells Usagi about The Beach and that is their next destination to see what the fuck is over there thinking that is key to finding out more about this diabolical game they are in.
Episode 5 is next.