BEATLESS

Episode 12

Over the last few episodes, BEATLESS has been delving deeper into technical and philosophical issues concerning AIs and humanlike constructs. With episode 12, the series may now have finally reached the point where viewers will really have to work to keep up with the ideas it's exploring. It's certainly not content that can be watched passively.

The episode picks up in the wake of episode 10, with Ryo being unhappy with Arato over Shiori getting hurt, before Arato and Yuka's father summon them to his research project city for a talk. This allows for a more detailed introduction to the city and its incredible scale: 20,000 hIEs, with 17,000 playing the roles of humans in the experiment (because that's meant to represent the approximate ratio of hIEs among the human population). All of it is run through a data processing center that's essentially the hIE Mikoto in digital form; apparently it was only her physical form that got destroyed in the terrorist attack. Everything is running peacefully, which is why the senior Endō. is planning a big event where he cuts the hIEs off from their guiding “mayor.” The actual test is to see how the hIEs cumulatively react when separated from their guiding directives. The irony is that another terrorist attack is carried out simultaneously by Snowdrop, which causes hIEs to commit suicide and then later rise as crazed zombies. Or is this what the senior Endō. actually did have in mind?

At the same time, Watarai is directing Methode to take another shot at Lacia, this time with Ryo's complicity on the promise that no one gets hurt – unfortunately, we already know how trustworthy Methode when it comes to twisting others' words. Either Ryo is unaware of his deviousness or he wants to extricate Arato from the situation badly enough that he's overlooking this risk. An early flashback suggests that he feels guilty for leaving young Arato behind during his escape from the Memeframe accident a few years ago. This adds a whole new dimension to their relationship, especially since Arato either wasn't aware of what happened or didn't hold a grudge. Lacia also gets a scene when we see how hIEs can repair damage to their skin with some kind of spray-on compound. Arato starts looking at her differently after almost getting an eyeful of her topless while she does her repair treatments, adding another layer to the analog hacking conflict.

The philosophical meat of this episode comes in its last quarter when Arato unknowingly encounters Watarai and has a discussion with him while they watch the truly startling hIE suicides begin. This discussion finally clarifies that the Higgins mentioned previously is a super-advanced AI, and the concept of a “cloud” in 22nd century terms isn't exactly how we think of the term, since data in this future is far more interconnected than it is now. Following along this line, Watarai points out that the AIs are essentially processing data without understanding it, but by following commonly-used processes over the course of years, they can still generate an illusion of humanity. The real test – and theoretically the real difference – is how they handle extraordinary situations on which they have little data and no understanding. Much of this parallels how the human mind develops and functions; humans are notoriously unreliable when reacting in an unexpected crisis, so will AIs handle this any better? Watarai further posits that the hIE have effectively become interfaces between programming and reality through being shaped like humans. When Arato counters that there's meaning to being moved by shape alone, Watarai raises the point about what AIs would think of humans who can be sucked in so easily.

This is all very heady stuff that definitely gives viewers a lot to ponder while the scene of a zombie apocalypse starts playing out in the test city. I'm a little disappointed that the series opted for the more standard “robots run amok” approach, but at least the lead-up is thoughtful enough that the series may still be able to suss greater meaning out of it. Several dramatic events in this episode set up strong anticipation for next week, but frankly I'm glad I have time to think through all this before the next episode rolls around.

Rating: B+

BEATLESS is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.