Score: A-

Mia’s challenges continue. It’s fair enough to want to two of the Revolutionary leaders that pretty much led her directly to a date with a guillotine! The story naturally has to draw her towards two of the people on the planet she’d most want to avoid dealing with! Who could blame her for wanting to avoid two of the highest ranked people in the Revolution that ended up executing her? It’s only natural to want to avoid them even without considering how her time at school with them…wasn’t exactly good for anybody. So, the only thing the story could really do is of course force these characters together and even have them build up some attachment to Mia along the way.

Definitely the last people she wanted to see

Honestly, I really feel for Mia in this situation. It’s not like Sion and Tiona have done anything to her at this current point in time. And if all goes well, they’ll never wish any harm upon her. But could she ever feel comfortable around them? It’s too bad for the current versions of them, but there’s just no way that Mia would want to go anywhere near them. The scary thing is that she must do constant mental gymnastics. With some characters their worries seem overblown. But no matter how much progress Mia has made, her memories of that timeline are going to be strong. Plus, she has a book letting her know if she’s in the clear or not. So long as she isn’t in the clear, she must be very careful.

In that sense I think Sion should throw in the towel on a ship with Mia (no matter what the OP has to say about it). Even if Mia could fall in love with Sion, I don’t think she could ever be free from the fear of what could be. Knowing what Sion’s sense of justice is capable of would probably keep that romance on ice. Thankfully he clearly has a nice fallback option. Even if that fallback option hilariously is quite fond of Mia currently.

Bad choices can be haunting

There is an element to consider with Mia and her past with Tiona. It is fair for the girl to not like Mia and be angry at the bullying. Mia acted immaturely and was too full of herself. But I think killing someone is a rather extreme response. It is sad and awful that Mia handled things with that girl in such a way. Of course, I also think shame on Sion and Tiona with how they handled things with Mia. There is no good reason it should have taken 3 years to execute her. Either treat your prisoner with some level of class or hurry it along. I don’t know what they had going on during their Revolution, but it’s just awful to drag things out.

Good chance to win him over

I like her idea of going after this Abel guy. For one…there’s no trauma there! And honestly, I think she’s right to put pure love on the back burner. There’s no point in falling in love with anyone if she isn’t guaranteed to live very long. Abel makes a lot of sense. He’s a Second Prince so there’s less tension than if she was going after a First Prince. And targeting someone from a militarily strong nation is a very good move. For one that could make other nations less likely to support any Revolutionaries since angering a military powerhouse would be foolish. And it gives her a place to run to. Any Revolutionary force is going to have to throw up their hands and give up on chasing down Mia if she’s retreated to a powerful nation.

And I love how Mia just doesn’t care about that guy trying to intimidate her. It’s funny, but also tragic. This girl has dealt with far worse things than him. It’s true that a bully is nothing compared to the bloodlust of people actively wanting to kill you (I presume)! And she wonderfully took advantage of her situation. She needs this guy and needs him to show some interest in her. So, helping him out against his brother both endears herself to him and should get him a date. It also gives her a great excuse for turning down Sion later.

Good to have allies

The relationship with Mia and Anne is something I’ve really enjoyed. Unlike the complicated relationship with Mia/Sion/Tiona, the relationship with Anne is a positive cycle. Mia loved this girl and truly appreciated her. So now she gets to make Anne’s life way better than it ever was before. And the fact that Anne doesn’t know the whole story just makes it kind of sweet. She doesn’t know why, but just ends up really appreciating Mia even more. Mia’s not kidding about considering Anne a confidant. She probably trusts her more than anyone else in the world. Knowing who is in your corner when things go bad is certainly helpful when navigating difficult situations.

The mission to avoid the guillotine continues

This show remains a fun one for me. There are always those little moments that are a bit sad. Like Mia really loving baths, but only because she remembers what it was like to barely ever get something that resembled one. But there are some hugely fun moments like her with Anne or building connections that could help her in the future. That mixture is constantly on my mind when reaching the end of an episode and seeing that ED. There’s a sweetness in younger Mia chatting away with her older self. But there’s a sadness knowing how badly things turned out for that older version of Mia. A Mia that can confidently extend her hand and one desperate to. Hopefully she’ll clear all the hurdles and stay safe going forward.