I get that killing Grandma Fumi, THE BEST CHARACTER, in the previous episode was going to have to be addressed. I was a little surprised, though, that Ghost made these two episodes a little thematic thing on grieving and saying goodbye. Like I wouldn't have expected a show that has so many sudden resurrections and reincarnated souls to lean into the idea that it's healthy to let the dead go at a certain point and move on. I'm not sure if that's counter-intuitive to the show they've been making thus far, but I thought it generally held together. Alain's grief at Grandma Fumi's death felt acknowledged without being overly melodramatic (he managed not to slip into a catatonic stupor this time, at least). Yuki's ability to both need closure and accept it was a solid arc. It was a sadder couple of episodes, but not unreasonably so. I mean, monsters still got beat up and exploded. It's still a Kamen Rider show.

That said, so, don't ever be anyone's parent or parental figure on a Kamen Rider show. Grandma Fumi dies. Yuki's dad died on his birthday, to make her extra sad. Alain's dad is double murdered right in front of him. The piling up of tragedy over the last few episodes almost became so much that I couldn't take it seriously. Again, Yuki's dad dies on his birthday. It's like that episode from earlier in the season, in the Ryoma two-parter, where the dad and son argue and the son immediately runs out and gets hit by a car and dies. I'm not sure if I found that tragic like I was supposed to, because I was laughing SO DAMN HARD. The Yuki stuff has some of the same problem, where they've gilded the melodrama lily a bit. A dead dad for a teenager is a big enough deal on its own! You don't need it to be his birthday, and he's also bought her a new puppy, and he was only one day until retirement. Just, her dad died. I don't think anyone needed more than that.

But, y'know, that's all a small complaint. The Alain redemption arc seems like it's reached its natural conclusion, everything about it felt earned, and the main cast seems ready for the next stage of the story. I'm getting into this, and from what everyone tells me, it's nothing but blue skies ahead. Just like Alain would want!