You'd think that seeing the villains on the losing end would rob them of some of their menace, but the episode does a solid job of keeping that intact. Befitting an episode released the day before Halloween, both Black and Zamasu bring the creepy through their dialogue and mannerisms.
While Black's deduction that Vegeta's surge in power is due to anger at seeing Trunks hurt is incorrect, it does yield some results as it gives Black an idea that allows him to tap into an even greater power. Seeing as saiyans have surged in strength due to anger in the past, you can't fault him for coming to this conclusion. At first it looked like he was taking his masochism to a new level, maiming himself for the sake of a power boost, but in the end, he's just "forging" a new weapon.
At first, the scythe may not be that impressive. Even the fact that it can shoot energy beams may feel kind of "meh" to some, but the true display of Black's newfound power comes when we see that said beam has caused some sort of rip in space/time.
Even Black himself says that he doesn't know what it is, putting forth a handful of theories, such as the idea that they are looking into another universe or perhaps the far future or past. From the look of it, it seems more like the void between universes, but it's never really made clear. Black's suggestion that it is, in fact, his anger made manifest seems like the most viable conclusion, as smoke monster doppelgangers of Black start appearing, putting Goku and Vegeta once again on the defensive. The fact that it later disappears when Black shifts his attention elsewhere also lends credence to the idea.
In any event, this frees up Zamasu to go after Trunks and Bulma, which only makes things worse. She is still working on the time machine and Trunks doesn't know the technique necessary to imprison Zamasu.
Fortunately, Bulma was ready for that as she reveals that she made a video where Piccolo displays the attack. Not only was it a nice callback to Bulma's offer to hear his instructions when Goku left, but it showed nice foresight in having a plan B. It also gives Piccolo a chance to lend support even though he can't really help in the fight directly.
Even Bulma does what she can, stalling Zamasu in order to give Trunks time to learn the attack. I wasn't sure what her plan was, but we see that she just shamelessly flirts with him. Honestly, it wasn't the worst plan, feeding his ego and showing deference to his status as god seems like as good a way to appease his homicidal desires as any, but alas it doesn't work (or did it?)
You figure that Bulma's not really dead, but the episode does a decent fake out, as we only see her unconscious. Normally, you might see a hand twitch or something to indicate that she's just hurt, but she doesn't move at all. Suffice it to say, Trunks doesn't take it well, flashing back to the death of his timeline's Bulma. This pushes him into a rage and drives him to use the technique to banish Zamasu once and for all.
Despite the technique being difficult and highly dangerous, Trunks pulls it off without a hitch. Even Zamasu is caught off guard as he is coerced into the pot.
All that's left is to attach the seal to keep him in....Oh, oh no....
Now, I thought that they would reveal that the seal was still on the time machine, thus it was destroyed, but we see instead that they left it Master Roshi's house. I don't recall forgetfulness ever being this much of a problem for these characters, but it really has plagued them in this arc. First with the senzu beans and now this. It's amusing, no doubt, but it is a little strange.
Credit to the pot, it holds up much better than I thought it would; especially considering it's held together by super glue. It's only a matter of time, though, before Zamasu breaks out. I'm not sure if it's the fact that the mortals actually got the drop on him or he saw things while in that prison, but Zamasu seems legitimately spooked by what just happened. Even Black notes that something is up when he arrives to act as reinforcements.
It's here where the episode brings it's closing wham moment. Black and Zamasu decide to stop screwing around and Zamasu puts his earring on the other ear, bringing the two villains together into one being. I get why they saved this for the episode cliffhanger, but it probably would have had more of an impact if the episode's title didn't give it away right off the bat.
Still, having the whole thing set to Black's theme worked well. The overlapping voices also made for a nice creepy effect as the heroes bore witness to the birth of....Black Zamasu? (No, he's not black!) Zamasu Squared? Blamasu? Zamasack? I guess we'll have to tune in next week to find out.
This episode was highly enjoyable. It kept up the suspense and allowed Black to regain some of the unsettling traits that made him such a great villain.
With the plan in shambles and the villain more powerful than ever, things are looking grim, but it'll be interesting to see how the heroes turn the tide. I don't see them making yet another trip back to the past to get a new vessel and trying the mafuba technique again, but with an invincible opponent, they may have to.
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