Authenticity.  It’s a shame Commander Lingeren and her father Dracon couldn’t speak Russian throughout because the part that Simon spoke in the beginning was fantastic.  This truly was a wonderful episode–  it’s dark, and leaves nothing behind in giving a detailed backstory on Varona.

She’s a shut-in because of her father and all she does is read books but when a killer comes in to claim her life she takes matters into her own hands.  That house sequence was probably the best scene this season has to offer so far! I like how we escape Ikebukuro for a while and get a view of Russia.  Having seen what her daughter had done he realizes Varona is special.  It’s also nice to see a little behind Simon too.  He and Ivan trained her and those still panel shots provide more than enough power behind her motives of killing.  Reading books, magazines and comics she finally has found something fun with killing people.  Rather creepy but this is Durarara!! I’m talking about here and without a character like this it wouldn’t make a challenge for Anri’s unfortunate Saika form or Shizuo’s well-known strength.  This series is about weird things happening around the city and that’s what this episode emphasized plain-and-simple.

Izaya is finally making his moves:  The Dollars represent the freedom this city needs in order to evolve.  He’s making a stir but playing the Devil’s advocate.  The idea that Ryuugamine could be left behind from the very gang he established with a color and ideals.  Izaya is trying to make a mess;  creating ordered chaos and has put Ryuugamine around his finger.  Aoba’s entrance at the end just proves how much this season is trying to outfit Izaya as a sort of double-sided coin.

Anri’s fight with Varona gently touches on this idea about ordered chaos and provides what the last few episodes have been leading up to.  Celty’s encounter with her.  Varona doesn’t know much of the outside world and her insistent remarks about danger were so child-like she’s depicted as this broken soldier child.  Fantastic episode!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 9/10

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