Random Curiosity

Summary:

Seeing Juliet holding an iris flower, Romeo asks her if she likes them. A flustered Juliet barely manages to utter a yes and then doesn’t have the chance to tell him her name when he asks because Benvolio comes looking for him. Instead, she leaves him there and runs off, extremely happy to find out that his name is Romeo. Juliet reaches the gate to leave, but the guards stop her because she’s alone. Luckily for her, Francisco and Curio happen to have a carriage waiting for her there and get her out. On the way back home, Juliet gets questioned by Francisco and Conrad about why she went to the castle. Conrad doesn’t seem to approve, but Juliet recounts how it was like a dream inside the castle. She almost tells them about Romeo, but she stops herself and doesn’t mention him. When Francisco tries to warn her against acting rashly, Juliet asks why she can’t wear dresses. Conrad says that they’ll tell her on her 16th birthday, but Juliet still isn’t happy. Back at the ball, Romeo can’t keep his mind off Juliet, but his father has other plans and announces Romeo and Hermione’s engagement to everyone. Romeo has to dance with Hermione, but he’s not really into it and soon excuses himself.

The next day is Juliet’s 16th birthday. With the way Juliet acts when she wakes up, Cordelia can tell that something happened at the ball, but Juliet claims that there wasn’t anything. Since Conrad is gone this morning, Juliet heads out as the Red Whirlwind with Antonio. The two of them end up attacking a carriage that’s carrying girls who have been taken from their families to pay for debts. Juliet easily handles two of the thug guards, but the third manages to cut her arm and cause her to drop her sword. Things are looking bad for her when Curio jumps in to help. He knocks the last thug off the carriage, but he also tells Juliet that this is the end of her coming out to play. Since Juliet is hurt, she gets taken to a trusted doctor named Lancelot who bandages her up and tells her about how Neo Verona really changed after Montague came into power because only the nobles are enjoying profit and wealth now. At home, she gets yelled at by Conrad again, though Francisco does speak up for her, saying that her feelings of wanting to help the common people are wonderful. Juliet escapes the rest of the lecture by running off to see William. The playwright is currently writing a comedy about a girl named Rosalind who disguises herself as a boy. Rosalind becomes a girl again for love, and the play is called As You Like It. As William and Antonio are arguing, Juliet wonders out loud if the love of a noble and a commoner can succeed. William responds by saying that “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” - inside stories, social status is irrelevant to love.

On this same day, Romeo is out for a garden walk with Hermione when he notices an iris flower. At around the same time, Juliet heads home, lets down her hair, puts on a dress, and asks Cordelia if she knows a place where irises bloom. Cordelia wants to know why, so Juliet reveals that that person had said that she had the scent of iris. Though she doesn’t think that she can meet him again, she wants those flowers around. Cordelia tells her where, and by chance, this iris field is the same place that Romeo is visiting when Juliet gets there. She already knows his name, so he wants to know hers because he wants to call it out. Soon after Juliet gives him her name, a bell rings and signals to her that she has to go. She explains that today is her birthday, so Romeo looks around for a present and finally decides on an iris flower. He then asks her if they can meet here again tomorrow at this time, and she agrees. At home, Juliet has a birthday dinner with everyone as herself, though Antonio is the only one who’s shocked to find out that Odin is really a girl. Afterwards, she boards a carriage with them and gets taken to a graveyard. It is now that Conrad finally explains to Juliet about her father being the Capulet who governed Neo Verona until he was killed by Montague 14 years ago. And it wasn’t just her father - Montague killed her mother and brothers too, making Juliet the only surviving member of the Capulet family. Inside this graveyard, a group of men appear before Juliet, and much to her shock, they all bow down to her.

Preview

I still can’t get over how good a show this is. I had come into this worried that my expectations were too high thanks to the first episode, but I’m glad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this second episode, and I absolutely love the music. I really want to hear the soundtrack for the instrumental/string version of the opening song (the one that played during the iris scene). Juliet manages to be such a great heroine because she’s got the fighting skills and yet is so naive and pure in terms of love. Romeo is too, and that’s what makes them such a cute couple to watch. Of course, the preview suggests that it’s not all happy because the two will fight in next week’s episode, and I’m sure at least Juliet recognizes Romeo. I guess the question is if she fights him before or after they meet again in the iris field.
On a side note, I find it slightly amusing that they’re using the William character so blatantly as Shakespeare with the As You Like It references. I wonder if they’re going to try to talk about his other works too and relate them to this story. Regardless, GONZO and the staff are doing a wonderful job right now, and Romeo X Juliet remains my favorite new show of the season.