Two episodes left out of this and we still largely feel like we’re in the setup.
This episode, we spend most of our effort learning about the power known as Tao. To put it briefly for viewers, it seems to basically be The Force and using it is how most of the powerful island entities do their things, with implication that it may be behind other supernatural-seeming feats as well, such as the blind Asaemon’s sight-beyond-sight. The audience gets the explanation from multiple sources, including the tree man talking with Sagiri’s group, the little girl (now biologically aged up some and not mute) talking with Gabimaru and the team that found him, and to an extent the herald sent by the immortals to face down the Bandit King and brother as they escaped the flower pit.
Speaking of some of those other points, Gabimaru gets out his differences with the dragon swordsman and his executioner, and forms an admittedly shaky alliance. The criminal in question is all about honing his strength and building a legend, but seems affable enough, especially when faced with more island monsters approaching.
Meanwhile, the Bandit King and his brother escape from the flower pit, as was hinted in a previous episode, only to be faced by one of the cognizant monsters in service to the immortals. He offers a “peaceful resolution” which would be “crawl back in the pit and become the Elixir” but our bandit king is not inclined to listen. They fight, and the enemy shows off how its recognition of Tao allows it to be more effective, finding weaknesses and reading moves. It strikes a seemingly fatal blow to end the episode, but there was a comment from it earlier that it thought the Bandit King might have consumed Elixir (he was in the pit that makes it, after all), so he might well have enough go-juice for one unexpected recovery.
And.. .that’s where the episode stands. Some exposition, some fighting, the show still looks gorgeous but it’s still not moving that quick. We have some idea what it might take to drop an immortal for good and might be able to put it into action, but we aren’t particularly close to doing so.
With, again, two episodes left, I wish Hell’s Paradise good luck on sticking some manner of landing.