Mechanical Marie

Episode 10

Arthur would make a terrible spy. Last week, the poor, dense lad finally learned that his wondrously efficient, heartbreakingly beautiful, yet unbelievably stoic maid Marie was, in fact, not robotic, but as human as he. Now he's struggling with all of his might to hide the fact he knows, and he really, really sucks at it. Perhaps realising that many of his actions towards Marie in the past could be construed as sexual harassment doesn't help either. Now the prospect of laying his head on her lap, as he's done countless times before, makes him incredibly flustered, as does her mere proximity. Marie as an emotionless automaton he could handle, but Marie as a human girl? He has no idea how to cope with her.

Marie, of course, picks up that something's not quite right with her master, though that doesn't stop her from saving him from yet more would-be assassins. They really need to do something about this mansion's security. Arthur swoons as Marie princess-carries him, in a hilarious inversion of the pose; it's a shame he doesn't consent to her carrying him back to his quarters.

The bulk of the episode elapses at an amusement park that Arthur, as the primary heir, has been ordered to assess. Mostly it's an excuse for the two main characters to enjoy a funfair together… or is it? Returning from her brief cameo in episode 8 (as Marie breaks the fourth wall to tell us), Arthur's cousin Isabel announces she's his fiancée! She instantly clocks that Marie is human, so presumably she has at least more than two brain cells to rub together, unlike Arthur. Isabel's only 14, though, so any potential marriage is a long way off. When she blackmails Marie about revealing her secret identity, Marie is then obliged to try and encourage Arthur's romantic relationship… with a child.

Thankfully, Arthur prefers women closer to his own age and is bemused by Marie's sudden change of tack. This could probably all be resolved if the cast shared their true thoughts and feelings, but where would the romantic comedy be in that? Isabel's made out to be a stereotypical spoiled little rich girl, but we learn there's more to her. Turns out she's a tomboy, and doesn't actually like Arthur at all; she's in fact in love with his half-brother Maynard, but since Arthur appeared on the scene, Maynard's been obsessed with him and ignored Isabel. There's nothing that girls like Isabel hate more than being ignored. Can't say I hate her taste in men, though, even if he was nice to her as a kid.

Isabel and Marie's conflict is resolved all rather easily after Marie saves her from a nasty fall… only for them both to fall down a cliff anyway, only to be rescued by the helicoptering Marie 2, who has been flying around the skies entertaining adoring children all episode. Marie 2 is definitely the show's breakout character. She's so deadpan and bizarre, and I don't know what to think of her “roadway mode” that sees her sprout wheels from her hands, like the Wheelers from Return to Oz. I hope she gets her own happy ending along with the central couple (and even, I expect, Maynard and Isabel.)

As Mechanical Marie enters its final episodes, I'll be a little sad once it's done. It's been a consistently charming, gently amusing, and reliably daft show with very sweet characters, most of whom get their chance to shine this week. With us ending on both Marie and Arthur standing before each other naked in the shower (how did that happen?), will the romance plot finally kick into high gear next time?

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Mechanical Marie is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.