Episode 4 of Lazarus , released on April 27th, shows that the group is still far from discovering Dr. Skinner's location. In the previous episode, Elaine finds a clue about the hacker Dr. 909, who may possibly be helping the scientist cover his tracks. However, during the investigation, they realize that finding Skinner will be even more difficult than they imagined.
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The beginning of the episode, like the first three, tells the story of someone who used Hapuna. In episodes 2 and 3, the characters in the story seem to be Leland and Cristina, because the voices used resemble theirs. In episode 4, the protagonist of the story seems to be Elaina.
The girl who gave the account says that the reason she used the painkiller was because her emotions were overwhelming, and Hapuna promised to relieve any kind of sadness. However, there is still no confirmation that the stories are actually from members of the Lazarus group, but it is the most likely scenario.
The Lazarus group is on Sam Stephenson's trail
Following up on the clue Elaina found in the previous episode, they discover that before Skinner announced the dangers of Hapuna, Sam Stephenson, a stockbroker, had deposited a large sum of money into the hacker's account.
The group realizes the money came from the sale of the painkiller stock, and that Sam knew Hapuna's stock was going to plummet. With this, they connect the dots and conclude that, in exchange for information about the drug, Dr. 909 helped Skinner disappear.
While researching Stephenson, they discover that the man, besides being despicable, owns a nightclub. The scene where the group searches for the real estate agent on social media and posts a video of him, intending to get to know his personality, is very funny. Their expressions, as Sam shares idiotic comments and highlights his jerkish behavior in his video, gradually transform into disgust.
With that, Elaine continues to keep an eye out for possible transactions in the hacker's account, and Axel, Cristina, Leland, and Doug go to the nightclub to get some information. Then, to infiltrate as a couple, Leland dresses as a woman to enter with Doug.
The group discovers that Dr. 909 has no connection to Skinner
After entering the nightclub, the group realizes that Sam Stephenson is even worse than they imagined. He and his guests drug the women and abuse them. Sam tries to do the same to Cristina, but she doesn't get drugged and takes the opportunity to deliver some good punches and kicks to him.
Furthermore, Elaina discovers that the nightclub's DJ, known as Visionary, is the famous hacker Dr. 909. This sets off a sequence of action scenes, and Gilberto, as demonstrated in the first episode, excels in hand-to-hand combat, utilizing parkour techniques for movement. However, this time, the music accompanying the scene is the nightclub's own music, not the jazz we're used to hearing.
In the episode, the characters combine their fighting skills with firearms; there's even a very good scene of Axel and Cris working together to defeat the men working for Sam. As soon as Stephenson and Visionary get into the helicopter to escape, the protagonist, who thinks he's in a Mission Impossible Lazarus ' action scenes are usually very fluid, dynamic, and emphasize movement.
In the end, when they manage to apprehend the pair, they discover that Dr. 909 is not working with Skinner. However, they obtain a clue that could be useful. The hacker says he only got the information about Hapuna because he hacked into Delta Pharmaceuticals' system. With this, the group concludes that if the pharmaceutical company knew about the dangers of the painkiller, it's because the people there must have a direct connection to the scientist. The final scene shows a place that looks like a testing laboratory, where there are monkeys that appear to be suffering.
Lazarus: The anime delivers action, mystery, and interesting characters
Lazarus is following an interesting path, and each episode brings a mystery regarding Skinner's location. Furthermore, it makes us wonder if there really is a cure. And if there is, will the group be able to find it? Also, in every episode there's a glimmer of hope that the characters are getting closer to Skinner, but in the end, it only becomes clear how intelligent and cunning the scientist is in covering his tracks.
Furthermore, the characters are fun and captivating, especially Axel Gilberto. Also, one of the interesting aspects of the work is Dr. Skinner himself, who I believe will be explored further at some point. So far, we know that he was a person esteemed by all who knew him and, by all indications, was truly a good person.
This leaves two questions unanswered: Will the painkiller really kill humanity? If so, would the reason for creating Hapuna be solely hatred towards people for not caring about the world they live in, or is there another reason behind it?
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