In some sort of formless afterworld, Battler congratulates Beato for becoming a "good" witch, who helps people instead of torturing them. This acknowledgment is apparently enough to open the doors to the "golden paradise", where everybody is alive and happy, and everybody congratulates Battler.
Now, wait a minute...
The only thing Battler has to do in order to confirm the Golden Paradise is to sign the registry. But why does this whole scene seem reminiscent of the first Tea Party ? And the one in the second episode, for that matter ? Why is there written "I believe Beatrice is a witch" on the registry ? Wasn't this what Beato was trying to achieve in the past few episodes ? Why is Beato sneering ? Why is Virgilia (!!!) sneering ?
Oh, Crap!. It was all a lie. Beato never "reformed". It was all a trap to lead Battler to this instant. Okay, it didn't completely work, but there's enough goat-servants in the room to force him to sign...
And then, a red-haired girl crashes through the window (what window ? from where ? who cares ?). She saves Battler from the goat-servants' grip, and berates him for being so gullible. And not allowing her to participate in the game, for that matter.
It becomes obvious from context that this is a teenage version of Ange, Battler's half-sister. Beatrice recognizes her as Bernkastel's agent, and invites her to the next game.
Episode 3, Bonus Scene 1 : The Witches' Tea Party
In the aftermath of the end of the episode, Lambdadelta is wondering who the mysterious girl was. For obvious reasons, Beatrice and Bernkastel are teasing her for her cluelessness.
But as soon as Bernkastel leaves, the atmosphere completely changes. This is actually the first time we're seeing Beatrice and Lambdadelta alone, and thus can gauge their actual relationship. They're not really allies : Lambdadelta is Beatrice's master. She claims she transformed Beatrice into a witch and owns her now. Beatrice is acquiescing meekly, so I guess it's mostly the truth.
Lambadelta's plan is chilling : she helped Beatrice set up her perpetual "murder week-end" so that Bernkastel would be lured in to try helping Battler. Lambdadelta doesn't want either Beatrice or Battler to "win" (she will even help one if the other is in position to win) : she desires a perpetual draw, where Bernkastel would be trapped forever !
Episode 3, Bonus Scene 2 : 1998
Twelve years after the Rokkenjima incident, Eva was indeed the only survivor. Somehow, the police investigation cleared her (though the public suspicion remains), and she's built an even bigger financial empire with the Ushiromiya fortune. Her ruthless methods made her a controversial figure, often called a "witch"... (And of course, the Rokkenjima Incident doesn't help her reputation.)
Now gravely ill, she's on her deathbed in a hospital. She's summoned her only living relative : Ange, Battler's half sister (daughter of Rudolf & Kyrie), who is now 18. Ange was ill on that fateful weekend of 1986, and so didn't come to the island. She's become Eva's heir by default, but there's no love between those two. Of course Ange blames Eva for her family's death, and Eva resents Ange for not being her beloved son George. Eva had taken Ange into her custody, but only to send her into a private school/prison where her life was miserable.
Anyway, Eva has now decided to give her whole fortune to Ange. Which is obviously a poisonned gift : as a very rich teenager, Ange's life will become a living hell. Everybody and their brother will try to get close to her and try to make a pass for her fortune. Worse of all with be Kyrie's family, who are technically next in line to Ange, and sound like a horrible bunch of vultures.
Eva also gives to Ange the title of "Beatrice, witch of Rokkenjima". Er, okay...
After Eva croaks more or less in front of her, Ange goes to the hospital's roof. There, she sees Bernkastel, who offers her help to master her witch powers and solve the Rokkenjima Mystery. Ange accepts, officially gets the title of ANGE-Beatrice...
...and jumps off the (12-story-high) roof...
My thoughts on Episode 3
Well, that was unexpected. Just when Beatrice's "I just ram through everything" act was getting stale, she goes for something completely different. I must admit I was fooled, even as the hints were starting to pile up (Beato's inconsistent power levels, Virgilia's unexplained resurrection for the final confrontation, or even the scene very early in the game where Virgilia suggests the whole plan to Beato). I did start to notice something was wrong when the Golden Paradise showed up, but of course it was too late...
I'm pretty sure EVA-Beatrice wasn't in on the scam. She would have no reason to participate, and most of Beato's actions look designed to fool her, not Battler. Presumably, Beato was stuck with the rules about the one finding the gold becoming the new Beatrice, and used her stratagem to get rid of her. Which worked.
What is also interesting is that we're told unambiguously that there's an "human" answer to everything on the chessboard. And indeed, we have here a clear "who?" (Eva, with at least Hideyoshi helping her), "why?" (to keep the gold to herself), with some of the "how?". There's still some unanswered questions (what happened with the first six murders ? How did Eva overpower victims that were forewarned and outnumbering her ? Who killed Dr Nanjo ?), but it does sound like it should be solvable.
Another positive development is Ange's arrival. I was getting quite tired of Battler as a protagonist : he's too much of a whiny crybaby, and far too gullible. Ange's no-nonsense attitude looks promising.
And finally, we're finally getting a good look of the big picture, the Bernkastel/Lambdadelta fight. It raises the stakes, and makes the story as a whole a lot more interesting, as it explains most of Beatrice's contrived scenario.
Next part : the beginning of Episode 4, where Ange takes over as main protagonist.
