unOrdinary “Aftermath Arc” (Episode 59 through Episode 66) Webtoon Review

Major Spoilers are included in this Webtoon Review. Please read with caution.

unOrdinary’s “Aftermath Arc” dealt with… well, the aftermath of what happened between John and Arlo in the “Monster Arc”. Episode 59 showed Arlo going to the infirmary—for the first time ever—which sparked rumors getting spread around at school. This episode also revealed the Wellston’s school staff knew about John’s abilities and played along with him “being crippled” to keep the peace. I thought showing the staff have a conversation about Arlo and John was much needed exposition.

Episode 60 focused on Remi—my favorite character—and her investigation into finding the person who wrote a school article on what happened during the “Trio Trouble Arc”. This episode introduced Cecile, the head of the school’s newspaper. Cecile and Remi went into argument about the social hierarchy and how foolish she and her dead brother—Rei—were about treating cripples like equals. This was another insightful conversation about the corrupted hierarchy and its severe effect on the characters.

Remi and Arlo have a grounded moment in episode 61, discussing the events of the previous arcs with each other. My thoughts so far on EMBER: The invisible being who had followed John and Seraphina after their trip to the mall was definitely following all the other high-tier individuals. Also, I love the close friendship—potential romance—between Arlo and Remi. Arlo even looked up to her older brother Rei, the former KING.

Episode 62 explored Arlo’s character when he defended John from one of his bully friends. Technically, Arlo protected the bully from John. Arlo was shown angry and distant at John—and Seraphina—for not taking his rightful place in the social hierarchy, leaving him with all the burdens of maintaining the social structure. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. This series put in the character work and used that to build the world. Brilliant. This episode also showed the return of John’s father, William.

Episode 63 showed John and his father having a conversation on why he was hiding his powers and pretending to be a cripple. John explained how he hated himself for being superior—as KING—at New Bostin High School, and that as long as he had Seraphina, he didn’t need that status.

William didn’t agree with John’s logic and warned his son that this will not end well for anyone, especially Seraphina. The reasoning John used in this conversation felt very similar to the overused “secret identity trope” but warped and twisted into justified co-dependency. Based on what I took from the conversation and John’s actions from the previous arcs, John seemed to believe if Seraphina found out about his powers, she would leave him. If he continued keeping the secret, Seraphina just might. The ending of the episode showed the three of them getting ready to play a friendly poker game.

Episode 64 explained the rules for those who don’t know how to play poker—such as myself. During the poker game, Seraphina noticed John’s behavior was different from his usual self and unreadable, which was applicable to real life. There was probably a lot of symbolism and foreshadow that went over my head too, especially when the Joker card was played.

Episode 65 refocused on Arlo confronting Cecile on Remi’s behalf. Arlo demanded to know the identity of the anonymous writer, threatening Cecile into telling him. She revealed the name Terrance. The episode also gave Seraphina and William a chance to bond while John went to school. This was a sweet bonding moment, as Seraphina asked about the Unordinary book and the inspiration behind him writing it. The two of them care about John so much.

Episode 66 closed out the “Aftermath Arc” with William’s emotional departure and two members of the authorities visiting Seraphina’s house to question her further about the suspension. While John’s father still didn’t agree with his son’s choices, he trusted Seraphina enough to keep John in check.

Overall, this was a well-balanced arc with evened-out screen time among the main characters. The plot regarding EMBER was also starting to pick up. I loved the attention the other characters have been getting in this arc—particularly Remi and Arlo. They have great potential as individuals and as a couple.