The Twins
Episode 6 of Trese begins with our flashbacks to the past, just like before. Basilio and Crispin wrestle over the masks. Trese arrives and breaks things up though, as Anton shows and reminds them that they’re family. Trese is not happy though and questions his father’s motives. Back in the present, Talagbusao squares off against Trese and her brothers. With both worlds in danger, the humans and tribes work together against their foes. Unfortunately the bond of blood is stronger than family, as the God of War manages to control his children and turn them back to his side. The masks symbolically clatter to the ground as the truth is finally unveiled. Talagbusao allowed everything to play out in this way, using his children to be his eyes and ears, secretly serving as the puppet master and hiding in plain sight to bring Trese to her destiny. That destiny goes way back to that prophecy we heard at the start of this season. You see, Trese is the sixth child of the sixth child which means that she’s the one foretold to tip the balance between the underworld and the Earth. It’s been foretold for a long time that both worlds – the supernatural and the world of men – are due to be destroyed. Anton bucked the trend and decided to team up with the supernatural forces to try and put a stop to this… but you can’t stop destiny. Anton ran from this truth for a long time, but now the truth comes tumbling out. Trese has a sister – and that sister is Alexandra. The same Alexandra we’ve been seeing in the flashbacks. The fifth and sixth children respectively, were born to Trese’s parents. One child was prophesied to conquer and the other to bring balance. However, Anton was actually deceptive and he lied about the prophecy and his own children. Alex’s destiny is essentially one of genocide, killing off everything and starting this cycle anew. She refuses to listen to Talagbusao though, unwilling to be swayed by this deity and deciding to do what she feels is right. In fact, she reminds the God that she’s a Trese and family is stronger than blood. And just like that, Trese manages to turn the brothers to her cause. Using dragon’s blood and taking the knife from Talagbusao, Alexandra banishes the deity and save the day. After disappearing through a portal and being spat out the other side, Trese finds herself looking upon the familiar tree from the past. As she looks out, the camera pans up as she says: “We’re home, Alex.” During the post-credit sequence we cut down to the docks where two workers are killed and doused in blood. As the camera pans up, we see what appears to be Trese’s sister, sitting out and watching the skyline. She smirks, uttering the word “Trese.”
The Episode Review
Trese bows out its 6 episode run with a compelling finale, one that wraps up all the big plot threads while leaving enough open for a possible second season. Despite the teasing glimmers of a follow-up, this Filipino anime has been beautifully done, with some really well-worked hand-drawn animation and a lively and well-paced story split across its episodes. Although some of the chapters do rely a bit heavily on deus ex machina, and the ham-fisted obligatory villain monologue at the end are black spots, it’s easy to look past these minor grumbles with such an enjoyable story. The big reveal with the prophecy and the two children is a nice twist too, one that sets up a compelling sibling rivalry if Netflix decide to give this a green-light. Whether Trese will return or not remains to be seen, but based on this showing it certainly deserves one!
