Princess Principal: Season 1/ Episode 3 “Vice Voice (Case 2)” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

We continue this origin path by learning of the Princess’ first mission, as well learn about Beatrice’s tragic past.

Let’s Runaway Together: Princess Charlotte, Ange

Whether Ange and Charlotte are sisters, twins, or just friends from before the wall, isn’t made clear. What is clear is that perhaps one of the few life goals Ange has had is finding Charlotte and them running away together. She ever knows a way to cross the wall and get to a house in the Casablancas. However, Charlotte is really committed to becoming queen so she is rejected.

Commentary

I need some clarification on who these two are to each other. My go to is that they are twins. However, with Ange being such an adept spy, it is hard to say her being able to imitate Princess Charlotte’s likeness is due to that. But there just seems to be some underlying relationship here which speaks of an immense closeness. The kind I can only imagine family members or lovers having here. So here is hoping that, as the show goes on, this will on the list of things to reveal about Ange.

Charlotte… and Beatrice’s First Mission: Ange, Beatrice, Charlotte, Dorothy

As noted in the show’s intro, the Kingdom of Albion has been split into two. One side is the Commonwealth of Albion and the other the Kingdom of Albion. Now, the Commonwealth is where all the spies come from under the umbrella known as “Control” who give them their orders.

In “Vice Voice” their orders are to retrieve monetary plates stolen. For, otherwise, the kingdom could mass produce the Commonwealth’s currency and then they win their sort of cold war. But, the plates are only a minor part of the episode. What this episode really is about deals with how Beatrice started to come around to the whole spy thing, after being vehemently against it.

The answer? Well, to protect the princess of course. You see, Beatrice doesn’t trust Ange, especially since she can look identical to the princess, so she decides to follow her. Thing is, she goes from following her to getting in the way. Making it so either she participates in Ange’s mission or gets caught and it affects the princess. Someone she doesn’t want to hurt for, after all Beatrice has gone through, that Princess Charlotte saved her from, she wouldn’t do a thing to hurt her.

So, she ends up not only helping Ange but saving her life. For, you see, Beatrice’s father was obsessed with machinery and even to the point of experimenting on his daughter. Thus leading to Beatrice having a mechanical voice box she can tune to even sound like a man. Hence how, in a sticky situation, she saves Ange and then Ange finishes her mission.

Thus leading to a grand adventure which brings Ange and Beatrice close. Not to the point, Beatrice likes these spies suddenly in Princess Charlotte’s life, but she learns how to deal.

Commentary

I honestly am unsure why we had a Beatrice origin episode. Which I know is strange since I’m the first one calling for flashbacks when it comes to characters, but they glazed over her past so quickly that it could have taken place in the present. I mean, in the first episode, didn’t we see her change her voice to sound like a man? All they had to do was, in the present, show her tuning her voice and Princess Charlotte breakdown why she considers Beatrice an ally and loyal friend. That would have been good enough right?

But I guess they want to give each character their due before going full speed into the real plot. Meaning Dorothy should be next, maybe alongside whoever the ninja girl we saw. Well, at least I hope that is it since these missions and the politics of the two government I think need to get beefed up. For while I like the girls and them being these cool spies, the show can’t live off of that.