WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 12 of Cells at Work! CODE BLACK, "Return, the Heart, and Demise," now streaming on Funimation.
We're nearing the end of Cells at Work! CODE BLACK and just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it does. Except this time, it might really be the end for all of the cells. Episode 11 ended on a bit of a hopeful note with AA2153 realizing it wasn't his fault that his friend died, and thankfully, his emotions aren't swept under the rug. The difference is that now he turns his sadness into strength. With the body shutting down, can he and the other cells find the strength and hope to help this body live another day?
AA2153's Return to Work
AA2153 isn't just a Red Blood Cell or even the Top Rookie, he is the heart (excuse the pun) of the body. When he comes back to work, all of the cells -- from the new rookie Red Blood Cells to the senpais -- are ecstatic to see him again. Even grouchy Gastric Chief Cell acknowledges him by name and compliments him for coming back. It's like seeing AA2153 rejuvenated their spirits and motivated them to work just as hard as him.
Although on the outside it looks like AA2153 has gone back to his old self, it's clear that he still carries a lot of the grief and PTSD from seeing AC1677 die before his eyes. Going to the stomach to deliver oxygen, for example, brings back a lot of the memories of the last time he was there and causes him to have a bit of a panic attack. But instead of letting that consume him and exploding in a harmful way, he's now fighting to make sure that his friend's efforts to protect the human body don't end in vain.
Is This the Beginning of the End?
With the build-up of cholesterol and unhealthy habits that the body was engaging in, viewers knew on some level what was going to happen: a heart attack. The build-up of plaque and the coronary arteries getting blocked up means that it's impossible for the Red Blood Cells to deliver oxygen to the heart. Even with AA2153 and the new rookie being one of the few Red Blood Cells who have access to the heart, there's not enough oxygen to go around.
We've already seen the real-world parallels between CODE BLACK and black companies who are known for their exploitation of their employees. It's not clear which part of the body these leaders are responsible for but it's obvious that they're playing the "CEO" in the real world. In a press conference with light bulbs flashing across their faces, a table of leaders address the cells throughout the body. While one is talking, the rest of the cells panic as he lists out all of the body's dysfunctions and conclude that it's truly the end for this host body.
What's more, one of the other leaders admits that they anticipated something like this to happen, understandably enraging the cells. The cells start yelling about how they were overworked to death, and now they're just being thrown away. The CEOs bow and apologize. From today onward, the leader says, none of the cells have to work anymore and the leaders will take responsibility. We don't know how because the broadcast cuts off but presumably they are either resigning or...worse.
The heart stops. Gradually, lights start turning off and systems begin shutting down, throwing their entire world into utter darkness. The rest of the cells freeze -- some scared, and others feeling relieved after having worked for years and years with seemingly no end. Only one cell is still moving: AA2153, who's running to try to find some way to save everyone.
It was hard for AA2153 to accept that he shouldn't be the one to shoulder all the responsibility of maintaining the body. It took AC1677 and U-1196's efforts to convince him that he can rely on his friends and that he shouldn't push his own body past its limits. However, with all of the other cells and even the body itself giving up, what can one Red Blood Cell do?
