WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Shadows House Episode 5, "The Debut," now streaming on Funimation.
Episode 5 of Shadows House finally beings the Debut, a ceremony that introduces the youngest members of the Noble family and their Living Dolls to each other, tests their suitability for joining the adults in the annex building and assesses the Living Dolls' ability to act as the faces of their respective Shadows.
The master of ceremonies for the Debut is Edward, a "very special Living Doll" -- his own words -- who briefly appeared after the credits of Episode 2. The eldest member of the Noble family trusted him to carry out the tests, but as he walked away, Edward sinisterly chuckled and suggested that this year was going to be truly unforgettable.
The months leading up to the Debut were highly regimented. Let's take Emilico and Kate as an example -- Kate existed before Emilico "woke up" in her little cell, and someone had already outfitted, equipped and briefed the young Shadow about the rules of Noble House and what was expected from her during the Debut. Her room was full of books, but these were not comprehensive -- they didn't mention the Shadows power over soot, or the origin of the Living Dolls or who the adult Nobles were. Young Shadows are not also allowed to leave their individual rooms or talk to any other Shadows.
Emilico, as Kate's Living Doll, was her only point of contact with the world outside of her room. However, Emilico also needed to learn many things, from reading and writing to properly cleaning to killing child-devouring phantoms, forging alliances with the other children and anticipating Kate's needs and wants. And, unfortunately, Emilico's hectic schedule got in the way of her training for the Debut with Kate.
The older Living Dolls, like Rosemary and Mia, were not allowed to talk about the Debut, while many of the younger ones were terrified of the event -- particularly if they didn't have a solid, honest relationship with their Shadow Masters. And even passing the Debut wasn't a guarantee that the Dolls were out of hot water; for instance, the episode opens with Mia's master beating her with a club to "improve her."
Every little defect in the Shadow and Doll relationship comes to a boil during the Debut -- Edward makes sure of it. The master of ceremonies put the children into a lovely room, served them high tea and settled little shadow dolls into a little wooden house, moving them from floor to floor as the pairs displayed -- or didn't display -- oneness. However, Edward never explained what the rules were, allowing the children to drive each other nuts, compare their skills and unveil their insecurities.
This allowed Edward to move the invisible goalposts of the Debut. When it looked like the kids were finally managing to work together, Edward started playing the piano, to see if the couples were physically synced as well as mentally and emotionally. And when, to his great frustration, all of the children managed to waltz to his tune, he abruptly stopped the melody.
This was so shocking that even the haughtiest of the Shadows, Patrick, called Edward out on his rudeness. After all, if Edward was a Living Doll he owed respect to the Shadows, regardless of their age. Edward composed himself and apologized, offering Patrick and the other Shadows a tour of the garden. The Shadow children, who had never been outside, quickly accepted... without realizing that Edward's plan was to cut them off from their Living Dolls, starting the second part of the Debut.
