WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 7 of Deep Insanity: The Lost Child, "Take 07," now streaming on Funimation.
Following the loss of squad leader Leslie Blanc, Deep Insanity: The Lost Child finally places Commander Vera Rustamova in the field, prepared to take on the mission that led her friend to their demise. Death is a harsh reality in Asylum and there will be no miraculous survival for Leslie after their dramatic plummet into the depths. Their body is recovered and their possessions boxed away by the mourning Sleeper Squad, though squad member Daniel Shigure realizes that the good luck charm Vera had given Leslie is not where they had left it for safety.
Daniel is at odds with Vera after Leslie's death and can't answer right away when she asks if he will attempt to assassinate El-Cee a second time, frustrated by her seeming lack of remorse for what happened. The other Sleepers are not sure who will be leading them into the field until Vera announces that she will be traveling down into Asylum herself to see that El-Cee is eliminated.
Hayden has held up remarkably well in the week since the last mission, considering he is now missing an arm thanks to Daniel. Nadia has joined him and he chooses to abduct a number of Exile villagers in an attempt to get El-Cee in his possession. When Nadia reports that the Sleeper Squad has returned with Vera, Hayden is quick to exit, but not before eliminating evidence. Hayden demonstrates the ability to summon Asylum monsters that only Nadia has shown so far, making him, his past and his abilities perhaps the most pressing questions going forward as the duo continue to break the rules of Asylum as the audience understands them.
Upon arriving in the town, the Sleepers deduce that there has been a kidnapping, but Vera goes off on her own while Daniel and his teammates, Lawrence Larry Jackson and Reika Kobato, are alerted to sudden screams. They find the villagers trapped in a building filled with Asylum monsters that their weapons can do nothing against. Vera arrives, and for the first time we see what she is capable of. If Daniel had been in awe of Leslie's combat abilities, Vera is beyond belief. It begs the question of why she left the mission to Leslie when she is so clearly capable of doing it herself.
Hayden has taken up a sniper position outside with two possibilities for his location, leading Larry and Reika to start planning their attack on the most likely, but Daniel is attempting to honor Leslie and recalls that Hayden does not care if he dies. Instead, the team work a neat distraction so Daniel can ambush Hayden's true hiding place. The plan would've gone smoother if Daniel was more skilled with a knife; it takes Vera intervening to save his life. Nadia shows up with a miniature plane -- again begging many questions -- for her and Hayden to escape in.
For a reason, once more left unexplained, the villagers give Vera their greatest treasure to bring to El-Cee, and Daniel decides to honor Leslie by completing the mission they died for. What with Hayden and Nadia's unexplained powers and the constantly expanding world of the Exiles, it feels like Deep Insanity is going a little insane. Some explanation is necessary before the plot pushes further forward, so hopefully after two episodes of action, the show will slow down to give context and support to the story. Daniel's episodes with his teammates brought the show together after a confusing premiere and the same treatment may be necessary now, before the Sleeper Squad continues on with the assassination attempt.
