REVIEW: ‘The Ancient Magus’ Bride,’ Season 2 Episode 4 – “The Cowl Does Not Make The Monk”

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After learning a little more about Chise’s classmates in last week’s episode, The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 4 returns the focus to Chise and Elias in “The cowl does not make the monk”. Instead of continuing to explore the magical world the franchise inhabits with the duo as the catalyst, the episode opts to explore Elias’s backstory. Through that exploration, viewers get to learn more about how Elias views the term “bride.”

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 4 picks up right after its predecessor left off with Chise being transported to a different realm while on her walk with Stella and Ruth at the Elias homestead. With Stella nowhere in sight, the ominous fog is reminiscent of all the times Chise was taken by various individuals in season 1. There is a large amount of uncertainty concerning the motives of members of The Mage’s College when it comes to Chise and Elias, so the abrupt transportation immediately invokes feelings of dread for our protagonist.

Thankfully for Chise, this latest abduction is a friendly one. Chise and Ruth meet Rahab: mage, sorcerer, and demon of the sea. The kind-spoken woman welcomes Chise and Ruth into her home where they learn more about Elias’s early life. By the conversation’s end, it is clear that Elias has come a long way since he was that lost child fans see in season 1. While Lindel is Elias’s master when it comes to magic, it was Rahab that talks to the skeletal-faced mage about how to be more human. Most importantly, she taught him about family.

I will be the first to admit that I was off put by having a 15-year-old Chise be the bride to a seemingly ancient hybrid human-fae. However, as season 1 progresses it is clear that their relationship resembles more of a student-teacher dynamic. Further, time works differently in this universe and Elias is often referred to as having childlike emotions as he navigates his path of understanding humans. Thus Chise and Elias’s relationship has always been represented outside of what one would come to expect out of an ancient mage asking a teenager to be his bride. The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 4 confirms why that is, from Elias’s perspective.

Given Elias’s lack of understanding of humans in general, he leaned on Rahab to teach him about the social dynamics of human nature. Rahab described a bride as, “Someone you want to be with.” Elias takes this literally, which is very in line with his character. He even goes as far as to ask if Rahab is his bride given how long they have spent together in a place out of time. This very endearing moment between student and master gives much clarity to how Elias sees Chise. He does not see Chise as a romantic object to be wed. Rather, Chise is someone that Elias feels a profound need to protect and be with, satisfying Rahab’s definition.

While The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 4 doesn’t move the plot in any major way in regards to the mystery surrounding The Mage’s College, it does a lot to help viewers understand how Elias feels about Chise. Elias, as much as Chise, is learning who he is from a variety of sources as he begins to understand human nature. Through her conversations with Rahab she understands that Elias’s intentions have never been less than pure. Viewers will walk away from this week’s episode with a newfound appreciation for the duo’s relationship and even more excited to see it blossom and grow.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 4 is available now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes every Thursday.