I've said this before but I'll say it again, HARD agree with everything here but I wanna take it a step further. I would argue that Reigen's most special skill of all is figuring people out. it's what he does... he's always done it. he doesn't actually have psychic powers, so that's his real tool of the trade. and built up around this are all these other legitimate skills, like massage therapy or photoshop... stuff that another person might find a more legitimate use for, but that's not Reigen's prerogative.
Reigen services a very specific, very niche clientele. we all joke, but for real... Reigen looks like the most con artisty psychic you've ever seen in your life. and the people who are still going to him in spite of that? are probably pretty gullible. to be honest, that's probably why most of their problems aren't actually ghosts. they're gullible enough to believe that ghosts are what cause their issues, and when they go to a real psychic, all that psychic will say is "that's not really a ghost" and send them away because that shit isn't worth their time. the problem remains unsolved, the client keeps searching for a supernatural solution, and a true con artist would totally have a field day with them. Reigen technically doesn't need to try as hard as he does, and could probably make more money by convincing these people that their problem will return without his routine, paid assistance. if he really was just conning them, what use would he have for a real psychic employee?
deep down, Reigen wants to help people. it's why he felt zero fulfillment from working a stable office job, and why he falls head first into mentoring some random kid who, for all he knew, was just delusional at first impression. and the thing is... for as admirable as that might be, he's still insanely flawed.
Reigen's best and worst trait is that he thinks he knows better. when he actually does, he's brilliant. but when he doesn't... things get tricky. Reigen sees a lot of gullible people filter through his office, and he saves a lot of them from getting legitimately swindled by someone more nefarious than himself. but over time, that can lead a person to be suspicious of the intentions of any and everyone. and it can make him feel like he has the upper hand compared to most people, just because of his skepticism. he sees a wide-eyed innocent kid like Mob, and his first gut reaction is to try and teach him how to be more wise about the world. but Reigen isn't always right. in fact, Reigen has made himself pretty isolated with this mindset.
this is where we see how Mob and Reigen are each able to teach one another. Reigen made the mistake of assuming it was only a one way street, and failed to see Mob's true strength. Mob can be a little naive, sure... but sometimes he trusts people to be good, even before they're ready to be, and they change because he gave them the chance. when Mob is right about a person, he's really right. Reigen himself is proof of that. where would they be if Mob hadn't initially let Reigen have such a big place in his life?
in season one, we saw what Reigen was capable of. I firmly believe he's the only person to have ever "defeated" 100% Mob... by paying attention. he recognized how Mob's emotional state was escalating, understood how upsetting it was to Mob, and did what Mob needed in order to pull him out of his downward spiral. he stopped it before it happened, and in return, Mob gave Reigen all of his gratitude. and that manifested as a stronger power than anything we've ever seen Mob produce on his own. because he would rather give every ounce of his strength to someone he trusts, than hurt anyone. that was season one.
season two features Reigen starting to overstep Mob's boundaries. Reigen tells himself that everything he's doing is for Mob's benefit, because that narrative is convenient for him, but in reality, Reigen needs Mob too. Reigen is beginning to feel isolated... he's starting to feel used by the people who should be propping up his self esteem by needing him. an ironic thing for a con artist to feel. and he projects that onto Mob, trying to fix a problem that Mob doesn't have. ultimately what Reigen needs to learn is that Mob has his own charisma, and he's getting closer to people by being genuine.
in the end, Reigen and Mob both have valuable perspectives, and they absolutely should learn from each other... and they enjoy knowing each other for more reasons than just convenience. they really are friends.
ellievsbear
yousharknotpass
dailybridgerton
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