Later that day…

My inability to draw non-human things strikes me down yet again so humanising the characters is my go to...

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this little moment where Gangle reassures and comforts Zooble when they start blaming themselves for the pain and torment that Caine has put them all through.

It's not uncommon for people who have been tormented, bullied, targeted, and abused to blame themselves for the actions of the person who's harming them. And Gangle knows that feeling all too well because she has had someone be so vicious and cruel to her so relentlessly: Jax.

But she was able to recognize that you should not blame yourself for the actions of the person hurting you, and so she's able to help Zooble overcome that toxic idea when it starts getting to them.

And that's what makes Abstragedy such a special ship: because Gangle and Zooble are able to understand, empathize, and relate to each other's struggles and experiences in a way no one else could, which allows them to support and care for each other so perfectly!

“Have you… ever done something that you regret?”

The circus picks up exactly where we left off in episode 8.

I don't think the characters blame Pomni for the falling of the circus so much as they're rejecting her desires for togetherness and optimism. If anyone were to directly blame her, I'd say it's Jax, but I don't know...

I lean more towards everyone having a breakdown and Pomni was the catalyst for everything that went down in the last few episodes. I could see her blaming herself and nobody around her is in a state to console her.

Pomni has been carrying every ounce of change in the circus thus far. Jax has violently defended the status quo. I have a hunch that Jax is the one going to try to get a handle on the circus and perhaps make a new status quo, and I mean that in a bad way.

The Wacky Watch is projecting static and Jax's outline is static-y. I see it as an extension of Jax's mental state, but possibly also a hint that Jax knows something about the circus that others do not.

This goes back to the idea that Pomni blames herself for the happenings of the circus. Again, I have a hard time believing that everyone is going to tear Pomni apart.

The circus may be intact again since we aren't seeing bits of the void in this scene? Perhaps a flashback? Time reversal?

I would be prepared for the meta of this series to be challenged. We've always assumed that the world outside the circus is moving along as usual and people are being randomly dropped in the circus at the exact moment they put on the headset, but there's really no proof that's the case.

This is the same setting as the stargazing scene in episode 5. Let me come back to that.

Pomni and Zooble, the characters I suspect will survive, are on Jax's right, and Ragatha and Gangle are on the left. Where's Kinger? Perhaps Jax is confronting him?

Hey, this door has color again! Perhaps a callback to Pomni opening random doors in episode 1?

Even after everything, Pomni is still checking in on Jax. I'm really hoping we'll see them finally rely on one another. I've had a theory for a long time that Jax and Pomni are meant to support each other through their struggles.

Everyone caught Pomni in episode 2 and Pomi has been supporting everyone since.

But I think Jax and Pomni are meant to be equals; a constant presence of support of one another. From the very beginning of the series, shorts and merch ads have been implying (or outright saying) that Pomni and Jax are best friends. and that's where I think their endgame is.

You can interpret their relationship romantically as well, but anyone who's been in long term relationship probably considers their partner as a best friend. Basically, it's open ended and you can decide what their relationship is.

Ribbit spotted!

The trailer starts with Pomni expressing regret and guilt over the happenings in the circus, and the context suggests that she blames herself, possibly even thinking that the others blame her too.

The trailer ends with Ribbit asking Jax if he's ever done something that he regrets.

It's a callback to this scene with Pomni and Jax.

It seems to me that a big theme in this episode is self forgiveness and the concept of moving on, learning to trust again, and changing in a good way.

Animation error or not, I thought it was interesting that the exit door led to a maze, which led to the void. That makes me think that although the exit door Pomni manifested was a product of her own mind, the stuff behind that door was a product of Caine.

Basically, it doesn't matter what the exit door looks like because it's always made up, but what's behind the door is consistent, which is Caine's version of the exit. He wants to be free too.