Hello There

In Episode 4, for example, Pomni asks Gangle if she has anybody to talk to about her problems. It’s not that she doesn’t want to help Gangle, but she recognizes she might not be the best help. Both emotionally and being so new to the circus, thinking Gangle likely already has somebody.

And while Pomni doesn’t have a heartfelt talk with Gangle in the end, she still helps in her own way. When everybody else leaves at the end of the shift, Pomni stays behind. She knows Gangle has been having a hard time and gives her the opportunity to leave early so she can finally get some rest. And in doing so, she kept Gangle from abstracting! By simply being there and offering support, Pomni is able to help Gangle in her own way.

At the end of the episode, Zooble is the one who approaches Gangle to check on her after the adventure. This kickstarts their relationship deepening, and answers the question Pomni has asked earlier: Gangle has Zooble. And by extension, Zooble has Gangle. If either has a problem, they can talk to each other.

Pomni is supportive, but she’s not who Gangle needs when talking further about her emotions. Not that Pomni wouldn’t listen, or try to help out, but sometimes the emotional support you need is found more in other people.

The same goes for Ragatha.

Pomni isn’t able to help because Ragatha is too focused on trying to build a connection with her and being supportive. To talk to Pomni in depth, she’d have to drop her walls and I don’t think she’s initially ready for that level of openness. Being known is incredibly scary, and I think Ragatha is afraid if she allows people to see past the positive mask she’s built they won’t like what they see.

A good example of this is during the baseball game suggestion, when Pomni tells Ragatha it’s okay to be a jerk sometimes. She recognizes that Ragatha tries to put a positive spin on everything even when the situation sucks or she’s upset (such as getting out by Evil Pomni), and tries to suggest it’s okay to let herself be negative. A jerk, in this case. And that’s fair advice! There’s nothing wrong with Ragatha allowing herself to feel bad, or complaining about situations, or being annoyed at the others.

What Pomni isn’t prepared for is to be caught between Ragatha and Jax arguing. She’s put off by them fighting over what kind of mentality she should have, asserting she can think for herself. When she tells Ragatha to calm down, I think she does so out of worry. Ragatha is getting more worked up and upset as she speaks, lashing out at Jax (deserved), and Pomni tries to step in. I think it’s significant that Pomni is more worried about Ragatha in this scene than she is about Jax.

But telling people to calm down when they’re already upset usually makes it worse, and has the unintended side effect of Ragatha learning the opposite lesson. The minute she allows herself to be a jerk, people won’t like her.

And that’s great! Pomni tries to help and while the advise itself is sound in theory, in practice it doesn’t work out and she isn’t actually prepared for the situation. She isn’t able to help Ragatha in the end.

So she goes back to being supportive. She tries to give Ragatha a chance to get back the evil Bigtops by letting her take over batting. It’s end’s unsatisfying for Ragatha not by Pomni’s doing but because of how Caine has been running the game. Without an actual victory, there’s nothing to soften the wound from earlier.

And that brings us to episode 6. The person Ragatha needs to speak with, to help her work through her emotional turmoil, isn’t Pomni. She instead finds that support in Kinger. A lovely detail given they’ve been together the longest out of the group. And it works well! Because like I said earlier, Ragatha being too focused on building a friendship with Pomni means she may not be comfortable enough to drop her walls to actually speak with her. Something that has also kept her from building any deeper relationships.

And this makes a great contrast to Jax!

Everybody is building relationships and finding people to confide in. Zooble pushes this point by telling Jax that if they still have issues, they talk about it with the people they trust (while looking off screen at Gangle I bet). But because Jax keeps refusing to reach out and ask for help, it leads to his mental health deteriorating further. To the point he almost abstracts.

Pomni always has a hand extended to Jax. Like with anybody in the circus, she’s willing to listen and to try and help. Even if she stumbles. She tried to push in Episide 6 and it didn’t end well, so she tries to be supportive by prodding him to join them in escaping the circus and offering reassurance. She doesn’t push more than that because she wants to leave room for Jax to come to her when he’s ready (if he’s ever ready).

And that’s what makes Pomni great in my opinion. She’s a good person who does want the best for everybody. But that doesn’t mean she’s the best person for everybody to talk to. She’s not who everybody needs and the casts entire mental health isn’t solely dependent on her guidance. She isn’t there to fix anybody. And while she’s more than willing to talk things out, I also enjoy when she takes a more supportive role and shows care through her actions.