This week’s episode is a lesson in expectations. A lot of the time with Shiki, we just see things coming. It’s a very safe series in many ways, it follows the genre tropes like it should and doesn’t make a lot of waves. But sometimes…sometimes…wow.

Remember that creepy little girl and how she’s waiting at Yuuki’s house? Well Yuuki’s parents are being really nice hosts and serving her tea and crumpets, which completely baffles me (see, expectations being defied). Then Yuuki comes home and he’s pretty annoyed with them for letting the girl in (saw that coming). When he goes to his room to investigate, though, she’s gone (knew it a mile away). Yuuki’s Dad starts to suspect maybe letting this girl into their home was a bad idea…

To make it up to the little guy, Papa Yuuki makes him a chair. But when he goes to put it in his room, he sees that Yuuki has hung up scrolls and crosses all over, presumably to keep Bad Things out. Papa gets mad and takes them all down, which gives Yuuki the chance to whine to us (as if we care, do you care?) about his parents. He was born while they were in college and they didn’t feel like getting married was the best thing ever so they didn’t get married and he even took his mom’s last name. I actually find that kind of interesting (parents with an actual story!), but of course Yuuki is all, “YOU GUYS ARE SO EMBARRASSING, I want to go live in a city where people are totally conventional!” Whatever kid.

A few days later in the timeline of the series, Tatsumi (Ugly Cat Hair Guy) has gathered the Risens and he’s going over the gameplan: get the old lady out of the clinic so Nao can eat her. Then their eyes all glow red and the camera moves to the right. But their glowing red eyes leave streaks to the right, as though the camera has moved to the…left. See, my expectation is that the animator would know how glowing red eyes look with a fake motion streak. Again, expectations blown away.

Tatsumi also reveals the other plot to have Yuuki killed. Megumi is not super excited about that plot, but Nao tries to comfort her by saying maybe Yuuki will Rise and join them. Megumi is all, STEP OFF LADY none of your stupid family Rose, and Nao starts to cry. I didn’t expect that the Undead cried much, so there’s that. Megumi asks if she can be the one to kill Yuuki, but that’s a no-go.

After Nao eats her mom (er…gross), the group of Risens head back home. But Megumi breaks away to see to Yuuki.

…Who is sitting up, armed with a wrench, to wait for the Risens to come and try to kill him. One does come, but unfortunately it’s his ex-boyfriend Toru and they’re both kind of emotional over the whole situation. Even Boy-Risens cry, who knew? Toru runs off and Yuuki figures the smartest thing to do would be to go after him. Actually, that’s a super dumb thing to do, and thus it was exactly what I expected Yuuki to do.

Megumi comes across Toru crying in the woods and makes him feel really bad about choosing to save his family by killing Yuuki (which is the deal he made with Tatsumi). Nice job, jerk. But then she volunteers to kill Yuuki instead. Yuuki is a really lucky guy, his Risen friends are just lining up to do him in. How sweet!

Back to Yuuki: as he wanders around town, he comes across a little spring that he and Toru used to visit together. Obvious alert: after his trip down memory lane, there’s a show-down at the spring. Tatsumi and Megumi both show up and when Tatsumi gives her the go-ahead to kill him, Megumi is like, “COME ON OVER HERE BIG FELLA!” But before she can do it, Toru grabs him from behind and bites him.

*blink*

You guys, Yuuki getting vamp’d was literally the very last thing I thought would happen in this goofy little series. I thought for sure he’d be the Big Hero in the end that rose above being a nasty, selfish little jerk and saved everyone. Except now he’s DEAD (or on his way to it). YUUKI IS A RISEN.

…Or is he? What do you think: is this for real or is Shiki just being a tease? Is Yuuki actually a goner or did Toru do something dumb like only bite him a little bit? PLEASE, SHIKI, DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH ME!