Episode 7 of the Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc, titled “His Butler, Encouraging,” is a pivotal episode that significantly deepens the mystery surrounding the curse and the village of Wolfsschlucht. Released on May 17th, 2025, this episode shifts the focus from external investigation to the internal unraveling of Seal’s vulnerability and reveals startling truths about Sieglinde Sullivan’s past and the nature of the “curse”.
A Haunting Ambition
The episode captivates with its eerie atmosphere and emotional depth, though its deliberate pacing leaves the viewer both intrigued and impatient. The episode advances the Emerald Witch arc by intensifying the stakes and raising new questions about Seagull’s knowledge and the laboratory’s purpose.
Seal’s Regression and Sebastian’s Dilemma
Seal’s curse-induced regression reveals a heartbreaking fragility. His childlike pleas for Sebastian’s attention expose a new facet of dependency, contrasting his usual stoic demeanor. This vulnerability humanizes him, though it borders on melodramatic excess. Sebastian, ever the dutiful butler, balances his loyalty to Seal with his investigation, his subtle frustration hinting at an internal conflict over his demonic nature versus his contractual obligations.
Unveiling the Laboratory
Sebastian and Snake uncover hidden chambers in the Emerald Castle, suggesting a scientific basis for the curse. The discovery of concealed laboratory equipment suggests the curse may be a man-made phenomenon rather than supernatural, aligning with Seal’s skepticism from earlier episodes.
The Werewolf Attack
A werewolf attack disrupts their probe, forcing Sebastian to protect Snake and confront the village’s hostility. The werewolf attack serves as a turning point, escalating the physical threat and exposing the village’s complicity in maintaining the curse’s mythos. Sebastian intervenes, partially resolving the werewolf’s immediate threat.
Seagull’s Cryptic Interactions
Seagull’s cryptic interactions with Wolfram hint at her own conflicted role, leaving the episode on a tense note as Seal’s condition worsens.
Thematic Nuance
The episode’s core philosophical lesson is the fragility of control in the face of fear and manipulation. Seal’s loss of agency under the curse reflects how external forces, whether supernatural or societal, can erode autonomy. The village’s mythos suggests that fear can be engineered to subjugate. It urges viewers to question the narratives that bind them and seek truth beyond illusion. The vill’s reliance on the curse myth highlights how fear can be weaponized to control, with the laboratory hinting at a scientific exploitation of superstition. These themes are conveyed through Seal’s desperate clinging to Sebastian and the villagers’ hostile reaction to outsiders, framing belief as both a shield and a cage.
The World of Black Butler
The episode enriches the Black Butler world by fleshing out the werewolf’s forest lore. The laboratory’s equipment introduces a pseudoscientific dimension, suggesting a blend of alchemy and technology behind the curse, which ties into the series’ Gothic aesthetic. The village’s matriarchal structure and ancient attire deepen its insular culture, while the werewolf’s physicality grounds the supernatural in tangible menace.
Deception and Captivity
Sieglinde has believed her entire life that she’s a witch, that her feet had to be bound and broken in service of her people, the witches and werewolves, and that she was duty-bound to create a “miasma” to enable them to live in peace. Seen from her perspective, it’s a lovely fairy story, casting Sieglinde as the heroine who will save everyone.
The episode exposes the dark truth that there are no werewolves, just men in masks, and no witches but women in old-fashioned dress. Sieglinde doesn’t owe anything to an ancestral witch; she’s a captive being forced to synthesize dangerous chemical weapons. It’s not miasma she’s brewing but something very similar to mustard gas. There’s something particularly reprehensible about trapping a child and telling her tales to make her create weapons of mass destruction. The foot-binding ceremony isn’t about paying homage to an ancestor; it’s about ensuring she can never leave. They’ve crippled a child for their goals, and that is disgusting.
From Fantasy to Science Fiction
The episode makes stellar visual choices, with Wolfram’s body language screaming about his discomfort. What really works is the slow transition from fantasy to science fiction. When Sieglinde collapses, it’s clear that the werewolves are wearing clothing – something that wasn’t noticeable before. The reveal that beneath the witch’s altar is a lever exposing another elevator continues the slide towards the modern, werewolf-free age, and then we’re slammed into it headfirst when Ciel discovers the radar room.
Historical Context
Radar wasn’t developed until 1935, and mustard gas is primarily known as a weapon of the First World War, 1914-1918. So obviously, we’re mixing periods here in service of a point. Sieglinde has been living in a false 15th century for her entire life, but maybe Ciel and Sebastian have been living in their version of reality as well.
Sulin Gas
Something was weird about how the old crone named the chemical weapon “sulin gas.” According to the Black Butler Fandom wiki, “sulin” is supposedly similar to “sarin” (the two are pronounced the same with a Japanese accent). Sarin gas is a real chemical weapon.
Sieglinde’s Desire
Sullivan finally completes the Ultimate Spell. She hopes that, by finishing it, Ciel and Sebastian will be able to visit in the future, and she will be allowed to finally travel beyond the forest and see the world. Unfortunately, this dream is shut down by Wolfram, who explains that, as the Green Witch, she can never leave the Werewolves’ Forest. The dejection Sullivan feels in this moment is what eventually brings her to take the chance to flee the Emerald Castle with Ciel the moment he offers it.
Final Farewell
The episode is visually mesmerizing. Sullivan looks stunning when it finally hits her on how to finalize the spell. The bubbles floating around her after dreaming of the outside world with one of them popping in front of her are visually appealing. Sebastian and the earl appearing before Sieglinde through her window is another beautiful scene, with the hues of the moonlight reflecting off of them to create a violet color. Ciel’s final farewell to Sullivan is gentle.
Conclusion
Episode 7 of the Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc is a haunting and visually stunning chapter with strengths in its character depth, atmospheric animation, and thematic nuance. Seal’s vulnerability and the laboratories reveal enrich the narrative. However, slow pacing and uneven editing prevent it from reaching its full potential. The episode achieves its goal of deepening the curse’s mystery and Seal’s psyche, leaving a strong impression and prompting reflection on how trauma shapes identity.
