Orb: On the Movements of the Earth Episode 11 – Torment and Terror

Fear can be an extremely potent motivator. Powerful organizations – including religions – have known this for millennia. They use fear to control crowds. The eleventh episode of Orb: On the Movement of the Earth shows us this theme using the character of Nowak. Let’s review what happened with him as well as the other events of this episode.

Episode 11: Terror

Episode Rating: 8/10

I still don’t know their names, but the two young monks from the previous episode have officially been selected as inquisitors. One has brown hair and the other has golden-blond hair. They meet with Nowak to learn the basics of their new positions. The two are quite naïve, and thus surprised by Nowak’s pragmatic and somewhat lazy attitude.

While Nowak is explaining that this job is a huge pain, a man with black hair appears. His name is Anthony and he’s the son of the bishop that Nowak works for. He complains that the inquisitors cost the church far too much money. He tells Nowack to “know his place” before grumpily walking away. It seems that the social hierarchy isn’t always very kind to inquisitors.

With Anthony out of the way, Nowak takes the newbies in to question and torture a captive woman. She was found near the secret site of a “Black Mass” run by witches, so now, she is being accused of witchcraft. Nowak orders the blond monk boy to use the thumbscrew torture device on the “heretic.” Though the young man clearly feels disgusted, he was able to follow through and torture the captive.

When it was his turn to try, the brunette monk boy refused to torture the woman. He was convinced she was innocent. But Nowak ordered them to continue, so the blond monk once again used the torture device and completely destroyed the woman’s finger. At that point, she finally confessed the truth. She wasn’t a witch, but she heard that witches might offer a cure for her sick brother. That’s why, after her neighbor told her about it, she went looking for the Black Mass.

After the interrogation ends, the brunette monk boy apologizes for shirking his duty. He had forced his companion to do the dirty work. Still, the boy expresses his wish that there was another way besides torture. However, Nowak tells him that a) they have no authority and can only do what they’re told by the church; and b) the most important tool of the church’s control is terror. That’s the only way to maintain order, he believes.

The scene switches to a tavern where Badeni, Oczy, and Jolenta are discussing their futures before parting ways. Oczy wants to go to university, and Jolenta wants to someday publish a paper in her own name. The group is interrupted by Nowak, who doesn’t seem to immediately recognize Oczy. The situation is extremely tense. Despite Oczy’s terror, they carry on normal conversation until it’s time to go their separate ways. Then Nowak leaves with Jolenta.

Oczy nearly collapses with relief once Nowak is out of sight. He begins to tell Badeni that they narrowly escaped danger, and that Jolenta’s father is an inquisitor. Just then, Nowak reappears behind Oczy. He let Jolenta go on alone and came back for some reason – perhaps because he finally recognized Oczy. To be continued.