The Dr. Stone Science Future Arc Leaves Fans Breathless After a Stunning Medusa Reveal

So far, the second cour of Dr. Stone‘s mega-length final season is firing on all cylinders, and it was absolutely worth the wait after the first cour ended in the Corn City battle. Cour 2 of the Dr. Stone Science Future Arc has some of everything that makes this beloved edutainment anime so popular, balancing the action movie antics of the Science Future Arc Cour 1 with the constructive edutainment and comedy of Dr. Stone Season 1. Like the three episodes before it, Dr. Stone Season 4, Episode 17, “Sickening Yet Beautiful,” has a fine balance of these ingredients to be yet another strong entry in the Science Future Arc.

“Sickening Yet Beautiful” picks up right where Dr. Stone’s story left fans in the previous episode, delivering on the promise of the “man vs nature” conflict as Senku’s Youth Science Squad pushes deeper into South America en route to the Medusas’ origins in the Amazon Rainforest. The results are charming and exciting, with Senku’s squad facing the perils of the Andes Mountains before venturing into the Amazon Rainforest, where new challenges await. And the entire time, Dr. Stone remembers to maintain the playful humor and cheer that always made this anime so rewarding to watch.

An Incredible Medusa Temple Reveal Stuns Dr. Stone Fans in Science Future Arc’s New Peak

More than a few memorable Dr. Stone episodes ended with shocking reveals or gripping tension, much of it rooted in either extreme danger or the mysteries that hold this entire anime together. Dr. Stone Season 4, Episode 17 is the latest example, ending this leg of the journey with a powerful reveal while also tapping into the anime’s most compelling enigmas. For the most part, it’s best for the mystery of Why-Man and the Medusas to be explored little by little, since the mysteries can’t be fully revealed too soon. Dr. Stone is approaching its endgame, so it’s a suitable time for a major reveal concerning the Medusa mechanism.

The fun suspense about South America’s historic petrification wave reaches a new height as Senku, Kohaku, and the rest stare in awe at the strangest sight yet seen in Dr. Stone. After Suika finds a single Medusa in the water, the team looks up to find a massive Medusa temple containing a glittering collection of millions, if not billions, of the Medusa devices. It’s a sickening yet beautiful sight, hence the episode’s title, and it promises some serious answers while raising yet more questions. The implications of there being so many Medusa devices are breathtaking, and now Senku and Dr. Stone fans are more eager than ever to know who created Medusa and why they did.

Dr. Stone Plays Up the Character Drama With an Entertaining Riddle

Every sequence in Dr. Stone Season 4, Episode 17 is entertaining and finely crafted, even something as seemingly simple as building a ropeway to cross the perilous Andes Mountains. Something as straightforward as using a ropeway in a mountain range could have been skimmed over in favor of more motorcycle and airplane scenes as Stanley Snider hunts Senku’s crew, but Dr. Stone can do more than that — and it does. Best of all, this potentially tedious scene is actually the highlight of the episode.

The actual hard science involved in the ropeway is fairly simple — fans aren’t confused with complex chemical formulas or a lengthy lesson on engineering. Dr. Stone’s story highlights that even a simple concept like a ropeway calls for careful calculations, and the whole ordeal becomes a fun puzzle. Dr. Stone’s fun characters compare this endeavor to the classic riddle of a merchant carrying corn, a chicken, and a fox one at a time across a small river, and that makes the sequence refreshing to watch. It’s intellectually stimulating without turning into a STEM lecture, and Gen and Suika even explain the riddle’s solution for some extra charm to end the episode on a satisfying note.

The ropeway scene has two other minor payoffs to please Dr. Stone fans. While this leg of the journey is dominated by “man vs nature,” there is still some tension among the characters, which helps keep things grounded while also adding a touch of drama. Notably, the genius Dr. Xeno still can’t be trusted, and the heroes fear that he’ll escape if left alone with someone like Suika. Similarly, Kohaku and the others are reluctant to pair the dangerous fighter Hyoga with anyone who might help him betray the group. Hyoga can’t be easily left alone with Tsukasa, either, given their violent past. It’s a whole new take on the corn/chicken/fox riddle that lets entertaining personalities and personal history do the talking.

Finally, the ropeway sequence in Dr. Stone’s new episode makes the “man vs nature” concept a tricky and ever-shifting idea in meaningful ways. Once the Youth Science Team overcomes the perils of the Andes Mountains, South America’s terrain will become their ally, with the Amazon Rainforest’s thick canopy shielding them from the danger of Stanley’s airplane. It’s a good reminder of how nature is a dangerous yet neutral third party that can be a hazard or an asset, depending on the strategic planning of the heroes and villains. Of course, while the Amazon Rainforest is the much-anticipated shelter on the other side of the Andes, its assistance is highly conditional, keeping the tension suitably high.

The Amazon Rainforest is Full of Dangerous New Threats to Dr. Stone’s Characters

The second major sequence in “Sickening Yet Beautiful” is similar enough to the ropeway scene to make the episode feel smoothly consistent, while also treating fans to a whole new spin of “man vs nature.” The episode delivers some great payoff when the Youth Science Team overcomes the hurdles of the Andes Mountains and rides their motorcycles right into the heart of the world’s biggest rainforest, though Senku Ishigami and his friends can’t lower their guard just yet. Senku’s team is making appreciable progress to keep the plot moving, yet they are surrounded by new hazards that call for new scientific methods.

With a new venue, the Youth Science Team faces some cool new threats that are bound to make viewers a bit uneasy for all the right reasons. Now, instead of fearing Stanley’s wrath or falling off a mountainside, Senku and his friends must beware the animals and plants of this exotic place. It’s a rare hazard in Dr. Stone, since the wildlife in Stone Age Japan was manageable and no fearsome creatures were found on Treasure Island, either. Senku and his team had to deal with alligators in the California landscape, and now, the Youth Science Team must contend with fearsome bugs and even giant snakes.

It’s a simple yet fun example of survival in a jungle or rainforest, reminding viewers that for all its famous beauty, the Amazon Rainforest is teeming with danger, including shudder-inducing critters no anime fan would find in their neighborhood. Aside from mosquitoes, Senku’s team must beware Stanley’s airplane, since that threat isn’t actually gone just yet. Senku has the edge for now, but Dr. Stone Season 4, Episode 17 wisely adds tension by making it clear Stanley is playing the long game and intends to win. While it’s fun to see Senku dominate in this sequence, Dr. Stone fans know that the plot can’t be too slack with its threats.

Dr. Stone is available to stream on Crunchyroll.