The following contains spoilers for Episode 16 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part 2 "The Secret of Guard Westwood," now streaming on Netflix.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 2 is a supernatural crime and action anime available to stream on Netflix. For the first time in Part 2, an episode has focused on the primary protagonist, Jolyne Cujoh, for the majority of the runtime. It has been interesting to explore the secondary characters and their motivations and growth, but it was time to offer the same opportunity to Jolyne, with her impressive growth in combat abilities and ridiculous mental fortitude. Carrying on from the explosive introduction of the Ultra House Security Unit Fight Club, viewers can expect the bloodiest brawl yet.
Episode 16, "The Secret of Guard Westwood," is on the surface a continual fight between Jolyne and the surviving prison officer from the previous episode. With the effects of the Survivor Stand in play, the mental restraint of the characters is cracking and their obsession with utterly crushing their foe has reached new heights -- as the fight begins, at least. The true importance of the episode is to showcase just how far Jolyne has come since obtaining Stone Ocean and what lengths she will go to survive and win. There are no moments of heroic support to save her, no backup; there is just Jolyne, her skill and her resilience.
Stone Ocean always came across as a versatile Stand, but in the JoJo universe of reality-bending, world-changing, immortality-giving Stands, it appeared as a rather standard ability of string manipulation. This, in fact, has not changed. There are no new abilities introduced or secret powers for her to pull out at the last moment to overcome her foe. Instead, Jolyne uses every trick in the book to compete with a more physically powerful prison officer, Viviano Westwood, and his Stand, Starlight Waves. The power of Starlight Waves summons meteorites from Space, drawn to Westwood as if he is a magnet. Positioning himself in combat is vital to ensure they make contact with his enemy, but luckily for him, the meteorites disintegrate before they reach him personally. Naturally, Jolyne uses this to her advantage.
Jolyne is not only a skilled fighter, but she also utilizes Stand Ocean in the best way to complement her martial arts. Numerous times, she either attacks, counters or even takes a hit in certain places to allow her string to attach to Westwood and bind him. However, due to the frustratingly dangerous power of Starlight Waves, the meteorites are a constant problem when she starts to get the upper hand. It's when Jolyne is close to being killed that she uses her string to cause some real harm. When trapped in a headlock, Jolyne tears off Westwood’s toenails and uses the string to burst his eardrum and enter his skull. These kinds of actions show her unwavering resolve in survival, peeling apart her foe if that means she can survive. Such brutal actions, alongside the unrelenting beatdown the two dish out, make the fight unbelievably intense.
There was an issue with the continuity of the Stand Survivor. The previous episode made a big deal about how it manipulated the mind and caused people to erupt in fights to the death, and Episode 15 even ended by implying that everyone in the Security House was affected by it. At the beginning of Episode a6, Jolyne is aware that something is altering her psyche, and the fight starts with that in mind. However, as the episode continues, Jolyne is able to think logically and does not appear to be in a crazed, bloodthirsty state; nor does Westwood. Perhaps it will be explained in later episodes that the Survivor ability was 'turned off' in some way, although from the explanation DIO gave in the previous episode, it's not a power that is controlled by its user like Stone Ocean or Pale Snake.
Although Jolyne survives her fight with Westwood, she is out of strength, energy and options. She does not yet know that there are three other Stand users in the security unit awaiting their chance to assassinate her. Luckily for Jolyne, F.F. and the newly acquired ally Narciso Anatasia are en route to her location. Without a doubt, a series of other confrontations are coming as the duo will desperately try and protect Jolyne.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part 2 can be streamed via Netflix, with all 12 episodes available to watch.