Death Note — Interpreting The Foot Scene

Death Note — Interpreting the Foot Scene

So, since I’ve never actually seen an in-depth meta on the foot scene, I thought this needs to happen. :) [read on ao3]

The Foot Scene

[Watch here] L and Light come inside from the rain, and Light sits on the stairs, his shoes sitting next to him on the ground. L stands to the side, with a towel on his head.

L: (walking over) Well, that was certainly an unpleasant outing. Light: (drying off his hair) It’s your own fault. I mean, what did you expect? L: (offscreen) You’re right. I’m sorry. (L takes the towel off of his head and walks closer. Light is still drying his hair and face, but then startles. You then see that L has crouched by Light’s feet and is holding one of Light’s feet in his hand.) Light: What are you doing? L: (looking up at him) I thought I might help you out. You were busy wiping yourself off anyway. Light: Look, it—it’s fine, you don’t have to do that. L: I can give you a massage as well. (Light looks startled) L: (offscreen, continued) It’s the least I can do to atone for my sins. I’m actually pretty good at this. (Light glances away, looking resigned) Light: Fine, do what you want. L: (offscreen, in tones of someone getting down to business) All right. (Now you see L, looking pensive. He brings his hand, holding the towel, up to Light’s foot. Light makes a pained noise and the scene cuts to a wide shot.) Light: Hey! L: You’ll get used to it. (Light, in a close-up, looks utterly thrown, but makes a small noise of assent. The shot changes to L, where all you can see, with his head down, is the mess of his hair. A drop of water drips from the end of his hair, the sound clearly distinct in the otherwise silent scene [there’s been no music or anything]. The shot then changes to Light’s foot, and you hear as well as see the droplets from L’s hair landing on Light’s foot. The shot changes to Light, watching L who is now offscreen. He reaches over to grab his own towel and brings it over to L’s face. The shot is now on L in profile.) Light: (drying L’s hair) Here. You’re still soaked. (As Light’s hand retreats, L looks up, and then back down.) L: (quietly) I’m sorry. (soft piano music now begins. L starts drying off Light’s foot again. When the shot goes back to Light, he looks pensive too. There’s silence for some time, barring the music, as the shot changes back to L in profile, looking somewhat distressed. Then back to a wide shot in profile that rises toward the ceiling and the windows letting in natural light. After that, the view changes to the ceiling and its cross-shaped walkways with blue lighting above it, and then back to a wide shot of L and Light, this time facing the stairs.) L: (thoughtful, quiet) It’ll be lonely, won’t it. Light: Hm? (L looks up at Light pointedly and determined. With the shot head on, he says) L: You and I will be parting ways soon. (Light seems thoughtfully startled by this point, and looks perhaps like he’s considering something or is struck by the situation and stuck in the moment. The phone then rings, pulling them out of it, L stands up and answers the phone.) L: Yes? (Now the shot shows L in the foreground, with Light giving him a dark look in the background). L: I understand. I’m on my way. Light: (still glaring at L, baffled) Huh? (Now the shot is a wide shot again, and both their bodies are cut off since the shot is from behind them on the stairs). L: Come on. Let’s go, Light. (Closer in on L, with his back to the viewer) It seems like it’s all worked out. (He walks away.) (The shot changes back to Light’s baffled and angry face as he too stands up). Light: huh?

Basically, L is thoughtful, sad, and a bit smug, while Light is just: ?????

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