I might be in the minority when I say I actually donât mind that we donât get any kind of actual âbackstoryâ on Pomni aside from the little lore drop about her occupation and hobby, because I appreciate how much that tracks with her character.
Pomni not having anything resembling a life outside of the Circus (at least from her perspective) is probably the reason she became so resigned to her fate so quickly compared to the others.
There wasnât anything necessarily wrong with her life. She had a stable job, enough freedom to indulge in personal enjoyment, but itâs clear from how she talks about it that she wasnât exactly happy about it.
âIf it has to be my homeâŚâ
This line from Pomni from ep 2 was always so telling to me because just the way she casually describes whatâs essentially her imprisonment gave me the impression that she really didnât have anything she was striving to go back to.
Yes, she was desperate to leave in the Pilot, but I think thatâs a very natural reaction. Especially if the place she suddenly found herself in is incredibly overwhelming and existentially horrifying.
But after all of that panic wears off, when the confirmation of no escape sinks in, whatâs left is justâŚresignation. Because what exactly was there for her to mourn?
No friends and no family to wonder or worry about her. All she truly lost was her reality, her identity, and her name.
Pomni also doesnât strike me as someone with actual life goals like Gangle or Zooble. Or someone aiming for a chance to get out of a bad situation like Ragatha. Or part of a career sheâs genuinely passionate about like Kinger. Hell it doesnât seem like she has general passion for anything outside ofâŚdocumenting places that have been abandoned.
And thatâs why I think her mood improves upon realizing she can still try and be someone to someone else. Why just having a friend would be enough to help her endure this new kind of monotonous horror she has to live in. Why sheâs so keen on building some kind of community with people she has no choice but to be stuck with.
And her lack of meaningful connections in the real world explains why sheâs honestly kind of bad at it.
And Yâknow what? I genuinely love that about her.
I love that we get to see how Pomni is not that great of a friend in the series, because of course she would be. I love that she struggles with doing the right thing, doesnât think things through enough, makes the wrong choices, is late with apologies, has awkward interactions, and bets on losing dogs.
Her social life was practically nonexistent, you really think this girl knows how to be a therapist of all things? Sheâs just trying her best, and her best is not always gonna look good.
But the important thing is that she keeps trying. Keeps trying to be a better friend, even to people who feel like they donât deserve her friendship. Pomniâs fear of being forgotten has always aligned with her inherent desire to create connections. Itâs why sheâs so adamant about getting these people to just talk to her, because how else is she gonna understand them better? How else can she figure out the best way to connect to them?
Idk maybe I just like the fact that Pomni isnât a perfect protagonist. Her being very passive most of the time feels on brand for an adult whoâs so bored with life but not actively doing anything to improve it. And when she does try to do something to improve it, and it ends up not working out the way she was hoping for, she would take it incredibly personally. Hence her breakdown in the finale after her plan to help everyone failed. She wasnât crying for herself, she was crying for them.
So for her âhappily ever afterâ in the real world to simply have the reassurance that sheâs made more genuine connections in her life, is pretty damn heartwarming.
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