Steins;Gate - Episode 20

Having found Moeka Kiryuu, Okabe once again has sight of the IBM 5100 at last thanks to a hint she gives him as to its location.  Much as he's tempted to just go and take it by force from its current hiding place however, Makise promotes a smarter method that takes into account the fact that he needs to undo all of the D-Mails that have been sent in the proper order to ensure that he can reach the correct world line to save Mayuri.

Thus, it's time for Okabe to play a waiting game as he stakes out the locker containing the much-needed computer - a task in which he's eventually joined by Moeka herself, keen as she is to catch sight of her beloved FB.  Eventually, the computer is collected, and Okabe and Moeka follow its trail (with a little help from the occasional D-Mail when things go awry) across the city all the way to Narita airport, before it's packed on a plane and shipped off to SERN as the starting point for their future domination of the world.

The IBM 5100 might be gone from this timeline, but following its progress uncovered one important link in the chain of its movement - none other than Okabe's landlord Mister Braun.  Needless to say, Okabe (along with Kurisu and Moeka) waste no time in quizzing him on his role, only to find that he is the much vaunted FB, and little more than a puppet upon the strings controlled by SERN after taking a job with them to pull himself out of destitution.  While this revelation is seemingly unhelpful, and what occurs next downright shocking, it does allow Okabe to ultimately undo the D-Mail he requires to reset the world-line at little closer to its ideal - a reversion that also gives him access to the IBM 5100.  Now, it's simply a case of removing some data from SERN for Okabe to reach his goal... but at what cost?

Never mind jumping back through world-lines, my thoughts on Steins;Gate increasingly resemble an infinite recursion of time as week upon week I heap praise upon the series for its smart plot and cunning twists and turns.  Once again, this episode has plenty up its sleeve to surprise you and keep you on your toes - some of it arrives rather out of left-field admittedly, but that's forgiveable against a backdrop that becomes more tangled and fascinating by the week.  I'd love to say long may it continue, but with just four episodes to go time is running out for this excellent series.