English Dub Review: I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss “The Villainess Always Gets Condemned”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Aileen and Claude get separated by a misunderstanding. Aileen stubbornly decides she can avoid getting executed if she just dissolves her engagement with Claude and buries herself in work. Soon, she receives a dress from Claude for the upcoming ball. He’s cold when she tries to seduce him, but he chases after her once she gives up… The confused Aileen shows up to the ball dressed as a duck but is blown away by the words that come out of his mouth.

Our Take:
The season is drawing to a close, and things are not getting any better for the villainous couple. After the shocking conclusion of last week’s episode, it seemed that it might be too late to return Claude to his usual demon self. However, the second-to-last episode shows that that might not be the case.
The episode sees Aileen giving up on her attempt to win back Claude following an incident involving one of Claude’s demonic accomplices. Even worse, she plans on ending her engagement with the former Demon Lord to focus more on her work. Aileen usually never backs down from a challenge, especially when it involves winning Claude’s heart. She even participated in the academy’s pageant as a woman despite the risk of her cover being blown. So, it’s a bit surprising that the villainess called it quits because she finally noticed how Claude felt toward her. However, fate happens to reunite them once more for two reasons.
One is Keith and Beelzebuth convincing Claude about Aileen’s feelings for him, resulting in Claude sending Aileen a gorgeous dress for the ball. When she arrives with a duck mask on her head, Claude attempts to seduce her thanks to his henchmen’s advice. As usual, Aileen finds herself in a discomfort state but is later convinced that there’s still a chance for them to be happy together.
Unfortunately, that opportunity is almost ruined due to Elephas Levi’s sudden betrayal, which is my second reason. In the back of my mind, I knew Levi would be up to no good since he’s the final boss of a fan disk. So I didn’t find the revelation involving Levi surprising to me. But the good news is that Claude finally got his memories back. However, that’s because his feathered ally, Almond, was killed by Levi right in front of him. So not only is Levi a traitorous butthole, but he’s also a heartless bird killer. Additionally, Lilia is the suspect responsible for taking Claude’s memories away from him, which is another surprise I saw coming since the ninth episode.
Outside of its average twists, “The Villainess Always Gets Condemned” succeeds in setting the stage for the season one finale, which pits Aileen against Elephas Levi. It’s fitting, too, since the finale is releasing on the final weekend of 2022 unless Crunchyroll delays it without warning. Which villain will come out on top, and which will meet their end? Based on my experience with its final arc, I’m in no rush to see what happens next, but I am curious to know how the season concludes.