Watching Knov's struggle, and especially the show's struggle, in this episode made me think the author chose a troublesome path. The ants could have maintained their horrible status far more easily if they hadn't got so much exposure, especially the kind of exposure that makes them more and more human like, if not exactly humane. Maybe Pitou specifically has been spared of that lately, but even the king is starting to mellow, the bard type royal guard doesn't even need to be mentioned. Pitou can't avoid suffering by association alone. So, when they now suddenly show Knov all shaken and strirred by nothing but the edges of those fellows' auras, it doesn't really toll the bell. It makes Knov look like a total loser, not the ants look like terrible monsters.

But then again, if the ants had remained distant monsters, then I guess I'd have later complained they aren't interesting enemies, being all faceless and without personalities. So, it couldn't really be avoided. The story also seems to have some separate agendas by allowing some lesser ants to become humans' allies and the blind girl to baffle to the king. Neither of which could have happened if the ants had remained deadly mysteries like some xenomorphs.