In the episode “Wisdom of the Ages,” Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Kimiko meet up with A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) to carve out a deal and are shortly ambushed by Shining Light soldiers, whom Kimiko had fought before alongside Frenchie. A particular soldier with a scarred face, Tala (Erika Prevost) remerges, leaving Kimiko guilt-ridden and distressed. Previously, it was hinted that Kimiko cares about her on some level, although Tala had made it clear that she resents Kimiko for trapping her within the organization. Tala also revealed an unsavory aspect of Kimiko’s past: she claimed that she was lured in by her and kidnapped by Shining Light soldiers, before being thrown into a fighting pit, where Kimiko had left her with the facial scar.

After Frenchie is bailed from jail to help aid with the Sameer situation, Kimiko opens up about her time with Shining Light, finally revealing why she has been unable to speak since a specific childhood incident. Kimiko recounts how kids would be forced to fight in the ring, where the first one to make any sound would be declared defeated, and killed immediately after. To avoid such a grisly end, Kimiko silently fought a child to the death, killing her before she was killed. Although her actions stemmed from self-preservation, the traumatic nature of the incident rendered her mute, and she has been unable to speak since then. As silence was the parameter to ensure victory inside these rings, the same silence became a metaphorical noose for her, haunting her waking existence forever.

Frenchie empathizes with her and assures her that she is not at fault here, but Kimiko poses a heart-wrenching question: How do we move on? And most importantly, how do we forgive ourselves?