ahhh the urge to answer your questions is so strong but spoilers so I will be strong and not do that. when I watched it for the 1st time I saw it as he didn't know who was going to die if he failed which is why he thought it might be better to set him free to find happiness elsewhere before the deadline. this episode felt like they just turned everything up to 11 with how quickly it all went. i cried so hard watching it the 1st time because I was so caught in everyone's emotions. my kitten distracted me this time so thankfully I didn't cry this time too.