Gundam Wing: Disc 4 (episodes 16-20)

[rachelmanija]

oyceter and I watched this disc together last night, over the phone as we live in different cities. ("Ready on 'play?' Okay, three, two, one, self-destruct!")

Why yes, I am a little obsessed! I have grown absurdly fond of all five crazy little mecha terrorists, not to mention their various supporters, antagonists, and people who have switched sides so often they're probably not sure themselves which side they're on, or which side their side is on.

For all the delicious insanity and crack in this show, the psychology of wartime insanity, suicide bombing, and the more functional and active types of mental illness are dead-on.

The pace picks up even more in this disc, and it's full of startling revelations, life-changing moments, new arcs, and crack. When it was over, I felt like I'd watched a miniseries. It's incredible to me that the series isn't even half over at this point.

Unfortunately, at least one episode got overly condensed and could have used being split in two. If Oyce hadn't been on the phone with me, I would have thought there were missing scenes. That may have been the one where I said, "Why are the mecha fighting each other?" right before one of the characters asked the same question.

No episode by episode recap in this post; I wasn't taking notes and have probably already lost track of what happened in which episode. This will be more of a highlight reel.



After the incredibly slashy Heero/Trowa interaction, featuring much solicitousness and tightrope walking on Trowa's part, culminating in his unprompted and unprecedented offer to loan out his Gundam (Heero, emotional: "Trowa."), they head to Antarctica in the company of the still enabling Noin to duel Zechs the Insane.

On the way, they are attacked. Trowa, again protecting the wounded Heero, is forced to kill an enemy in cold blood lest he reveal that the Gundams are still fighting and endanger the colonies. He then uses his left hand to pry his murderous right hand off the lever that has done the deed. Then, clutching his evil hand, he melodramatically tumbles out of his Gundam and lands and Noin's feet.

Noin (sensibly): "Are you hurt?!"

Trowa: "My name is Trowa. Please refill the ammunition for Heero."

I can see why he said the last sentence (it is something of a running joke that Trowa has no fire discipline) but if anyone would like to explain what he was thinking with the first, feel free.

Zechs' insanity field continues to affect everyone around him. He gives Heero his Gundam back. Heero: "Hey! Where's the self-destruct button?!"

He and Heero duel interminably. There's a bizarre moment which seemed to have no purpose but to give viewers seizures, in which eveyone's face flashes repeatedly (like the half-way mark, only worse.)

Then Relena appears! She flies a spaceship between them. Zechs flees the battlefield, swearing to protect her. Oddly, everyone thinks this is very manly of him.

I think the rest of this may be a bit out of sequence; bear with me.

Zechs is then sent on a suicide mission by the increasingly crazed Treize. He reveals that he will only stop being friends with Treize when his stupid bird helmet explodes. His bird helmet explodes. He wakes up on a beach, all sparkly.

Quatre, looking totally insane, decides that if he and Duo blow some stuff up, all the pilots will follow them into outer space-- why, I have forgotten. I cross Quatre off the sane list. He blows stuff up. All the pilots follow them into outer space. Huh, guess he was right. I put Quatre back on the sane list. He decides to stay and blow up his Gundam to cover their departure. He addresses his Gundam like it's intelligent. I cross Quatre off the sane list. His Gundam spontaneously opens its hatch, drops him out, walks away, and blows itself up. I put Quatre back on the sane list.

At this point, all the pilots are split up in outer space. OZ has taken over the colonies. The colonies hate the Gundams. The mad cybord scientists build new Gundams. I am unable to follow any dialogue occurring while they're onscreen, as I am too distracted by their beaks, mushroom hair, mismatched eyes, cyborg hand, and taped-on nose.

Quatre is found in a shuttle, apparently dying. I suppose either from wounds inflicted while he was blowing stuff up, or his oxygen ran out, but it's really unclear and confusing.

Une turns out to be a split personality! WTF!!

Wu Fei flees with one arm of his Gundam blown off.

Heero goes to school WTF??

Duo gets captured. He tries to self-detonate, but it doesn't work. An incredibly unflattering picture of him with a band-aid over his nose is plastered all over. Heero goes to kill and/or rescue him. I think this is where the Heero/Duo stuff comes from, but it does not compare to sharing Gundams.

Trowa inflitrates the government and has a job interview with Girly!Une to be a Gundam pilot. A truly awesome scene. He is ordered to blow up Duo's Gundam. He does. He sparkles, as many other characters have done before. But, to my surprise, he looks at the sparkles and says, "What are those?" (He is is zer-G.) "Oh... they are my tears." I think Trowa is still figuring out the human thing.

Gundam count: Two new but unfinished ones. The fez guys are repairing Quatre's. Heero's is still on earth, intact. Duo's just got blown up. Trowa's, I'm not sure. Wu Fei's is with him but missing an arm. I think Tallgeese is at the bottom of the ocean.

Suicide attempt count for the disc:

Zechs: 1, or 2 if you count repairing Heero's Gundam with parts cannibalized from Tallgeese before their duel.

Duo: 1, but perfectly reasonable under the circumstances.

Quatre: 1, ditto.

Heero: None that I recall. Wow! However, this is coming right after he individually offered something like eight relatives of the pacifist he blew up a gun and the chance to kill him, to which they all apparently went, "...this is more about you than it is about us, isn't it?" I know it was a lot of them, because he had a list of names with a bunch crossed out.

Trowa: Hasn't tried since Catherine punched him and told him off.

Wu Fei: Only pilot who has not yet attempted suicide.

Spoil me for uncoming episodes and I will self-detonate.

Comments

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

Ah, good, you've reached the Zechs/Heero fight. I want to know what Zechs was on so I can give it to all my enemies. I will then shoot them while they're busy pontificating and being noble, because unlike Zechs, I know that war is not about being fair, it's about winning. Fortunately for the good guys, Zechs is all about being sparkly, not so much about being smart.

*will not comment on Quatre's gundam, as self-detonation would keep you from recruiting new GW fans and reminding old ones that GW is waiting for them to come back ;) *

[oyceter]

We both forgot to post in Treize's absolutely insane theory that to uphold the humanity of war, people should battle in person in mecha instead of having AI-driven mobile dolls battle, thus sparing bloodshed! Because sparing bloodshed really removes the personal aspect from it all.

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

Dude, are you sure this stuff isn't supposed to be comedy? I am so reminded of my sister reading Hamlet when she was in middle school and thinking that it was a comedy.

[cicer.livejournal.com]

I love the bit where Trowa is confused by his tears. I seem to remember something similar happening in another anime series (er, possibly several anime series!) and it cracked me up then too. It's just so delightfully ridiculous. Like most of Gundam Wing, really.

As you said, though, there's a certain amount of realism when it comes to the representation of war in GW, and I really appreciate that. For example, the constant technological mishaps. Love 'em. Also, the fact that almost everyone in the series is suffering from raging PTSD or some other psychiatric disorder, which is exactly what you'd expect from fifteen year olds who have been forced to become soldiers and murderers.

...God, I love this series. *runs off to find DVDs*