review: Chang Wufei fights back (sort of).

May 30, 2000

Series Gundam Wing

Episode 12: Bewildered Warriors

Airing Date 2000-03-21

Rerun Date 2000-05-29

Sci-fi Bits Wufei wipes out a platoon of Mobile Suits.

Juicy Bits Heero & Trowa bond.

Featuring Mark Hildereth as Heero Yuy Scott McNeil as Duo Maxwell Brian Drummond as Zechs Merquise David Kaye as Treize Khushrenada Ted Cole as Chang Wufei Brad Swaile as Quatre Raebe Winner Saffron Henderson as Lucrezia Noin Lisa Ann Beley as Relena Peacecraft

The Gundam Boys are in bad shape. Like the Buffalo Bills after a Super Bowl, they’ve lost their heart and are limping off toward the shadows. "Bewildered Warriors" mostly centers on Chang Wufei, but there are also mini-story arcs involving Trowa and Heero.

It’s good to see Wufei get some serious screen time -- he is the most mysterious Gundam pilot, and the only one who hasn’t yet bonded with another one of the pilots. Maybe that’s the trouble with having five pilots. While Duo and Quatre play in the desert and Heero recovers from his failed suicide attempt in Trowa’s pad, poor Wufei’s the fifth wheel. He’s also still smarting from his disappointing loss to Treize Khushrenada in their sword fight. Wufei’s sense of honor seems to be the strongest of the five boys, with the possible exception of Heero, and right now the kid doesn’t even think he deserves to ever fight in his Nataku again.

There’s an interesting dialogue set up near the beginning of the episode when Wufei shows up in Nataku to shield some rebel terrorists who are attempting to escape the reining military forces. Wufei tells the rebels -- lead by former Alliance office Sally Po -- that they shouldn’t fight because they’re weak. Clearly, he’s also speaking of his own situation. Since his defeat at the hands of Treize, Wufei hasn’t engaged in a battle because he doesn’t feel worthy of his own Gundam. Sally tries to explain that she fights precisely because she is weak. Wufei can’t wrap his guilt around that concept. Later, after he once again saves the rebels from a combined OZ and local military force (who are doing their best to blow EACH OTHER up!), Wufei seems to take a step towards understanding what Sally’s talking about. Fighting with the weak (or even for the weak) as long as you fight with your heart is the very definition of honor.

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Heero, meanwhile, slowly regains his strength after remaining unconscious for a full month. Catherine and Trowa take care of him until it’s revealed that their traveling circus will next perform for some OZ troops. Trowa schemes some great stunt for OZ’s entertainment. As the episode ends, Trowa retrieves his hidden Gundam Heavyarms and brings it to the big top. You can bet that the show he’s planning won’t be the diversion OZ is expecting.

This episode, while spreading its Gundam Wing political rhetoric quite liberally, did a good job of breaking up the verbose scenes with those of action. It was a nice balance. While Heero heals, Wufei contemplates and Trowa schemes, we wonder what adventures Duo and Quatre are up to. Oh yeah -- they’re probably discussing the nature of peace. As long as they do it while they spar in their giant robots, that’s fine with me.

--Ross Brooks is waiting for Britney Spears to make a guest appearance in her Gundam Heavythighs.

Past Gundam Wing Reviews

49: Final Victors
48: Take Off Into Confusion
47: Collision in Space
46: Milliardo's Decision
45: Signs of the Final Battle
44: Go Forth, Gundam Team
43: Target: Earth
42: Battleship Libra
41: Crossfire at Barge
40: A New Leader
39: Trowa Returns to the Battlefield
38: Relena Becomes Queen
37: Zero vs. Epyon
36: The Collapse of the Sanc Kingdom

11: The Whereabouts of Happiness
10: Heero - Distracted by Defeat
9: Portrait of a Ruined Country
8: The Treize Assassination
7: Scenario of Bloodshed
6: Party Night
5: Relena's Secret
4: The Victorian Nightmare
3: Five Gundams Confirmed
2: Deathscythe
1: The Shooting Star She Saw

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