If you’re reading this, you know what happened -- Quatre’s gone a tad crazy after 1) watching his father die in space and 2) climbing into the cockpit of the Wing Zero. Heero and Trowa take him on but are severely overmatched. No diss on the boys, but the Wing Zero is just that good. Although they put up a great fight, Quatre blows Trowa away (literally) and winds up causing Heero some major damage, too. There’s hope that the fight wasn’t a total waste of time when Quatre jumps from his Gundam to see to Heero’s injury. Time’ll tell in future episodes if he’s still bent on destroying anything and everything he comes across.

So that’s the great stuff. The majority of the second half of the episode revolved around the more verbose Romefeller Foundation -- it’s not just that those old farts talk more, it’s that they don’t say much when they do. First Treize Khushrenada tells Duke Dermail that he doesn’t believe in the practice of employing Mobile Dolls in wartime actions. Then Lady Une attacks Tubarov on the MD lunar production base and allows Duo and Wufei to escape.

It looks like I'm sticking my tongue out at you, doesn't it?

This leads to a pretty cool sequence when the boys climb into their partially rebuilt Gundams and take on the Mobile Dolls and kick some automated tail. Did I mention the part when Tubarov shoots Colonel Une from three feet away but the bullet takes about five minutes to reach her? She drops her helmet (and probably one of her personalities) and falls to the ground. Tubarov -- 1, Lady Une -- 0.

Here’s what I really liked -- Quatre fighting his friends and experiencing some major guilt yet he KEPT ON FIGHTING. That’s cool. It’s like Luke hacking away at Darth Vader after learning that the guy’s his dad. Some things are so wrong they just smell bad, yet we can’t turn back. I think that’s kind of where Quatre’s at right now. He’s angry, he’s confused, he was probably too young and naive to have even become a warrior. But here he is controlling the most awesome fighting machine in the history of humankind. And you can bet he’s not going to pull his punches. And that, my fellow Gundamaniacs, earns points in my book. I’m sure Quatre Raberbe Winner will sleep better tonight knowing that.

--Ross Brooks' book is available at your local online bookstore.

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

24: The Gundam They Call Zero
23: Duo, The Great Destroyer Once Again
22: The Fight for Independence
21: Grief-stricken Quatre
20: Lunar Base Infiltration
19: The Assault on Barge
18: Tallgeese Destroyed
17: Betrayed by Home, Far Away
16: The Sorrowful Battle
15: To the Battleground Antarctica
14: The Order to Destroy Zero One
13: Catherine's Tears
12: Bewildered Warriors
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

Gundam Wing, The Lonely Battlefield - anime - 6.28.

Talking Star Trek - tv - 6.28.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Movies - movies - 6.28.

The Week in Comics - comics - 6.28.