And when it’s over I truck on over to my other best friend, my computer, and I write a little column which some of you like to read. It’s a simple life I lead, rather like the monks who transcribe endless scrolls so that they have something to do. Today, however, I didn’t finish my Yoo-Hoo with a smile but with a smirk. I wasn’t able to leave my troubles behind and find my center (or my "locus" to incorporate a vocabulary word from today’s episode title -- don’t say I never taught you anything). I didn’t relax into a state of pure calm. No, my fellow Gundamaniacs, today I was horrified to learn that there aren’t 49 episodes in the Gundam Wing saga -- there are 48 episodes, and one cheap excuse for an episode. One clip show. One big old waste of my time.

"The Locus Of Victory And Defeat," which has got to be the worst episode title since "Gilligan Finds The Locus Of The Island," is nothing more than an empty summary of the preceding twenty-six episodes. Mostly it covers the "romance" (if you can call it that) between Relena and Heero. The two take turns playing narrator recounting how they met as if they were one of those old couples on the couch in When Harry Met Sally. Did you ever see that movie? If not, rent it and then you’ll know what I mean.

I'd like to announce that this episode was a rip-off.

I don’t understand why this episode was necessary. To be honest, I could understand if the creators behind GW thought that a "time out" wouldn’t be a bad idea. The political maneuvering, the conflicting storylines, the Xs and the Os do get kind of confusing every once in a while. In fact, I’d welcome a chance for someone to bring us all up to speed on all the major players in the After Colony scene. But "The Locus Of Victory And Defeat" doesn’t serve that purpose. Instead, it glosses over the important stuff (no, that’s not fair -- it doesn’t EVEN MENTION the important stuff) and instead focuses on how knowing Heero has affected Relena’s life.

Does anyone really care?

So now that I’ve downed my Yoo-Hoo and my 100,000 Grand bar is only a memory, I’d like to take a moment to take a few deep breaths, find my locus and regain my happy-go-lucky outlook.

Aw, the heck with it. I’ll just have another Yoo-Hoo and watch yesterday’s episode all over again.

--Ross Brooks is his own best friend.

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

26: The Eternal Flame of the Shooting Stars
25: Quatre vs. Heero
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.