failure: gwing analysis - episode 8
16 Apr 2005 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaigoufailure: gwing analysis
The battle continues at New Edwards, and I had to back up and rewatch to get my bearings, since it's not immediately clear. Wufei and Trowa have taken off for the shuttle hangars – whether this is by agreement or just both having the same impulse concerning Treize – and we're treated to behavior that reflects both their Gundams' capabilities and their personalities. Upon pushing open the hangar, Trowa realizes it's guarded by laser-triggered bombs; Wufei disregards the warning and insists he can head in. Trowa hangs back. Shenlong is agile, and fast, and can avoid the bombs; Heavyarms has little armor (comparatively), and isn't nearly as fast nor as maneuverable. At the same time, for all that Trowa's quite aggressive when facing down an enemy, he's the one to hang back while Wufei rushes in head-first and to hell with the torpedoes.
Meanwhile, the fight continues with Heero, Duo, and Quatre, and it's almost remarkable the consistent pattern through the fight scene. Heero's in shock, too stunned to react, and just stands there, taking hits. Duo and Quatre have instinctively fallen in line, acting as guard for Heero, which pisses Duo off. He's taking shots meant for Heero, and he doesn't like playing defense in the least. Quatre, however, understands, telling Duo, "your friend's been through too much." He displays a compassion that Duo won't or can't have. For all that Duo's aggravated by Heero's refusal to fight, he's still curious about him. When Sally calls out Heero's name, there's a jump-cut to Duo asking himself, "Heero? So that's his name?" While it's a well-known scene in the fandom ("Hey, check that out, he remembers my name!"), it hadn't struck me before that Heero had never introduced himself. It stands out because while Duo is pleased Heero remembers his name, he doesn't bother to even find out Heero's name. It's quite possible Duo had simply not cared enough to ask.
Duo's shown himself an extreme character, so far. It's highlighted in his interactions with Heero: "great guy! oh, now you're making me ill!" But in the New Edwards scenes, you can really see the extent of Duo's personality, and it's rough, uncouth, aggressive, and driven by self-interest. After they discover Treize's deceit, Duo is ready to take off after them, and Quatre explains why they shouldn't. If you read the script, it looks like Duo concedes quickly, "I guess you're right." In fact, he first makes motions of either attacking Quatre or just preparing to take off – a bit more of the pissing contest – but Quatre doesn't flinch. Only then does Duo back down and agree.
When Sally tells them about the bombs, Quatre determines the range is 300km when all missiles explode. He seems stricken by this. Duo immediately says, "let's get out of here!" while Quatre insists they won't make it. Keeping in mind their Gundams' setups, Duo's got the speed; Quatre doesn't. It's almost amusing (in a 'sheesh!' way) when Heero takes off for the base's missile hangar, and Duo promptly calls him a coward for leaving – even if he's doing the very thing Duo had suggested himself. Quatre, again, reads the same actions with a positive twist, insisting Heero's going to stop the missile detonation. It's illustrating both Quatre's optimism again, as well as his ability to assess people quickly and well. He's perceptive.
Later, while waiting to find out if Heero's going to manage to turn off the missile detonation, Duo preps the shuttles while Quatre runs defense. We see Duo in the cockpit, telling Quatre the shuttles are ready. When Quatre requests a third for Heero, Duo grumbles about it...and instead of sitting up (implying movement out of the pilot's seat, perhaps), he leans back and gets comfortable. He has no intention of helping out, and in fact isn't going to move until Heero proves that he's not about to be the death of them all.
Quatre's request concerning the shuttle for Heero illustrates several things: one, obviously, his optimism, and his willingness to believe in an ally (even one newly-met). Two, the fact that he thinks of others and anticipates their needs – as much as he anticipates an enemy's actions, by telling Duo why it serves no purpose to go running after Treize. It's a sharp contrast to Wufei and Trowa, who did run off after Treize; Quatre points out that as guerilla fighters, they're reliant on having the element of surprise. Without that, the enemy holds the advantage.
A quick note about the translations. In the official version, Heero says as he plummets into the missile silo, "A failed mission means death, but my card isn't up yet." That really doesn't make any sense, so I checked the amateur translation, which says, "I deserve to die for my mistake. But I can't die like this!" That fits, much better. It's one thing to die for a failed mission, but it's another thing to be blown up like so much shrapnel. A rather ignomimous end, and Heero's annoyance about this fact is startlingly human. He wants his death to mean something.
The translation for some of Sally's lines is equally awkward, and hints at an interest that doesn't fit with what she's shown so far. When she intercepts the OZ soldiers setting off the missile, and attempts to stop the detonation, in the official version she uses terms like, "there's a pilot I'm interested in," and "someone I wanted to see again" which (to me) implies a hint of sexual tension and/or unusual interest. The phrasing is just bad. But in the amateur version, she's translated as saying, "I happen to know one of the pilots. In fact, I've been wanting to see him again. He's there, and now this!" This fits better, since she expressed curiosity about Heero while he was in the hospital, much as Duo did. It's reasonable to think she'd been unable to forget him (above and beyond his role as catharsis in the series, changing those around him). Sally's involvement is definitely a deus ex machina, that a medical officer just happens to be in a plane near a base and just happens to intercept an OZ transmission and just happens to know the Gundam pilot, etc. But for the sake of the story, I'm willing to overlook the slight Mary-Sue-ish element showing up here.
At the very end, the New Edwards base is still (mostly) intact, and the Gundam pilots flee off to safer havens. Quatre looks pleased and relieved. Duo just seems rather surprised and mildly impressed – eyebrows raised, smile a bit smaller, a little crooked. Looking down at Wing below him, Duo serves up another broad compliment about Heero being an amazing guy, when only a few minutes before (in the scope of the battle), he'd been hollering at Heero for being useless. It's not just that Duo's at the extreme, so much as he can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about Heero. It appears the "just don't get you" feeling is mutual.
But Heero, on the ground, is anything but an automaton. He takes a moment for a power-shot, looking intent at he stares – possibly at the base, possibly at the two departing shuttles – and then tells himself, "It was a miserable mission...I screwed up!" There's no emotionless soldier here, but a frustrated, angry young man, helplessly berating himself. In the amateur translation, the final line reads as "It's all my fault!" which I think is possibly closer to the nuances of Heero's emotional state. When he found out who he'd killed, his reaction was "what have I...what have I..." and not even able to verbalize further. He sits amidst the battle, eyes closed, ignoring Duo's yelling, until he opens his eyes, an intent expression: he's decided not to fight back. He'll let them take him down, but Duo and Quatre ruin that for him, by defending. Heero makes no moves to get out of their way, though he does make a move forward, until a shot slams him down. He's passive in shock, but by the time he's defused the missiles, he's coming out of the shock and moving into anger. Perfectly human reaction, really (other than the continuing insistence on – and even welcoming of – his own death).
Now jumping over to Une, whose failures in this episode (with the missile detonation) again mirror Heero's failures in the same time-space. We begin with their departure from New Edwards. When she asks about the Gundams, Treize tells her in an off-hand manner, "I leave that to you." I'm not positive, but I'm pretty certain it's the first time I've seen a genuine smile from Une. If she was not completely redeemed for her failure to get rid of Relena, Treize's willingness to trust her concerning the Gundams proves she's back in good standing. Her methods befit the sledgehammer characterization: detonate the underground missiles and blow up the base. One soldier is shocked, while the other pleased; the Alliance would never move so definitively. I think it's important to note that, because martial law (as is going on up in the colonies) usually indicates a certain ruthlessness. Yet via the Alliance leaders holding meetings, and the comments on the parts of Alliance and Specials, it appears the Alliance is probably more like the average massive, sprawling army: preponderant, and not the fastest to react to situations, let alone with such a ruthless command.
When Heero manages to stymie the detonation, once again he's placed himself directly in the path of Une's mission; his success is her failure. When she apologizes to Treize for her failure, his response is quite odd. He says, "the earth is a contained space." (To which I think: what, a colony isn't?) He chides her, telling her that she must learn more about OZ. Naturally she's completely mystified about this, and later, on the bridge of the ship, questions whether this means she doesn't understand Treize, either. She dismisses that, but it's worth noting that to her, OZ and Treize are one and the same. And his words didn't make sense the first time, or the second, but a third time and maybe they do. Treize doesn't want to be understood; this is the purpose behind his cryptic remarks, because bloody hell, what else is there to know about OZ that one of his second-in-commands wouldn't know?
But there is something else, and I recall it showing up again later in the series. A soldier is invigorated by having something to protect, something that matters enough to him to keep fighting. A corrollary, not verbalized that I recall, but showing up here in Treize (as well as Wufei, in EW): a soldier is nothing without a fight, and barring a meaningful fight, will take any battle he can, because when he's not fighting, he's nothing. It's the same question with which Heero grapples, in fact. And for Treize, demolishing the Gundams once and for all is the issue, not whether or not he pollutes the earth. He's already displayed a callous disregard for both property and human life, so that can't really be it. No, it's that it would have dealt a decisive blow, destroying three of the five Gundams. What then? The war is over. There would be no reason to retaliate on the colonies; they'd be down three of five champions. The Alliance leaders are toast. Treize's position is not assured, however, because when there's no enemy, there's less need for an Army, and the mysterious and as-yet-unshown Romafeller (hinted at in the narration) might yank Treize back into line.
Nope, he wants things to continue as bloody and terrible, for as long as possible. That means he lets the Gundams keep at their chaotic, destructive work, because their existence actually furthers his own plans.
There's a definite nod to WWII in the scene where Wufei and Trowa catch up with Treize's convoy. Wufei's shuttle slams into one ship: kamikaze, anyone? It's not clear until we see Trowa, calmly calculating that he doesn't have enough fuel to make for a good explosion, so he'll take out what he can and escape in Heavyarms. Definitely harking back to the Japanese soldiers, but with a twist: both Wufei and Trowa walk out of the flames, unscathed. I imagine in the Japanese mindset, these were the true kamikaze, giving their lives yet so pure of intent they could survive.
When Une comes after Wufei, she loses her temper. One of the most frustrating things about G-Wing is probably the fact that it's often hard to tell when two opponents can hear each other. Are they just yelling at themselves? Or can others hear and respond? Sometimes it's not really clear, sometimes it very much seems like a conversation. For the most part, I've got to assume they can't hear each other unless they're allies; even then, with Quatre appearing on Duo's side view-screen, it's clear he's just opened a channel, which I would take to mean all conversation prior was private. That said, Une's rather agile Leo moves quickly and easily, but then makes an abrupt move to strike, leaving herself wide open in her rashness. Wufei either hears her yell, "die!" or picks up on her anger from her mobile suit's maneuvers. He informs her coldly that she's lost her temper; letting emotions run away with her is the reason she'll lose the fight.
And then, Treize's ship booms out across the water; both Une and Wufei interpret this as Treize extending an invitation to Wufei. Une, naturally, is shocked (and I can only imagine her clocking this up as one more thing about Treize that she'll have to figure out later). Wufei answers the call, and when Treize coolly stands, holding his rapier, Wufei answers the challenge, carrying along his curved Chinese sword.
Here's where more mirrors occur: Wufei promptly gets emotional, in the same way he'd said would mean Une would lose their fight. Of course, therefore, he loses the fight against Treize, who calmly side-steps Wufei's thrust, just stepping out of the way and bringing his rapier down and against Wufei's neck. Treize's expression is a mild smirk at most. It's Wufei's turn to lose his cool, and as a result, he loses the fight. Wufei demands death – but not out of shame at having lost, so much as an acknowledgement that he'll keep coming back until he wins. (And besides, isn't death to be expected as the price of a loss of this calibre?) But Treize essentially dismisses him with little care, almost patronizing: "It was interesting." Talk about damning someone with faint praise. Not only did Wufei end up in the position he'd been decrying (the emotional half of the fight), he's also getting the same disdain he's handed out all along.
From what I can tell, there are several things going on here. First, we're supposed to think that Treize is so honorable for meeting Wufei in hand-to-hand combat. He's not, and Wufei is just a rash young boy. If Wufei had stayed in the Gundam, he could've stomped Treize and be done with it. But he's been set up in the previous episodes to be seeking that one fight that will define him, that will be against an opponent strong enough to face him one-on-one. When Treize offers, he in fact is lucking out, because he got the one pilot who'd respond. And at the same time, Treize is a damn moron.
He's not honorable. At no point up until now has he been honorable by any code I've seen. In fact, in most cultures, inviting someone into your house for a truce-feast, and then closing the doors and murdering all of them is seen as the acts of a base coward, not an honorable man. As far as I'm concerned, manuevering to put all the Alliance doves on a plane labeled "OZ", knowing Gundams are in the neighborhood, was not the act of an honorable man. It's the act of a deceitful man, playing on other people's honor (Noventa's willingness to trust Treize once Treize says he's also of the Alliance), and using it against them. When Treize steps up to meet with Wufei, Treize sees this as the act of a True Gentleman (TM), in a duel tete-a-tete. This is the first time we've seen Treize get anywhere near a battle...and it's not a battle. It's a staged fight between a man who holds the high ground, with years of experience in fencing, against a desperate, tired, straight-from-real-battle young man who can't keep his head given that he's looking at the possible end of all the fighting, right there in front of him. It's almost indubitable that Treize will win, given the situation, and his smarmy reply to Wufei, "let's do it again sometime..."
Well, no surprise Wufei is pissed off. He's been seeking that one opponent who will face him head-on, he finds it, and he discovers it's a man who apparently could care less. (I'm suddenly reminded of Wufei's irritation towards Duo later in the series, concerning Duo's laissez-faire attitude. Same issues.) For all Wufei's disdain towards those weaker than him, he cares so very, very much. He decries Trowa and Duo for fighting a meaningless battle, because he wants his battle to have meaning. And it might have, had Treize not uttered those words. In one blow, Treize perceptively stripped Wufei of everything, including the idea that his honorable response had any value. No wonder Wufei is crushed: he's not only discovered that the weakness in others (passion, emotions overruling training) exist within himself, he's been knocked down as someone barely rating more than an "interesting" and therefore lacking any real meaning. Dismissed.
This is obviously not in the series, but the situations in Episode Zero were originally intended to be in Gundam Wing, though cut for the sake of time. (I fail to see why, then, they did two whole episodes of nothing but flashbacks instead, but whatever.) In Ep0, Wufei is not the one chosen to fight for his clan; Meiran is. Although he turns up his nose at her role, the simple fact is that he was not asked first, and given the chance to accept or pass; she was chosen and he wasn't. He was ignored. That issue – being ignored, not being worth enough to be a champion – seems to be showing up repeatedly. He has to throw himself against the nearest immovable object to prove he's unbreakable. Treize showed himself immovable, and thus Wufei is broken.
Wufei's descent into the ocean is one of the first times we see Trowa acting with something other than bored disinterest. He calls out to Wufei, and then says, "I understand." It's the first sign of any humane compassion from Trowa, and it's curious that it's Wufei's silence that brings it out. Perhaps it's because Trowa is finally in the position of being the powerful one, the one holding it together. I recall that the first time he met Quatre, it was because Quatre had just saved his bacon – and then fixes his Gundam and gives him a place to stay. He's in debt to Quatre; he's not in debt to Wufei, so can offer freely. And perhaps it's also meant to illustrate that Trowa understands something of despair.
A side-note on the Gundams, harking back to my essay concerning the Gundam strength and weakness: Une orders a Leo to ram Trowa into the ocean. When the Leo appears, flying across the deck at Trowa, he turns, and there's a flash of surprise before the Leo is on him, shoving him backwards. He can't react fast enough, nor can he evade easily. For all that Trowa has a subtle, perceptive mind and aggressive personality, he only shows that streak once he's assessed the situation. Even with Quatre, there's a slight lull before Trowa attacks. He's summing up his opponent. He does the same, hesitating while Wufei sprints into the shuttle hangar. And again, he doesn't strike out at Duo until Duo has made a threatening move towards him. Time after time, the writers show Trowa thinking (often outloud, curiously) about the situation, and deciding what he'll do. He's a far more cautious individual than would seem based on first impression.
The only one in this episode who doesn't fail his mission is Zechs. Une sends him to Luxembourg, where the Alliance soldiers are holding out against the Specials and OZ. Noin opens the scene, looking out across the battlefield, with the observation that if the Alliance CO isn't a bastard, Zechs might lose his nerve. Apparently, though, that's not an issue; Zechs kills the guy. A few elements of note learned in this scene. Zechs, for all his rather jaded attitude towards Treize (at least in private), is possibly participating in OZ only for vengeance against the Alliance for murdering his family. It's certainly the first time we've seen him actively participate in battle himself, other than two-suit fights, such as against Heero. Zechs also uses an antique rifle, rather than a modern semi-automatic (like the one the Alliance CO reaches for, just before Zechs shoots him).
Between Treize, fighting with a rapier, and Zechs, using the old-style gun, we get another contrast: Zechs is the one fighting for a truly personal reason, and he has no flippant remarks after killing the other man. Treize suffers in comparison, when you put the two scenes side-by-side. And finally, Zechs doesn't fire until the CO reaches for his own weapon, and then Zechs strikes without mercy, even though it's been over over twelve years since the Alliance decimated the Peacecraft royalty. The man may be somewhat of an enemy now, by virtue of holding out against the Specials, but Zechs doesn't execute him for that; Zechs executes him for something he did more than a decade ago. A contrast again with Treize, who let Wufei (a clear enemy) walk out, when Wufei's fighting a battle now and is an enemy and a threat at this moment. It illustrates yet again (at least to me) that Treize wants things to continue because he'd find it "interesting"; compare that to Zechs' final words after shooting the CO: "rest in peace, Milliardo Peacecraft." Zechs wants it over.
The battle continues at New Edwards, and I had to back up and rewatch to get my bearings, since it's not immediately clear. Wufei and Trowa have taken off for the shuttle hangars – whether this is by agreement or just both having the same impulse concerning Treize – and we're treated to behavior that reflects both their Gundams' capabilities and their personalities. Upon pushing open the hangar, Trowa realizes it's guarded by laser-triggered bombs; Wufei disregards the warning and insists he can head in. Trowa hangs back. Shenlong is agile, and fast, and can avoid the bombs; Heavyarms has little armor (comparatively), and isn't nearly as fast nor as maneuverable. At the same time, for all that Trowa's quite aggressive when facing down an enemy, he's the one to hang back while Wufei rushes in head-first and to hell with the torpedoes.
Meanwhile, the fight continues with Heero, Duo, and Quatre, and it's almost remarkable the consistent pattern through the fight scene. Heero's in shock, too stunned to react, and just stands there, taking hits. Duo and Quatre have instinctively fallen in line, acting as guard for Heero, which pisses Duo off. He's taking shots meant for Heero, and he doesn't like playing defense in the least. Quatre, however, understands, telling Duo, "your friend's been through too much." He displays a compassion that Duo won't or can't have. For all that Duo's aggravated by Heero's refusal to fight, he's still curious about him. When Sally calls out Heero's name, there's a jump-cut to Duo asking himself, "Heero? So that's his name?" While it's a well-known scene in the fandom ("Hey, check that out, he remembers my name!"), it hadn't struck me before that Heero had never introduced himself. It stands out because while Duo is pleased Heero remembers his name, he doesn't bother to even find out Heero's name. It's quite possible Duo had simply not cared enough to ask.
Duo's shown himself an extreme character, so far. It's highlighted in his interactions with Heero: "great guy! oh, now you're making me ill!" But in the New Edwards scenes, you can really see the extent of Duo's personality, and it's rough, uncouth, aggressive, and driven by self-interest. After they discover Treize's deceit, Duo is ready to take off after them, and Quatre explains why they shouldn't. If you read the script, it looks like Duo concedes quickly, "I guess you're right." In fact, he first makes motions of either attacking Quatre or just preparing to take off – a bit more of the pissing contest – but Quatre doesn't flinch. Only then does Duo back down and agree.
When Sally tells them about the bombs, Quatre determines the range is 300km when all missiles explode. He seems stricken by this. Duo immediately says, "let's get out of here!" while Quatre insists they won't make it. Keeping in mind their Gundams' setups, Duo's got the speed; Quatre doesn't. It's almost amusing (in a 'sheesh!' way) when Heero takes off for the base's missile hangar, and Duo promptly calls him a coward for leaving – even if he's doing the very thing Duo had suggested himself. Quatre, again, reads the same actions with a positive twist, insisting Heero's going to stop the missile detonation. It's illustrating both Quatre's optimism again, as well as his ability to assess people quickly and well. He's perceptive.
Later, while waiting to find out if Heero's going to manage to turn off the missile detonation, Duo preps the shuttles while Quatre runs defense. We see Duo in the cockpit, telling Quatre the shuttles are ready. When Quatre requests a third for Heero, Duo grumbles about it...and instead of sitting up (implying movement out of the pilot's seat, perhaps), he leans back and gets comfortable. He has no intention of helping out, and in fact isn't going to move until Heero proves that he's not about to be the death of them all.
Quatre's request concerning the shuttle for Heero illustrates several things: one, obviously, his optimism, and his willingness to believe in an ally (even one newly-met). Two, the fact that he thinks of others and anticipates their needs – as much as he anticipates an enemy's actions, by telling Duo why it serves no purpose to go running after Treize. It's a sharp contrast to Wufei and Trowa, who did run off after Treize; Quatre points out that as guerilla fighters, they're reliant on having the element of surprise. Without that, the enemy holds the advantage.
A quick note about the translations. In the official version, Heero says as he plummets into the missile silo, "A failed mission means death, but my card isn't up yet." That really doesn't make any sense, so I checked the amateur translation, which says, "I deserve to die for my mistake. But I can't die like this!" That fits, much better. It's one thing to die for a failed mission, but it's another thing to be blown up like so much shrapnel. A rather ignomimous end, and Heero's annoyance about this fact is startlingly human. He wants his death to mean something.
The translation for some of Sally's lines is equally awkward, and hints at an interest that doesn't fit with what she's shown so far. When she intercepts the OZ soldiers setting off the missile, and attempts to stop the detonation, in the official version she uses terms like, "there's a pilot I'm interested in," and "someone I wanted to see again" which (to me) implies a hint of sexual tension and/or unusual interest. The phrasing is just bad. But in the amateur version, she's translated as saying, "I happen to know one of the pilots. In fact, I've been wanting to see him again. He's there, and now this!" This fits better, since she expressed curiosity about Heero while he was in the hospital, much as Duo did. It's reasonable to think she'd been unable to forget him (above and beyond his role as catharsis in the series, changing those around him). Sally's involvement is definitely a deus ex machina, that a medical officer just happens to be in a plane near a base and just happens to intercept an OZ transmission and just happens to know the Gundam pilot, etc. But for the sake of the story, I'm willing to overlook the slight Mary-Sue-ish element showing up here.
At the very end, the New Edwards base is still (mostly) intact, and the Gundam pilots flee off to safer havens. Quatre looks pleased and relieved. Duo just seems rather surprised and mildly impressed – eyebrows raised, smile a bit smaller, a little crooked. Looking down at Wing below him, Duo serves up another broad compliment about Heero being an amazing guy, when only a few minutes before (in the scope of the battle), he'd been hollering at Heero for being useless. It's not just that Duo's at the extreme, so much as he can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about Heero. It appears the "just don't get you" feeling is mutual.
But Heero, on the ground, is anything but an automaton. He takes a moment for a power-shot, looking intent at he stares – possibly at the base, possibly at the two departing shuttles – and then tells himself, "It was a miserable mission...I screwed up!" There's no emotionless soldier here, but a frustrated, angry young man, helplessly berating himself. In the amateur translation, the final line reads as "It's all my fault!" which I think is possibly closer to the nuances of Heero's emotional state. When he found out who he'd killed, his reaction was "what have I...what have I..." and not even able to verbalize further. He sits amidst the battle, eyes closed, ignoring Duo's yelling, until he opens his eyes, an intent expression: he's decided not to fight back. He'll let them take him down, but Duo and Quatre ruin that for him, by defending. Heero makes no moves to get out of their way, though he does make a move forward, until a shot slams him down. He's passive in shock, but by the time he's defused the missiles, he's coming out of the shock and moving into anger. Perfectly human reaction, really (other than the continuing insistence on – and even welcoming of – his own death).
Now jumping over to Une, whose failures in this episode (with the missile detonation) again mirror Heero's failures in the same time-space. We begin with their departure from New Edwards. When she asks about the Gundams, Treize tells her in an off-hand manner, "I leave that to you." I'm not positive, but I'm pretty certain it's the first time I've seen a genuine smile from Une. If she was not completely redeemed for her failure to get rid of Relena, Treize's willingness to trust her concerning the Gundams proves she's back in good standing. Her methods befit the sledgehammer characterization: detonate the underground missiles and blow up the base. One soldier is shocked, while the other pleased; the Alliance would never move so definitively. I think it's important to note that, because martial law (as is going on up in the colonies) usually indicates a certain ruthlessness. Yet via the Alliance leaders holding meetings, and the comments on the parts of Alliance and Specials, it appears the Alliance is probably more like the average massive, sprawling army: preponderant, and not the fastest to react to situations, let alone with such a ruthless command.
When Heero manages to stymie the detonation, once again he's placed himself directly in the path of Une's mission; his success is her failure. When she apologizes to Treize for her failure, his response is quite odd. He says, "the earth is a contained space." (To which I think: what, a colony isn't?) He chides her, telling her that she must learn more about OZ. Naturally she's completely mystified about this, and later, on the bridge of the ship, questions whether this means she doesn't understand Treize, either. She dismisses that, but it's worth noting that to her, OZ and Treize are one and the same. And his words didn't make sense the first time, or the second, but a third time and maybe they do. Treize doesn't want to be understood; this is the purpose behind his cryptic remarks, because bloody hell, what else is there to know about OZ that one of his second-in-commands wouldn't know?
But there is something else, and I recall it showing up again later in the series. A soldier is invigorated by having something to protect, something that matters enough to him to keep fighting. A corrollary, not verbalized that I recall, but showing up here in Treize (as well as Wufei, in EW): a soldier is nothing without a fight, and barring a meaningful fight, will take any battle he can, because when he's not fighting, he's nothing. It's the same question with which Heero grapples, in fact. And for Treize, demolishing the Gundams once and for all is the issue, not whether or not he pollutes the earth. He's already displayed a callous disregard for both property and human life, so that can't really be it. No, it's that it would have dealt a decisive blow, destroying three of the five Gundams. What then? The war is over. There would be no reason to retaliate on the colonies; they'd be down three of five champions. The Alliance leaders are toast. Treize's position is not assured, however, because when there's no enemy, there's less need for an Army, and the mysterious and as-yet-unshown Romafeller (hinted at in the narration) might yank Treize back into line.
Nope, he wants things to continue as bloody and terrible, for as long as possible. That means he lets the Gundams keep at their chaotic, destructive work, because their existence actually furthers his own plans.
There's a definite nod to WWII in the scene where Wufei and Trowa catch up with Treize's convoy. Wufei's shuttle slams into one ship: kamikaze, anyone? It's not clear until we see Trowa, calmly calculating that he doesn't have enough fuel to make for a good explosion, so he'll take out what he can and escape in Heavyarms. Definitely harking back to the Japanese soldiers, but with a twist: both Wufei and Trowa walk out of the flames, unscathed. I imagine in the Japanese mindset, these were the true kamikaze, giving their lives yet so pure of intent they could survive.
When Une comes after Wufei, she loses her temper. One of the most frustrating things about G-Wing is probably the fact that it's often hard to tell when two opponents can hear each other. Are they just yelling at themselves? Or can others hear and respond? Sometimes it's not really clear, sometimes it very much seems like a conversation. For the most part, I've got to assume they can't hear each other unless they're allies; even then, with Quatre appearing on Duo's side view-screen, it's clear he's just opened a channel, which I would take to mean all conversation prior was private. That said, Une's rather agile Leo moves quickly and easily, but then makes an abrupt move to strike, leaving herself wide open in her rashness. Wufei either hears her yell, "die!" or picks up on her anger from her mobile suit's maneuvers. He informs her coldly that she's lost her temper; letting emotions run away with her is the reason she'll lose the fight.
And then, Treize's ship booms out across the water; both Une and Wufei interpret this as Treize extending an invitation to Wufei. Une, naturally, is shocked (and I can only imagine her clocking this up as one more thing about Treize that she'll have to figure out later). Wufei answers the call, and when Treize coolly stands, holding his rapier, Wufei answers the challenge, carrying along his curved Chinese sword.
Here's where more mirrors occur: Wufei promptly gets emotional, in the same way he'd said would mean Une would lose their fight. Of course, therefore, he loses the fight against Treize, who calmly side-steps Wufei's thrust, just stepping out of the way and bringing his rapier down and against Wufei's neck. Treize's expression is a mild smirk at most. It's Wufei's turn to lose his cool, and as a result, he loses the fight. Wufei demands death – but not out of shame at having lost, so much as an acknowledgement that he'll keep coming back until he wins. (And besides, isn't death to be expected as the price of a loss of this calibre?) But Treize essentially dismisses him with little care, almost patronizing: "It was interesting." Talk about damning someone with faint praise. Not only did Wufei end up in the position he'd been decrying (the emotional half of the fight), he's also getting the same disdain he's handed out all along.
From what I can tell, there are several things going on here. First, we're supposed to think that Treize is so honorable for meeting Wufei in hand-to-hand combat. He's not, and Wufei is just a rash young boy. If Wufei had stayed in the Gundam, he could've stomped Treize and be done with it. But he's been set up in the previous episodes to be seeking that one fight that will define him, that will be against an opponent strong enough to face him one-on-one. When Treize offers, he in fact is lucking out, because he got the one pilot who'd respond. And at the same time, Treize is a damn moron.
He's not honorable. At no point up until now has he been honorable by any code I've seen. In fact, in most cultures, inviting someone into your house for a truce-feast, and then closing the doors and murdering all of them is seen as the acts of a base coward, not an honorable man. As far as I'm concerned, manuevering to put all the Alliance doves on a plane labeled "OZ", knowing Gundams are in the neighborhood, was not the act of an honorable man. It's the act of a deceitful man, playing on other people's honor (Noventa's willingness to trust Treize once Treize says he's also of the Alliance), and using it against them. When Treize steps up to meet with Wufei, Treize sees this as the act of a True Gentleman (TM), in a duel tete-a-tete. This is the first time we've seen Treize get anywhere near a battle...and it's not a battle. It's a staged fight between a man who holds the high ground, with years of experience in fencing, against a desperate, tired, straight-from-real-battle young man who can't keep his head given that he's looking at the possible end of all the fighting, right there in front of him. It's almost indubitable that Treize will win, given the situation, and his smarmy reply to Wufei, "let's do it again sometime..."
Well, no surprise Wufei is pissed off. He's been seeking that one opponent who will face him head-on, he finds it, and he discovers it's a man who apparently could care less. (I'm suddenly reminded of Wufei's irritation towards Duo later in the series, concerning Duo's laissez-faire attitude. Same issues.) For all Wufei's disdain towards those weaker than him, he cares so very, very much. He decries Trowa and Duo for fighting a meaningless battle, because he wants his battle to have meaning. And it might have, had Treize not uttered those words. In one blow, Treize perceptively stripped Wufei of everything, including the idea that his honorable response had any value. No wonder Wufei is crushed: he's not only discovered that the weakness in others (passion, emotions overruling training) exist within himself, he's been knocked down as someone barely rating more than an "interesting" and therefore lacking any real meaning. Dismissed.
This is obviously not in the series, but the situations in Episode Zero were originally intended to be in Gundam Wing, though cut for the sake of time. (I fail to see why, then, they did two whole episodes of nothing but flashbacks instead, but whatever.) In Ep0, Wufei is not the one chosen to fight for his clan; Meiran is. Although he turns up his nose at her role, the simple fact is that he was not asked first, and given the chance to accept or pass; she was chosen and he wasn't. He was ignored. That issue – being ignored, not being worth enough to be a champion – seems to be showing up repeatedly. He has to throw himself against the nearest immovable object to prove he's unbreakable. Treize showed himself immovable, and thus Wufei is broken.
Wufei's descent into the ocean is one of the first times we see Trowa acting with something other than bored disinterest. He calls out to Wufei, and then says, "I understand." It's the first sign of any humane compassion from Trowa, and it's curious that it's Wufei's silence that brings it out. Perhaps it's because Trowa is finally in the position of being the powerful one, the one holding it together. I recall that the first time he met Quatre, it was because Quatre had just saved his bacon – and then fixes his Gundam and gives him a place to stay. He's in debt to Quatre; he's not in debt to Wufei, so can offer freely. And perhaps it's also meant to illustrate that Trowa understands something of despair.
A side-note on the Gundams, harking back to my essay concerning the Gundam strength and weakness: Une orders a Leo to ram Trowa into the ocean. When the Leo appears, flying across the deck at Trowa, he turns, and there's a flash of surprise before the Leo is on him, shoving him backwards. He can't react fast enough, nor can he evade easily. For all that Trowa has a subtle, perceptive mind and aggressive personality, he only shows that streak once he's assessed the situation. Even with Quatre, there's a slight lull before Trowa attacks. He's summing up his opponent. He does the same, hesitating while Wufei sprints into the shuttle hangar. And again, he doesn't strike out at Duo until Duo has made a threatening move towards him. Time after time, the writers show Trowa thinking (often outloud, curiously) about the situation, and deciding what he'll do. He's a far more cautious individual than would seem based on first impression.
The only one in this episode who doesn't fail his mission is Zechs. Une sends him to Luxembourg, where the Alliance soldiers are holding out against the Specials and OZ. Noin opens the scene, looking out across the battlefield, with the observation that if the Alliance CO isn't a bastard, Zechs might lose his nerve. Apparently, though, that's not an issue; Zechs kills the guy. A few elements of note learned in this scene. Zechs, for all his rather jaded attitude towards Treize (at least in private), is possibly participating in OZ only for vengeance against the Alliance for murdering his family. It's certainly the first time we've seen him actively participate in battle himself, other than two-suit fights, such as against Heero. Zechs also uses an antique rifle, rather than a modern semi-automatic (like the one the Alliance CO reaches for, just before Zechs shoots him).
Between Treize, fighting with a rapier, and Zechs, using the old-style gun, we get another contrast: Zechs is the one fighting for a truly personal reason, and he has no flippant remarks after killing the other man. Treize suffers in comparison, when you put the two scenes side-by-side. And finally, Zechs doesn't fire until the CO reaches for his own weapon, and then Zechs strikes without mercy, even though it's been over over twelve years since the Alliance decimated the Peacecraft royalty. The man may be somewhat of an enemy now, by virtue of holding out against the Specials, but Zechs doesn't execute him for that; Zechs executes him for something he did more than a decade ago. A contrast again with Treize, who let Wufei (a clear enemy) walk out, when Wufei's fighting a battle now and is an enemy and a threat at this moment. It illustrates yet again (at least to me) that Treize wants things to continue because he'd find it "interesting"; compare that to Zechs' final words after shooting the CO: "rest in peace, Milliardo Peacecraft." Zechs wants it over.
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Date: 17 Apr 2005 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 17 Apr 2005 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 18 Apr 2005 08:30 pm (UTC)Good job! Keep working on these; you're doing the fandom a huge service. ^^