frozen heart: gwing analysis
7 May 2005 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaigouoops, revised: added bits about Treize.
I've been contemplating these two episodes for over a week now, since it seems to be this is the point where things both come together for Zechs, and fall apart for him. At the very least, these episodes are the ones in which his entire world seems to shift dramatically. But instead of starting with him, first I'll tackle the side-notes that occured to me while rewatching.
The first thing of note is that the other character who gets as much characterization time in these two episodes is actually Trowa. He and Heero show up in what might be Venice or another large port town in the Mediterranean, and when they're shown from an estate, from Trowa's words, I concluded that Heero had now visited all the family and not a single one had opted to kill him in vengeance. Heero's expression is rather unhappy: mouth down-turned, eyebrows lowered just a tad, but his eyes are wide. He's disturbed, perhaps even upset, but not emotional about it.
Despite Trowa's continued calm – this time pointing out that Heero was tricked, and putting himself in his victims' hands (perhaps implying it's a bit much) – but Heero's only response is that it's not that simple. Heero's only point of reacting to Trowa is at the line "you were tricked"; Heero turns to profile, still perturbed, unhappy, and not looking Trowa in the eyes. I think the language of "it's not that simple" is important, because all too much in the episodes so far, it'd be quite easy to see Heero's motivations as lacking complexity. For him to negate the notion of simplicity in his motivations at least shows that he's not a complete fool when it comes to what drives him, that he's aware there are other things going on (even if we're not privy). No surprise that Trowa drops the topic.
They seem to realize they're being tailed at about the same point, and Heero immediately offers to take care of it. Once again Trowa is the compassionate caretaker, pointing out Heero's injuries. Trowa speaks of their tail casually, still in profile as if speaking out of the corner of his mouth. When Heero replies, apparently startled, "Trowa!" to the suggestion that Trowa will deal with the tail, there's the oddest little half-smile from Trowa. It's mostly in the tilt of the eyes, and I had to slow down to pick out exactly what changes: the eyes turn to finally look at Heero, and tighten in the corners, while the mouth goes up a bit at the corner, just a fraction. It's almost like Trowa's given an amused quirk of his eyebrow. He either likes surprising Heero, or he's got something up his sleeve. That seems to be one of the first times I can recall seeing a hint of mischievous attitude in Trowa; he's quite deadpan around others but livens up with Heero.
(I have to wonder what the deal is with apples. Heero ends up on a truck of apples, and brings one to Trowa. I recall later in the series that Hilde is shown bringing Duo apples, and there are several scenes where Duo is eating an apple or holding one. Either this is supposed to be a hinted metaphor to mess with fangirls, or it's an inside joke by the animators, or the animators just can't draw any other fruits.)
Pausing for a moment to reflect that Trowa is just too damn cool for school, I'll also note that I think Trowa's left-handed. First, when Heero tosses him the apple in thanks, Trowa catches it with his left hand. When Noin enters the hangar, Trowa drops the apple and pulls the gun with his left-hand. And, of course, Heavyarms' main weaponry is on the left hand, not the right (unlike Wing, who carries the beam rifle on his right arm).
When Noin shows up, Trowa is not only suspicious, he's sarcastic. For some reason, he doesn't seem to like Noin, while Heero comes across as more fatalistic – but then again, what else has he got in his social calendar? Head to Antarctica, sure, not like there's anything else more pressing. Oddly, when Trowa offers the use of Heavyarms, Heero doesn't look surprised (as I would've expected), but calculating.
A side-note: when Relena and Pargan (whom I'm more and more convinced can only escape being a Marty Stu if he's actually Cinq's version of CIA, because, hello, the man does everything) are trying to track down Heero, Relena comments that "even I know Zechs was ordered to destroy" Wing. The implication being that she's not really that much in the (official) loop, and must pay close attention to gossip to find out any details, but some gossip comes easy. She's also heard rumors the Gundam was a fake, which tells me that there's a serious amount of rumor flying about Zechs, if some high school girl can pick up on it, CIA-retiree-chauffer or no. That said, it does make more sense, in rewatching, that Relena doesn't assume Heero is dead, based on Zechs' rebuilding Wing. If he's not giving up, she figures there must be a reason. So it's not that Relena 'intercepts' the letter for Heero (though reading it is still a childish, if understandable, thing to do, to try and understand this boy who's so alien to her), but that she's trying her hardest to find Heero, and Noventa's widow is doing the same. Relena simply offers to pass the letter along.
The scenes are rather striking in the order. First, Relena, thinking of Zechs and what knowledge he must have about Heero, to want to rebuild Wing. Pargan speaks a little of Zechs, calling him a hero of Cinq, but like Noin, Pargan doesn't spill the beans about the sibling relationship. It's possible both Noin and Pargan consider telling Relena to be Zechs' place, not theirs, and if Zechs prefers an assumed name and distance from his only sister, then that's his choice. The scene following this is one of Zechs, in Antarctica, speaking to Noin. Her vid-screen image, oversized, is laid on top of the shot of Zechs. She's only a mouth, a nose, scratchy transmission, as if a ghost or echo, almost transparent across Zechs' hard outline. Their connection is fading, in a sense, and whatever she stands for, to Zechs, is becoming more of a ghost to haunt him than the once-solid image with which he'd communicated on previous video-based instances.
And finally, Treize's scene with halting the woman from saving her child, at the pier, is the third in this three-scene segment, ping ping ping. He opens the scene, pondering what he's heard of Zechs' behavior and the rumors that the Gundam wasn't destroyed. But the child wandering down to the end of the pier (and Treize's almost paternal gesture preventing the woman from assisting) is illustration to Treize's point: Zechs "would never do anything to cause [Treize] trouble." The child might give the parent a momentary flash of panic, but the child is acting with knowledge that to upset the parent would be a Bad Thing. The good child will instinctively seek to avoid this, and Zechs is a good child. The metaphor may go by fast, but even in its quickness, it's a bit heavy-handed: the child crawls away, but in turning around, gets up and walks to the mother. For Treize, Zechs may be wandering off, but when he returns, he'll return on his own two legs, stronger and more able than before. Treize is pleased; even the momentary chance meetings just prove his view of the universe as a place where his perspective is ultimately the correct one. OZ may be tying his hands in terms of rushing to Zechs' defense – as much as he prevented the woman – but it's okay. Zechs will come back. Everyone, Treize thinks, should just stop worrying so much.
What's notable is that all three revolve around Zechs, with his only appearance being in the middle scene. Relena is learning to see Zechs as an honorable hero, while Treize sees Zechs as a loyal retainer who puts Treize's goals/preferences foremost. And Zechs, meanwhile, is showing signs of being neither: he's quietly plotting to continue to disobey Treize, and at the same time moving closer to the dishonorable position of killing Heero in battle (or getting killed) for no reason other than his "silly pride". Noin, the one thing tying him to OZ, is losing her influence, even if her image looms large to Zechs, reducing him in comparison.
Back to Trowa. I've always thought Duo was as much a mechanical genius as Trowa, but I'm starting to think the real mechanical genius in the crew (in terms of adaptations and modifications on an existing suit) would only be Trowa. So far in the series, I've not seen Duo work on his suit, not even once. Heero has, to some extent, but there was no implication that he was modifying, only fixing. Trowa, in these episodes, clarifies his modifications to Heero, and how he compensated for Heavyarms' weight and limited speed. (Basically by keeping the left arm excessively heavy, when he drops his gun, it allows for a sudden burst of speed because the balance is now proper. Enemies won't be expecting that, and he can use those few seconds to get past their guard.) That's the hallmark of a fine mechanic, and so far, I've not seen any of the other pilots express such ability.
Several things really popped out in the Noin/Heero/Trowa interactions. The first was the realization that when Noin approaches, Heero falls silent. After the first conversation he had with her in the hangar, he doesn't say another word; he seems to be willing to let Trowa do all the talking. The second is that Noin, while watching them work together, sees them both romantically (in an idealist's sense), and at the same time as just two more pilots, if much younger than her own students. In some ways I think she sees a common bond with them as fellow mobile suit pilots, but she's also a trainer, and thus interacts with them as if they were more students. Trowa, for his part, seems to have a chip on his shoulder the size of Heavyarms. His language towards Noin – down to using the 'you' form kisama, equivalent to calling Noin a bitch – is pretty damn offensive. It's not that his language is crude; it's simply rude. Even once he calms down, after Heero and Zechs meet, Trowa remains quite blunt with Noin.
It's a sharp contrast to his behavior around Heero: calm, soliticious, wary, and a little envious. He's the one who reminds Heero to take it easy, and works until dawn on Heavyarms, adjusting the mecha to suit Heero (and even including a beam saber, which appears to be one of Heero's preferred weapons). Trowa is generous almost to a fault with Heero, but with Noin – an outsider – he's all ruffled feathers and narrow looks and unimpressed disgust. He makes no bones about the fact that he's sussed Noin up and knows she'd never compromise Zechs. In the moment when he makes this observation, his eyes are open (not narrowed, as they are usually when speaking of/to her), though his brow is furrowed. He's not closed off, just annoyed mildly. Like later in these two episodes, I'm not sure if he's irked at what he's observing, or irked at the fact that he finds it pointless or doesn't get it on some level. (Which is odd, seeing how his own loyalty to Heero is so thoroughly cemented by this point.)
After Noin's okayed sending Aries out to attack the search party, Trowa manages to make Noin lose her cool, and she finally shows just how much he's pissing her off. (Score to Trowa, I suspect.) She may see them as pilots, but she trains pilots; she's not used to being questioned by them, and essentially that's all Trowa has done. He throws his independence in her face again and again. Noin counsels her men to stay in the clouds, be patient and hide; it's another contrast to Trowa's ultra-aggressive behavior and Heero's withdrawn silence.
When Noin's men turn the shuttle around to rescue her, Trowa informs them they're too weak. I think he's saying that their connection to Noin (like hers to Zechs) is a loyalty that will compromise their ability to achieve a greater good. It takes strength to believe in another pilot and not intervene, and that's pretty much what Trowa has done, himself: he's believed in Heero, and let him do as he will, with few questions.
Trowa doesn't so much offer as flatly state that he's going to deal with the situation Noin's men have created. Essentially, coming back to rescue Noin defeats the whole purpose of the Aries' attack as a distraction to let the shuttle get away. A minor note: when Trowa decides to go out in Heavyarms and clean up the mess, he removes the coat Noin had given him. He's no longer a guest; he's acting as a pilot, on his own terms. He looks intent, but not angry, more disgusted. Just at the end of the scene, his expression modulates a little, with a tilt of his head like he's thinking, 'man, you're pathetic'. His language remains offensive, using the kisama-form of address on Noin's men as well.
The break appears to come when Trowa fights off the search party, destroys the main guy, and then can't unclench his hand from the throttle. He has to peel his fingers off with his other hand; his fist has permenantly clenched. He falls from the Gundam into the snow, tries to get up, and falls again. Noin, coming to get/help him, observes, "they're too pure" (of intent? of sight?). Once again I think the translation lacks for something; I doubt she means pure as in 'innocent' but more in terms of 'seeing only one thing, pure of purpose'. Despite his predicament and lapse, Trowa is still focused on the fight, after all; his only words to Noin are to reload Heavyarms so Heero will have plenty of ammunition.
(What's also intriguing about the fight is that it's the first time, I think, in which we've seen Trowa in the Gundam from a look-up view; that is, the camera 'lens' is around his knees, looking up at him. The only other pilot who consistently gets that angle, so far, is Zechs; both Treize and Zechs get that angle when seated elsewhere, as well. Given that such an angle does highlight their crotch – pointing to masculinity, if a bit obliquely – I wonder what this is saying about their level of maturity, to include Trowa in that category.)
Trowa is somewhere between pissed and shell-shocked: "damn it, why do I have to keep fighting?" Although he's acutely aware that his actions (showing the Gundam) put the colonies at risk, this is the second time he's fought in Heavyarms, post-Lake Victoria, with his intervention required only because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. The OZ mobile suits stumble over his mecha in Marseilles; Noin's shuttle carrying his mecha is almost discovered. I think part of the reason he continually (three or four times) offers Heavyarms to Heero is because he wants to be rid of the damn thing. And having decided, in his own form of projection, that Heero is a worthy pilot, it's Heero who will be the recipient of Trowa's generosity, so that Trowa can finally escape as well. (After all, look at how well his own self-destruction didn't pan out, so he's possibly written off self-detonation as an out.)
He's a bundle of contradictions almost as much as the rest of them. Duo, who seems laid back and sarcastic but is serious and contemplative on his own; Quatre, born rich and willfully self-disowned; Heero, cold in battle but passionate about his standards of success and failure. Trowa is compassionate, generous, attuned to the people within his group, but rude, offensive, and even belittling to those not within his inner circle. One of the only times Heero speaks in Noin's presence is to observe she's made a wise decision (in her strategy), and Trowa pays her a compliment while at the same time insulting all of her compatriots: "at least [OZ has] one able officer." He's just as snarky when meeting Zechs, edgy and wary: "are we supposed to shake hands?" Heero ignores him, focusing on Zechs, and I noticed Trowa moves farther to the background, letting Heero proceed on ahead, into the hangar.
Zechs, upon meeting Trowa and Heero, does the same: he focuses on Heero, ignoring Trowa to some degree. In a way, Noin and Trowa are extensions and enablers of the two main actors, Heero and Zechs. But Zechs retains his calm, diplomatic, officer-level ease, walking Heero to the hangar where Wing has been restored. Heero remains guarded on the walk, with his first reaction being at sight of Wing. He's startled; perhaps he didn't actually believe the offer, before? Did he underestimate Zechs, the unknown opponent? When Meiser says, "all that's left are the pilot settings", Heero closes his eyes and drops his head to a position almost identical to that he'd shown when waiting for Sylvia to pull the trigger. His tone when he asks, "when can we start?" almost to me sounds like someone who just wants to get it over with.
And now is one of the more opaque statements made in the series, so far: "I'll thank him in my own way. I'll kill him." I watched several times, trying to get a grasp on Heero's mindset. His eyes are open, he's not frowning, and his voice is pitched at normal tones. Conversational, not threatening. Almost casual. In some ways, it reminds me of his tone with Duo, when he's jibing Duo (who does react as though it's a joke, if belatedly); perhaps it's a two-edged statement. To some degree, he's saying: "I'll kick his ass, if that's what he wants," and it's his usual dry tone. But maybe in another way it's a line drawn in the sand, saying: Zechs isn't up to Heero's level, and if Zechs wants to play at being so, Heero will show him the gratitude of a soldier, and slam him back down to his place.
Zechs, in turn, sees himself – through his interpretation of Heero's perspective – as an obstacle. Again with the inferiority complex, but in Zechs' eyes, Heero is doing him a favor. When Heero offers to shake hands, it's a recognition of equality for all his words sound a bit like a flat smack-down. Heero looks surprised at his own behavior, and maybe a bit upset or lost. Zechs isn't doing much better, really.
Side-note: back in the episode with Alex and Mueller, when Zechs agrees to fight under their command, he salutes them from the edge of the hangar. Ravensilver and Tayles both commented afterwards that this may be representative of the idea that the future/perspective Alex and Mueller have is so bright from where they stand in shadow, but Zechs stands at the edges, between the two. But I think it's also that the future/external is bright, but Zechs is the shadow blocking that light. That image is mirrored in the Zechs/Heero scene, with Noin (and more distantly Trowa, farther away) standing at the edge of the dark hangar. Heero and Zechs have entered the darkness, while Noin and Trowa remain at the borders. In this case, Noin and Trowa are the ones fuzzed out slightly from contrast with the brightness behind them; Heero and Zechs are clearer, shaded in the part-darkness around them.
What I realized, after pondering this episode and Zechs' bizarre obsession with fighting Wing a second time, is that all three soldiers (and possibly Noin, as well), feel they've reached the end. Relena's comments in ep15 indicate that it's pretty much an open secret that Zechs has disobeyed a direct command, even if he's not been caught red-handed (yet). He's cut off his future as a potential king of Cinq; he's refused to open the door to a future as Relena's older brother/family. He's pretty much screwed himself when it comes to a military future under Treize, which isn't surprising given his jaded reluctance so far while carrying out Treize's commands. Zechs may be flattering himself to think of himself as a simple obstacle, but it suits his purposes: to go out with a bang. If he's going to be taken down, he wants it to be by the very best. Despite Noin's bewilderment at OZ turning on its 'hero' (Zechs), Zechs sees the G-pilots as soldiers (not warriors), something basic and primal, even desperate; they're fighters who will give their lives, instead of halting the fencing competition at first blood.
Heero, in turn, has no mecha (that he trusts, apparently), has failed to achieve some kind of personal peace by allowing revenge (noticeably, he didn't explicitly seek peace so much as just an end to everything), and has failed to achieve his primary mission of destroying OZ and liberating the colonies. As far as Heero's concerned, he's probably living on borrowed time, and the constant non-verbal reminders of his injuries underline this. From the young man who could survive throwing himself out of a window, setting his own leg, and bending solid steel, he grunts in pain at just the act of putting on a coat. Trying to lift Heavyarms' gun-hand is too much for him; Trowa watches dispassionately, but attentively; he's the silent observer to Heero's pain as much as Noin is to Zechs'.
The irony, of course, is that when Heero and Zechs do finally meet up, Heero gets his ass kicked. He's not too impressed by Zechs' willingness to handicap himself out of some sense of honor; Heero doesn't hold such romantic notions. In his opinion, Zechs' honor and generosity are muddying the issues, making what should be a bloodthirsty battle into some kind of idealized event. The idea of a 'meaningless battle' is working on several levels, I think. Trowa feels it's a meaningless battle because it achieves nothing for the colonies, which is the Gundams' first priority, after all. Noin feels it's meaningless because it doesn't serve to increase strength. I think the emphasis on her being a teacher/trainer is coming through here; a battle in which one learns nothing is a waste of time.
What's amusing in another side-note is just how possessive Heero is about his mecha, or perhaps just how distrustful he is of Zechs. When Heero comes down from Wing and yells across the hanger about the self-detonation device being removed, he sounds almost petulant, bordering on whiny! I backed up and listened several times; it sounds like a verbal stamp of the foot. Zechs has echoed Sylvia: you just want to take the easy way out; like Sylvia, Zechs won't let it happen.
Heero's grumbled response, "this generosity is blurring the focus on fighting" sounds, out of context, like what I wrote above, that Heero isn't as romantic as Zechs. But looking at it over the course of the entire scene, Heero's complaints are almost childish. He's fussing because Zechs messed with his machine's design and removed what, to Heero, is probably a crucial element. After all, he's tried to destroy himself (and Wing) twice already using that detonation device (once on the beach, again in battle). It's not so much that Zechs is generous, so much as focused on battle – and therefore on keeping the battle going rather than allowing an exit – where Heero is focused on death. He craves that exit, and when he's deprived, he gets cranky.
I don't think Zechs really gets that. Zechs, like Trowa, is so busy overlaying his interpretation of things onto Heero, that he takes Heero's grumbling at face value instead of seeing what might be underneath. Zechs takes Heero as distrusting charity, and being uneasy at the trappings of honor (such as Zechs' insistence that Tallgeese not be fully repaired). The techs with Zechs observe that backstage crews don't have that kind of pride, and that's exactly how Zechs sees it, himself, and Heero: all over the issue of pride. Zechs is too proud to admit a handicap could be fatal, and he sees Heero's disgruntled reaction as wounded pride at having someone else touching his mobile suit. (And it is part that, but more than just that, I think.)
There's also the issue of why a soldier fights. Noin insists that a soldier finds his/her strength when he has something to protect. (In fact, one could say she could stand up against the search party because she knew she was protecting Zechs from being discovered too soon.) Zechs sees any need to be 'revitalized' as a weakness. If he's not good enough as-he-is, then he's too weak, and he deserves to be taken down, anyway. He's quite certain the Gundam pilots would see Noin's suggestion as a weakness; again, those around Heero seem to attribute idealized versions of their interpretations onto Heero, but Heero himself rarely lives up to (or even acts out) these expectations.
Heero's own weakness in the battle might be seen as a lack of anything to protect (no colonies endangered by the outcome of this battle), or as a result of the battle itself not having a significant meaning. After all, if he lives, what does he face but more of the same? Where the chinks in Zechs' armor shows up in the loss of his cool – he yells, strikes out, hammers on Heero – for Heero, the chinks are in his body. His arm gives out, and slowly the rest of him appears to follow. Without his full will as part of his actions, he can't force his injured body to obey.
The hints through the series, so far, of Heero's inhumanity: Sally's list of injuries Heero's suffered, Heero setting his own bones, and Zechs' discovery that Heero's reactions and strength must be off the charts to handle a mobile suit like Wing. But in these episodes, Heero – while flanked by two who see him as more-than-human – is possibly the most human he's been so far. He fumbles and drops the screwdriver while working on Heavyarms, fatigued and exhausted. He's sweating, tired, and his voice is weak when he accepts Trowa's offer to take over, even grateful (where before he'd have little response). Hell, Heero even thanks Trowa, before stumbling back to the bunk and collapsing with a soft cry of pain. And throughout both episodes, he often verbalizes pain: grunts, gasps, cries, with facial expressions to match it, although he remains deadpan when anyone (usually Trowa) points it out. It's a strong contrast to Zechs' fussing about weakness, especially with Trowa saying, "you're strong" of Heero, while Heero meanwhile is suffering physically.
In the battle, once again I could see Heero's reluctance to take life. It makes me wonder if his comment about killing Zechs – in that nonchalant, conversational tone – was more of the same bluff he'd pulled on Relena (and even Duo). If he says it like their death means nothing to him, perhaps he can intimidate them into backing down. But Zechs doesn't back down, and on the battlefield, Heero raises the gatling gun, takes aim, and doesn't fire. He doesn't appear to hesitate; he wears an intent, determined expression, but he simply doesn't fire. Zechs naturally takes advantage of this moment, and gets in the first hit, and Heero's immediately struggling (underlined with blood appearing on his bandages).
Heero does show some adaptability and quick thinking, in using the snow to mask Heavyarms' heat signature, but Tallgeese remains on the offense. This irks Heero to some degree, but instead of a manic laugh or a pissed-off scowl, he just makes a single "tch" sound, rather softly. He's frustrated, a little, but his heart isn't really in the battle.
Zechs, of course, seems to take this as a challenge. He's not even important enough for Heero to waste the energy to strike back at him? After everything he's done to make sure this battle happens? Where Heero is just seeking an end, Zechs is seeking a purpose, and it seems to be aggravating to Zechs that Heero might not get this, might not be able to offer something, might not even flippin' care. "We won't die in such a low-calibre battle," Zechs snarls.
Meanwhile, back at the League of Justice, errr, Antarctica military base, Trowa's aggravated offensiveness towards Noin has also lessened. Where Heero on the battlefield is not half the aggressive character he'd shown prior, Trowa has also calmed down. He's no longer rude, but quietly frustrated. He just doesn't get it. While he does seem annoyed at Noin to some extent (for helping this battle come about), his eyebrows are flattened into a horizontal line, rather than down in a harsh angle. Perhaps she's not really the source of his irritation, or perhaps he's more baffled than irked. And his at-heart compassion shows, I think, when he says the line "it's a pilot's fate [to die]": he closes his eyes as he finishes the line, looks down/away, with a saddened expression. (Unfortunately the amatuer translation of the script for this episode isn't posted on gundamwing.net, so I can't look up the context of Noin's line that prompts Trowa's response.)
Noin and Trowa present a verbal battle, while Heero and Zechs become the illustration. For Trowa, a soldier only needs an enemy. For Noin, a soldier needs an ally behind him, that he's protecting. Trowa's observation is that "we've lost sight of how to protect the colonies", which is drawing a line to Noin's argument and pointing out it would leave Heero and Trowa weak, because they can't defend/protect as they'd like. Yet Zechs – if by dint of his impending break with OZ – is no longer necessarily an enemy, which makes this battle a waste of time.
At the same time, Trowa still rouses himself to head out in Wing, remarking dryly that he supposes "I'll have Heero return my favor" by flying the machine that Heero's insisted to at least four people so far that he doesn't like other people touching. Trowa seems willing to enable the battle, if only to help get it over with. Another interruption might mean Zechs would just insist on doing this all one more time, and Trowa dislikes that idea almost more than he dislikes the battle in progress.
A note about Heero in the battle: when he realizes the modifications Trowa made on Heavyarms, it's at a point when Heero's really having a bad time of it. He's in pain, he's losing, and Heavyarms has sustained damage. There's what appears to be a flashback (or cutover) scene of Trowa, in slow motion, not speaking but looking intent, and Heero remarks, "Trowa really went out of his way for me." He's able to recognize others' kindness, and his surprise changes to a bit of pleasure. Eyes open, brows even, lips curling up, almost a 'yay me' kind of expression.
If anything were to indicate Heero's character development, it's this moment, because in fact, a number of people have 'gone out of their way' for him. Relena, Duo, and even Trowa's attempts to nurse Heero back to health (and refusal to let Heero muck it up and not heal properly), but it's only in Trowa's actions enabling Heero to do what he wants anyway that Heero recognizes the kindness, I think. Relena and Duo weren't acting out of a knowledge of Heero but a set of expectations (Relena seeing him as the strong fighting role model, Duo as a fellow Gundam pilot, and even Trowa – at first, perhaps – as a brother-in-arms). However, Trowa's modification was to include the beam saber, Heero's personal weapon of choice, which is an intensely personal thing. It shows Trowa was thinking of Heero, and only Heero, when he acted.
Enter Relena, stage left. She declares the battle meaningless, and Trowa – agreeing with her – lets her pass, to see if she can interrupt. He knows his own attempts (and Noin's) haven't stopped it, but he's willing to let Relena try. He even encourages her to hurry. At this point in the battle, Heero has just recognized Zechs' self-imposed handicap and is going in for the kill, but his own wounds are his undoing. Zechs parries and is about to take him down, yelling that he'll "get rid of this silly pride".
This is the first time that all three are in the same vicinity, since the opening episode. Again, Heero and Zechs are embattled, while Relena is the observer. Like the first time, she's in a civilian aircraft, unable to defend herself. Unlike the first time, she's no longer purely an observer but is now a participant, despite the fact that neither of the other two want her there. Heero even yells at her to get the hell away. If she becomes an obstacle, she will end up a casualty; perhaps Zechs has not because he's not truly an obstacle to Heero's goals, quite yet?
The odd thing is that the dynamics shift dramatically in this battle. Where before Zechs was all on his high horse about honor, he has no compunction about taking advantage of Heero's distraction to strike a hard blow. He even dredges up (or finally admits?) a purpose of his own, of revenge for the death of his men. His former helplessness, watching his men get struck down by Heero, Trowa, and Quatre in turn, has become a frustrated rage. He's willing to show Relena just "how dirty wars really are", as if the blinders have finally come off his own eyes about the aesthetic romanticism and he just wants blood.
Relena calls him on it, as a "knight of Peacecraft", saying his actions are foul and dishonorable. Where before Zechs was the embodiment of honor and chivalry, he's willing to become the pure soldier like Heero and Trowa, who doesn't give a damn about what's honorable or polite. "Heero lives by his own rules," Zechs tells himself, and in truth, Zechs has done nothing but live by other people's rules. First being raised to be King, then joining the Alliance, then following Treize in OZ...and all of it's stripped away, by his own choice or outside circumstances. Where Trowa envies Heero's strength, Zechs envies his freedom, and both are flat wrong, I think. Heero has neither.
Up until now, Zechs has seemed relatively controlled, and even quite good at manipulating things. He's skillfully maneuvered around politics and military strategy, appearing every inch the assured young officer. He's kept his cool...until this battle, when he pretty much comes close to being berserk. Noin observes that Zechs can be reckless, and oddly, Relena's response is one of the truer, sweeter smiles I've seen from her. She says, "It's in the Peacecraft blood," and while Relena has been reckless a number of times so far, it's a first for Zechs (at least on-screen, that I can recall).
Naturally, enemies do arrive to interrupt the battle, and Trowa is hot on their tails. In the shot of him glancing down at Heero and Zechs – note that not only is Wing above them, but Trowa's in-cockpit camera-angle is from his knees, looking up at him – he's pleased. Enemies are present, and therefore, in Trowa's mind, the battle suddenly has meaning. Now, though, Relena is in danger, and that shifts the dynamics again. After all, Zechs' last remaining goal is to put Relena on the throne he's abandoned, which means she needs to remain safe. But he doesn't yell that he's protecting the Peacecraft legacy, or even the future Queen of Cinq. Instead, he hollers "victory to the colonies!"
I wondered a great deal about this, and I'm not sure I'm right, but this is my theory. Relena appears, and doesn't speak to Zechs, but to Heero. She has a connection with Heero, somehow, and Zechs notes this. (She's broadcasting her words across the battlefield, so I can't see how he'd miss this big fat neon sign.) Heero's goal is to fight on behalf of the colonies. Zechs can't defeat Heero, whether because Heero is just too stubborn or too lucky, so that option is out. Instead, Heero becomes the catharsis for Zechs, like he did for Relena: if Zechs can't kill him, Zechs will become him. And that means taking up the mantle of Heero's perceived goal: victory to the colonies.
On her side, Relena wanted to learn from Heero, to learn how to be strong and face an uncertain future with fortitude and self-reliance, but she didn't necessarily adapt his goals or his means. She'll find her own goals, even if currently those are rather murky. Zechs isn't as strong, and I wonder if in some ways this is related to the fact that we don't see him in relation to anyone. He's only been shown as a military student who rose through the ranks to Colonel, and while he's admired, only Noin seems to be close enough to tell him what-for, and even that is hedged and polite. Relena had adoptive parents who form a foundation for her, while Zechs is rather adrift. Losing Treize/OZ is just one more loss, so he doesn't just want to emulate Heero's alleged 'freedom' but also Heero's alleged goal.
When Zechs takes on the incoming enemy, Heero seems surprised, but he isn't angry at Zechs' departure. Trowa observes this means Zechs will be harder to beat in the future, having possibly lost the hampering veneer of chivalry that had bound him until now. Zechs has both adopted a goal (and found someone to protect), and determined the enemy (indicated by his battle cry), and he's no longer wrapped up in knots over being honorable. He'll go for the kill if the moment presents itself. Heero's response to Trowa isn't quite an outright smile, but it is a pleased expression.
Again, I wonder why: is it because he's thinking Zechs would be far more interesting as an opponent without letting generosity blur the lines? Or because he doesn't seem Zechs as an enemy but a new ally? Would that even matter to Heero? After all, he nearly got his ass handed to him on a silver platter by Zechs; if Relena hadn't interrupted (followed by military troops), Heero would've been toast. Perhaps it's as simple as the fact that he has new-found respect for Zechs, once he could see Zechs was willing to actually fight and didn't pull his punches (as Heero may have feared). In some ways, I think Heero respects most those who speak and follow through with action, more than those who just speak, which makes sense. I just had never thought of Zechs' actions on the battlefield as being indicative of 'following through' in a regard that would make an impression on Heero.
Another bit on Trowa and Heero: note that Trowa, now in Wing, transforms into bird mode. (The list of mecha Trowa flies during the series is the longest; more than any of the other pilots, with Heero and Quatre coming in distant tie for second, I think.) Heavyarms leaps upwards, and is towed away by Trowa. Once again, Heero leans on Trowa, letting Trowa guide/carry them forward. It echoes Heero's behavior around Duo, to some extent, or perhaps his actions with Duo were the earliest, minimal indication of the character development (leaning on Duo when injured, following Duo at the school, letting Duo pilot the shared shuttle). Once again, someone else provides/carries, while Heero takes/is carried.
The contrast is that where before Heero took without permission or reluctantly accepted help (as in Deathscythe's parts, or looking disgruntled at Duo's assistance getting free), now Heero willingly accepts the assistance. I think perhaps, to some degree, that's why we see the significant repetition of Heero feeling pain/discomfort at his injuries (when his physical strength is such a massive part of his self-identity). It indicates a chink in his armor, where he's finally able to let someone else in, to be a comrade, to admit he's not strong enough or self-reliant enough, but requires assistance.
And finally, Relena's observations as the episode closes: she doesn't care why the battle between Zechs and Heero occurred; she's just glad it's over. Meanwhile, Zechs insists Noin leave, so he can protect Relena by covering the getaway. I'm not sure if he's truly sincere, though. I don't know why I say that, but there's just something too...something about the tone of voice. After all, Noin had just about come right out and told him flatly that a battle only had meaning if it's to protect someone/thing, and that a soldier will only be "revitalized by having someone to protect". Well, he's just come out of a two-hour battle hammering on Heero, and wooo, he's revitalized! He's gonna whoop some OZ ass...but he's also had a major epiphany about just how callous and ruthless he's capable of being, and just how little the distinctions of honor and chivalry matter when blood and life are on the line.
Given that Zechs has consistently undermined himself, in his own head, as to his skills and worth and knowledge (despite proving again and again that he's got all that, no doubt to the outside observer), I'm distrustful that he'd want Noin to know he's realized that his role model has become a bloodthirsty, tunnel-vision, surly kid-pilot from the colonies. While Zechs doubts himself, he also bolsters himself via Noin's support, and I don't know if he could handle Noin seeing him as one more vicious soldier, instead of the honorable gentleman who protects the helpless. Sending Relena away from a "dirty" battle...could he be doing the same to Noin? Zechs is too damn good at lying – to other people, and to himself. I can't help but see his cry about victory to the colonies being a lie to himself, and his demand that he's got to protect Relena as a mirroring lie to Noin.
All that aside, it doesn't change the fact that Zechs went into this battle with Heero not entirely expecting to come out of it alive. Noin and Trowa both considered it meaningless, while Heero acted (prior to the battle) as though it were just one more event in a long string of them, and nothing important. In some ways, it seemed as though Zechs felt only he attached any importance to the staged battle, and perhaps it rankled that no one else around him saw just how much it mattered to him.
But now that enemy mecha have arrived, he can still achieve his peaceful end – and big final blowout – but at the same time, in a manner that's honorable to outside observers. He let the Gundam pilots, the underdogs, go free, and he protected his sister's retreat. Going down in a blaze of glory, and if he happens to be, at last, free to be bloodthirsty and ruthless on the battlefield at the same time, so much the better. He keeps up appearances, but secretly, finally, does so while getting something he wants, too.
I've been contemplating these two episodes for over a week now, since it seems to be this is the point where things both come together for Zechs, and fall apart for him. At the very least, these episodes are the ones in which his entire world seems to shift dramatically. But instead of starting with him, first I'll tackle the side-notes that occured to me while rewatching.
The first thing of note is that the other character who gets as much characterization time in these two episodes is actually Trowa. He and Heero show up in what might be Venice or another large port town in the Mediterranean, and when they're shown from an estate, from Trowa's words, I concluded that Heero had now visited all the family and not a single one had opted to kill him in vengeance. Heero's expression is rather unhappy: mouth down-turned, eyebrows lowered just a tad, but his eyes are wide. He's disturbed, perhaps even upset, but not emotional about it.
Despite Trowa's continued calm – this time pointing out that Heero was tricked, and putting himself in his victims' hands (perhaps implying it's a bit much) – but Heero's only response is that it's not that simple. Heero's only point of reacting to Trowa is at the line "you were tricked"; Heero turns to profile, still perturbed, unhappy, and not looking Trowa in the eyes. I think the language of "it's not that simple" is important, because all too much in the episodes so far, it'd be quite easy to see Heero's motivations as lacking complexity. For him to negate the notion of simplicity in his motivations at least shows that he's not a complete fool when it comes to what drives him, that he's aware there are other things going on (even if we're not privy). No surprise that Trowa drops the topic.
They seem to realize they're being tailed at about the same point, and Heero immediately offers to take care of it. Once again Trowa is the compassionate caretaker, pointing out Heero's injuries. Trowa speaks of their tail casually, still in profile as if speaking out of the corner of his mouth. When Heero replies, apparently startled, "Trowa!" to the suggestion that Trowa will deal with the tail, there's the oddest little half-smile from Trowa. It's mostly in the tilt of the eyes, and I had to slow down to pick out exactly what changes: the eyes turn to finally look at Heero, and tighten in the corners, while the mouth goes up a bit at the corner, just a fraction. It's almost like Trowa's given an amused quirk of his eyebrow. He either likes surprising Heero, or he's got something up his sleeve. That seems to be one of the first times I can recall seeing a hint of mischievous attitude in Trowa; he's quite deadpan around others but livens up with Heero.
(I have to wonder what the deal is with apples. Heero ends up on a truck of apples, and brings one to Trowa. I recall later in the series that Hilde is shown bringing Duo apples, and there are several scenes where Duo is eating an apple or holding one. Either this is supposed to be a hinted metaphor to mess with fangirls, or it's an inside joke by the animators, or the animators just can't draw any other fruits.)
Pausing for a moment to reflect that Trowa is just too damn cool for school, I'll also note that I think Trowa's left-handed. First, when Heero tosses him the apple in thanks, Trowa catches it with his left hand. When Noin enters the hangar, Trowa drops the apple and pulls the gun with his left-hand. And, of course, Heavyarms' main weaponry is on the left hand, not the right (unlike Wing, who carries the beam rifle on his right arm).
When Noin shows up, Trowa is not only suspicious, he's sarcastic. For some reason, he doesn't seem to like Noin, while Heero comes across as more fatalistic – but then again, what else has he got in his social calendar? Head to Antarctica, sure, not like there's anything else more pressing. Oddly, when Trowa offers the use of Heavyarms, Heero doesn't look surprised (as I would've expected), but calculating.
A side-note: when Relena and Pargan (whom I'm more and more convinced can only escape being a Marty Stu if he's actually Cinq's version of CIA, because, hello, the man does everything) are trying to track down Heero, Relena comments that "even I know Zechs was ordered to destroy" Wing. The implication being that she's not really that much in the (official) loop, and must pay close attention to gossip to find out any details, but some gossip comes easy. She's also heard rumors the Gundam was a fake, which tells me that there's a serious amount of rumor flying about Zechs, if some high school girl can pick up on it, CIA-retiree-chauffer or no. That said, it does make more sense, in rewatching, that Relena doesn't assume Heero is dead, based on Zechs' rebuilding Wing. If he's not giving up, she figures there must be a reason. So it's not that Relena 'intercepts' the letter for Heero (though reading it is still a childish, if understandable, thing to do, to try and understand this boy who's so alien to her), but that she's trying her hardest to find Heero, and Noventa's widow is doing the same. Relena simply offers to pass the letter along.
The scenes are rather striking in the order. First, Relena, thinking of Zechs and what knowledge he must have about Heero, to want to rebuild Wing. Pargan speaks a little of Zechs, calling him a hero of Cinq, but like Noin, Pargan doesn't spill the beans about the sibling relationship. It's possible both Noin and Pargan consider telling Relena to be Zechs' place, not theirs, and if Zechs prefers an assumed name and distance from his only sister, then that's his choice. The scene following this is one of Zechs, in Antarctica, speaking to Noin. Her vid-screen image, oversized, is laid on top of the shot of Zechs. She's only a mouth, a nose, scratchy transmission, as if a ghost or echo, almost transparent across Zechs' hard outline. Their connection is fading, in a sense, and whatever she stands for, to Zechs, is becoming more of a ghost to haunt him than the once-solid image with which he'd communicated on previous video-based instances.
And finally, Treize's scene with halting the woman from saving her child, at the pier, is the third in this three-scene segment, ping ping ping. He opens the scene, pondering what he's heard of Zechs' behavior and the rumors that the Gundam wasn't destroyed. But the child wandering down to the end of the pier (and Treize's almost paternal gesture preventing the woman from assisting) is illustration to Treize's point: Zechs "would never do anything to cause [Treize] trouble." The child might give the parent a momentary flash of panic, but the child is acting with knowledge that to upset the parent would be a Bad Thing. The good child will instinctively seek to avoid this, and Zechs is a good child. The metaphor may go by fast, but even in its quickness, it's a bit heavy-handed: the child crawls away, but in turning around, gets up and walks to the mother. For Treize, Zechs may be wandering off, but when he returns, he'll return on his own two legs, stronger and more able than before. Treize is pleased; even the momentary chance meetings just prove his view of the universe as a place where his perspective is ultimately the correct one. OZ may be tying his hands in terms of rushing to Zechs' defense – as much as he prevented the woman – but it's okay. Zechs will come back. Everyone, Treize thinks, should just stop worrying so much.
What's notable is that all three revolve around Zechs, with his only appearance being in the middle scene. Relena is learning to see Zechs as an honorable hero, while Treize sees Zechs as a loyal retainer who puts Treize's goals/preferences foremost. And Zechs, meanwhile, is showing signs of being neither: he's quietly plotting to continue to disobey Treize, and at the same time moving closer to the dishonorable position of killing Heero in battle (or getting killed) for no reason other than his "silly pride". Noin, the one thing tying him to OZ, is losing her influence, even if her image looms large to Zechs, reducing him in comparison.
Back to Trowa. I've always thought Duo was as much a mechanical genius as Trowa, but I'm starting to think the real mechanical genius in the crew (in terms of adaptations and modifications on an existing suit) would only be Trowa. So far in the series, I've not seen Duo work on his suit, not even once. Heero has, to some extent, but there was no implication that he was modifying, only fixing. Trowa, in these episodes, clarifies his modifications to Heero, and how he compensated for Heavyarms' weight and limited speed. (Basically by keeping the left arm excessively heavy, when he drops his gun, it allows for a sudden burst of speed because the balance is now proper. Enemies won't be expecting that, and he can use those few seconds to get past their guard.) That's the hallmark of a fine mechanic, and so far, I've not seen any of the other pilots express such ability.
Several things really popped out in the Noin/Heero/Trowa interactions. The first was the realization that when Noin approaches, Heero falls silent. After the first conversation he had with her in the hangar, he doesn't say another word; he seems to be willing to let Trowa do all the talking. The second is that Noin, while watching them work together, sees them both romantically (in an idealist's sense), and at the same time as just two more pilots, if much younger than her own students. In some ways I think she sees a common bond with them as fellow mobile suit pilots, but she's also a trainer, and thus interacts with them as if they were more students. Trowa, for his part, seems to have a chip on his shoulder the size of Heavyarms. His language towards Noin – down to using the 'you' form kisama, equivalent to calling Noin a bitch – is pretty damn offensive. It's not that his language is crude; it's simply rude. Even once he calms down, after Heero and Zechs meet, Trowa remains quite blunt with Noin.
It's a sharp contrast to his behavior around Heero: calm, soliticious, wary, and a little envious. He's the one who reminds Heero to take it easy, and works until dawn on Heavyarms, adjusting the mecha to suit Heero (and even including a beam saber, which appears to be one of Heero's preferred weapons). Trowa is generous almost to a fault with Heero, but with Noin – an outsider – he's all ruffled feathers and narrow looks and unimpressed disgust. He makes no bones about the fact that he's sussed Noin up and knows she'd never compromise Zechs. In the moment when he makes this observation, his eyes are open (not narrowed, as they are usually when speaking of/to her), though his brow is furrowed. He's not closed off, just annoyed mildly. Like later in these two episodes, I'm not sure if he's irked at what he's observing, or irked at the fact that he finds it pointless or doesn't get it on some level. (Which is odd, seeing how his own loyalty to Heero is so thoroughly cemented by this point.)
After Noin's okayed sending Aries out to attack the search party, Trowa manages to make Noin lose her cool, and she finally shows just how much he's pissing her off. (Score to Trowa, I suspect.) She may see them as pilots, but she trains pilots; she's not used to being questioned by them, and essentially that's all Trowa has done. He throws his independence in her face again and again. Noin counsels her men to stay in the clouds, be patient and hide; it's another contrast to Trowa's ultra-aggressive behavior and Heero's withdrawn silence.
When Noin's men turn the shuttle around to rescue her, Trowa informs them they're too weak. I think he's saying that their connection to Noin (like hers to Zechs) is a loyalty that will compromise their ability to achieve a greater good. It takes strength to believe in another pilot and not intervene, and that's pretty much what Trowa has done, himself: he's believed in Heero, and let him do as he will, with few questions.
Trowa doesn't so much offer as flatly state that he's going to deal with the situation Noin's men have created. Essentially, coming back to rescue Noin defeats the whole purpose of the Aries' attack as a distraction to let the shuttle get away. A minor note: when Trowa decides to go out in Heavyarms and clean up the mess, he removes the coat Noin had given him. He's no longer a guest; he's acting as a pilot, on his own terms. He looks intent, but not angry, more disgusted. Just at the end of the scene, his expression modulates a little, with a tilt of his head like he's thinking, 'man, you're pathetic'. His language remains offensive, using the kisama-form of address on Noin's men as well.
The break appears to come when Trowa fights off the search party, destroys the main guy, and then can't unclench his hand from the throttle. He has to peel his fingers off with his other hand; his fist has permenantly clenched. He falls from the Gundam into the snow, tries to get up, and falls again. Noin, coming to get/help him, observes, "they're too pure" (of intent? of sight?). Once again I think the translation lacks for something; I doubt she means pure as in 'innocent' but more in terms of 'seeing only one thing, pure of purpose'. Despite his predicament and lapse, Trowa is still focused on the fight, after all; his only words to Noin are to reload Heavyarms so Heero will have plenty of ammunition.
(What's also intriguing about the fight is that it's the first time, I think, in which we've seen Trowa in the Gundam from a look-up view; that is, the camera 'lens' is around his knees, looking up at him. The only other pilot who consistently gets that angle, so far, is Zechs; both Treize and Zechs get that angle when seated elsewhere, as well. Given that such an angle does highlight their crotch – pointing to masculinity, if a bit obliquely – I wonder what this is saying about their level of maturity, to include Trowa in that category.)
Trowa is somewhere between pissed and shell-shocked: "damn it, why do I have to keep fighting?" Although he's acutely aware that his actions (showing the Gundam) put the colonies at risk, this is the second time he's fought in Heavyarms, post-Lake Victoria, with his intervention required only because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. The OZ mobile suits stumble over his mecha in Marseilles; Noin's shuttle carrying his mecha is almost discovered. I think part of the reason he continually (three or four times) offers Heavyarms to Heero is because he wants to be rid of the damn thing. And having decided, in his own form of projection, that Heero is a worthy pilot, it's Heero who will be the recipient of Trowa's generosity, so that Trowa can finally escape as well. (After all, look at how well his own self-destruction didn't pan out, so he's possibly written off self-detonation as an out.)
He's a bundle of contradictions almost as much as the rest of them. Duo, who seems laid back and sarcastic but is serious and contemplative on his own; Quatre, born rich and willfully self-disowned; Heero, cold in battle but passionate about his standards of success and failure. Trowa is compassionate, generous, attuned to the people within his group, but rude, offensive, and even belittling to those not within his inner circle. One of the only times Heero speaks in Noin's presence is to observe she's made a wise decision (in her strategy), and Trowa pays her a compliment while at the same time insulting all of her compatriots: "at least [OZ has] one able officer." He's just as snarky when meeting Zechs, edgy and wary: "are we supposed to shake hands?" Heero ignores him, focusing on Zechs, and I noticed Trowa moves farther to the background, letting Heero proceed on ahead, into the hangar.
Zechs, upon meeting Trowa and Heero, does the same: he focuses on Heero, ignoring Trowa to some degree. In a way, Noin and Trowa are extensions and enablers of the two main actors, Heero and Zechs. But Zechs retains his calm, diplomatic, officer-level ease, walking Heero to the hangar where Wing has been restored. Heero remains guarded on the walk, with his first reaction being at sight of Wing. He's startled; perhaps he didn't actually believe the offer, before? Did he underestimate Zechs, the unknown opponent? When Meiser says, "all that's left are the pilot settings", Heero closes his eyes and drops his head to a position almost identical to that he'd shown when waiting for Sylvia to pull the trigger. His tone when he asks, "when can we start?" almost to me sounds like someone who just wants to get it over with.
And now is one of the more opaque statements made in the series, so far: "I'll thank him in my own way. I'll kill him." I watched several times, trying to get a grasp on Heero's mindset. His eyes are open, he's not frowning, and his voice is pitched at normal tones. Conversational, not threatening. Almost casual. In some ways, it reminds me of his tone with Duo, when he's jibing Duo (who does react as though it's a joke, if belatedly); perhaps it's a two-edged statement. To some degree, he's saying: "I'll kick his ass, if that's what he wants," and it's his usual dry tone. But maybe in another way it's a line drawn in the sand, saying: Zechs isn't up to Heero's level, and if Zechs wants to play at being so, Heero will show him the gratitude of a soldier, and slam him back down to his place.
Zechs, in turn, sees himself – through his interpretation of Heero's perspective – as an obstacle. Again with the inferiority complex, but in Zechs' eyes, Heero is doing him a favor. When Heero offers to shake hands, it's a recognition of equality for all his words sound a bit like a flat smack-down. Heero looks surprised at his own behavior, and maybe a bit upset or lost. Zechs isn't doing much better, really.
Side-note: back in the episode with Alex and Mueller, when Zechs agrees to fight under their command, he salutes them from the edge of the hangar. Ravensilver and Tayles both commented afterwards that this may be representative of the idea that the future/perspective Alex and Mueller have is so bright from where they stand in shadow, but Zechs stands at the edges, between the two. But I think it's also that the future/external is bright, but Zechs is the shadow blocking that light. That image is mirrored in the Zechs/Heero scene, with Noin (and more distantly Trowa, farther away) standing at the edge of the dark hangar. Heero and Zechs have entered the darkness, while Noin and Trowa remain at the borders. In this case, Noin and Trowa are the ones fuzzed out slightly from contrast with the brightness behind them; Heero and Zechs are clearer, shaded in the part-darkness around them.
What I realized, after pondering this episode and Zechs' bizarre obsession with fighting Wing a second time, is that all three soldiers (and possibly Noin, as well), feel they've reached the end. Relena's comments in ep15 indicate that it's pretty much an open secret that Zechs has disobeyed a direct command, even if he's not been caught red-handed (yet). He's cut off his future as a potential king of Cinq; he's refused to open the door to a future as Relena's older brother/family. He's pretty much screwed himself when it comes to a military future under Treize, which isn't surprising given his jaded reluctance so far while carrying out Treize's commands. Zechs may be flattering himself to think of himself as a simple obstacle, but it suits his purposes: to go out with a bang. If he's going to be taken down, he wants it to be by the very best. Despite Noin's bewilderment at OZ turning on its 'hero' (Zechs), Zechs sees the G-pilots as soldiers (not warriors), something basic and primal, even desperate; they're fighters who will give their lives, instead of halting the fencing competition at first blood.
Heero, in turn, has no mecha (that he trusts, apparently), has failed to achieve some kind of personal peace by allowing revenge (noticeably, he didn't explicitly seek peace so much as just an end to everything), and has failed to achieve his primary mission of destroying OZ and liberating the colonies. As far as Heero's concerned, he's probably living on borrowed time, and the constant non-verbal reminders of his injuries underline this. From the young man who could survive throwing himself out of a window, setting his own leg, and bending solid steel, he grunts in pain at just the act of putting on a coat. Trying to lift Heavyarms' gun-hand is too much for him; Trowa watches dispassionately, but attentively; he's the silent observer to Heero's pain as much as Noin is to Zechs'.
The irony, of course, is that when Heero and Zechs do finally meet up, Heero gets his ass kicked. He's not too impressed by Zechs' willingness to handicap himself out of some sense of honor; Heero doesn't hold such romantic notions. In his opinion, Zechs' honor and generosity are muddying the issues, making what should be a bloodthirsty battle into some kind of idealized event. The idea of a 'meaningless battle' is working on several levels, I think. Trowa feels it's a meaningless battle because it achieves nothing for the colonies, which is the Gundams' first priority, after all. Noin feels it's meaningless because it doesn't serve to increase strength. I think the emphasis on her being a teacher/trainer is coming through here; a battle in which one learns nothing is a waste of time.
What's amusing in another side-note is just how possessive Heero is about his mecha, or perhaps just how distrustful he is of Zechs. When Heero comes down from Wing and yells across the hanger about the self-detonation device being removed, he sounds almost petulant, bordering on whiny! I backed up and listened several times; it sounds like a verbal stamp of the foot. Zechs has echoed Sylvia: you just want to take the easy way out; like Sylvia, Zechs won't let it happen.
Heero's grumbled response, "this generosity is blurring the focus on fighting" sounds, out of context, like what I wrote above, that Heero isn't as romantic as Zechs. But looking at it over the course of the entire scene, Heero's complaints are almost childish. He's fussing because Zechs messed with his machine's design and removed what, to Heero, is probably a crucial element. After all, he's tried to destroy himself (and Wing) twice already using that detonation device (once on the beach, again in battle). It's not so much that Zechs is generous, so much as focused on battle – and therefore on keeping the battle going rather than allowing an exit – where Heero is focused on death. He craves that exit, and when he's deprived, he gets cranky.
I don't think Zechs really gets that. Zechs, like Trowa, is so busy overlaying his interpretation of things onto Heero, that he takes Heero's grumbling at face value instead of seeing what might be underneath. Zechs takes Heero as distrusting charity, and being uneasy at the trappings of honor (such as Zechs' insistence that Tallgeese not be fully repaired). The techs with Zechs observe that backstage crews don't have that kind of pride, and that's exactly how Zechs sees it, himself, and Heero: all over the issue of pride. Zechs is too proud to admit a handicap could be fatal, and he sees Heero's disgruntled reaction as wounded pride at having someone else touching his mobile suit. (And it is part that, but more than just that, I think.)
There's also the issue of why a soldier fights. Noin insists that a soldier finds his/her strength when he has something to protect. (In fact, one could say she could stand up against the search party because she knew she was protecting Zechs from being discovered too soon.) Zechs sees any need to be 'revitalized' as a weakness. If he's not good enough as-he-is, then he's too weak, and he deserves to be taken down, anyway. He's quite certain the Gundam pilots would see Noin's suggestion as a weakness; again, those around Heero seem to attribute idealized versions of their interpretations onto Heero, but Heero himself rarely lives up to (or even acts out) these expectations.
Heero's own weakness in the battle might be seen as a lack of anything to protect (no colonies endangered by the outcome of this battle), or as a result of the battle itself not having a significant meaning. After all, if he lives, what does he face but more of the same? Where the chinks in Zechs' armor shows up in the loss of his cool – he yells, strikes out, hammers on Heero – for Heero, the chinks are in his body. His arm gives out, and slowly the rest of him appears to follow. Without his full will as part of his actions, he can't force his injured body to obey.
The hints through the series, so far, of Heero's inhumanity: Sally's list of injuries Heero's suffered, Heero setting his own bones, and Zechs' discovery that Heero's reactions and strength must be off the charts to handle a mobile suit like Wing. But in these episodes, Heero – while flanked by two who see him as more-than-human – is possibly the most human he's been so far. He fumbles and drops the screwdriver while working on Heavyarms, fatigued and exhausted. He's sweating, tired, and his voice is weak when he accepts Trowa's offer to take over, even grateful (where before he'd have little response). Hell, Heero even thanks Trowa, before stumbling back to the bunk and collapsing with a soft cry of pain. And throughout both episodes, he often verbalizes pain: grunts, gasps, cries, with facial expressions to match it, although he remains deadpan when anyone (usually Trowa) points it out. It's a strong contrast to Zechs' fussing about weakness, especially with Trowa saying, "you're strong" of Heero, while Heero meanwhile is suffering physically.
In the battle, once again I could see Heero's reluctance to take life. It makes me wonder if his comment about killing Zechs – in that nonchalant, conversational tone – was more of the same bluff he'd pulled on Relena (and even Duo). If he says it like their death means nothing to him, perhaps he can intimidate them into backing down. But Zechs doesn't back down, and on the battlefield, Heero raises the gatling gun, takes aim, and doesn't fire. He doesn't appear to hesitate; he wears an intent, determined expression, but he simply doesn't fire. Zechs naturally takes advantage of this moment, and gets in the first hit, and Heero's immediately struggling (underlined with blood appearing on his bandages).
Heero does show some adaptability and quick thinking, in using the snow to mask Heavyarms' heat signature, but Tallgeese remains on the offense. This irks Heero to some degree, but instead of a manic laugh or a pissed-off scowl, he just makes a single "tch" sound, rather softly. He's frustrated, a little, but his heart isn't really in the battle.
Zechs, of course, seems to take this as a challenge. He's not even important enough for Heero to waste the energy to strike back at him? After everything he's done to make sure this battle happens? Where Heero is just seeking an end, Zechs is seeking a purpose, and it seems to be aggravating to Zechs that Heero might not get this, might not be able to offer something, might not even flippin' care. "We won't die in such a low-calibre battle," Zechs snarls.
Meanwhile, back at the League of Justice, errr, Antarctica military base, Trowa's aggravated offensiveness towards Noin has also lessened. Where Heero on the battlefield is not half the aggressive character he'd shown prior, Trowa has also calmed down. He's no longer rude, but quietly frustrated. He just doesn't get it. While he does seem annoyed at Noin to some extent (for helping this battle come about), his eyebrows are flattened into a horizontal line, rather than down in a harsh angle. Perhaps she's not really the source of his irritation, or perhaps he's more baffled than irked. And his at-heart compassion shows, I think, when he says the line "it's a pilot's fate [to die]": he closes his eyes as he finishes the line, looks down/away, with a saddened expression. (Unfortunately the amatuer translation of the script for this episode isn't posted on gundamwing.net, so I can't look up the context of Noin's line that prompts Trowa's response.)
Noin and Trowa present a verbal battle, while Heero and Zechs become the illustration. For Trowa, a soldier only needs an enemy. For Noin, a soldier needs an ally behind him, that he's protecting. Trowa's observation is that "we've lost sight of how to protect the colonies", which is drawing a line to Noin's argument and pointing out it would leave Heero and Trowa weak, because they can't defend/protect as they'd like. Yet Zechs – if by dint of his impending break with OZ – is no longer necessarily an enemy, which makes this battle a waste of time.
At the same time, Trowa still rouses himself to head out in Wing, remarking dryly that he supposes "I'll have Heero return my favor" by flying the machine that Heero's insisted to at least four people so far that he doesn't like other people touching. Trowa seems willing to enable the battle, if only to help get it over with. Another interruption might mean Zechs would just insist on doing this all one more time, and Trowa dislikes that idea almost more than he dislikes the battle in progress.
A note about Heero in the battle: when he realizes the modifications Trowa made on Heavyarms, it's at a point when Heero's really having a bad time of it. He's in pain, he's losing, and Heavyarms has sustained damage. There's what appears to be a flashback (or cutover) scene of Trowa, in slow motion, not speaking but looking intent, and Heero remarks, "Trowa really went out of his way for me." He's able to recognize others' kindness, and his surprise changes to a bit of pleasure. Eyes open, brows even, lips curling up, almost a 'yay me' kind of expression.
If anything were to indicate Heero's character development, it's this moment, because in fact, a number of people have 'gone out of their way' for him. Relena, Duo, and even Trowa's attempts to nurse Heero back to health (and refusal to let Heero muck it up and not heal properly), but it's only in Trowa's actions enabling Heero to do what he wants anyway that Heero recognizes the kindness, I think. Relena and Duo weren't acting out of a knowledge of Heero but a set of expectations (Relena seeing him as the strong fighting role model, Duo as a fellow Gundam pilot, and even Trowa – at first, perhaps – as a brother-in-arms). However, Trowa's modification was to include the beam saber, Heero's personal weapon of choice, which is an intensely personal thing. It shows Trowa was thinking of Heero, and only Heero, when he acted.
Enter Relena, stage left. She declares the battle meaningless, and Trowa – agreeing with her – lets her pass, to see if she can interrupt. He knows his own attempts (and Noin's) haven't stopped it, but he's willing to let Relena try. He even encourages her to hurry. At this point in the battle, Heero has just recognized Zechs' self-imposed handicap and is going in for the kill, but his own wounds are his undoing. Zechs parries and is about to take him down, yelling that he'll "get rid of this silly pride".
This is the first time that all three are in the same vicinity, since the opening episode. Again, Heero and Zechs are embattled, while Relena is the observer. Like the first time, she's in a civilian aircraft, unable to defend herself. Unlike the first time, she's no longer purely an observer but is now a participant, despite the fact that neither of the other two want her there. Heero even yells at her to get the hell away. If she becomes an obstacle, she will end up a casualty; perhaps Zechs has not because he's not truly an obstacle to Heero's goals, quite yet?
The odd thing is that the dynamics shift dramatically in this battle. Where before Zechs was all on his high horse about honor, he has no compunction about taking advantage of Heero's distraction to strike a hard blow. He even dredges up (or finally admits?) a purpose of his own, of revenge for the death of his men. His former helplessness, watching his men get struck down by Heero, Trowa, and Quatre in turn, has become a frustrated rage. He's willing to show Relena just "how dirty wars really are", as if the blinders have finally come off his own eyes about the aesthetic romanticism and he just wants blood.
Relena calls him on it, as a "knight of Peacecraft", saying his actions are foul and dishonorable. Where before Zechs was the embodiment of honor and chivalry, he's willing to become the pure soldier like Heero and Trowa, who doesn't give a damn about what's honorable or polite. "Heero lives by his own rules," Zechs tells himself, and in truth, Zechs has done nothing but live by other people's rules. First being raised to be King, then joining the Alliance, then following Treize in OZ...and all of it's stripped away, by his own choice or outside circumstances. Where Trowa envies Heero's strength, Zechs envies his freedom, and both are flat wrong, I think. Heero has neither.
Up until now, Zechs has seemed relatively controlled, and even quite good at manipulating things. He's skillfully maneuvered around politics and military strategy, appearing every inch the assured young officer. He's kept his cool...until this battle, when he pretty much comes close to being berserk. Noin observes that Zechs can be reckless, and oddly, Relena's response is one of the truer, sweeter smiles I've seen from her. She says, "It's in the Peacecraft blood," and while Relena has been reckless a number of times so far, it's a first for Zechs (at least on-screen, that I can recall).
Naturally, enemies do arrive to interrupt the battle, and Trowa is hot on their tails. In the shot of him glancing down at Heero and Zechs – note that not only is Wing above them, but Trowa's in-cockpit camera-angle is from his knees, looking up at him – he's pleased. Enemies are present, and therefore, in Trowa's mind, the battle suddenly has meaning. Now, though, Relena is in danger, and that shifts the dynamics again. After all, Zechs' last remaining goal is to put Relena on the throne he's abandoned, which means she needs to remain safe. But he doesn't yell that he's protecting the Peacecraft legacy, or even the future Queen of Cinq. Instead, he hollers "victory to the colonies!"
I wondered a great deal about this, and I'm not sure I'm right, but this is my theory. Relena appears, and doesn't speak to Zechs, but to Heero. She has a connection with Heero, somehow, and Zechs notes this. (She's broadcasting her words across the battlefield, so I can't see how he'd miss this big fat neon sign.) Heero's goal is to fight on behalf of the colonies. Zechs can't defeat Heero, whether because Heero is just too stubborn or too lucky, so that option is out. Instead, Heero becomes the catharsis for Zechs, like he did for Relena: if Zechs can't kill him, Zechs will become him. And that means taking up the mantle of Heero's perceived goal: victory to the colonies.
On her side, Relena wanted to learn from Heero, to learn how to be strong and face an uncertain future with fortitude and self-reliance, but she didn't necessarily adapt his goals or his means. She'll find her own goals, even if currently those are rather murky. Zechs isn't as strong, and I wonder if in some ways this is related to the fact that we don't see him in relation to anyone. He's only been shown as a military student who rose through the ranks to Colonel, and while he's admired, only Noin seems to be close enough to tell him what-for, and even that is hedged and polite. Relena had adoptive parents who form a foundation for her, while Zechs is rather adrift. Losing Treize/OZ is just one more loss, so he doesn't just want to emulate Heero's alleged 'freedom' but also Heero's alleged goal.
When Zechs takes on the incoming enemy, Heero seems surprised, but he isn't angry at Zechs' departure. Trowa observes this means Zechs will be harder to beat in the future, having possibly lost the hampering veneer of chivalry that had bound him until now. Zechs has both adopted a goal (and found someone to protect), and determined the enemy (indicated by his battle cry), and he's no longer wrapped up in knots over being honorable. He'll go for the kill if the moment presents itself. Heero's response to Trowa isn't quite an outright smile, but it is a pleased expression.
Again, I wonder why: is it because he's thinking Zechs would be far more interesting as an opponent without letting generosity blur the lines? Or because he doesn't seem Zechs as an enemy but a new ally? Would that even matter to Heero? After all, he nearly got his ass handed to him on a silver platter by Zechs; if Relena hadn't interrupted (followed by military troops), Heero would've been toast. Perhaps it's as simple as the fact that he has new-found respect for Zechs, once he could see Zechs was willing to actually fight and didn't pull his punches (as Heero may have feared). In some ways, I think Heero respects most those who speak and follow through with action, more than those who just speak, which makes sense. I just had never thought of Zechs' actions on the battlefield as being indicative of 'following through' in a regard that would make an impression on Heero.
Another bit on Trowa and Heero: note that Trowa, now in Wing, transforms into bird mode. (The list of mecha Trowa flies during the series is the longest; more than any of the other pilots, with Heero and Quatre coming in distant tie for second, I think.) Heavyarms leaps upwards, and is towed away by Trowa. Once again, Heero leans on Trowa, letting Trowa guide/carry them forward. It echoes Heero's behavior around Duo, to some extent, or perhaps his actions with Duo were the earliest, minimal indication of the character development (leaning on Duo when injured, following Duo at the school, letting Duo pilot the shared shuttle). Once again, someone else provides/carries, while Heero takes/is carried.
The contrast is that where before Heero took without permission or reluctantly accepted help (as in Deathscythe's parts, or looking disgruntled at Duo's assistance getting free), now Heero willingly accepts the assistance. I think perhaps, to some degree, that's why we see the significant repetition of Heero feeling pain/discomfort at his injuries (when his physical strength is such a massive part of his self-identity). It indicates a chink in his armor, where he's finally able to let someone else in, to be a comrade, to admit he's not strong enough or self-reliant enough, but requires assistance.
And finally, Relena's observations as the episode closes: she doesn't care why the battle between Zechs and Heero occurred; she's just glad it's over. Meanwhile, Zechs insists Noin leave, so he can protect Relena by covering the getaway. I'm not sure if he's truly sincere, though. I don't know why I say that, but there's just something too...something about the tone of voice. After all, Noin had just about come right out and told him flatly that a battle only had meaning if it's to protect someone/thing, and that a soldier will only be "revitalized by having someone to protect". Well, he's just come out of a two-hour battle hammering on Heero, and wooo, he's revitalized! He's gonna whoop some OZ ass...but he's also had a major epiphany about just how callous and ruthless he's capable of being, and just how little the distinctions of honor and chivalry matter when blood and life are on the line.
Given that Zechs has consistently undermined himself, in his own head, as to his skills and worth and knowledge (despite proving again and again that he's got all that, no doubt to the outside observer), I'm distrustful that he'd want Noin to know he's realized that his role model has become a bloodthirsty, tunnel-vision, surly kid-pilot from the colonies. While Zechs doubts himself, he also bolsters himself via Noin's support, and I don't know if he could handle Noin seeing him as one more vicious soldier, instead of the honorable gentleman who protects the helpless. Sending Relena away from a "dirty" battle...could he be doing the same to Noin? Zechs is too damn good at lying – to other people, and to himself. I can't help but see his cry about victory to the colonies being a lie to himself, and his demand that he's got to protect Relena as a mirroring lie to Noin.
All that aside, it doesn't change the fact that Zechs went into this battle with Heero not entirely expecting to come out of it alive. Noin and Trowa both considered it meaningless, while Heero acted (prior to the battle) as though it were just one more event in a long string of them, and nothing important. In some ways, it seemed as though Zechs felt only he attached any importance to the staged battle, and perhaps it rankled that no one else around him saw just how much it mattered to him.
But now that enemy mecha have arrived, he can still achieve his peaceful end – and big final blowout – but at the same time, in a manner that's honorable to outside observers. He let the Gundam pilots, the underdogs, go free, and he protected his sister's retreat. Going down in a blaze of glory, and if he happens to be, at last, free to be bloodthirsty and ruthless on the battlefield at the same time, so much the better. He keeps up appearances, but secretly, finally, does so while getting something he wants, too.
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Date: 8 May 2005 07:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2005 02:31 pm (UTC)Zechs makes my brain ache.
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Date: 10 May 2005 03:54 am (UTC)Thinking about the pilots and their mechanical aptitudes; I don't really think that the pilots were expected to be mechanical wizards, after all, a fighter pilot isn't expected to maintain his craft- that's why each jet is assigned its own maintenence crew. The pilot's primary job is to fly the mission, and to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Still, at some point, every Gboy is seen either working on a gundam, scavenging parts, or else (in Wufei's case) some comment is made implying that the pilot will find a way to complete the unfinished work, so they must all have some basic ability. (I think the idea of Duo being a gearhead comes because he is apparently able to "recycle" parts, and he is shown using a spiffy flying helice.) I've always wondered if the scientists had some type of underground connections with earth-based rebel groups, and planned for the pilots to hook up with these groups for ground support. If so, then it might be assumed that Trowa, since he assumed another's identity, is deliberately avoiding Barton's partisans. Duo has the Sweepers, Quatre the Maguanac Corps, and Wufei's gundam apparently has valuable antiques stuffed under the seat, but what of Heero? Did J just toss him out and hope for the best? Did he perhaps figure that neither Heero nor the gundam would last long enought for it to matter? Is Heero ignoring J's contacts? What was J's real plan for Operation Meteor? Probably not what the Barton Foundation thought it was, I bet.
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Date: 10 May 2005 11:27 pm (UTC)Check. ^^;
"I'll thank him in my own way. I'll kill him." -- To some degree, [Heero] 's saying: "I'll kick his ass, if that's what he wants," and it's his usual dry tone. But maybe in another way it's a line drawn in the sand, saying: Zechs isn't up to Heero's level, and if Zechs wants to play at being so, Heero will show him the gratitude of a soldier, and slam him back down to his place.
To say that Heero will slam him back down to his place is awful reminiscent to the way Treize treats Zechs, don't you think? It's ironic in some ways... Heero is assuming--just like Treize--that he is superior to Zechs and that he'll win the battle, injury or no injury. It's like the way Treize is superior to Zechs even though Zechs is royalty and Treize is not. The "inferiority complex" that Zechs has might not be all that self-proclaimed, when you really think about it. Other than Noin and a few people who were willing to die for him, most of the crowd seems intent to assume that Zechs is just naturally inferior--there was Alex and Mueller, whom Zechs literally demoted himself to fight with under their command, and in the very beginning there were hinted tensions in the fact that although Zechs was Treize's right hand man, he himself had very limited power. And there was also the episode with Otto--Zechs couldn't handle Tallgeese and couldn't win Sanq on his own, but Otto--seemingly a random soldier, though obviously a longtime friend of Zechs--was stronger to his own death.
Getting back to Treize, Mr. K seems very intent on keeping a collar on Zechs--using his real name and thus Relena as a blackmail (I really think I heard blackmail in Treize's tone when he first said Millie's real name), and then there was the Une and Zechs metaphor earlier on with the two birds that he freed if only to come back to him, implying that they'd much rather stay in captivity in OZ, to the scene right here in ep 15 where the boy crawls away and then walks back, implying Treize is confident Zechs will return on his own... Treize has a habit of "slamming him back down to his place" quite often. Of course, where Heero is literal about it and does so only because Zechs asks for it (which is really ironic), Treize does it indirectly, from afar, and doesn't necessarily slam Zechs into his place so much as he assumes Zechs won't need to be slammed because he's potty trained and a Good Boy and thus already in his place to begin with. Which is worse in some ways.
What's even more ironic though is that when BOTH Heero and Treize assume they'll win the battle of slamming Zechs into his place, they also BOTH lose... Treize loses Zechs as a part of OZ, Heero got his ass kicked all over the glaciers. Funny isn't it?
From the young man [Heero] who could survive throwing himself out of a window, setting his own leg, and bending solid steel, he grunts in pain at just the act of putting on a coat.
That's because this injury is taking longer to heal than the others did--which could be direct physical link to the fact that he hasn't completely gotten over killing the doves or the fact that he's "on borrowed time" as you said. It's also the first injury that stays for a duration of episodes, also implying that even though Heero can do so many things, he's still not... well... perfect. He hurts, he bleeds and yes, he's human. It's probably there to contradict the way he was wowed with Duo... when you think about it, his time with Duo (flashy, lots of action, healthy, Heero Looks Good) and his time with Trowa (not-so-flashy, kind of depressed, injured, Heero Looks Bad) are complete opposites. Maybe that reflects Duo's and Trowa's weird character same-but-completely-different relationship? ^^; *thinks too much*
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Date: 10 May 2005 11:31 pm (UTC)Can anyone say... foreshadowing? Keep that in mind--I'm almost positive these roles switch in that last battle on Libra. I know I'm jumping way ahead, but this could be a MAJOR sign of Zechs' downfall vs Heero's rise up. I mean, it's just a little too ironic that right now Zechs is the one who desires to live and Heero the one to die, when in the Final Battle (c), Heero is the one who cries "I will survive," and Zechs ends up being the one to bite the dust. You know?
If [Relena] becomes an obstacle, she will end up a casualty; perhaps Zechs has not because he's not truly an obstacle to Heero's goals, quite yet?
No, he's not. The battle is focused on being meaningless and in the plot, the two of them fighting like this really doesn't accomplish much of anything. Zechs isn't really Heero's enemy now --Zechs isn't even really a part of OZ anymore, or at least, he's on the borderline cusp and he doesn't have a whole hell of a lot of power. Killing Zechs wouldn't get Heero any closer to freeing the colonies or giving OZ a blow. That's probably why Zechs did (kind of ) die in the last battle, and why he didn't die here, when Heero could have killed him more than once. *snerk* ~.^;
[Zechs is] willing to show Relena just "how dirty wars really are", as if the blinders have finally come off his own eyes about the aesthetic romanticism and he just wants blood.
Could be linked to the fact that he wants a battle, where Heero wants to die, and thus earlier thoughts on foreshadows of his downfall. Heero, despite everything, never seems to want revenge--he wants an exit... but Zechs is emotional and bent on kicking ass. Maybe, by taking the "blinders" off... he's just put another set on instead?
She says, "It's in the Peacecraft blood," and while Relena has been reckless a number of times so far, it's a first for Zechs (at least on-screen, that I can recall).
It's also interesting that Relena was reckless trying to do good, while Zechs was reckless trying to do bad. It shows how alike they are, but also how distant. They're two completely different people because of the war and what happened to their family. It probably gives cause to anger Zechs even more, who when you get down to it, just wants to figure out who he is. If he doesn't have Sanq, OZ, or the battle with Heero, (or even Noin now) than what does he have? Could he be afraid? He has been controlled his entire life and now he really is drifting--he has ties to no one with no orders to follow. That's got to be scary.
Zechs can't defeat Heero -- if Zechs can't kill him, Zechs will become him. And that means taking up the mantle of Heero's perceived goal: victory to the colonies.
I think this theory would work really well if you take the approach that Zechs (in some form) is trying to find an identity to attach himself to because he's got no where to go. It's also a spot where Zechs declares his distance from OZ for real. By giving glory to the colonies, he's going against OZ, right? In this moment, you could say he finally freed himself and did something that shows who he as a character stands for, ie: he's putting his wants--the colonies to be free--before Treize's grand plan, his birthright/name/heritage and other such chains he's been bound to. He's doing what he wants and he's doing it for himself. I don't think he's ever done that before (other than the battle with Heero just then, but that was partially with chain of his honor and chivalry, with broke in that moment), which is why it's such a key moment. Some powerful character development there.
*whew* Sorry for yapping. I was sent here by a friend to sic all your essays and I've been using what little time I've had on the internet stalking your essays. ^^; This the first time I've had a chance to comment, so... hee.
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Date: 10 May 2005 11:43 pm (UTC)it might be assumed that Trowa, since he assumed another's identity, is deliberately avoiding Barton's partisans
Now *thats* an interesting thought... I wonder if there was a fic designed to tackle that. I mean, you can't possibly walk around with a name like Barton and not get suspicious looks... I wonder why no one has caught on yet? Then again, if I remember right, Trowa ONLY told his last name to Quatre. I don't ever remember him saying it to the other pilots... nor the other pilots calling him by his last name... hmm...
I wonder why Quatre didn't react to the name? Maybe he knew something he wasn't supposed to know? *mutters the words "plot" and "bunny" and wanders off*
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Date: 11 May 2005 12:18 am (UTC)You're right about Barton. Hmmm. Although the circus does at least provide cover to some extent, which to me says he's used to groups, in that he slides right into the middle of one without even blinking.
Did J just toss him out and hope for the best?
No idea, really, but I think that's more possible than anything else.
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Date: 11 May 2005 12:21 am (UTC)And something I just thought of: that Heero may be throwing down the gauntlet and hoping it'll incite Zechs even further, to say that. Granted, it does play into Zechs' insecurities, but Heero is pretty much hell-bent-for-leather on escaping this mortal coil. If he were to go easy on Zechs, be friendly, Zechs and his pride might call a halt at first blood.
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Date: 11 May 2005 12:23 am (UTC)I'd write more but I am truly, completely burnt this evening. Will ponder, after I worship your comments a bit more. Waaaaaah.