Gundam 00 Episode 04 (Foreign Negotiation)

We begin this time with the HRL president denouncing the Celestial Beings actions as unprovoked attacks on his nation, which have resulted in the deaths of over 140 of it’s soldiers, and that he is labelling their actions as terrorist attacks.  The CB’s  Ptolemaios division are watching this announcement and one of the operators starts to wonder about what the president has stated, but Tiera steps up to reaffirm his belief in the correctness of the CB’s solution for peace, and says that if the HRL pushes back, then they will have to use even more force in their interventions to get their message across.  Back on Earth Setsuna watches the HRL announcement while looking at a newsclipping of Schenberg.  Once Tohru Furuya gives his briefing for the day (which is the same as last one other than mentioning the events of the previous episode), I can get underway for real……….

Summary: 

Is She A Person Who Does Not Deserve To Live Anymore

Marina is discussing yet another terrorist bomb going of in the vicinity of the government building with her advisor (who looks about as cunning and manipulative as Haman Khan and sounds about as much too).  Her countries parliament in order to control the chaos that has erupted after the countries sudden switch to solar power from fossil fuels (and likely the destabilizing effect it has had on jobs and the economy, but when you run out, you run out), has put her in charge of the government as a central power (whether a figurehead like Mineba Zabi, or a demagogue like Gihren Zabi is yet to be seen).  Advisor-chan warns that if the urban decay and chaos continues to worsen as it has up to this point, that the Celestial Beings may appear to put an end to it….with force.  This visibly disturbs Marina.

So Get Your Shoes On Brotha And Let’s Kick This Sucka Into High Gear (Sorry Couldn’t Resist With Lockon’s Basketball Homey Style Pose.  Seriously, I Half Expected Him To Turn Around And Slam Dunk Haro.  In Fact For At Least 2 Seconds When I Wasn’t Paying Attention, I Though The Orange Thing He Was Holding Was A Basket Ball)

On the lone island base, Lockon discusses with Allejuah about the Real IRA’s peace announcement they both heard, which while only temporary (as I thought), is excellent positive publicity for their cause.  Allejuah says it will start again if they don’t keep at the armed inteventions, so Lockon suggests he rest up as they’ll be keeping busy for the forseeable future.

I Built One Of These Out Of Lego Once, But Only Cause I Was Low On Good Pieces

She Doesn’t Seem All That Loli To Me.  In Fact I Thought She Was A Man When I First Saw Her Character Design

Meanwhile, (I love how this series jumps around so damn much between scenes) at the HRA Command Office, Sergei is being orded by his superior to capture one of the Gundam’s before the AEU or Union can so they can harvest the technology (In other words the hunted will be come the hunters).  Like Graham, he is being put in the prime position of a new task force to be assembled at his own descretion, but for one.  A certain soldier is to be assigned to him without objection, and this soldier, who is a young girl introduces herself formerly as Super Soldier Number 1 from the Ubermensch (Superman for non-German speakers) Facility, Soma Peries.  Sergei is reasonbly shocked at how young she is (but seriously everyone out there, she isn’t even close to being a loli).

August 29th, 1997…… Judgement Day

I Like How She Can Run Him Like A Dog And Yet Is Cowering Behind Him.  She Must Really Not Like Setsuna

In Tokyo, Setsuna has a vision of himself sitting on a bench in a park while all the people are enjoying themselves, only to suddenly be enveloped in the flames of an airstrike (possible trauma from his youth) and the city levelled entirely (he doesn’t budge).  After the vision is over, Saji approaches him with Louise in tow.  Setsuna greets him by his name and when Louise asks who he is, Saji introduces him as his neighbour, and Setsuna introduces himself in the usual manner.

Slick!

Meet You New Best Friends

Meanwhile in the Union, Graham’s custom flag has been given a thruster tweak, reinforced armor, and some anti-beam coating along with a new test type rifle (I’m assuming beam) and a spiffy new black coat of paint.  Billy has also put in some form of anti-g system to allowe Graham to withstand the some 12g’s the unit is now capable of.  Graham congratulates both the professor and Billy on their work and two new subordinates come into to greet him.  One introduces himself as Warrant Officer Howard Mason, and introduces the other as Master Sergeant Daryl Dutch.  Graham welcomes them as his flag fighters.

At Least A Few Things Haven’t Changed For The Design Of The Neo White House

At the White House, the president is talking with his advisor David, about how glad he was to see the commentators on the news expressing concern over the CB trying to act like the world’s policemen (okay this is funny on so many levels coming from a guy sitting in a White House with a Bald Eagle on the floor.  I think the irony is supposed to be obvious.  I never liked this president to begin with anyway since they first introduced him.  In fact all the three powers leaders are to concerned about their own affairs and not enough about the bigger picture.  We’ll have to see if their shorterm quickfix Republican style policies backfire on them).  Just then a staff member enters the office and informs the President that something called Taribia is about to make an announcment, which the President seems to contemplate.

Get That Moe Look Off Your Look Right Now Missy

FOX NEWS ALERT

On the Ptolemaios, Sumeragi muses over how they have 12 intervention plans, all of which are far to risky to undertake at the moment.  Just then an operator informs her that Taribia is about to make that annoucement.  The announcement is a formal withdrawal from the Union who the Taribian leader announces as to far in the interests of one nation of the 50 involved in the Union (I wonder what that nation could be.  And I swear by my life this is the first time I watched this episode.  I do my summaries as I watch, so I had no idea my prediction of a policy backfire would come true just a minute later.  I guess I’m just that good with predicting the causes and effects of political maneuvers).  If you guessed the United States, you are correct.  The HRA and AEU political bodies watch as well as Taribia openly declares rebellion against the United States (and man is this starting to remind me of the Front Mission games more and more.  See Front Mission 4’s plot for what I mean).

Back in Marina’s country, Marina worries about the announcement and that while Taribia must have had a strong will to break free from the Union, they are now isolated and vulnerable to exploitation.  She wonders if her countries isolation and decay leaves her similarly isolated and without allies as well.  The vulnerability of her people has apparently hit her for the first time.

Now That’s More Loli Like It

Now Get Dressed For Combat…..Oh Wait You Are…..

In the HRL barracks, Sergei tests Soma on why she thinks Tarabia has made such a bold action, and she makes the obvious reply that Tarabia feels if the Union tries to retake Taribia, the CB might intervene.  Back with Marina, Advisor-Chan says that if the Union does bite and a Gundam intervention is successful, then they might be able to consider using CB’s help as well.  In a car, Wang comments that even if countries might feel they are able to use the CB, they still move on their own.  On the bridge of the Ptloemaios, Sumeragi enters and everyone hears the announcement that they are beginning the mission.

EYECATCH!

Now That’s Some Quick Response

DUNK IT! DUNK THE HAROSKETBALL LOCKON!

On the news the Union Congress has announced it’s intention to send armed forces to Taribia and Setsuna is seen running along the street to his destination, which is Tokyo harbour (People now finally start making valid comparsions to Gundam Wing now and Heero’s tendency to store the Wing underwater).  On the lone island base Lockon and Allejuah are ready as well.  This time things are a little different though, as Graham, Howard and Daryl sortie, and I doubt it’s to join in with the rest of the Union campaign.

I Remember This From Front Mission 4

DAMN IT MAVERICK!  Oh Wait Wrong Franchise

The Ptolemaios operators give the Gundams a quick briefing on the Union and Taribian side of the forces, both of whom appear very prepared for a long and drawn out slugfest.  On a Union battleship the bridge crew sees the Exia fly right by them on the way to Taribia (this is just about the coolest shot in the entire series so far).  Several Union flags are also in pursuit of the other two Gundams, requesting guidance from the Union Command, but the Kyrios and Dynames jam the transmission (The flags are literally flying in the wake of the GN particles exhaust so they might not even be doing it deliberately).  Marina, the HRA, The Union and the AEU and Taribia itself are all waiting to see who will fire the first shot and whether the Celestial Beings will be willing to get involved or if they are just there to observe (In other words the whole worlds eyes are on one insignificant region in the backwater sub-nations of the Union).

What’s Up With Wang’s Sudden Lack Of Breasts And Lolification

Cut Em Up Guy

This Shot Doesn’t Do The Sequence Justice Really

I Didn’t Know The Dynames Sniper Beam Rifle Was A VSBR

Sumeragi gives the order to start the mission….and the Gundams attack the Taribian side.  Not expecting the Gundams to attack them or any possible Union units to arrived so quickly (it pays to have flight) a Taribian platoon is caught completely off guard by Dynames’ sniping and is routed.  Apparently what Taribia didn’t know is that the CB will strike down any nation with a militaristic agenda (this according to little princess Wang who is sipping juice casually on an island with her manslave),  and according to Setsuna they have judged Taribia to be the most guilty of such an agenda.  Totally isolated and without a chance of winning against either the Gundams or the fast approaching Union Army, the Taribians who totally misread the CB have little choice but to put up a meager and unorganized resistance, which of course fails.  The Taribian Prime Minister asks for a line to the Union President, who is finally named as Brian.  Brian is willing to welcome Taribia back into the Union and to send troops to protect them from the CB if Taribia will withdraw it’s cessation notice.  They agree, and Brian orders that the Union Army attack the CB.  On the Ptlolemaios Sumeragi is informed (apparently the operators can intercept isolated transmissions on earth quite easily) of the shift in alliances, and order the mission to enter withdrawal phase (Since this isn’t seed the Gundams need to get out of their….like RIGHT NOW!).

IT’S A TRAP!

Slick!

Hey, At Least He Didn’t Try To Commit Suicide Afterward

To late though, as Operator-Chan picks up a fast moving Union unit that is gaining on Exia.  It has double the speed of a normal flag (but not triple.  If only Graham had painted it Red Salmon Pink instead).  Graham’s Custom Flag is far to fast for the Exia and quickly overwhelms Setsuna, scoring a direct hit (turns out it was only a rail gun) and knocking it into the ocean (that was almost too easy, maybe they overdid it on the necessary specs for the Custom Flag, but it pays to be prepared).  Howard congratulates Graham on accomplishing his goal of sinking the Exia, but Graham considers it a successful retreat though, and feels that the Exia probably got away and can function underwater.

In Azadeistan (Marina’s country), Advisor-Chan explains Tarbia’s mistake and how it only led to a strengthed Union in the end and worked out for the benefit of the Celestial Beings alone.  She states that if Marina can’t understand the lessons from this event, and how any mistake could be total ruin to her country, she has no right to lead it.  Back at Saji’s he is given a lecture as to his naivete on the way the world works by his sister, and we see that Setsuna is alive and well in the apartment next door.

Thoughts:  This series obviously loves me, as it gives me exactly what I’ve always wanted more of in Gundam, complex political intrigue.  Here we see that the Union and the HRA both have achieved viable counterforces for the Gundams in Graham’s Anti-Gundam team, and Sergei’s team with the Super Soldier who we have yet to see in action.  I predicted this would be the result, but it almost seems like the Celestial Beings did as well, and they almost seem to not care, at least for now.  The Celestial Beings are also thinking several steps ahead.  They’re actions brought about the incentive for Taribia to attempt a withdrawal, thinking they’d have CB’s resources to assist them, but then the CB turned it in there favour and instead attacked Taribia for it’s belligerence, sending a message to the world that they truly stand by their creed to halt all military action through force.  This whole scenario is likely to gain them even more noteriety and it’s interesting to see how 3 episodes worth of action can be linked to the outcome of this.  I talked about how the 3 powers short term self interested political style of policy earlier and how it would backfire on them, and sure enough it has.  The Celestial Beings clearly have a long term plan to make their mission work and have read into almost every maneuver the 3 powers have made so far.  If there is going to be any solid chance of them countering the Gundams, they are going to need a policy like Advisor-Chan suggested, but then that’s exactly the kind of thing the CB wanted.  Very very devious and cunning.  God I love this series right now.  Other than that, we see more of Setsuna’s obvious trauma and desensitization to violence in his hallucination, and Wang continues to loli it up away from the action.  How humiliating would it be for the 3 powers leaders to find out that some little girl in a tropical get up is giggling and mocking them from somewhere far off while sipping a drink casually.  Also concering Wang is that she got a sudden loli character design makeover.  What’s up with that.  Marina is also introduced formally this episode, but the real star of this episode are the politicians.  I continue to enjoy this series outside-in look to the Main Characters, as their goals and personalities are revealed over time, as if we the viewer are experiencing their actions from only what they allow us to see.  The way it would be if we were to meet them in real life.  I’m pretty much sold on this Gundam series now and can’t wait for the next episode and the intrigue I am hopeful it will bring.

Rating: Nine And A Half Out Of Ten