Episode 21 Discussion

[nayami.livejournal.com]

All righty, back for our weekly episode response. The thing I really like about this one is although half of it could be regarded as sheer crack, there is more than a healthy amount of foreshadowing. People who do not realize this episode is going to get dark fast are not paying attention. Sunrise can indeed do subtle for those willing to listen.



I really got a kick out of Lelouch and Suzaku getting chewed out for missing school since this is something most animes ignore in favor of their saving the world plotlines. Lelouch looked like he was seriously considering geassing that teacher. As this episode begins with telling our characters not to be stupid, the rest of the episodes shows they weren't exactly listening. We have Lelouch on the school roof, doing his Zero thing, and then *surprised* when Millay shows up out of nowhere with her "pinchi." Lelouch, you do not do your super secret plotting on the school roof IN THE MIDDLE OF A FESTIVAL. I was really hoping for Millay to scream out Lulu when she ran up. That would teach him. And let's not forget how dumbass also thinks it's cool to chill with Euphemia on the school steps in the middle of a televised festival. I don't care if he thinks they can't be seen. They should go INSIDE! Strategy, Lelouch. Sense!

Cut to Ougi and Villeta cuteness, which is nearly obscured by Ougi considering using Refrain on Villetta to find out about Zero. WTF? Me thinks its time for a new commander. Then, there's Kallen who's still fixated on shiving a bitch, Suzaku to be specific. This of course leads into the hey let's throw everybody with a secret/secret identity into the same room at the same time and see who cracks first. Shirley, give up on trying to become part of the plot. It's just not your time.

Now while all this hilarious dorkery is ensuing, we have C.C. giving us our *HINTHINT* moment of the day. She chastises Lelouch for using geass too recklessly, the reason why he can't use geass to get out of the situation. I find this funny since she's constantly telling him to geass problem people, although I don't know if she really means it. She might just want him to stop bitching. Our other hinthint moment comes with the shot of carving girl, reminding us of Lelouch's earlier experiments. Not to mention Lelouch's whole back-and-forth between being tense about being seen about not having time for these sort of frivolities and his appreciation of the chance to relax. Calm before the storm indeed. Oh and back to C.C. for one minute, isn't she just adorable in her Ashford uniform with her widdle plate? I love how she's totally willing to sabotage everything just for pizza, and Lelouch is practically at wit's end with her. The loss of her beloved pizza was so melodramatic.

Then there's Euphie. Dear sweet naive Euphie. Who, as many have said, has the worst notion of disguise possible. Does that hat ever cover her hair buns? The Britannians bring on the incest vibes, with Schneizel flirting up an embarrassed Cornelia who just really wants to find Euphemia, and of course Nunnally and Euphemia's wuv for Lelouch. Can we argue that this love is the catalyst for everything that can and will go wrong? Lelouch is clearly angry at Euphemia for taking away Suzaku from Nunnally. I also personally think he's jealous but that is entirely too messed up for me to take on in this review. Euphemia believes that her Special Zone will help her beloved brother and bring a smile to her precious Suzaku. I find it funny that whenever Lelouch and Euphemia are alone, they always have to bring up Suzaku for something. And it is Lelouch's love for his mother and his peaceful life and the need to avenge both that cause Euphemia's plan to threaten him on such a level. Oh I forgot about Shirley, whose blossoming love for Lelouch leads to a jealous urge to get him away from another girl and effectively ends up blowing Euphie's cover right before Euphemia can preview her plan with Lelouch. Conclusion: love sucks in Geass.

And wow, Euphie, you managed to score a 100 on both the betrayal scale and the adding another to Lelouch's long list of losing everything important to him. Bravo, girl.

Plus the Marianne/Ganymede connection and yay Termi-Orange. So who's up for some killing next episode?


ETA: Thanks to sinspire for clearing up the Ougi Refrain part.

Comments

[tatooine.livejournal.com]

My favorite part of the episode:

TV Guy: We now interrupt our regular programming...
Laksharta: Who the hell is this girl interrupting my soap operas?
Toudou: Indeed, we will never know who fathered her coma-child.

(Okay, they live in a trailer. Maybe a submarine. I'm sure Laksharta pirated cable from the first day she shipped out to the Black Knights -- they have to be daytime television whores.)

You know, this is odd, but the thing that pissed me off the most about Euphie's announcement was how they effed up the animation. She looked so weird the whole time. Rar rar rar? Rar. And while what she did was kind of dumb... hey, she's not the brains of the show, she's the idealist. And she's used to trusting her siblings to tell her when she's probably hurting her own cause. She expected Cornelia to tell her that appointing Suzaku was wrong, clearly she trusts Schneizel -- and Schneizel, her smart big brother, told her she was doing awesome. So the brilliant guy agrees with her plan -- it's only reasonable for Euphie to assume that a) if Schneizel is smart and b) Schneizel sees nothing wrong with it, then c) it's good. Geass would be a lame show if everyone was a brilliant tactician.

Also, I want to know how much Nunally knows. Her "What are your feelings for Lelouch now?" has to be loaded. I mean, she can't see, so Lelouch wearing a mask as Zero shouldn't mean anything to her. She should be able to hear him on TV and go "Big brother!" Nunally: like Mokuba, in a way. I'm also waiting for it to be important that she's blind and he can't Geass her, but right now I just want her to slip up and go "Lulu, you've been breaking Cornelia-nee-sama's toys again, haven't you?"

[meitsu.livejournal.com]

LOL, I do not recall that scene, did Toudou really say that!? XDDD

[tatooine.livejournal.com]

I was just joking. XD

[meitsu.livejournal.com]

................................
OTL don't play mind tricks on meH!

[nayami.livejournal.com]

The idea of the Black Knights' sub = trailer is pure awesome. Laksharta definitely plays up the trailer trash wench at times. Yet she still manages to stay SMOKIN'.

I didn't notice the animation, probably because I was too busy going "oh you poor poor child" at the both of the idiots. I just can't help but feel bad for Euphemia because she really did think this was for the best. She really needs to learn to not take either of her brothers at face value. I suggest she go straight to Cornelia next time. So far Cornelia seems to be the sanest of the Britannians, and that scares me.

I also wonder about Nunnally. She knows her brother better than anyone and should very well be able to recognize his voice. Nice Yugioh reference there. I think I was playing that up when she got kidnapped by Mao that one time. But if she's being coy, she certainly is a devious little minx about it. I also wonder why she would bring up Euphemia and Suzaku to Lelouch. That final line though, that would be gold. Dark Nunnally indeed.

[tatooine.livejournal.com]

"TOUDOU, WHAR THE HELL IS MAH WRENCH?"

Cornelia doesn't seem like she's in a good place right now -- even when Guilford was all "Uh, Euphemia's doing something retarded" she just sounded sad or resigned to me. She might wind up pulling a "Shut up, who cares, I have to remind Schneizel that my face is up here." And Euphie, yes. I'd be sad if I weren't so excited about what's going to happen next.

Kidnappings? Check. Dependent on older brother? Check. Too much hair? Check. I don't want to venture into Nightmare of Nunally territory (XD), but augh, I'll be pissed off if she doesn't know, because she quite clearly should. If it wasn't somehow significant that she's blind, she wouldn't be.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Does that make Toudou's squad their lazy-ass brood?

Maybe Schneizel has her in a bind since she hasn't been able to do much since he showed up. I think this could also just be the creators shafting her. >_> And I think she needs to deck Schneizel.

Well, didn't the creators say something about her being important in the final part? It does seem weird to make someone blind due to trauma just for the sake of it in a series where a majority of the plot is dependent on the eyes. But would you be able to geass someone who can't see? It's just mind control when you get down to it. I don't think you really need anything aside from eye contact: you looking into their eyes. I don't know. I'm probably over-thinking this. I do that too much with Geass.

[powercorrupts.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering it a lot, actually, why she didn't recognize his voice. She seems to be especially sensitive to sound, so the fact that she doesn't recognize her own brother's voice has seemed odd to me since the first time she heard him speak.