Code Geass Episode 2: Discussion

[gods-debris.livejournal.com]

Stage 2: 覚醒の白き騎士
The Awakening of the White Knight









Lelouch seems a little confused as to why he was granted such a power—which he even calls weird. He's still confused as to what the strange girl who seems to be lying dead before him wanted him to do exactly. But you know, we never get much time to sit and think before something else happens. Before Lelouch knows it Villetta shows up and threatens him to tell her what happened. Even though it was a dangerous moment Lelouch at least learns that he cannot use his new power without having direct eye contact with the person.

I'm happy to see that Suzaku survived his ordeal with the bullet and that his father's watched ended up saving his life. I don't know whether to say it's ironic or if it's just coincidence that his father's watch saved him. As we all know, Suzaku puts his life on the line due to his past but when he came to Llyod told him that he missed his chance to get to heaven. I wonder if that was just a coincidence of if Llyod somehow knows, through all his smarts, what Suzaku subconscious little desire is.

Also, even though Shirley almost had Lelouch killed by her calling his cell, Lelouch quickly forgives her and even calls her up for some information to see if there's any talk of the little war happening on television. Shirley, who has a thing for Lelouch, rightfully feels used by the boy. I guess we'd all have a hard time saying no to Lelouch if he asked us to do something for him, eh?

So Lelouch decides he's going to get involved and help out the terrorists since he doesn't exactly like Britannia. But I gotta be honest, his whole thing with Kallen about trusting him made me think of Aladdin and Jasmine. I know I'm probably out of place but all I saw when he told Kallen that if she trusted him they'd win was Aladdin outstretching his hand to Jasmine asking, "Do you trust me?"

The whole mental battle between Lelouch and Clovis was rather cute. Lelouch has always been able to beat Clovis at chess and so he was pretty confident of himself in those regards. But poor Clovis had no idea what he was up against until the very end. You know, they painted Clovis as such a bad guy in the first two episodes but I always wondered throughout the rest of the series if he really was the bad guy they made him out to be? Or was he really just trying desperately to please his father and get some sort of recognition? In that regard, he seems a little more like Lelouch, doesn't he? Well, aside from trying to please his father... Lelouch is pretty intent on destroying him, but he is trying to get some sort of recognition from his father whether it be positive or negative I feel.

Does anyone else feel that Lelouch got extremely lucky? He said that seeing the enemy's positions was a double edged sword but if the terrorists followed his commands they would win. I assumed that he meant it was double edged because the enemy could technically see his position since he was one of their Kightmares. Also, the Knightmares he gave the terrorists should be able to see all the positions too, right? Or did I miss something completely? Clovis and his army also changed the transmission code a few times but Lelouch was still able to see their positions, I'm assuming, since he was in the Knightmare. And if the terrorists are using the army's Knightmares, shouldn't the army be able to see their location, too? Or did they change the frequency of theirs all together? As far as the terrorist's singles, they are not showing up on Clovis' screen at all.

At any rate, Clovis fell right into Lelouch's plan and it all fell apart at that point for him. Lelouch is very skilled at playing the game and playing it well. He acknowledged at the beginning that he had to be careful since the difference in this game was that he was playing with human lives, but at the same time we know that sort of mentality has to change if he really wants to do what he aims to do. I don't think that the fact he's killing people has really hit him just yet. At this point Lelouch realizes that he can defeat Britannia—that it is possible—and Clovis really begins to wonder who the heck he's fighting against because whoever it is is good. Really good. Because of that fear that he really will lose everything he gives into Lloyd's request to use his Lancelot, but only under the pretence that the fight will end in his favor. Ohh, Clovis.

Suzaku still feels the need to find Lelouch and save him along with the girl. The ironic part is that he doesn't realize that Lelouch is in front of him; and Lelouch, who still believes Suzaku is dead, doesn't realize that Suzaku is right in front of him. The ironic part is that Suzaku attempts to destroy the Knightmare Lelouch is in without realizing who is really inside! But we do get a sense of who Suzaku is and what he prioritizes when he saves the falling Eleven citizen no one would have thought that of a Britannian soldier.

Last minute Clovis calls off his troops in the nick of time. Kallen and her gang got very lucky, if Lelouch had been a few moments later she might have died along with her comrades. But with the cat out of the bag for Lelouch with Clovis, he's always down to business. So Lelouch tells Clovis that he has returned to change everything. It looks like we'll have to wait to see what exactly he plans to change.

Next week is Stage 3: 偽りのクラスメイト
The Deceitful Classmate

Comments

[katsura-shinju.livejournal.com]

This is funny because I actually started rewatching it without thinking about this a few days ago.

But hrrnnngghh Lloyd. Watching this episode rekindled my love for him.

For the terrorists' Knightmares, they had their IFFs removed or somethng, iirc?

[nayami.livejournal.com]

About Clovis as the bad guy, apparently that's what FukuJun thought too so he was completely shocked to learn that Clovis was gone by episode 3. XD

And the rebel Knightmares could see the enemy positions. That strategy was involved in the "shoot them through the wall" move. They also used it in planning their attacks. The Britannians can see the rebel Knightmares, but they also assume they are their own forces so aren't thinking about attacking them. They only later realize their own forces are fighting them, and by that point aren't sure who is who so they can't just start randomly attacking spread-out Knightmares.

Also, I've never quite got the animosity Lelouch has always held for Clovis. It always seemed so unfair, given their not exactly vicious past, aside from Lelouch beating his pants at chess. And I never got the feeling Clovis treated him cruelly. There was just something about Clovis he resented and I mean beyond the way he feels about him for what he's become as governor general because there he is justified. It's always struck me as odd. :|a

[nayami.livejournal.com]

And now for more random observations:

- It's kind of scary the Villetta just shot a huge Knightmare gun at a student, but wow that's some impressive aim, considering how big those bullets must be. 0_o
- I also like the nice play on hierarchy we have here with Villetta's reaction to Lelouch saying he is a duke. It's good foreshadowing to his revelations later in the episode.
- I always enjoy Lelouch learning how his power works step by step. It's kind of adorable.
- I'm still a bit confused on why Lloyd decided to use Suzaku for Lancelot. Is it because he's expendable since the military probably expects him to be dead at this point? Cecile mentions Suzaku excelling at the simulations, but Suzaku himself says an Eleven can't be a knight so how could he have been tested prior to meeting with Lloyd and Cecile. On this note, I do love how Suzaku is referred to as a devicer since he is not allowed to be called a knight like the rest of the pilots. I guess pilot is also out of the picture since the Lancelot is an experimental model. Just a lot of interesting wordplay going on here.
- Also interesting is Suzaku's main reason for fighting in this episode: To save Lelouch and C.C. We very much get the feeling from his conversation with Cecile that this is the only reason he agreed to take Lancelot. A bit ironic considering how much he will soon despise the both of them. Also Suzaku's desire to end the fight as soon as possible, regardless of what it takes, so he can increase his chances of finding Lelouch and C.C. alive. Which makes it especially interesting to watch him devastate his enemies left and right, with little to no reaction, but his moral sense of justice kicks in immediately when it comes to saving someone, as Cecile quickly notes.
- I also love the classic dynamic as its inverted in this episode, where it's obvious that Lelouch (leading the terrorists) is supposed to be the villain, while Suzaku (championing the flagging Britannians) is supposed to be the hero. This is shown in Suzaku's mecha-hero godmode fighting style versus Lelouch's snide quips about his success and his class villain OH NOES moment when he realizes he's being defeated by ONE machine, along with his griping about the uselessness of the terrorists.
- But this is also further inverted, as we see Lelouch react to Kallen's rescuing him. I love the "the most important element in battle is the human element," something that Lelouch does learn to consider fully. And more so with his ordering Clovis to see to the casualties on both sides. A very clever way of showing how gray the series truly is when it presents the well-known models and then shows them to be the facades they are, and we all know how Geass LOVES its facades.

I really hate you, word count

[nayami.livejournal.com]

- It's something to watch Lelouch change from somewhat nervous to be trapped with the terrorists in the first episode to being fairly unfazed in a battlefield in this one. Though he does still express his anxiety from time to time, it's more of a clinical self-assessment, another trait of his that I adore. But another important element of this scene is his simplifying the entire chaos to a chess game. While this looks just plain snazzy and awesome, it also shows how Lelouch doesn't yet truly understand what real battle is and is still very much a very damaged child, especially shown in his Lancelot tantrums and his annoyance at things like reinforcements. LOL.
- On this note, I enjoy the quick scene of him tapping into all the Britannian intelligence so he can relay it to the terrorists.
- I always wonder if the scene where Clovis is so horrified upon realizing how he's losing if he's not subconsciously thinking of his brother and that's what it hits him especially hard. Though he's also an arrogant floof who is used to things being taken care of for him since he became governor general so there's that too. He really is an AWFUL military commander.
- First time Lelouch took out the ground on someone. The creators eventually ended up loving how easy this move was to prepare and execute that they made it his signature to the point where he uses it at times that it's completely arbitrary (R2).
- I love Lelouch calling the terrorists pawns, especially Tamaki's reaction. Oh Tamaki.
- Still get chills at the entire last scene of this episode, especially the closing line. So good.

[ka.livejournal.com]

- MAN I MISSED THIS OPENING \O/ it's one of those anime openings that just gets me instantly excited/happy
- lmfao "allen spacer" o ok lelouch
- OH JOYOUS, SUZAKU SHIRTLESS
- lloyd called him an eleven? hmm, never noticed that.
- i remember this is where i started thinking code geass was super cool and worth watching- when lelouch starts giving orders lmao
- lelouch and his insane laugh :D
- LANCELOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
- suzaku is so lovely :3
- LMFAO THE LANCELOT JUST PULLED A SPINZAKU
- i actually like clovis, boooo
- and i love this ending

... i am not very analytical today, it seems.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

It's almost as good as Alex Dino. Almost.

And ACK you reminded me I meant to include the first classic crazy Lelouch laugh and spinzaku Lancelot in my notes. Sob.

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

But I gotta be honest, his whole thing with Kallen about trusting him made me think of Aladdin and Jasmine. I know I'm probably out of place but all I saw when he told Kallen that if she trusted him they'd win was Aladdin outstretching his hand to Jasmine asking, "Do you trust me?"

Ah, but isn't Lelouch the princess, not the handsome rogue off the streets? Hmmm AU possibilities hmmmm...

I think the thing with Clovis was explained in one of the sound dramas, actually (Because Sunrise just loves doing that All There In the Manual trope) - basically, he hated the Japanese because he felt it was their fault that his little brother and sister died. Is that irony? I think that's irony.

Also, Clovis was a bit of a royal softie lazybones who liked throwing parties and painting and stuff, but he was also a racist, genocidal jerkass. So while I think it's a point in Sunrise's favour that they managed to show two sides and such complexity to such a relatively insignificant character, he wasn't really 'not such a bad guy after all'. He was, he just also had some redeeming/softer qualities. Which I guess holds true for practically everyone in this anime, now that I thin of it...

I think the reason the terrorists couldn't see the locations of the other Knightmares was because they weren't part of the network (?) that was already established between all the Knightmares already in play. They were a new shipment fresh off the train, right, so they weren't part of the group that Clovis's soldiers were using. Clovis thought someone was hacking him, I don't think it occurred to him that someone had captured a fully functioning Knightmare from his soldiers because that's not something that should be possible if the opponents are using force to subdue the pilot. Or maybe it's just that Lelouch really was hacking him, IDK how that stuff works.

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

- I also like the nice play on hierarchy we have here with Villetta's reaction to Lelouch saying he is a duke. It's good foreshadowing to his revelations later in the episode.

Ah, man, I keep forgetting that we don't know Lelouch's background right off the bat. Heck, we don't know anything about his past or motivation until episode 7 or so, do we?

[m-nemonica.livejournal.com]

- OH JOYOUS, SUZAKU SHIRTLESS

i concur there is simply too much sexzaku in this episode. );

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Well no, he does ask Clovis about Marianne in the next episode so we know he's vengeful about his mother, but we don't know the entirety of what happened until the Stage 7 flashback. But this episode was the first time we understood why he called himself Lelouch vi Britannia at the end of Stage 1.

[gods-debris.livejournal.com]

Well, in the first episode he used his last name when he commanded the soldiers to kill themselves so we know his last name is Britannia and we know the leading power in charge is Britannians... so we put 2 and 2 together, I believe. We just really don't know much about him.

We knows he's a prince by the end of episode 2, too!

[ka.livejournal.com]

suzaku should be shirtless in every episode.

ACTUALLY EVERYONE SHOULD PILOT KNIGHTMARES NAKED :D

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

THE FIRST CRAZYLOUCH LAUGH ♥♥♥

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

That might be uncomfortable, but totally worth it.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Lelouch is totally the princess. Also, I am loling at the image of Lelouch hacking Clovis.

I always got the feeling Clovis was just really sheltered from anything but royal life. So he acted like a stuck-up royal when things went wrong, but he mainly just wanted to lavish in decadence and enjoy himself. Though I did forget that thing about him hating the Japanese. I mainly remembered he asked to become the governor general so that he could defeat the place that took his siblings from him, thus solving the one puzzle Lelouch could not. It was almost like their final match to him.

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

Oh, right. But. Yeah, we still don't know much about it until several episodes in.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I don't know... I think Kallen might have some complaints about that, given Guren's pilot positioning. >>

[ichinichinemasu.livejournal.com]

Really, I just want to say how much I enjoyed the whole Lancelot launch thing in this episode. I love Llyod <33, and how he points out that Suzaku "didn't quite make to heaven this time" like you said, I think he did know something about Suzaku's motives XD. Although it still confuses me why Suzaku is given the Lancelot (convenient random not-dead guy with good testing scores?), it's interesting Llyod and Cecile's whole commentary on how it has the power to transform him. And it does, just like Lelouch's power! So you really see him become something other than random foot soldier and more like a knight and balancing power. Also enjoyed the rationale that he was doing it to save Lelouch and CC. OH IRONY.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

It is a beautiful laugh of bonkers.

[ichinichinemasu.livejournal.com]

Dude, I also noticed the spinzaku!! And the crazy laugh XD

[ka.livejournal.com]

KALLEN CAN DEAL WITH IT. or actually, just suzaku can pilot his naked. yeah, that sounds good :D

... gino too.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

The launch is soooo sexy. And good catch on the "power to transform" bit regarding Suzaku and Lancelot. It does pretty much end up being the rival to Lelouch's Geass for the most part, and it's primarily what sets them against each other. So I guess the question becomes "Transform him into what?" :o

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually listened to that sound drama very recently, so I could be mistaken, but I at least think he said something to the effect of "The Elevens let Lelouch and Nunnally die, I want to punish them for it" as well as that thing about solving Lelouch's final puzzle...

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

And Lelouch.

Boy, Shirley's going to get a shock later...

[ichinichinemasu.livejournal.com]

In addition to agreeing about the hero/villain thing:

I love the "the most important element in battle is the human element," something that Lelouch does learn to consider fully.

That line also struck me! It's how he always seems to get tripped up.