which is exactly why you need to focus on all the small parts, since the charecter based plot was so inexistent...
I'm not saying that it was good, or even made on purpose (more likely that they were just lazy about trying to get the plot somewhere), but it's still a chance to focus on less relevent (or less intersting) points, which was the overall politics of the anime.
the fact that the queen gave in to the army's idea of being offensive, the fact that she used civilians in order to attack and spy at the enemy (I can't remember the exact term, but i'm pretty sure it's condemed by the Genova treaty), the fact that the bad army took the food with them (I thought that they wanted to make the tristan army steal food from the citizens and create a rising against them), and the nobles unexplained desire to get themselves killed for no good reason...

sure, It's been a turn for the worse from the first season (which wasn't a masterpiece by itself), but it's not completly horrible...

also, the part with Anies riding Colberts back was a complete ripoff/homage/remake of Trigun 06 - when the girl from July is taken by Vash.. Trigun is probably the best anime ever...