Gundam 00 Episode 11

[Buffalobiian]

Not as much action as last week since it's a character development episode. I really liked how Allelujah actually sees his other self talking to him. I'd say it makes it realistic, but then again, I wouldn't know. Tieria can link up the entire ship and spy on people aye? I wonder how much of a cyborg he is. I doubt he's a completely computerized being. He was surprisingly understanding of Allelujah this ep. Normally he'd say he's inept and go take down the thing himself. Or maybe he's just calculated that having Allelujah around is worth it.

[masamuneehs]

I didn't really take to this episode.

I thought it was a bit early to have Allelujah "confront his past" and all that. I agree it's a good idea to end that program, especially from a long-term CB point of view (just look how much trouble that pink haired chick is!). But I disagree with how it was carried out.

Allelujah, I don't really like him.
Hallelujah, I really fucking like him!

I was initially very interested in their past regarding the space shuttle flashback, which was repeated this time also. It seemed to have something to do with the 'disposal' that didn't go as planned... But I felt we didn't get the "full picture" yet of exactly what happened on that space shuttle with Allelujah and his better half... I felt like they just dodged around it. while he was freaking out in front of the Super Soldier kiddy massacre center, they made that flashback into some confrontation symbolism bullshit by having the kid who Hal was about to kill turn into Al, raise his gun 'to fight his "evil" side', and fall for Hal's taunts by blowing away all the little boys and girls with a missile barrage.

But, if you look at that flashback the first time it's presented, it's pretty clear that the boy H/Al murder isn't Allelujah. In fact, the boy looks to be Allelujah's friend, someone who probably even helped him escape the program. The boy clearly has a voice actor every time the flashback starts, screaming Allelujah's name... but I haven't looked through the cast list to see if he's named or not... Probably one of those forgotten, unfinished Gundam footnotes that is ten times more interesting than the main story...

So, yeah, I reluctantly agree (much like Tieria did) that Allelujah's mission plan was a very good idea. And, from their standpoint, all you can really do is blow the kids away in a rather merciful death (although I'm sure a few died horribly slow deaths in the building collapse, not to mention the singularity of one unfortunate enough to possibly survive that attack and roam the space colony as a freaking psychotic orphan. But I don't think they should have let Allelujah do it, even if he did propose the mission. He almost crapped out, and then it'd have all been for naught. I also dislike it because it gives Allelujah (and the others) precedent to try to make personal convictions into missions. Maybe next time he (or Setsuna) won't ask Sumeragi...

Sumeragi's last name is Noriega? Good grief Internationalism Brown.

Was my mecha animu trying to sell me a bottle of Johnny Walker with that last scene?

Tieria pwned those colony guards. Freaking weak. No mecha action in this episode.

oh. also. Tieria = Aerolia Schenburger's embodiement of GOD. If God had a hermaphrodite spawn using nanomachines instead of some dumb Palestinian bitch, it would have been the Gospel of Tieria Erde. Get used to it folks. S/He can transform sexes, mobile suits, and listen in on your conversations (or when you're grunting out a furious poop in the bathroom). Accept this.

I thought it didn't go far enough as a character development episode. Frankly, all they did was confirm what was revealed, or at least hinted at, in the last episode. They should have gone further indepth, and their inability to do so really made this episode wishy-washy in a very bad way.

What I found really weird in this episode was the role of that HRL Super Soldier officer/researcher, the guy who was always in the mechanical eye machine (what did I say last episode about the most interesting characters not even having faces? Ming last time, this dude in 11...). Seriously, when he chose to NOT tell anyone he'd identified one of the Gundam pilots, I was like "This guy HAS to be a CB plant!" But it didn't look like that at the end... more like he was someone who thought he'd lose face if it came out that the Super Soldier program had also provided the enemy with a skilled pilot... I was thinking sometimes more about that than Allelujah's canned ham and cheese backstory.

Good stuff:
The HRL is planning a joint with the Union. In episode 11? Excellent.
Sergei Smirnoff (this show is definitely sponsored by liquor daimyos). He's the man.
The Union seems to be finding out some shit about the GN particles.
Space colonies (based on Lagrangian theory again).
Princess' Aide- New Lady Une is one tough hen. This time they got they got the right guy to design the hot but bossy glasses female.