The Kids are All Right (Gundam Seed 29)
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The Kids are All Right (Gundam Seed 29)
Isn't it frustrating how no-one listens to you when you're a kid? It's only now that adults are talking about the value of peace that Ramius is willing to listen to what the kids have been saying all along.
In many ways this episode feels like a call back to episode 2 - which makes a certain amount of sense at this point in the season. Orb is a mirror for Heliopolis, and we now understand the political situation well enough to see why building the Gundams in their colony was such an issue. The decision to shelter the Archangel here was the same kind of impossible choice as the decision to build it in the first place. And in place of the colony's destruction, we conclude with what's intended as a more direct, personal tragedy.
Cagalli is the one person who breaks the cycle; in the first half she chose to fight, as her father seemingly had, even as she felt betrayed by that decision. Now she trusts him as he tells her there are better ways, and puts her gun aside. Taken in isolation it's a good arc, but it's a poor use of Cagalli; she was vital as a more hotheaded foil for mopey Kira and unflappable (and undeveloped) Mu, and also as a kind of straight woman for Flay. Flay herself could cover the pilot role if the series was more willing to send her into combat; I believe that will happen at some point, but not in a sustained way. In the meantime, Tolle is a grossly inadequate substitute. 52 episodes is a lot, but it's not quite enough to develop as many characters as this show seems determined to have, with the result that we barely care for anyone outside the core three or four.
Which brings us to Nicol. For a show that's supposedly about the horrors of war, Gundam Seed has gotten away without any name character deaths for far too long; killing a major character is absolutely the right storytelling move here. Unfortunately, Nicol isn't a main character; he's barely a character at all, being defined only by his affection for Athrun and (entirely offscreen) piano-playing. The only reason it doesn't feel as cheap as killing a nameless redshirt is that Nicol's lack of character seems like accident rather than design, but it still reflects pretty poorly on the writing. Even with a few episodes away from Rau, the squad just haven't had enough screentime to develop themselves; there's space for maybe 10 substantial characters at most, but between Kira's schoolfriends, the Zala Squad, the Earth Forces crew, and the various arc guests, the show would be bursting at the seams even without taking away time for action sequences.
Cagalli was probably the only secondary character to rise above this. She had hopes, dreams and development. Unlike Nicol, the show couldn't afford to lose her. I fear this may be the point where things start heading downhill.
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