Hmm. It was a good episode. Certainly better than last time with Lelouch acting like a complete bastard and Suzaku dominating with ease. Not the equal of season 1's equivalent, but then again to me turn 23 of season 1 was one of the best episodes. It's been quite awhile in Code Geass since there was an outright duel of tactics and strategy, so seeing that return was very nice. They could have just as easily had a straightforward giant robot slugfest.
Typically, Nunally is being lied to and not knowing it. She learns that Lelouch and Suzaku have been lying to her but of course, naturally, doesn't consider that Schneizel might be lying about some things. Once again we have a long-held lie paying back the liars with a consequence much worse than what would've come from the truth. Not a necessary lie either, merely a lie of convenience. I've said it before, all the way back in the early part of the season. The ship sailed on protecting Nunally's innocence a long time ago.
The writers just hate Villetta. That must be it. The pregnancy is totally out of nowhere and does nothing except take her out of the ending, which I guess is just as well since she wasn't actually doing anything. And by the way, was it too much to ask for her to have a "you know, you elevens aren't so bad after all" moment? Apparently so.
Sayako is totally not getting with Jeremiah. I could be wrong, but respect doesn't make a shipping attempt.
I liked the battle. I'm glad it drove home the point that the Black Knights aren't pushovers. That which Lelouch built he had to face, so that was good. It needed more Kallen and the Guren, but I guess that's true of every episode.
Ougi's development is pretty meager--oh no, Zero is my fault! Well, okay. Basically true, but now you're out of the fight so you can't act on it. Meh. That said...I expected Kallen, but Tamaki was USEFUL? Maybe this show IS in the twilight zone.
The montage in the middle may be a sign that things are a bit rushed, perhaps. I don't know. But you know, I liked it and I adored the whole Lelouch/C.C. moment that preceded it--more on that later. Sometimes, unspoken communication just works. Not to mention that I rather like the song (what's the name of the track?), and I feel that as a collective piece it imposes regret upon the viewer. A battle is coming, it's unavoidable, and not everybody is coming back.
It's kind of eerie how Schneizel is evil but somehow doesn't sound evil. He always has this serene tone of voice, as if nothing bothers him. Clearly, it doesn't. Telling your blind crippled relative that her brother is evil and that your big scary borab didn't really kill anybody? Check. Gunning down Cornelia at the first sign of dissent? Check--yeah, she was wasted. Going nuclear to make himself the only military power on the block? Check. Unlike Charles though, he always sounRAB reasonable and unthreatening and in control. It's an uncompromising mask. Compared to Lelouch, it's not hard to see how someone without the viewer's knowledge would prefer to side with Schneizel instead. His mask is that of reason, whereas Lelouch seems to insist on making himself look like the bad guy.
Yes, Schneizel is the villain. However, to me Lelouch continues to be an arabiguous hero because he gives us reasons to both root for him and question the way that he does things. Again, if he had told UFN and the Black Knights what he suspected of Schneizel, things may not have gone this way. Deceiving them and trying to force them into accepting his ways just drove them away and directly into Schneizel's corner. The fault lies with Lelouch, not the Black Knights. Instead of trying to build trust he just tried to have it his way, and it cost him.
Likewise, while the Mt. Fuji tactic was brilliant, it's hard to overlook that he sacrificed his soldiers as pawns in the process. And then there's the hostage situation, which in the end didn't deter Schneizel from using the FREIJA and led Xing-Ke to give Schneizel command over the Black Knight forces.
At the same time, Lelouch also showed some real maturity. He has a goal in mind, whatever this "Zero Requiem" thing is supposed to mean. He understanRAB that Schneizel neeRAB to be defeated, even though he's gone about it in a very counterproductive way in my opinion.
Most importantly, in what is bar none the best scene of the episode, he openly acknowledges to C.C. that he can't put Nunally ahead of the entire world. Good for Suzaku for giving him some necessary perspective. He's no longer a lone revolutionary fighting for personal happiness, he's a ruler with responsibilites and he's fighting for the future. I don't believe that he will end up killing Nunally, but he was surely right to understand that he can't put everything aside for her. He's done that throughout the series in the past, often for the worse. He can't anymore.
Maybe this ending will yet jump the shark, but if you ask me this is a rather solid start. As I said, not spectacular, but good.
Random Curiosity is wrong.
Grade: B+
