#GUNDARM INC

[okami-zero]

G-Witch, and Uh....

Okay, so Sophie the Yandere Earthian Witch proving how unhinged she is by telling Suletta to get her Gundam when she is very clearly trapped in viewport. More below the cut, cause spoilers and hoo-boy was this a doozy.

Okay, so Papa Jeturk decides to get off his ass and do stuff himself, since the Plant's garrison got wiped out. Miorine bumps into her Dad who, after getting her into a EVA suit, protects her from shrapnel and is hit himself. Old Man Delling starts doing the whole "am dying, will spill my guts about stuff" sentimental thing, but Miorine tells him sto shut up and taps him up to a stretcher (or flat piece of debris, at any rate). The taciturn Earthian Witch is wiping out all the transports, which has our Earth House folks on their newly purchased tub worried, so they are all hauling ass out the back, except Nika, who notices a shell casing floating past the viewports, and signals the Gundam about to blast their transport using the front running lights on their transport. Norea mumbles something about "ally of the Prince", and then floats away. She breathes a sigh of relief, until Martin, who apparently hadn't left or came back, asked her what she did. As to the casing thing - it is noted earlier that physical ammunition use is banned by treaty, apparently because it "pollutes space", and during the fight it is mentioned - Norea vs random grunt #244 - the response from Norea is along the lines of "You Spacians polluted Earth and then ran, so fuck you". So that is what made Nika take her gamble.

Meanwhile, Vim (Papa Jeturk) is going after the hijacked transport in his Dilanza Sol. A near direct hit causes the door holding the captive crew (Guel, or "Bob" and the mechanics) to malfucntion. They hear two of the hijackers mention there being a Gundam at the plant, so Guel figures it's Aerial (he figures right) and goes and steals one fo the Jeturk mobile suits in the transport. Unfortunately, this draws the attention of Vim, who starts mercilessly targetting the hapless Guel, who keeps screaming he's on their side (comms are not open, unfortunately), and basically just dodging (poorly) and unable to bring himself to shoot back. However, something shifts and he resolves that he isn't going to die here. So missing an arm and both legs, he charges the Sol, managing to dodge laser-fire and activating his suits heatsword/knife and stabs a too-slow-to-react Dilanza Sol right through the cockpit. And then the Sol opens comms and Vim finds the son he has been looking for, and Guel realizes he just killed his father. He opens hjis won cockpit, urging his father to eject (though from the video, it look liked Vim was missing at least his entire right arm below the shoulder). However, the suits float apart and we see the Dilanza Sol detonate from inside Guel's visor. And he screams in pain at what he's done.

Back to Suletta! Who found an evac hatch to get out of her predicament, and is heading for the dock where Aerial is being held. Just as she gets there, there is a group of hijackers around a corner. She hides, crouching down and covering her mouth, but some sound alerts them, so they start silently creeping towards her... and are calmly and efficiently wiped out by Prospera and her assistant. Suletta is understandably shocked by having watched her mom just ace four guys like she's doing taxes. And Prospera keeps using that cutesy mom tone of voice talking to Suletta (which one, creeped me out , and two, cemented to me that Prospera is likely not all there anymore, but is playing the long game a la Char/Zechs for revenge. Maybe). She gives Suletta a pep talk with the "running gets one, moving forward gets two" phrase.

Outside, Sophie (Yandere Witch) is fighting members of Dominicus, Cathedra's "Witch Hunters", who are able to employ Antidote, which nullifies GUND tech. However, Sophie jumps her Permet score from two to FOUR and is able to overpower them. The effect on her is heavy, and is shown, "But at least I'm alive!" she says. She also mentions that Antidote only works up to Permet Score Three. So she took long enough to clear the Dominicus suits before lowering the score again (presumably). Then she goes in after Suletta and Aerial.

Aerial appears, using GUND-Bits to deflect the Lfrith Ur.s gatling fire and, using some newly upgraded mobility gear, manages to take the fight outside. After fighting off both Sophie and Norea, during which she is talking to Aerial and it appears Aerial is responding, Suletta employs a new trick with the GUND-Bits, and it looks like Aerial has a new BFG, which is dodged (mostly, one poor suit got its legs melted off) and the attackers retreat as the patrol fleet shows up. Done.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

After credits, we are back to Miorine, with her dad on his stretcher. She is determined to save him, if only to curse him every night in his hospital bed as he recovers. One lone attacker is left, and is aiming to shoot them both when Aerial busts through a wall and with a cry of "No you don't!" Aerial pastes the guy like a bug. Splatted from 3D to 2D. Except for part of his arm, which floats toward a stunned Mirorine, and spatters blood on her cheek as it float past. Suletta hops down from Aerial, sounding very calm. She slips and lands in part of the blood, gives a small laugh and stands, offering Miorine a hand that is covered in blood of the man she just unceremoniously squashed. And Miorine, eyes still wide in shock and horror calls her "Murdered".

SO... Holy FUCK that is a lot. Like, A LOT, a lot. Guel killed his dad (and is himself floating in a mostly inert and inoperable mobile suit), Nika's possible connection to a terrorist/resistance group (dunno which because one Earthians are the oppressed group here, but this was very much a covert "kill everyone" op, so...) is revealed, Delling's status is unknown, Miorine has been traumatized, Suletta is...either in shock or something about Prospera and Aerial has kind of messed with her head (she was horribly distraught about her mom just killing dudes, until Prospera gave her that pep talk).

Also, the visual of Aerial apparently responding to Suletta (shown as a "wave" of that Permet circuit pattern over the viewscreens is... well lending credence, perhaps to Aerial possibly having more than just highly advanced technology in it. Suletta still refers to the GUND-Bits as "everyone" (minna (sp?)), so...

Yea.

My brain... holy shit.

And that's the end of Season One! <internal screaming>

P.S. - I did not mean for this to be a recap, I really didn't but there is just SO MUCH to unpack, holy shit. Really feeling for Guel, here. And we see that his whole "not dying here" is because he hasn't caught up to Suletta yet. So yea. Now, am I glad Vim is gone? Mostly. But when I saw how the fight was going, I kind of knew Guel was gonna be the one to do it. And that just... that's rough, buddy.

The BIGGEST thing, for me, though, is that last interaction. I thought she was going to put Aerial's hand in the way or something, but NOPE! Just... SPLAT. And so far as I know, I think she is the first pilot EVER, in all of Gundam, to do that. I cannot recall if anyone has ever been crushed by a hand like in Evangelion, but this... I mean, this show is not scared to show gratuitous headshots, and floating corpses with blood globules but... That was graphic as FUCK. Especially the arm bit. And Suletta is *totally nonchalant*. Like, her old self, as if she didn't just do that thing. Mika from IBO was fairly cold and detached, the Wing pilots kind of...didn't stop to think on it (except for a few times, and mostly Quatre). But this... oh this is a turning point. And possibly what gets us more answers in some way. And how will this affect the budding relationship between our two heroines?

WELP! Now we wait till Spring! <more internal screaming>

[tiredfloridianbutverygay]

"A ray of hope we can see! Gundarm Inc, Gundarm Inc forward into the future! She's safe and strong reliable and cool. She can fly and dance she's Calibarn!” This witch... flies a Gundam!

[hannsoap]

Remembering that the Gund Arm Inc promo video was made and edited by Suletta herself makes me giggle they really made her the social media manager, the little silly with social anxiety is the social media manager

Probably bc she has her own fanclub of lesbians who cheer for her every time she gets in a duel...

Like I know she took advantage of the "country bumpkin" nickname with some Twitter post with a goofy caption like "It's not country bumpkin it's cunt-ry bumpkin #GundArm" and it's just Suletta with a cowboy hat on posing w aerial😭😭