Episode 36: The Fall of Sanc Kingdom

Review by Chris

February 5, 2001

Duo meets with a group of rebels who want to build up a force to take space back from OZ. He thinks they're not doing very well and leaves. He meets Hilde in the park, and she asks him to take her somewhere fun. In the Sanc Kingdom, Noin tells Relena that OZ's mobile dolls have arrived at the nation's borders and are preparing to attack. Relena wants to speak to Duke Dermail and stop the attack before it begins. Quatre is about to pass out in the desert when he hears an explosion. He rushes to a nearby town and finds the Maganac Corps fighting OZ. He grabs Sandrock and leads the Corps into battle successfully. Now he wants to head back to the Sanc Kingdom to support Relena. Duo and Hilde watch a circus performance, and he recognizes Trowa. After the show he approaches Trowa, but Catherine tells him to leave. Dermail tells Tubarov to finish the battleship as soon as possible because he wants it to be the symbol of OZ. The battleship construction is placing a considerable burden on people in space.

Noin tells Relena that the troops have crossed the border. Relena says that Dermail stated OZ would be attacking because the Sanc Kingdom is accepting Treize Faction rebels. Heero leads the soldiers with Epyon as squads of Aries attack. Noin leads the battle near the shore and is quickly overwhelmed by Cancer and Pisces suits. Quatre arrives with Sandrock and the Maganacs to help her. Heero begins fighting mobile dolls away from the city for fear of losing control to the Zero System. Dorothy tries to convince Relena that pacifism has no place in a world that loves war. Relena asks her to broadcast a message to all of space and Earth. Relena announces that she is dissolving the Sanc Kingdom because pacifism should not be the cause for deaths. She also agrees to hand herself over to OZ. Zechs launches from Peacemillion with Wing Zero and hurries towards Earth. Noin asks Quatre to come to space with her, and he agrees. As Relena and Dorothy fly away, Heero loses control to the Zero System and continues to destroy mobile dolls.

This is actually the first very good episode in a long time. It actually feels like it takes a long time to play out, even though it's the standard running time. The battles in this episode were well done and relatively free of stock footage. Relena's decision to surrender is an interesting one, because pacifists obviously can't fight (unless you're Prince Phil from Slayers with the Pacifist's Crush move). The Sanc Kingdom is gone now, so what will the pilots do? It seems that Quatre and Noin are heading to space while Zechs is coming back to Earth. Can't they all just stay in one spot and work together?

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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