Miriallia desperately calls out to Kira and Tolle, but neither answers. She tries several more times until Natarle stops her and tells her to accept that they are MIA. Murrue asks Murdoch how bad the damage is, and he tells her it’s not too bad. Several bogeys are detected on radar, and Sai identifies them as three DINNs that will arrive in 15 minutes. Murrue wants to fight, but Natarle says they can’t do that since half their weapons don’t work. Murrue asks Mu if he can launch, and he reports he can’t because the Sky Grasper is too damaged. With no other option, Murrue decides to take off. In another part of the ship, Dearka is led through the corridors with his hands bound while the Buster Gundam is loaded onto the mobile suit hangar. With power restored, the Archangel takes off as the DINNs approach. Murrue orders Natarle to send a message to Orb with Kira and Tolle’s coordinates, but Natarle objects. Murrue yells at her and says she will take responsibility. The Archangel moves forward and escapes the DINNs. Miriallia goes down to the Sky Grasper simulator and begins to cry in front of Mu. He tries to hug her, but he instead pulls back and punches the wall. He On the Vosgulov sub, Yzak asks the captain what happened to Dearka and Athrun, and he states that contact was lost. Yzak wants to search for them, but the captain says they received a recall order from Rau. Elsewhere, Cagalli and Kisaka take off in an Albatross plane to search for Kira. Their plane arrives at the island and lands near the wreckage of the Aegis Gundam and the severely damaged Aile Strike Gundam. Cagalli runs up to the Strike Gundam and finds that the seat in the cockpit has melted. She wonders if Kira was able to eject alive. Several other men call out to her and Kisaka because they’ve found Athrun unconscious in the water.
On the Albatross, Athrun wakes up with his arm in a sling and finds Cagalli pointing a gun at him. She asks him where the Strike Gundam‘s pilot is, and Athrun answers that he killed Kira. She shoves the gun in his face and asks why he killed Kira, and Athrun says it’s because Kira killed Nicol. Cagalli says that Kira was clumsy, but he was a kind person who didn’t deserve to die. Athrun says that Kira never changed and was always a childish crybaby. Cagalli asks Athrun if he knew Kira, and Athrun mentions they used to be close friends. She asks again why he would kill Kira, especially if they were friends. Athrun says that Kira was a Coordinator and fought against his own people, despite Athrun’s attempts to get him to join ZAFT. He cries and says he had to because Kira killed Nicol. Cagalli cries and asks what sense it makes to kill someone because someone else was killed. Elsewhere, the Archangel finally reaches the territorial waters of the Alaska Base and receives a Spearhead fighter jet escort. Murdoch calls Murrue on the bridge and tells her that Mu keeps demanding they fix his Sky Grasper so he can go out and search for Kira and Tolle. Murrue goes down to the hangar and tells Mu that he can’t go out. He protests, and she says she can’t send him alone. Natarle finds Sai in the corridors and gives him two boxes to clean out Kira and Tolle’s belonging. He thinks it’s too early, and Natarle tells him they’re MIA and that if he can’t accept that he’ll be the one to die next. Flay walks by the mess hall and overhears several crewmen talking about Kira’s death. She asks Kuzzey what happened, and he tells her that Kira and Tolle are MIA and probably dead. Sai goes into Tolle’s quarters and finds Miriallia there. He hides the boxes and tells her to come with him to the mess hall. Outside, they watch as Dearka is escorted to the brig. He sees Miriallia and thinks she’s cute, but he also says it’s stupid for her to cry. He says he should be the one crying, and anger flashes in her eyes. A ZAFT plane lands near the Albatross, and Cagalli gives Athrun a pendant before leaving. Yzak asks Athrun why he had to come back, and Athrun tells him the Strike Gundam was destroyed. On a PLANT, Lacus watches over Kira as he sleeps.
Given the battles of the last two episodes, it’s not surprising that we don’t see one here. Also, given the fact that everything’s wrecked, it’s not even possible. I was surprised that Murrue left without Kira and Tolle, but she really had no other choice. Yet again, Natarle demonstrates that she has no feelings and really doesn’t care for anyone else. She repeatedly tells everyone they’ll die if they can’t accept that Kira and Tolle are dead, and she forces Sai to clean out their stuff. Athrun meets Cagalli again, and this time it’s also at gunpoint. Personally, I found their encounter a bit overlong and filled with too much crying, which seems to be going all around this episode. Finally, Kira is revealed to indeed be alive, but how did he get to a PLANT? According to the ASTRAY manga, pilot Lowe Guele found him on the beach and handed him over to the blind man Malchio. How nice and coincidental for Kira that Lowe just happened to be there.
Director:
Mitsuo Fukuda
Writer(s):
Chiaki Morosawa
Hiroyuki Yoshino
Hiroshi Ohnogi
Shigeru Morita
Akinori Endo
Yuuichi Nomura
Akemi Omode
Mechanical Designer(s):
Kunio Okawara
Kimitoshi Yamane
Junichi Akutsu
Character Designer:
Hisashi Hirai
Musical Composer:
Toshihiko Sahashi
Format:
50 episodes (original); 48 episodes (HD); 1 short; 3 compilation movies
Airdates (Original):
Japan 10.05.2002 – 09.27.2003
U.S. 04.17.2004 – 04.15.2005
Airdates (HD Remaster):
Japan 01.xx.2012 – 11.xx.2012
Video Release (SE):
Japan 08.27.2004 – 10.22.2004
U.S. 07.11.2005 – 11.22.2005
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