By The fierce battle outside Solomon continues as Balls and GMs fight off Gattle bombers. Elsewhere, Sleggar isn’t happy about getting his G-Fighter damaged, so he returns to the White Base for repairs. Mirai seems concerned about him, and Bright asks her privately what’s wrong. He says that no matter what happens, he will always wait for her. Bright orders someone to take Mirai’s post so that she can go see Sleggar. Mirai visits Sleggar as he eats a hamburger and waits for the G-Fighter to be repaired. She tells him to be careful and tries to express her feelings, but he stops her. He says she shouldn’t decide anything, and he doesn’t deserve her feelings. He says she’s too wonderful a person to waste her feelings on him. Mirai says that isn’t true, and Sleggar asks her to hold his mother’s ring for him. An explosion causes them to fall into each other’s arms, and Sleggar gives Mirai a kiss before leaving. Inside Solomon, GMs and Balls successfully destroy many Zakus and Rick Doms, but they’re in turn destroyed by the Big-Zam‘s mega particle cannon. As the Big-Zam destroys more GMs and Balls, Dozle wonders if Zenna and Mineva made it to safety. Elsewhere, a fleet commanded by M’Quve launches from Granada and picks up a signal from Zenna’s shuttle. M’Quve says he has no time to pick it up, but his soldiers convince him to take it aboard because that’s what people do for each other in space. A squad of GMs and Balls encounters the Big-Zam and rushes in to attack. A GM pilot blindly fires at the Big-Zam and notices that it’s deflecting his beam rifle shots. Amuro hears the GM pilot’s report about a monster in the area, and he moves to investigate. With the battle not looking so well, Dozle orders all remaining ships and mobile suits to leave Solomon’s interior and fly outside. He decides that he’ll personally lead all the remaining mobile suits out of the base.
Nearby, Admiral Tianem has the remaining mirrors of the Solar System targeted at Solomon for another attack. Inside Solomon, Amuro sees the trail of destruction left by the Big-Zam and follows it. Sayla’s G-Fighter is damaged, forcing her to return to the ship. Admiral Tianem has the Solar System fired again, and it causes more damage to Solomon and the ships around it. Sleggar flies around and destroys a Gattle and a Musai. Amuro reaches an exit and sees the Big-Zam, and Kai’s Guncannon accidentally lands on it. Amuro, Kai, and Sleggar notice that the Big-Zam has an I-field that deflects beam weaponry. The Big-Zam flies away from Solomon, and Dozle fires a flare to signal the base’s evacuation. Bright orders Mirai to turn the White Base around so that they can pursue the Big-Zam. Dozle tells his other two pilots to leave so that he can pilot the Big-Zam alone and attack the EFF’s flagship. Amuro, Kai, and Sleggar chase the Big-Zam, and Sleggar suggests docking with Amuro. Amuro agrees and docks the Gundam with him to form the G-Armor. Sleggar’s plan is to attack from below and get close enough to penetrate the I-field and fire. They attack the Big-Zam from below, and Dozle grapples them with the Big-Zam’s legs. Amuro fires his beam rifle and damages the Big-Zam, and Dozle crushes the G-Fighter’s cockpit and destroys it. Amuro is enraged and attacks with his beam saber. He madly slices the Big-Zam and forces Dozle to abandon it. Dozle says his pride won’t allow him to be defeated, so he starts shooting at the Gundam with a machine gun. Amuro wonders who’s crazy enough to do that and sees the personification of the evil in Dozle’s heart. He escapes just as the Big-Zam explodes. M’Quve announces that Solomon has fallen, and Zenna mourns for Dozle. On the White Base, Mirai can’t believe what Amuro is saying about Sleggar being dead. The crew watches in silence as Mirai leaves the bridge with tears in her eyes.
This episode was great, as it resolved the arc of the Battle of Solomon. The battle has been won, but at a heavy cost. Aside from all the other forces destroyed, the White Base loses Sleggar. Though it was reanimated in movie 3, I think Sleggar’s death here is a bit more brutal. How unfortunate for Mirai that she chose that time to admit her feelings for him. However, I do wonder where these feelings suddenly came from, because there’s really no hint of them before now. Also, Bright tells Mirai that he’ll wait for her, so it’s clear that he has feelings for her too (they do get married after the war). Amuro’s Newtype abilities continue to manifest here, as he fights well and sees the evil in Dozle’s heart (which looks like a gargoyle). Even though Dozle was a “bad guy,” he was still a family man, and you can sort of feel for him in his famous futile last attack on the Gundam. Well, now Solomon has fallen, and the EFF is one step closer to victory.
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