ReviewsThe Big O

The Big O Act 2: Dorothy Dorothy

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Summary

Dorothy 1 falls to the ground, just next to Dastun and Dorothy. Dastun gets up, finding Dorothy gone. He looks at Big O, which walks away since Dorothy 1 has been defeated. Dastun orders the military police tanks after Big O. Roger comments on this being the thanks he gets for saving their lives. He tells Norman he shall be back shortly as Big O descends into the ground in front of the tanks. Roger asks Dastun if he’s afraid of the underground. Dastun says the Big O will be history once he finds someone who knows what’s happening underground. The Big O gets on the prairie dog, a device which transports it under the ground via old tunnels. Roger realizes Dorothy has disappeared. Roger narrates on the fact that there used to be an underground transportation system, but now all that’s down there is ghosts and those who go in there never come out alive. Roger uses it for his own purposes: the transportation of the Big O. Roger thinks there’s something strange about Dorothy. The prairie dog arrives at Roger’s mansion and the Big O is placed there. Roger heads inside as the Big O is being transported into a hangar. Roger wonders why Dorothy was released by her kidnappers so readily even if Beck was after Dorothy 1 above all else. Roger tells himself that with the sisters set free and his client dead, he has nothing left to do with this case. He remembers Dorothy asking him to protect her. Roger heads out in his car, back to the Speak Easy. Big Ear tells Roger about a disturbance at West Dome #5, which Roger says everyone already knows about. Roger wonders where they recovered and refurbished Dorothy 1. Big Ear tells him it was brand new and that Soldano built it himself secretly. Roger wonders how he could have done it due to the funds and technical memories that would have been required to do so. Big Ear asks Roger if he’s familiar with the story of the nightingale. He says there’s a nightingale inside the domes. Roger remembers Soldano using that word when he died. Roger leaves money for Big Ear and leaves. Roger heads to a nightclub called Nightingale. The bouncer tells Roger the club is for members only and without an invitation, Roger will have to leave. Roger spots Dorothy entering the club with the old man from earlier whom she called her father. The old man, Timothy Waynewright, tells Roger that Dorothy is his granddaughter and calls Roger rude, going inside with her. Waynewright eats dinner with Dorothy and she sings on stage. Roger, who was able to get in by knocking out the bouncer, watches. He says the nightingale was a story regarding an emperor who loved the song of a mechanical bird. Dorothy heads off the stage and runs into Roger, who says that while Soldano made her, Waynewright and his memories breathed life into her. Beck and a colleague of his come from behind and hold Roger at gunpoint, demanding Dorothy be handed over. Another colleague of Beck’s holds Waynewright at gunpoint. Beck says he no longer need’s Waynewright’s memories but he’s a fair man, otherwise he would have killed him by now. Beck tells Roger negotiations are closed and heads out. Beck’s colleague has a hard time moving Dorothy, who throws him to the ground. She heads to the man holding Waynewright, who shoots him. Beck shorts out Dorothy with a stun gun and then knocks out Roger with it as well.

Later, at the crime scene, Dastun calls Waynewright a recluse who had lived outside of town but regained some memories from when he was a scientist. Roger asks Dastun if he had a granddaughter. Dastun tells Roger he didn’t but did have a daughter whom he lost when amnesia hit the city 40 years ago. A policeman tells Dastun that the giant robot is back in West Dome #5. Roger picks up a key at the crime scene. Dorothy 1 heads back to the mint building, despite having a large hole in its chest. Beck controls it from a yellow van he has hidden away. Roger gets in Big O. Dastun sees that Dorothy 1 is heading towards the mint building again. He realizes that the Mega Deus is coming. Big O bursts out of the ground again and quickly sweeps past the tentacles Dorothy 1 shoots at him. Roger wonders how Dorothy 1 is still moving despite having its power circuits destroyed before. Roger is about to punch Dorothy 1 in the head, but when Dorothy 1’s face falls off he realizes that Dorothy is kept inside as its power circuit. He remembers Dorothy’s reactions from before. A flashback shows Beck realizes Dorothy will be useful while watching her at the scene. Dorothy 1 surrounds Big O with its tentacles and pulls Big O towards its arm, which is now emitting a large drill. Big O puts up a struggle, knocking Dorothy 1 into a nearby building. Using a wire he can shoot out from his wrist watch, Roger climbs up to Dorothy 1’s head and tears Dorothy from out of the circuitry. Beck is electrocuted in his van. Dorothy 1, now powerless, falls to the ground. Roger tells Dorothy he is protecting her like she asked. Norman tells Roger his dinner will be ready soon. Roger says he’ll be late and needs to take care of something first. Beck’s men try to wake him up. Beck wakes up and says they have to go since the authorities will know where they are. They try to drive off, but Big O arrives and grabs the van. Roger says Beck will pay the price for not negotiating with him on professional terms. He throws the van to the ground in front of Dastun, with Beck and his men tied up. Once arrested, Beck confesses to Waynewright being his client, who tried to resurrect his late daughter via a machine. He used Dorothy 1’s blueprints to fund her construction. Roger leaves the key at his grave. Roger wonders about Soldano calling Dorothy his daughter, then decides to not think about it any further. Dorothy, dressed up in black, brings Roger tea on his balcony. Roger wonders why Dorothy is dressed like that. Norman says she’s going to live with them. Dorothy tells Roger there’s nowhere else for her to go and it’s the only way she can pay his negotiator fees. Roger tells Dorothy she has to follow the house’s rules, the first that everyone in the house has to wear black. Dorothy tells Roger his sense of fashion reeks.

Commentary

Things continue on from the previous episode, with more of Dorothy’s past revealed. Roger fights Dorothy 1 again in a repeat of the previous episode’s battle, with an interesting twist. With both Soldano and Waynewright dead, Dorothy comes to live with Roger, to his surprise, which will continue throughout the rest of the series. We have a rare departure from Dorothy’s typical deadpan delivery in the Nightingale club with her singing on the stage, although there’s no audio during the scene. This is another alright episode but things improve quite a bit later on as we get into stand alone episodes for the remainder of the first season. It makes this another episode that while quite good is on a lower level compared to most of the episodes of the season.

Overall Rating
3.5/5
The Big O Info


Director:
Kazuyoshi Katayama

Writer(s):
Chiaki J. Konaka
Kazuyoshi Katayama
Keiichi Hasegawa
Masanao Akahoshi
Shin Yoshida

Mechanical Designer:
Keiichi Satou

Character Designer:
Keiichi Satou

Musical Composer:
Toshihiko Sahashi

Format:
26 episodes

Airdates:
Japan 10.13.1999 – 01.19.2000 (S1); 01.02.2003 – 03.23.2003 (S2)
U.S. 04.02.2001 – 04.18.2001 (S1); 08.03.2003 – 11.02.2003 (S2)

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