Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2 Episode 17 – With Terror and Slaughter Return

Like clockwork, after brief 22-minute long pit stops, the episode after said events brings us full force to that Road to Renewed Strength and Promise like it has in the past. Minutes into the show, without any of the pre-battle warm-up talks Tekkadan has already engaged with Jasley’s forces. By episode’s end, they acquire total victory over the man.

There are stakes to be had here since the last episode ended with a potential confrontation of multiple parties from Jasley, Tekkadan, and even Kujan. Yet, in a surprising twist, despite all the frenetic action that occurs in this episode, what’s more interesting is what DOESN’T happen. I guess Rustal’s lack of energy in the previous episode compared to Kujan’s bevy of it had more to it than that, with him restraining Kujan (who doesn’t even APPEAR in the episode) from joining up with Jasley. From what the episode implies, he had an offscreen conversation with McMurdo on the situation and blueballed both Jasley and Kujan from a chance at catharsis. McMurdo even breaks Orga’s Sakazuki cup offscreen and we are shown its remains with very little dramatic fanfare. Both a shame and expected, but a pleasant surprise how McMurdo doesn’t take it TOO hard. He (alongside us) knows Orga offered his cup if he decides to break his oath, and even so he is not surprised or TOO disappointed in the slightest bit that this is the case now. Time to move on is the message for that scene, as well as another where Kudelia finds out Tekkadan has cut ties to her, possibly for protection. Unlike McMurdo, she doesn’t take it well.

What’s  pleasantly surprising is quite great the battle is albeit being one-sided. Obviously Mika, Shino, and Akihiro are beasts in their respective Gundams, but there’s a lot of nice action by the other Tekkadan mobile suit pilots. It shows how much they’re working as a defined, disciplined, unit, with even Hush doing well in a new Mobile Suit, and the return of Chad and Dante in their own Man Rodi suits. It’s nice to see them come along, and once they’ve totaled Jasley’s forces, at least give us our catharsis by having Mika crush the bridge of Jasley’s ship while he begs.

And with that final act, we have now moved to end game. Tekkadan no longer has any ties to Teiwaz and Kudelia, and Macky has already made his move to reform Gjallarhorn. The last segment of the episode involves a formal declaration from a nondescript Gjallarhorn officer of Macky’s coup, noting of the various events in the past season from the Alberta battle to the use of the Dainsleif weapons as rationale for this current action. Everybody of note in this show bears witness to it, and now are girding themselves of the violent onslaught that is to come.

At this juncture in the series, all Tekkadan wanted to do was get Kudelia to Earth and make a name for themselves, and when they ran into revolution in Dort they were uncertain of being part of it. And now… Life came at them fast, and they’re one of the key players of this new one.

These last eight episodes are going to be intense aren’t they?

Iron-Blood Notes:

  • Nice Touch.
  • I was half-anticipating Azee making a kamikaze style attack after Lafter’s death, but she’s missing here. I wonder when we will see her again, and if so, how will it happen.
  • Methinks we’ll finally see Galli-Galli’s face again next episode, plus (FINALLY!) some long awaited flashbacks toward Macky’s past.

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