Yup, the screenshot seen above is the moment I pretty much dropped the series from active watching. Again, to my eternal regret.

I say this because wow, this is a really good episode. I had initially thought this to be a continuation of the Space Race, where Gene and the gang get waylaid in the middle of it while Harry had a comfortable lead. Turns out, as seen in the last episode, it is not the case. The first part starts out interesting by way of throwing us in media res of the encounter’s beginning. Interspersed with their search for McDougal, we see Gene’s reaction to Harry’s video, the reveal of how the Galactic Leyline is interpreted by various people, Aisha’s ‘official’ joining up with the team, and their first encounter with Professor Khan. These are pretty good; everything is falling into place with all the important players finally coming around. The only exception is Suzuka, who doesn’t even appear in the episode. However, again we already know we will see her again, so all is well. read more

I’m shocked.

Not so much that I’ve regained interest after having it flag for a few episodes (although this is welcome), but also how very short the Space Race was period. In fact I was expecting to see the moment where I lost interest right here… but it’s not there.

What’s there is actually an intense little episode where Gene not only pushes the limits of the Outlaw Star, furthering its uniqueness as a ship, but also furthering the connection between him and the McDougals. The moment where he and Harry meet is a rather tense affair, with Gene not at all up for BS and wanting answers while Harry deflects and denies anything Gene throws his way. Predictable to be sure, but as an establishing moment to personalize their intertwined fates it is a good watch. read more

Ah, what a surprise. After almost getting murdered by pirates and escaping Sentinel 3, the series takes a small breather with this episode, bringing back a lingering thread muted by past events. I am of course talking about money issues. Sure, wherever our team is going (Heifong), might be rife with chances of making it big, the usual matter of making it by to get there, never mind making it by KEEP being there, still remains.

Although you have seen in previous episodes Gene and Jim butting heads, here it becomes even more pronounced and more detailed. Even in exile, the growth of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises is an ongoing project for its two titular owners. However, their disposition when it comes to unexpected conflict extends even to business expansion. Thus, we actually see Jim being legit infuriated at Gene’s lackadaisical approach to maintaining a business for a longer period of time instead of his usual, “Aw c’mon, Gene!” moments in the middle of a shitstorm. Gene is a regular proto-Space Dandy here sans the inclination to Boobies and lacking a pompadour, wanting to ride things out like they are a current. One might think he’s being TOO lazy, but the main action sequence in this episode (in a way that inspired the article title above) is all his work, and shows he does care… but he just wants to do it his way. read more

I’m slowly but surely getting into the unknown, unwatched, territory of Outlaw Star. Soon, I’ll be at the point where I dropped the series, to my shame. It’s a somewhat big shame, given how good this episode is in getting people pumped for adventure.

So after two episodes of character study on the final two crew members, we now have Gene prepping the Outlaw Star for further adventures. While he’s pretty darn good piloting the thing, doing the whole captain thing BEFORE the ship even gets moving is much harder. This includes not only launching the darn thing (in a humourous scene with Gilliam), but also having the money necessary to keep it docked, never mind live off of. I forgot most of these scenes, so seeing them again is a nice thing. Despite having his own state-of-the-art ship, that don’t mean it comes with wealth to maintain it. read more