# Knife to a Gun Fight (Gundam Seed 24) ![](/kgf.jpg) Sometimes it's about knowing when to relax. What I loved about this episode was how it subtly showed how dangerous Coordinators are. Cagalli has Athrun at gunpoint more than once, but it's never more than a minor inconvenience: he can't quite dodge bullets, but he can move so fast as to be close enough. He's so disdainful of Cagalli's baseline humanity (and her femininity) that he not only lets her live but frees her to wander. Their final face-off is almost a punchline: the weapons are reversed, but it's Cagalli who's brought a knife to a gun fight. It's a good episode on the surface level too. Recapitulating the essential plot in miniature is a well-worn technique, but for good reason: watching Cagalli and Athrun replay the roles of their wider societies highlights the essence of *Gundam Seed*'s tragedy - and of their respective personalities. No-one wants a war, but everyone wants to protect what they hold dear; Arthrun is calm but high-handed, Cagalli impulsive but sincere. The two of them come to know and even respect each other's motivations - and Cagalli's acknowledgement that Orb should not have built the mobile suits is possibly the first admission of wrongdoing in the series - but it isn't enough to prevent a fight. Like the show as a whole it's moving - and flawed. Even for someone as young and impulsive as Cagalli has been shown to be, her flip from hostility to friendliness during the climax strains belief. This episode's conclusion, with both pilots going their separate ways, is unsatisfying, and, well, inconclusive, as far too many episodes of this show are forced to be: it's very hard to tell what's fundamentally a war story if you're unwilling to kill your characters. But in every other respect this episode is a triumph - especially the role of Cagalli. Uncomfortable in a pseudo-romance last episode, here she's in her element: a talented fighter, impulsive and motivated without being stupid. Watching her trying incredibly hard to escape, to win, even when the situation leaves her doomed from the start, nails the biggest criticism in my last entry: for the first time in this show, I actually care about Cagalli. One more highlight: there's the briefest scene of fun role-reversal immedately following the fight - Athrun underdressed and vulnerable, being restrained by a soldierly Cagalli. ![](/kgf2.jpg) [Home](/) <div id="disqus_thread"></div> comments powered by Disqus