Episode 10-Code Geass: Roze Recaptured

One time, while watching Purple Surf, I turned to my husband and said, “I don’t know if I’m stupid or if this show is stupid.” This story jumped right up from the low point where the previous one ended, and I’m sure I missed it got something. There must have been some story or emotional moment that I forgot about, somewhere in the stress of the week that I forgot about. The Seven Shining Stars, holed up in their tents after the rout last week, are back to their happy self, including their glossy Strategy Room. With big smiles on their faces, they battle against terrifying killing machines, delivering cliched lines that express passionate optimism and determination.

“This show is stupid,” my husband said wisely. Although he may be biased, I’m inclined to believe him based on what happened next, which not only frustrated me but put me in a bad mood for at least two hours afterwards. But instead of going play by play and listing every brainless moment, I’m going to look at two scenes that I think are emblematic of the problems with the way the show is written.

The first story follows Walter and Sakura as they seek shelter underground, hiding from murder machines that kill indiscriminately and eject their crushed victims into the air in a red mist beneath the palace. Met Catherine in some tunnels. Strangely, these tunnels were empty. There are hundreds of people living and working in the palace almost all the time, so you’d think it would be crowded. No thought was given to creating a sense of place, no sense of urgency, no desperation for survival. They just needed Catherine and Sakura to meet, so they created a place where that could happen without regard to the context of what was going on around them, like what was happening in the huge, empty prison yard and uninhabited streets Same as fighting.

Of course, Katherine resents how much she hates Sakura and her weaknesses. Sakura, in turn, gives her a speech about “real” power, which she defines as one’s heart beating for others rather than for oneself. The implication is that she has Sakuya in her heart, but can this really describe her? It’s true that she’s fighting to liberate Japan, but she’s not given enough interiority to make it seem like she’s fighting for the good of the Japanese people. She has been focused on her own survival and regaining her status as Japan’s monarch. The only Japanese people she interacts with throughout the series are her friends at the café. With the exception of one scene in the first episode, all cities are deserted. At times, she played the role of peacemaker in minor disputes between rebel factions, but she never came across as particularly charming or principled. Sakura’s statement is very vague, and if you squint your eyes, you can apply it to Sakuya… but also pretty much anyone else. After all, Catherine was fighting for Noland’s benefit, wasn’t she? It’s as beautiful and empty as the rest of this damn show.

However, this touched Catherine’s heart. We see a hilariously overwrought flashback in which the kidnappers randomly grab young Catherine at a stall in a busy market, tuck her under her arms, and shoot her parents as they escape. No one reacted to the gunfire or the screaming children and parents until Noland came and stabbed him, saving Catherine. This is just…so stupid. He was carrying Catherine like a sack of potatoes…well I told him I had to carry screaming children and that was one of the most effective ways to do it. Maybe there was a time when I would have said that silly revelations like this were the real spirit Rebel Ruthbut without any storytelling skill, it falls flat.

Sakura’s attempts to “power up” didn’t have time for her speech to have any impact. Without the narrative connective tissue of her meetings with people, her gradual rise to power through making allies, and her increasingly rare rejections at political meetings, it’s just words. This is a character stating his or her own growth, rather than actually going through the process. again, Recaptured Luo Ze Want to enjoy the big moments without having to put in the work.

Another scene is the climax of the episode, with Sakuya finally arriving in Noland. After an attempt on him failed, he revealed his true identity: a clone of Charles VI of Britain (my husband cheered), originally meant to house the soul of the original, but empty after his death. He created evil giant robots to kill all of humanity, but he refuses to reveal why. Sakuya makes a list of common villain motivations, only for Noland to refute them one by one: Nihilism? No. Resentment against humanity? No.

Throughout the series, they wanted Noland to remain mysterious. opaque. Unfathomable. A looming, threatening force. Mysterious deaths, such as those of the poor Emperor Kallis, seem to be linked to him. His designs are intentionally reminiscent of the iconic Charl Aznable. But in every scene where he’s standing there expressionless, he feels less like a threat and more like an uncharismatic carbon copy of a more interesting villain, which I guess that’s what he is! Well, good job, I guess? But he’s not a character around whom a series can be built, and by this point, there’s no way this scene isn’t going to end in soggy failure. There’s no way it could be anything other than funny and terrible.

I promised I’d save my anger at the finale’s failure for my review of the finale, but know this: at this point, Recaptured Luo Ze It cannot be saved.

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Code Geass: Rhodes Recaptured It’s currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+, depending on your region.

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