Episode
                  2: The Gundam Deathscythe 
                  Airing Date
                  2000-03-06

            Episode 2 of the Gundam Wing series finds us right where we left off 
            -- in the school that both Relena and Heero attend. Relena's still 
            reeling after Heero tore her birthday party invitation to shreds 
            right in front of her face. Oh yeah -- she's also slightly concerned 
            that Heero promised to "destroy her" when he turned her invitation 
            down. If all this seems like minor prep school dramatics -- it is. 
            We spend way too much time with Relena and her schoolgirl problems 
            for any of this to be really interesting. 
            Since we've already seen the final episodes of the series, we know 
            that Relena's destiny does become fascinating. Right now, however, 
            well, she's like the sweet girl on 90210. Maybe you'd like to date 
            her but watching her adventures is a bit like following Nancy Drew 
            on one of her cases -- more interesting for your little sister than 
            for you. Know what I mean? 
            Anyway, there is good in "The Gundam Deathscythe." Heero steals some 
            high-powered torpedoes and manages to destroy both his Gundam and 
            the one that belongs to Duo. What's weird is that neither pilot 
            knows each other. When they meet, Heero's about to fulfill his 
            promise to Relena. He's got a gun pointed at her and he's ready to 
            pull the trigger. Duo appears from nowhere and shoots Heero in the 
            arm. The two men know nothing of each other even though they both 
            possess Gundam Mobile Suits. We trust that this'll all be explained 
            to us in future episodes but right now, we're confused. Heero 
            manages to send his torpedoes off and poor Duo's helpless to watch 
            as both Gundams are blown to bits. 
            There are some cool battle sequences, too, especially when Duo takes 
            on the Alliance's Navy and leaves them looking like the day after 
            Pearl Harbor. While Zechs and several Alliance submarines search the 
            ocean floor for Heero's Gundam, Duo shows up and takes charge. 
            Again, this only points up the believability problem of having Zechs 
            sink Heero's Gundam so easily. This has yet to be explained and 
            might never be. It's a problem which we'll get past but, for now at 
            least, it's an annoying itch that we can't scratch. 

                  Got butter? These After Colony crabs are huge. 
            It's interesting how much Gundam Wing really came into its own in 
            the later episodes. Sure, there are seeds being planted now which 
            will pay off later, but what's going on now really isn't enough to 
            make us set our VCRs on a daily basis. Unless, of course, we know 
            what's coming. Since we do, we'll continue to watch. Like the farmer 
            standing before a barren field, the fruits of our patience will 
            indeed reward us. When all those giant robots begin battling in 
            outer space, all this will have more than worth the wait. 

            --Ross Brooks wonders if Heero and Relena will begin hanging out at 
            the Peach Pit.