Episode
                  22: The Fight for Independence.
                  Airing Date
                  2000-04-04

               
            A fight between two schoolboys is a simple matter. A war between the 
            Earth and those who live in Space is a vast, confusing and 
            complicated situation. The truth, of course, is that one side isn't 
            purely evil and the other isn't all good. Like all conflicts, the 
            one brewing between Earth and the Space Colonies is fueled by fears, 
            insecurities and greed by a small number of very powerful men. 
            "The Fight For Independence" outlines the beginnings of a war which 
            will eventually encompass all of humankind. In one corner stands OZ 
            which has begun to align itself with the Colonies more closely than 
            even it once planned. In the another corner is the former Alliance, 
            a group of soldiers who once stood for everything hateful about the 
            military but who now have found another calling in Outer Space -- 
            protecting the inhabitants of the Colonies. In a third corner, the 
            Romefeller Foundation, the society of privileged men who rule the 
            Earth from the safety of the shadows. Although other parties might 
            soon show their faces, for now these three groups, once closely 
            associated with each other, begin to square off in the ring we like 
            to call destiny. 
            Okay, enough with the impressive narration. This episode basically 
            begins turning wheels which'll continue to roll in future 
            installments. There aren't any huge storylines, no major character 
            changes and no truly great battles to mention. The five Gundam 
            pilots, who I consider to be the true stars of the show (even though 
            some believe that Zechs/Milliardo is the boy to watch) barely make 
            an appearance. 
            Trowa once again proves Colonel Une's decision to allow him to wear 
            an OZ soldier's uniform a poor choice. Not that he isn't doing great 
            things for peace, it's just hard to believe that Lady U knew she was 
            helping save humankind when she gave this unknown kid his own OZ 
            Mobile Suit after one successful test. Wufei attempts to assassinate 
            Colonel Tubarov, the man in charge of producing Mobile Dolls on the 
            lunar base. Since his Shenlong Gundam (or Nataku to his friends) has 
            no bullets or fuel, Wufei instead laughs knowingly as Tubarov's 
            guards capture him without a fight. Heero, Duo and Quatre (who might 
            have lost his mind after his dad bought the farm) are nowhere to be 
            seen. 

                  This hair gel is amazing -- even zero gravity has no affect. 
            In the best, laugh-out-loud moment of the episode, Treize explains 
            to Milliardo why Lady Une lost her mind -- it's because of her 
            feelings for him. What an ego! Maybe those shoulder pads you're 
            wearing make you look butch, Treize, but even a guy with a 
            smoldering voice like yours isn't going to turn a woman into Sybill 
            just because she's got the hots for you. Anyway, Milliardo (who I'll 
            always think of as Zechs) joins a battle to save the former members 
            of the Alliance as OZ's space fortress Barge fires its laser cannon. 
            Trowa ensures that the Barge misses its target and Zechs (oops, I 
            mean Milliardo) saves Lady Une so she can morph into her original 
            persona and kill her right hand, backstabbing, man. Sound confusing? 
            Ain't war grand? 

            --Ross Brooks needs a road map to follow all this drama.