Episode
                  24: The Gundam They Call Zero. 
                  Airing Date
                  2000-04-06

             
            I'm not gonna write "I told you so" but, darn it, I predicted this 
            was gonna happen. I had a feeling that all the track layin' that's 
            been going on in Outer Space was gonna pay off and, finally, after 
            several mediocre episodes, it has. "The Gundam They Call Zero" was a 
            tightly laid-out story with equal parts action, compelling story, 
            character revelations and surprise twists. It didn't have the 
            trademark "Gundam Wing" long-winded speeches about the meaning of 
            war and humankind's burning desire to fight. It didn't feature 
            either of the Peacecrafts acting like spoiled, crazy children. It 
            wasn't so convoluted that you'd need a road map to follow each story 
            thread. Instead, it was a simple, dramatic story that kept us on the 
            edge of our collective seats. It was GW at its best and we proclaim 
            in unison, "We're not worthy." 
            Here's the quick pitch -- Quatre shows up in a supercharged Gundam 
            (based on the Sandrock but much tougher) and kicks OZ's ass. 
            Unfortunately, he's also blowing up Space Colonies. Trowa proves 
            that he's still working for the Colonies as he feeds Duo and Wufei 
            information on their rebuilt Gundams. He and Heero head off to join 
            Quatre but Quatre turns on them and proclaims his desire to destroy 
            everything in Outer Space. He totally annihilates Trowa's Vayeate 
            and then turns on Heero's Mercurius. The kid's crazy from the trauma 
            of watching his father's death. And oh, Tubarov turns off the air 
            supply to the prison cells which hold Duo, Wufei and the 5 Gundam 
            scientists. 
            If it sounds par for the course, it's not. Some stories feel forced 
            and never quite gel -- each scene doesn't lead naturally to the 
            next. Other episodes, like this one, are just born perfect. Displace 
            one scene and the whole would suffer. Add a mini sub-plot and the 
            episode would feel too crowded. Too heavy. Too convoluted. 

                  As far as giant robots go, I'm the bomb baby. 
            The action scenes featuring Quatre's new Gundam, the Wing Zero, are 
            awe inspiring. Like Kobe Bryant on a basketball court, Quatre coolly 
            cuts through his enemy and decimates everyone in his path. Beam 
            cannon at his side and the ability to move like Barry Sanders in an 
            open field, the Zero is so far above any other Mobile Suit out there 
            that you can't help feeling sorry for Heero and Wufei when they face 
            it. And let me ask you this -- how often do you feel sorry when two 
            Gundam pilots take on a single MS (even if it is piloted by another 
            Gundam boy)? 
            Some shows have a formula and stick to it. Give "Gundam Wing" credit 
            for trying to reinvent the wheel in nearly every episode. The 
            downside, of course, is that all that experimenting doesn't always 
            work. The lesson? When you find something that works, stick with it. 
            "The Gundam They Call Zero" would be impossible to duplicate on a 
            regular basis but when it comes, we're all thankful. And better yet, 
            it whets our appetite for more. 

            --Ross Brooks likes to use the word whet.