Episode 27: The Locus of Victory and Defeat Airing Date 2000-04-11 Every day I sit down in front of my best friend, my television, to watch a little anime show I like to call Gundam Wing. It’s an experience that I look forward to, kind of like Shaq and his daily rap recording session. I kick my sandals off, I take out some snack food, pop open a bottle of really cold Yoo-Hoo (I prefer the bottles over the cans, if you must know), and for thirty minutes I lose myself in the After Colony years. 195, to be specific. And when it’s over I truck on over to my other best friend, my computer, and I write a little column which some of you like to read. It’s a simple life I lead, rather like the monks who transcribe endless scrolls so that they have something to do. Today, however, I didn’t finish my Yoo-Hoo with a smile but with a smirk. I wasn’t able to leave my troubles behind and find my center (or my "locus" to incorporate a vocabulary word from today’s episode title -- don’t say I never taught you anything). I didn’t relax into a state of pure calm. No, my fellow Gundamaniacs, today I was horrified to learn that there aren’t 49 episodes in the Gundam Wing saga -- there are 48 episodes, and one cheap excuse for an episode. One clip show. One big old waste of my time. "The Locus Of Victory And Defeat," which has got to be the worst episode title since "Gilligan Finds The Locus Of The Island," is nothing more than an empty summary of the preceding twenty-six episodes. Mostly it covers the "romance" (if you can call it that) between Relena and Heero. The two take turns playing narrator recounting how they met as if they were one of those old couples on the couch in When Harry Met Sally. Did you ever see that movie? If not, rent it and then you’ll know what I mean. I'd like to announce that this episode was a rip-off. I don’t understand why this episode was necessary. To be honest, I could understand if the creators behind GW thought that a "time out" wouldn’t be a bad idea. The political maneuvering, the conflicting storylines, the Xs and the Os do get kind of confusing every once in a while. In fact, I’d welcome a chance for someone to bring us all up to speed on all the major players in the After Colony scene. But "The Locus Of Victory And Defeat" doesn’t serve that purpose. Instead, it glosses over the important stuff (no, that’s not fair -- it doesn’t EVEN MENTION the important stuff) and instead focuses on how knowing Heero has affected Relena’s life. Does anyone really care? So now that I’ve downed my Yoo-Hoo and my 100,000 Grand bar is only a memory, I’d like to take a moment to take a few deep breaths, find my locus and regain my happy-go-lucky outlook. Aw, the heck with it. I’ll just have another Yoo-Hoo and watch yesterday’s episode all over again. --Ross Brooks is his own best friend.