Episode
                  7: Scenario of Bloodshed 
                  Airing Date
                  2000-03-14
                  
            There's politics and then there's political intrigue. One has to do 
            with making laws and kissing babies and ensuring that you're elected 
            to another term. The other is where all the nasty stuff happens and 
            it's much more entertaining than anything on C-SPAN. Gundam Wing, 
            more than any American-produced cartoon, thrives on both politics 
            and political intrigue. Not willing to rely on giant fighting robots 
            alone, GW tosses in a healthy dose of back-stabbing, scheming and 
            soap box speeches -- mostly about the evils of war and the virtues 
            of pacifism -- on a weekly basis. This episode, "Scenario of 
            Bloodshed," stocks the cupboards with healthy doses of politics, 
            political intrigue and giant fighting robots. What more can you ask 
            for? Besides free candy, not much. 
            Treize Khushrenada, who's been living in the shadows, finally steps 
            onto center stage. After a series of brilliant maneuvers, he's able 
            to put an end to talks of disarmament and peace talks with the Space 
            Colonies and focus on what he considers to be the correct destiny 
            for all of Earth -- all-out war with the inhabitants of space. Even 
            more impressive, he's able to manipulate the Gundam Boys so that 
            they do the dirty work for him. Lemme 'splain. 
            After members of the Alliance discuss the possibility of contacting 
            the Space Colonies with peaceful intentions, the Gundams are lured 
            to attack the meeting. Since Treize leaked the information about the 
            meeting to the Gundams, he's ready to step up and make the Alliance 
            leaders an irresistible offer -- a safe escape in his private 
            shuttle. Every general in the upper levels of the Alliance, who also 
            happen to be pacifists, board the shuttle. Treize keeps one man, 
            General Septem, off the shuttle and has him board another shuttle 
            with Treize and super assassin (and major babe) Lady Une. Heero Yuy 
            destroys the first shuttle, killing the entirety of Treize's 
            political opposition. Then he has Gen. Septem release a statement 
            that the Space Colonies have willfully attacked and killed the 
            leadership of the Alliance. Lady Une tosses the general out of the 
            plane and THEN shoots him. Mama Mia, this is one tough chick! 
            The end result of all this tumult, is, of course, Treize's 
            guaranteed rise to the top of the newly out-of-the-closet OZ 
            military force. No longer a cover for OZ and its secret plans, the 
            Specials can be dissolved and melted into OZ, which in effect now 
            rules the Earth. Smart man. 

                  Oops, sorry. My bad. 
            The Gundam Boys, meanwhile, meet for the first time but it's not a 
            date they'll celebrate in the future. Wufei arrives as the other 
            four dudes have laid waste to the Alliance. He tells them that 
            they've been pawns in Treize's elaborate game. Distraught, they 
            realize that they've just lost the best chance for peace they could 
            have hoped for. Their terrorists attacks had worked but now that 
            door is permanently closed. A brutal war lays ahead, exactly what 
            Mr. Khushrenada wanted. And don't forget about Zechs, who reveals 
            himself to be a Borg by telling his enemy that "resistance is 
            futile." I knew I didn't like that guy. 

            --Ross Brooks, who fantasizes about a catfight between Lady Une and 
            Lucrezia Noin. Meow.