Following a notable absence the past two episodes, Witch from Mercury Season 2 finally reveals what’s going on with Guel (Yōhei Azakami). And in true Guel fashion, the poor kid still can’t catch a break. He’s found himself imprisoned at Dawn of Fold’s headquarters on Earth. Guel isn’t too concerned with his situation though that’s only because he’s still processing his father’s death. Dawn intends on using Guel as a bargaining chip against Benerit though funnily enough, it probably wouldn’t work too well since Jeturk is on the verge of bankruptcy. See, you know Guel’s life sucks when even the enemy doesn’t see much worth in Guel.
As established earlier in the season, Benerit is cracking down on Dawn of Fold, sending its troops to attack their base. Naji (Taiten Kusunoki) organizes an evacuation while his second-in-command Olcott (Satoshi Mikami) leads some of Dawn’s mobile suit pilots to hold Benerit’s troops off. My biggest problem with this episode is that I barely care about any of these characters. Apart from Sophie and Norea, Witch from Mercury hadn’t dedicated any time towards this faction until now. It’s also just hard to sympathize with them. Like, their cause is noble but the same can’t necessarily be said about the methods they’re employing. The one exception is Olcott, who has an interesting backstory of being a former Benerit soldier until the death of his son. By far, the most damning moment in this episode is when one of Dawn’s pilots, Jalil (Reigo Yamaguchi), jeopardizes the evacuation by impulsively attacking some of Benerit’s mobile suits. Not only is this decision unbelievably stupid, it also results in the deaths of almost all of Benerit’s pilots, save for Olcott. In other words, even if I want to get to know any of these people, it’s already been cut short.
Right before the attack begins, one of the Earthian refugees, Seethia (Natasumi Kawaida) attempts to kill Guel to avenge the death of her father at Plant Quetta. I don’t know if Guel actually killed Seethia’s father but given the Guel was at Plant Quetta and he is a Spacian, I can see why Seethia would pin the blame on him. I also like that Guel understands Seethia’s pain to some degree and this informs what he does next. During an bombardment on one of Dawn of Fold’s facilities, Seethia gets severely injured. Guel tries to save her but she ultimately dies to blood loss. The failure to save the little girl makes Guel realize that he doesn’t want to lose any more of the things that bind him to his father and he resolves to return to space and save Jeturk from bankruptcy. Olcott letting Guel and possibly helping him leave Earth is a bit surprising but perhaps the former recognizes that there’s some good in the latter and is betting on that turning the tides of the conflict with Benerit. I wouldn’t hold it past Witch from Mercury to make Guel suffer some more but at least, I have a better idea at where his arc is going.
There’s some updates on a couple of other developments. Sarius is imprisoned at Grassley House. Shaddiq, who is finally confirmed to be half-Earthian, reveals his plan to take control of Benerit and sell its assets to Earth. That way, Spacians can no longer oppress them. Nika is also imprisoned and a very pissed off Norea takes the opportunity to take her anger on Nika. I figured Norea wouldn’t be taking Sophie’s death very well but the sudden change in tone is still very alarming. I wonder if Grassley will struggle to keep her under control. Nika tries to defend her decision to report Dawn of Fold, arguing that the group is too extreme and the violence they’re sowing will only hurt Earthians. While I’m inclined to take Nika’s side, I do agree with Norea that this is rich considering that Nika’s interference could potentially endanger innocent Earthians. In fact, we’re already seeing this with Earth House getting arrested by Benerit last episode. Nika may be the more likable character in this scene but she does come across as more naive.
Meanwhile, Miorine consults with Delling’s right-hand man and head of the Dominicus task force, Rajan Zahi (Eiji Hanawa), about Quiet Zero. It’s kind of hilarious that Miorine is fact checking the project. I mean wow, she really doesn’t trust Prospera (not that I blame her). Rajan confirms that Quiet Zero was indeed Notrette’s idea and that Delling does hope to use it to bring peace. He also reveals that the whole marriage duel thing in Asticassia was to keep Miorine safe and distract Benerit from finding out about the project. Curiously though, Rajan reminds Miorine that she is own her person and she should decide for herself whether or not to continue what Delling has started. I figured Rajan would be loyal to Delling but then again, being the latter’s right-hand man would mean that he’s well aware of what kind of person Delling has become over the years. If that’s the case, then I can see why Rajan urges Miorine to follow her own path.
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