Turn A Gundam Staff, Production, and Episode Analyses – Episode #28 “The Burden”

Turn A Gundam‘s twenty-eight episode was broadcast on Fuji TV on October 22, 1999.

---

Loran—joined by Sochie and Miashei—analyzes the crater caused by he nuclear explosion. He tells the other two to remain in their cockpits to avoid exposure to radiation. They talk about how radioactive fallout from the bomb(s) will last for years, harming any living beings who come near the area. Sochie is in disbelief that Gavane was at the center of such an explosion.

The remainder of the Suicide Squad haphazardly search for Gavane, despite knowing that there’s no way he could have survived. Only a few members of Lt. Zenoa’s team have survived, and Zenoa himself realizes that he’s still carrying two warheads. They rendezvous with Poe, who commands him to hand over the nukes, but he refuses—knowing, of course, that they’d then go to warmonger Phil. He scurries off and she gives chase. Zenoa manages to shake her off and finds Loran and co., and he begs them to take the nukes off his hands. He implores them these bombs don’t discriminate between friend and foe. When Poe finally catches up, Loran and Sochie chase her away by slowly walking towards her in an eerie fashion and demanding water. This is in reference to real-world atomic bomb survivors’ testimonies. Read more here & here.

Afterwards, Loran decides he has to appeal to Queen Dianna directly and put an end to this war. Zenoa offers to handle that part and that they should instead take the nukes and bury them in the mountains or elsewhere. He doesn’t want the deaths of his soldiers to be for naught. He has lost all interest in fighting after learning that there are nuclear weapons buried in he Mountain Cycles. He really is a standup person, no? Sochie and Miashei go with Zenoa to make sure he’s able to meet with Dianna. Loran temporary stores the nukes in the White Doll’s chest chambers.

The weapons excavated last episode by the Dianna Counter are called “Muttowooos”. They’re transformable mobile suits loosely based on the Baund Doc from the Universal Century (of Zeta Gundam fame, particularly). We’ll see them in action in the coming episodes, so stay tuned.

Lt. Phil and Dianna chat while Kihel listens via wiretap. Phil suggests that searching for more nukes is the way forward; he thinks Dianna’s weak diplomacy is no longer required and that they should use military might to quell the Militia. Dianna retorts that humanity has only able to revive itself because of the ban on nuclear material as weapons. She chastises Phil for wanting to repeat mankind’s original sin. He claims they should enslave the Earthers and create a double-state to allow a cleaner Earth-Moon migration. Clearly, he’s a warmongering maniac who’s hellbent on making a power grab now that the situation has escalated. He does however bring up a good point, that it was Dianna’s own shortsightedness to not anticipate Earthling resistance which has ultimately led to the current state of affairs. It’s one of her glaring mistakes in the orchestration of the Earth-Moon Return Plan. Nonetheless, she rejects his idea of a double-state and warns him to not utter such nonsense again or she’ll have him executed.

Sochie and Zenoa make it to the Soleil, but they’re blocked by guards. Sochie tries to reason with them, saying that this is no time to squabble after what just happened. Dianna makes to rush out and see what’s going on, but she’s stopped by Phil at gunpoint. Harry and Kihel then emerge from a nearby room and run off. Dianna uses this opportunity to refer to Kihel as “Dianna” and tell her to flee, in an attempt to make it seem like they’ve swapped places again. Phil sees through her antics (or does he?) and orders her to return to her quarters. Kihel boards a private aircraft and is escorted out of the Soleil by Harry’s SUMO. Meanwhile, in the chaos and confusion, Zenoa tanks artillery fire for Sochie, and in his final moments he implores everyone to stay safe. Kihel asks Harry if it’s okay to leave Dianna at the Soleil. If Phil thinks she’s “Kihel”, then he might actually have her executed. Harry doesn’t think Phil is sure if she’s the real “Dianna” or not, so it’s a gamble worth taking. Kihel reckons they should head to the Sackträger as Dianna had planned and head to the Moon to determine Agrippa’s intentions.

Sochie has escaped with Joseph to a Militia rally point. Turns out both the Royal Guard and Militia members want to head to “Manupichi” to repair their ship(s). There’s ominous chatter about rumors of Dianna being imprisoned by her own people, and Loran vows to take responsibility of the nukes himself and not hand them over to anyone. Things are quickly heating up as we make good way into the latter half of the show!

---