Schneizel's calming reaction comes after the three of them are surprised. So I'm not sure what your talking about, because his calm demonour so suddenly after being caught off guard is the same as your revered smirk you keep mentioning. A person who picks himself up that quickly has something more to add, if he did not he'd have been like Cornelia, protesting the idea not stopping it. I do not know what literature you've read, but when people act collect so quickly after being surprised means (usually) that they have further things up their sleaves than what was already put on the table.
Did you think the way they killed Nunally was unfitting for a character of her importance? It was sudden and unexpected but I found it fitting. I think this is more a conflict of preference than actual presentation. As I said before, there is little on the table for you to explicitly state that he wanted Lelouch alive. You are speculating that he did based on past actions but those actions failed everytime because Lelouch would escape. Do you not think it reasonable for a man like Schneizel who wants to win to learn and correct this problem? Especially when Lelouch is of little use to him?
Sure we all knew he wasn't going to die there, and I agree that it was to set up Rolo, but I do not agree that it was somehow out of character or incorrectly done. I was completely unsurprised by the course of action the Order took. As I said, this is a conflict of preference not presentation. Just because I like the scene makes it correctly done for my taste, since you do not like it it is not to your taste. This is a question of jaded views and preference nothing more.
Seeing as how letters can equal whatever the fuck I want them too, I think that equation works just fine.
First I'll quote other people who summed it up pretty well:
I find it silly for you to tell me that I misread the scene as if you some how have a monopoly and justification on 'what is right'. I saw what I saw, as I said preference and jadedness. I believe they were incredibly paranoid, in fact I think that is what Schneizel was doing when talking to them, working off their paranoia and fear to make them betray Zero. You saw them react negatively when he said that even he could be Geassed and they all started wondering if they themselves had been Geassed. There was clear paranoia there. And unlike Schneizel, they have no idea how the Geass work beyond a loose mention by Schneizel, therein I find your conjecture of them not being paranoid just because they did not wear 'sunglasses' completely irrelevant.
As for Diethard, did you miss the fact that he was the one who tried to stand up for Zero? The man was the least taken by Schneizel's bullshit but when the majority rules he had little choice. Hence why he was holding a camera, not a gun. The man had his own initiative, he did not care about Geass, he just had his story.
You're stretching this to make it overly negative when there is enough presented for one to easily argue that what occured is easily feasible.
I'm also at work.
