Thoughts:
* People with names are going to start dropping like flies real soon, and we likely have two, maybe three more big fights left.
* Lyle's proclamation of love is so rare in an anime. It's also so very nice to cut through all the BS and just say it. That said, those two have shot to the top of my "one of these is almost certainly going to die" list. At the very least, CB is going to realize Anew is an Innovator REAL soon, and I'm sure the tension this may cause in the love w/Lyle will be highlit.
* So, Soma's back. I imagine Alleluja is going to somehow "save" her to bring Marie back. Probably prevent her from killing Andrei. Not quite as dramatic as the Soma/Halleluja fighting, one mortally wounding the other, Marie/Alleluja regaining control, tears incident I had hoped for, but any drama between those two is welcome after all these episodes of zero character development for the two of them.
* I'm not sure what to say about Marina. They've put real effort to dive into character this second season, but Marina has largely been left untouched-probably the biggest surprise for me as I had thought she'd play some integral role. Still, it's virtually a given that she isn't killed, and it looks like this is the beginning of Sunrise finally starting whatever role they had had planned for her. So, better late than never I suppose. Edit: Placing bets on Mannequin being the one leading that raid. It occurs to me that they said security forces had been sent to reinforce her-we see security forces here. Why they'd send her to do that type of job is beyond me, but...plot device! She's tolerant enough that it at least gives a plausible excuse that Marina/children aren't going to die in a hail of bullet fire.
* Andrei really is a schmuck. It's difficult to see how, as a member of A-LAWS, he is unaware that it was A-LAWS that shot the Elevator down. One would think a giant space cannon blowing the shit out of it would be difficult to spin. That said, I'm 100% understanding of plot device, so let's let that slide. The only real question is if he manages to redeem himself by the end of the series (I'd say that's almost a given due to Sunrise hopefully not wanting those last moments between father and son to be completely pointless, which sort of sucks as I really dislike him and would much rather see him suffer. A lot. For a long time.)
* Let me join the chorus who found the declarations of what they hold dear hilarious. Who'd have thought "Gundam" could, after all these years, find new life as a one-word running gag.
* So, it seems Setsuna really was shot with pseudo GN particles. God, I love that malicious bastard Ali.
* I believe that's Saji talking with Louise onboard a ship in the preview. Which would insinuate that she ends up on Ptolemias. Whatever. They are both characters I have little empathy for so if their reconciliation is sped up and forced through in one episode to leave more time for other characters' drama-time, than that is a good thing.
* Amusing Ribbons. Very amusing. Letting both Wang and Regene know that he knows they are playing their own games, but that he simply doesn't care. What confidence. Wang is very likely going to die at some point, and I suspect she's got only one role left in the plot, which is to deliver Veda's location to CB. I have higher hopes for Regene. I'm 99% certain the other Innovators think Ribbons (and themselves) are following Aolia's plan. I've got very high hopes that Regene will be the catalyst to waking up the Innovators to the truth that they are being manipulated by Ribbons just as well as they are manipulating the Federation.
I almost want to take a break from Gundam and wait till the season is over at this point, as I suspect it'll be cliff-hanger after cliff-hanger from here on forth.
Anyways, here's to another good episode in one of the best iterations of Gundam to date!
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