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Episode 20 - so we meet again
The Freeden heads to Saints Island to stock up and get some rest. Saints Island is famous for being a navigation and re-supply center not under control of Orcs or Sea Vultures. It has a former solar energy collector of the Earth army that was saved from the colony drop. A face we haven’t seen in awhile, Ennil El, is docking a boat in the Saints Island Marina. A man named Miles helps her out of the boat and asks if she went to sea early that morning. He asks her for an answer to something he asked the night before. As he puts a hand on her shoulder and looks lovingly into her eyes, he says her past doesn’t matter to him. She smiles and they move closer to kiss but are interrupted by Miles’s phone. He is told there is an unregistered ship in the docking bay. He apologizes to Ennil and takes off but not before promising to stop by her bar later. Ennil looks torn as he drives away. She thinks to herself that though he doesn’t care about her past, she can’t forget.
Miles takes a small patrol boat and enters the Freeden. As head of the immigration Bureau, it is his duty to search incoming ships. He hands Jamil a pamphlet and asks if he can examine the ship. Sarah volunteers to guide him. He is shocked to find 3 Gundams on the ship and is even more shocked when Tonya runs out of the bathroom in no more than a towel and complains that it is flooding. Miles does his best to look away but Tonya, true to style, is quick to say hello after Sarah says he is head of the Immigration Bureau. He asks her if she is being rude and she says he is not being a gentleman. Tonya goes back into the bathroom. Sarah says she doesn’t know how to apologize for that. Not long after, the Freeden is allowed entry.
After being at sea for more than a month, the Freeden crew is happy to take some time off. Sarah tells two mechanics that re-supply is their duty. Roybea and Wits stop their car next to Sarah and invite her along but she wants to stay with the Freeden. Garrod isn’t as polite as him and Tifa whip by her and only give a ‘see ya’ with a wave. In his car, Garrod asks Tifa what she wants to do when they’re done shopping. A voice says “I want to see the sea with you”. Garrod recognizes the voice and turns to find Sam hiding in the back seat. Garrod turns to grab Sam by the collar and tells him to get out. Tifa takes the wheel and prevents them from hitting a tree. Garrod puts his attention back to the road and orders Sam out. Sam pleads with ‘Miss Tifa’ to let him stay and true to her kind nature, she allows it.
In the entertainment room, Sarah gives Tonya a shopping list and thanks her for agreeing to it. Tonya asks if Sarah will ‘go for it’ with Jamil. Sarah says she’s too shy. Before she can finish her next sentence, the Doctor rushes into the room and grabs a pool stick, trying to get some ‘secret special training’. It’s about now that he notices Sarah and Tonya. Tonya tells him he’s just like a kid and quotes cites ‘secret special training’ as evidence. Sarah says that there is almost no chance to be alone with Jamil anyway. Tonya heads out in her car and soon has it chock full of bags. She slams shut the trunk and says its time for personal shopping. While she is window shopping, she sees a green and yellow dress that makes her flip out. The price is a little high for her and she decides that impulse buying is bad. This show of resolve is soon forgotten as she rushes into the store to buy it.
Tonya enters the store and looks right to see her dress gone. Ennil El walks out of the dressing room wearing it. As Tonya stares, the clerk offers her different ones but Tonya, defeated, leaves. As Tonya is walking down the street, Ennil taps her on the back and hands her a bag. Ennil says the dress would be better on Tonya and that she only got it to amuse herself. Tonya buys Ennil lunch to thank her. Garrod is holding several bags as Tifa and Sam are buying ice cream. As he is acting pissed, Tifa hands him a cone. Over their lunch Ennil tells Tonya about how a younger man didn’t understand her feelings and caused her a lot of pain. Tonya agrees while we’re left to realize Ennil is talking about Garrod. As Jamil and Sarah review their supplies, Sam walks in. Jamil asks why he isn’t with Garrod and he says Garrod might’ve killed him.
On a bench by the sea, Garrod again tries to bring himself to put an arm on Tifa. As he’s about to, Tifa looks at him and asks if something is wrong. He says they should go for dinner. Roybea and Wits are heading out of the Freeden to have another night on the town when they meet Tonya in her new dress. Roybea offers her a date but she says she already has one. Tonya drives to the Lilac bar where Ennil works. Ennil tells Tonya that she was proposed to and doesn’t know what to do. She says she loves Miles but she also loves mobile suits. Despite how much Miles doesn’t care about her past, just the fact that he says anything about it means he isn’t entirely disinterested. Tonya says she chooses to stay single and do what she wants so there is nobody to blame but herself. Tonya offers to let her aboard the Freeden. Garrod and Tifa are about to head into the Lilac bar but they see it’s reserved. Tifa appears to sense Ennil and suggests they find somewhere else.
Miles enters the bar and asks if she has made up her mind on whether to marry him or not. Tonya recognizes him as ‘the lecher from before’ and he recognizes her as the girl from the Freeden. Hearing the name Freeden disconcerts Ennil she asks Tonya if her ship is named the Freeden. Tonya says yes and Ennil runs out of the bar. Ennil drives to the dock and sees her old enemy docked. “So we meet again” she says. The next morning, Miles is trying desperately to phone Ennil. Tonya stands outside the Freeden and realizes that Ennil isn’t coming. Garrod asks who she was waiting for and hears Ennil El. He is shocked to hear that and quite rightfully so.
As the Freeden is leaving an Esparanza mobile armor launches and flies toward the Freeden. Jamil orders the Gundam team to launch. It appears Ennil has chosen battle over marriage as she easily evades the Gundams. The Esparanza barrels toward the Freeden but stops short of crashing into the bridge. Tifa enters the bridge and says that it is Ennil. Tonya is shocked to find out and her image appears on Ennil’s screen. Hesitant to shoot her friend, Ennil thrusts backwards and leaves. She struggles with choosing love or hatred as she flies away.
Paul Jr’s Thoughts:
Ennil’s back after quite a long hiatus. Seeing her trying to restart her life was nice although it didn’t last. What can she do now? She’s broken Saints Island’s no combat law and now Miles ought to know about her past. I guess we’ll see how this turns out.
