SYNOPSIS

The colonists realise the Buff Clan have them surrounded. After contact with a forward patrol, the Solo Ship enters DS drive. Gije and Cosmo realise that the Ide's increased power is acting as a beacon, allowing the Buff Clan to easily track them, and more ships attack them in Null Space. The Ideon jets launch, and Kasha heads out to destroy the Buff mothership while Cosmo and Gije keep the fighters busy. The plan works, and the Solo Ship heads to Star Steckin to make repairs. The planet's only life is giant plants, and the crew settle down to rest. Meanwhile, an impatient Harulu dispatches a unit led by the veteran Kodomon Muron to engage the colonists directly. On the Solo Ship, Gije takes the chance to call in on Sheryl, finding her drunk and depressed. He speculates that the ship will be running forever. She bemoans the twist of fate that led to them discovering the Ideon. Gije believes the Ide is testing humanity,an idea that causes Sheryl to question its' right to do so.

Meanwhile, Kodomon takes a squad of Adigo mecha down to the planet's surface. The Ideon jets launch, Gije leaving Sheryl to get some sleep. Bes moves the Solo Ship under cover of a huge leaf, but not all the vegetation is so helpful - the Ideo-Delta sticks to one plant and has to be freed by Gije. The pilots use the vegetation to trap some of the Adigos, but the Buff Clan have come in large numbers and soon begin overwhelming the Ideon units. Hatari realises there is an even bigger force around the other side of the planet moving in to attack, and Bes orders the Solo Ship to retrieve the Ideon units and try to escape before the reinforcements arrive. Harulu is leading the force personally, seeking vengeance for the death of Daram. An Adigo manages to clamp onto the Ideo-Buster, but Gije rams it with the Ideo-Nova. However, his own jet then crashes into a leaf. Kodomon orders the Adigos to concentrate their fire on the Ideo-Nova, and the blasts tear through the barrier and fatally injure Gije. Bento attempts to regain control, but the Ide takes over all three jets and combines them into Ideon above the planet. The Ideon Swords activate, and the robot slices Star Steckin in half, wiping out Kodomon's unit and the reinforcements on the other side of the planet, though Harulu's ship escapes. Back on board the Solo Ship, Bes, Cosmo and Bento tend to Gije's body, refusing to allow a hysterical Sheryl to see him in this condition.

NOTES

Sheryl Formosa: Lin's death has left Sheryl depressed, leading her to heavy drinking. Her state seems to have put a little distance between her and Gije, as he doesn't quite seem to know how to deal with her when she's like this. However, as the emotional final scene shows, she loves him very much.

Karala Ajiba: Karala is devoted enough to Bes to clean his ears out for him. That's pretty bloody devoted.

Cosmo Yuki: Cosmo jokes with Gije that he and Kasha slept together (technically they did... on separate chairs in the Ideo-Delta's cockpit). He and Kasha are obviously getting a bit closer.

The Solo Ship: The Ide has massively boosted the ship's radar, which can now work at a range of 500,000 light years, even relaying images from this distance.

Torolof: I'm not 100% sure, but I think Torolof (later to have a larger role in Be Invoked) can be glimpsed briefly on the bridge of Harulu's battleship. If it's not her, it's someone in the same style uniform with the same haircut - maybe Harulu's personal guard all dress like that?

The Ideon: Let's just reiterate this: the Ideon slices a planet in half.

REVIEW:

Possibly the best episode of the series. The first half has lots of nice little touches as the colonists try to get some downtime despite their trouble, with the Cosmo/Kasha scene on the Ideo-Delta being especially sweet, as is Cosmo's joking banter with Gije.

The second half combines a neat battle among Star Steckin's plant-life with two of the show's most powerful sequences. The Ideon's cameo (so much more effective because the jets were used for most of the battle) is a terrifying show of power, beautifully directed (the decision to switch from frenetic battle music to a soft, melancholy piece as the planet begins to split is a masterstroke). And then there's the distressing, emotional scene with Sheryl at the end as she finally completely breaks as another person close to her is killed.

A masterpiece, and my own personal favourite from the TV series.