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←Previous Post -- Next Post→ Phase 21 -- Tandem Mirror Or: Time To Start Calling People On Their Bullshit I don’t think there’s a better sum-up of this episode -- nay, this whole series -- than Claire describing to Ai during one of her particularly naive moments exactly how space development will further widen the gap between the wealthy countries that can go to space and the poorer countries that cannot, and Colin Clifford saying, “Well, that’s how capitalism is supposed to work.” I mean, technically that’s only half the episode, but the other half is basically the same thing but with a different audience and a different intent. The other half is the scene where Hachimaki confronts Hakim, and the show draws a direct comparison between the two by having Claire and Hakim’s final lines be the same: “In the end, you’re just one of the fortunate few.” That being said, talking about them more probably requires splitting them up, so let’s go chronologically. While both of them are focused on the impact of wealthier countries monopolizing the space race, Claire’s is specifically focused on attacking Ai’s idea of love as a saving force. “When has your love ever saved even one person?” she asks. “It certainly won’t save El Tanika or Manangan.” And yeah, that’s true so far in the show; as mentioned before on the show, the world has not proved very kind to Ai’s love. But Claire is attacking it in a general sense as well. A better way to phrase it would be: Claire is rejecting the very lib “What if we all just tried to get along, to see the common ground we share with other people? It’s so simple, isn’t it?” And it works because, well, yeah she’s kind of right to do so. Societal problems aren’t just going to be solved by free and open dialog, by Kendall Jenner handing a police officer a Pepsi or whatever. At best -- at best -- they are a starting point, a place to make the issues known, and many would argue we’re already past that point. People are becoming more and more aware of systemic issues, and many have the privilege of not having to do anything about them. They, like Ai, are part of the “fortunate few.” Hakim is interesting for other reasons. First is in how he’s finally revealed as a member of the Space Defense Front and has been working to join the Von Braun with the key goal of sabotaging the mission. There’s a retroactive implication that he’s been a member for some time, both in reflecting on his past actions and also the reincorporation of his “Do you know of a country called Manangan?” speech, which now reads less like a statement of intent but more of a reassurance to himself that what he’s doing is both good and necessary. Still, it also means that the “Hakim and Hachimaki are similar” comparison I made is what is attacked here. In Hakim’s eyes, such a comparison is impossible. They can’t be similar. Despite Hachimaki’s improved drive since coming out of the hospital, when push comes to shove, he’s still not entirely devoted to his chosen path. He still deals with his inner cosmonaut, and he’s unable to fire a wire anchor into Hakim’s chest to save the Tandem Mirror Engine. It’s a nice counterpoint to Ai -- Hachi is reliant on the Von Braun, absolutely needs it to succeed, but is unable to defend it. At the same time, I still stand by the Hakim-Hachimaki comparison. When push finally comes to shove, Hachimaki doesn’t put down his weapon, he wheels it around and (I would argue) is about to pull the trigger when the explosion goes off. This is the line that Planetes refuses to cross in its messaging. Violence may be the language of the oppressed, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the right for being violent. To do so falls short of its other messaging, but that’s more of a topic for later episodes. For now, though, it’s another step towards casting off one’s humanity, another way one isolates themselves from everyone else on Earth. -r Next time: Hakim and Hachimaki’s relationship is not the only one that’s taken a turn for the worse. ←Previous Post -- Next Post→

update this one is better because this one is mine