Code Geass R2 — Episode 4

Code Geass R2

Looks like this will be the last high tension episode before we return to a more peaceful interlude. As expected, Lelouch manages to turn the entire situation around to his advantage without breaking too many drops of sweat. I mean, you didn’t really think he was going to die, right?

That is not to say that episode 4 is boring or anything. Zero’s tactics are getting a little overused, but the episode itself is quite engaging. Hopefully, with some proper planning and the Black Knights having gained the initiative, we’ll see some more creative twists during the next confrontation.

Lelouch has apparently figured out Rolo’s Geass and confirms his suspicions using recordings from the security camera.

Code Geass R2
“Smile! You’re on Candid Camera!”

Rolo’s Geass, like the other Geass, is just really powerful hypnosis. He can’t actually stop time to move around instantaneously, and thus a blasphemous violation of General Relativity has been averted and Einstein can now rest peacefully in his grave. Phew.

With his usual sweet-talking, Lelouch manages to convince Rolo to spare his life in exchange for handing over C.C. (who is the real target of the special task force). The plot logic here is a bit iffy, but I guess it’s plausible, considering Rolo appears confused about his erotic feelings for Lelouch and his obsession over his given objective.

Code Geass R2
Gunslinger Boy

Little does Rolo know that Lelouch has studied all his classified files and is plotting to turn him into a loyal pawn even without the use of Geass.

Code Geass R2

In the mean time, Li Xingke (the long-hair guy), who apparently is a faithful loyalist to the imperial crown, overrules the eunuch Gaohai and turns on the Black Knights. Fortunately, he is not an unreasonable person and he permits the Black Knights to proceed with their plans on the condition that he has plausible deniability later by making it seem like the Black Knights took over the consulate by force. He kills the eunuch for good measure.

Code Geass R2
Where the heck are the petals flying from?

Thankfully, Zero does not disappoint. Just as the countdown for the execution of the Black Knights commerces, he makes his usual melodramatic appearance, standing alone on a Knightmare Frame. Jeez Britiannia soldiers, that’s your cue to open fire! It bluffers me as to how he manages to get away with it every single time.

Code Geass R2

After some customary exchange of greetings, Zero pulls off his usual trick and the ground plate which everyone happens to be standing on breaks off. Jeez Britiannia engineers, stop putting readily-accessible self-destruction functions in your cities!

Code Geass R2

Thanks to the ensuing chaos, Kallen and the rest manage to free the prisoners. She also has time to finish off an annoying and useless bishounen character as an afterthought. Jeez, it looks like most of the new unimportant side characters are there to be slaughtered over the course of the series.

Code Geass R2

Code Geass R2
What’s going on? I don’t know

The real caveat of the episode takes place in the final part. After pulling his old hat trick, Zero breaks for the Chinese consulate only to be chased down by Rolo in Vincent. Rolo is pissed off that he actually falls for Lelouch’s obviously-fake promise and looks ready to finish Lelouch off. Just then a sniper fires in their direction.

Code Geass R2
The cloak gives it +5 Sniping

The sniper (one of the other annoying bishounen characters) is actually under the influence of Lelouch’s Geass and his shot is heading straight for Rolo! And of course, since Rolo’s Geass can’t actually stop time, he’s pretty much done for. The bullet sails towards him in slow motion and…

…Lelouch blocks it (*gasp*) with his Knightmare Frame, thus “saving” Rolo’s life. The deed is done: Rolo’s fate (and his pure innocent boyish heart) has been sealed by Lelouch’s diabolical contract.

Code Geass R2
Rolo tries to deal with his new found feelings

“Oh my god Lelouch why did you do that? I was going to kill you.”

“Because even though all my memories were false and I secretly want to stick a knife up your nether region, you are still my precious brother.”

“OMG WTF I’ve never had a family before!”

“You can join me by my side and together we shall take over the world! (And get back Nunnally. After which I will backstab you and feed your warm corpse to the rats.)”

“Oh noooooo! I don’t know what to do!”

“Join me! It is your destiny!”

“Can’t…resist…heart-shaped locket…”

Come to think of it, Lelouch is the most evil and manipulative character in the entire show. He’s totally awesome. Now he has Rolo working on his side, allowing him to fool Viletta and the rest into thinking that he still hasn’t regained his memories.

This means that we should be expecting some school yard romance hijinks and light humour until Zero makes his next move, right? Maybe… But:

Code Geass R2
DUN DUN DUN

Personally, I would rather see Kallen back in school uniform. *wubs*

Screencaps

Code Geass R2
Demented expression

Code Geass R2
No more bunny suit… :(

Code Geass R2
She wraps her petite hands gently round the cold hard barrel and…

Code Geass R2
It says something for a country to have standard equipment for mass executions

Code Geass R2
Two of them die in this episode. Yay

Code Geass R2
“I won’t be home for dinner. Remember to feed the goldfish.”

Code Geass R2
“Zero is here! *fap fap fap fap*”

Code Geass R2
It’s amazing how side characters always happen to be in the same room

Code Geass R2
Tweedledum and Tweedledee (I give them six episodes to live)

Code Geass R2
You’d think that someone would notice if you had red glowing demon eyes

Code Geass R2
She’s secretly relieved that Ougi didn’t die. Awww… Sho shweet

Code Geass R2
“Oh great… You guys are back. Yay. (Where’s Zero?)”

Code Geass R2
Dramatic poses may result in neck sprains

I happened to notice that someone on a school mailing list I belong to left a comment on my last entry. Interesting.

This entry was posted in Anime and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

52 Responses to Code Geass R2 — Episode 4

  1. Can’t believe Rollo actually fell for it. You’d think that after being tricked once you would avoid being tricked by the same guy. Or maybe he is too soft hearted to control himself. haha

  2. Amnestic says:

    “Can’t believe Rollo actually fell for it. You’d think that after being tricked once you would avoid being tricked by the same guy. Or maybe he is too soft hearted to control himself. haha”

    The translation I watched, at around 21:15-21:25, Lelouch remarks to himself “This guy’s password turned out to be quite useful.” Possibly referring to a code word which does something to Rolo? Seems kinda cheesy and cliche, but it’s possible. The shot of Suzaku at the end was just too cheesy for words.

  3. Loba says:

    First to check in..

    Hm, why didn’t rolo get geassed when lelouch was talking with him face on?

  4. kamui says:

    “Oh my god Lelouch why did you do that? I was going to kill you.”

    “Because even though all my memories were false and I secretly want to stick a knife up your nether region, you are still my precious brother.”

    “OMG WTF I’ve never had a family before!”

    “You can join me by my side and together we shall take over the world! (And get back Nunnally. After which I will backstab you and feed your warm corpse to the rats.)”

    “Oh noooooo! I don’t know what to do!”

    “Join me! It is your destiny!”

    “Can’t…resist…heart-shaped locket…”

    ____________________________________________________________

    That dialogue seems like a Dark Lord of the Sith luring a Jedi to the dark side.
    Like anakin being lured by Palpatine or such

  5. andreas says:

    Some pic in the ending showed Leouche and Suazku back at school. I’m so looking forward to their talk.

    “You know Lelouche, i kinda hate you for having killed my girlfriend”

    “Awww come on Suzaku, don’t be such a girl. You kidnapped my sister and do you see me whining about it? And anyway, your girlfriend was my half-sister”

    “You said you loved her too!”

    “Yeah but thats illegal…”

    “Poor Lelouche” *patpats lelouche*

    and like this Suzaku will join Rolo.

  6. tj han says:

    Wow you are famous even in RJC! Let us celebrate! Anyway it beggars belief as to how Zero gets away with the same old tricks and the dumbo Britannians don’t wisen up and plant more guards at key control points.

  7. manga says:

    A really good ep. But Lelouch has to think more ahead instead of just solving the crisis he´s in at the moment. Rolo will learn that he was tricked, after 20 or so eps I think…

    So Lelouch is a good tactician with what he has on his hands, but other than that no. Kill enemies as fast as you can, don´t turn them into half psycho killers that you try to controll by their emotions.

    Getting a family for the first time is something we all who have families can´t understand the joy of. So I understand why Rolo believes Lelouch.

    Nice mindfuck by him though.

  8. LianYL says:

    Radiation turned the bishounen into a Michael Jackson.

  9. KesenaiTsumi says:

    hehe….The English Sub is out…gonna download it now…

  10. Tickner says:

    Although it’s not mentioned here, the enunch’s talk about zero bringing him happiness is quite creepy.

    Also, “Hm, why didn’t rolo get geassed when lelouch was talking with him face on?”

    Maybe it’s sunrise being cute in dropping off a hint that Lelouch has already secretly geassed Rolo, making him hold absolute loyalty to family and love lelouch or something similarly homoerotic. Rolo obviously forgot and lelouch tested the new loyalty by asking for the locket back, which rolo needs to sustain himself now.

    Although, for that scenario to work, Rolo would have needed the red eyes and stuff when he protected lelouch from sniper lance. Which he didn’t. So it’s more likely sunrise just got lazy. GAH!

    Also, how do I change my gravatar! This one makes me look like a creepy anime pedo! I have an account out the gravatar place and a gravatar.

  11. BigBossSNK says:

    “This guy’s password turned out to be quite useful.”
    Obviously refers to Rolo’s computer password – access to his files that lead Lelouch to realising Rolo’s emotional weakpoint.

    “Why didn’t rolo get geassed when lelouch was talking with him face on?”
    Two fold answer:
    1.Because Lelouch knew that his Geass takes more time to act than Rolo’s.
    2. Because Lelouch didn’t want to waste his one time opportunity to control Rolo through Geass, when he can still control him logically – emotionally

    Apart from that, it’s interesting to watch Lelouch’s mind unfold from a tactician to a strategist. A tactician being a person who uses only the available resources to confront the issue at hand whereas a strategist would create new resources to suit his ends (turning Rolo from a foe to an ally).
    Yet another episode where Lelouch showcases different approaches to power and control than Light-kun.

  12. bigbosssnk says:

    Forgot to mention, Zero wasn’t shot down by the Britanians while on the Knightmare frame because their commander demanded satisfaction through a duel.

  13. VhenRa says:

    Hmm, Suzaku “The Annoying Bastard” has returned!

  14. Hadezu says:

    lol. Rolo got MINDHIVE. Where’s the EU?

  15. asdf says:

    ahaha – your witty comments are hilarious – keep them going.

  16. Mike says:

    ““Why didn’t rolo get geassed when lelouch was talking with him face on?”
    Two fold answer:
    1.Because Lelouch knew that his Geass takes more time to act than Rolo’s.
    2. Because Lelouch didn’t want to waste his one time opportunity to control Rolo through Geass, when he can still control him logically – emotionally”

    Please clarify at what point during the series Lelouch gained control of his geass after it got out of control. The emperor mindwiped him, and he somehow lost it. When he remebers, he gets glowing eye, and is sudenly afraid of ordering C.C., but she reminds him that geass won’t work on her. She gave him the contact lense to block the geass and make him look normal.

    In the scene where he talks about backstabbing C.C. in exchange for his life, he is looking directly at Rolo, Geass in full blare. His geass always works instantly on everyone else.

  17. flame of heaven says:

    Yeah, well no-one is perfect, let alone sunrise :p

    I think the most unrealistic thing in this episode is how the long-haired guy (from china) says something along the lines of ^i dont mind you staying here as long as i dont know about it^ like, wtf
    How did sunrise manage to come up with such a dodgey end to something that could become so cool (him killing all the black knights :p)
    But all in all, a bit of a pussy episode with too much of the same things over and over again :(

  18. bigbosssnk says:

    “Lelouch’s geass always works instantly on everyone else.”
    No. For Lelouch’s Geass to work, he has to speak the order. Obviously, during the time period it takes for him to express his will, the opponent has a small time window to act. Most people, being Geass naive, are “stunned” in this period, but this isn’t the case for Rolo, who can freeze people’s consciousness just by thinking it (and obviously the time it takes for Rolo to think is less than the time it takes Lelouch to speak). Lelouch was able to deduce this advantage for Rolo from the timed video footage he saw.

    Lelouch doesn’t control when his Geass is active (as in when his commands to other people are Geass driven), but he still has to issue the order. In his confrontation with Rolo, he refrains from issuing orders for the reasons I listed.

  19. Mike says:

    Well mr bigbosssnk, well deduced. Not quite sure how I missed that, must be more attentive in future. Fail.

    Thanks for clarifiying :D

  20. flame of heaven says:

    Lelouch doesn’t control when his Geass is active (as in when his commands to other people are Geass driven), but he still has to issue the order. In his confrontation with Rolo, he refrains from issuing orders for the reasons I listed.

    Not necessarily. Let us assume i say, i want to go to the park, would the order in that sentence be go to the park. That can be taken as an order, and Lelouch doesnt need to consciously think that it is an order, this is apparent with his conversation with euphemia.
    Honestly, i dont know what technically constitutes an order, but if they are like the go to the park example, then rollo would have been under the geass multile times in the episode

    Tell me if i am incorrect

  21. andreas says:

    He couldn’t use his Geass because he can’t control it anymore and therefore has to take out the contact lense before he can use it. Rolo could’ve killed him a thousand times during that.

  22. Mike says:

    Lelouch’s eye was bright red with the geass. He didn’t have the contact lens in at the time, he took it out to use the geass on Rolo, before rolo stopped him with his own geass and took the gun.

  23. bigbosssnk says:

    “I don’t know what technically constitutes an order”
    Geass requires the element of volition to initiate. So long as Lelouch wills it (consciously or subconsciously), it’s an order. In his confrontation with Rolo, (a wiser) Lelouch used his conscious mind to reign in his subconscious.

  24. flame of heaven says:

    Lelouch used his conscious mind to reign in his subconscious.

    Your conscious can never manipulate your subconcious sadly, so this couldnt be the case

  25. bigbossSNK says:

    Reigning in your subconscious and manipulating your subconscious are distinct notions. Don’t mistake one for the other.
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123125608.htm

  26. Fate says:

    During the begining of the episode lulu could just use his geass on rolo when they were talking face to face. That be much easier.

  27. padpod says:

    Keep noticing.

    Now that Rolo is totally in love, it’s kind of like part yaoi-incest fanbait.

    *shudders*

  28. Speaking of Suzaku: I found him quite an interesting character but now R2 has left him emo. Actually he has been emoing since Euphemia died. Sunrise is dragging his depression way too long. He is like just bent on revenge, no longer the kind-hearted guy from season 1.

  29. Giga drill breaker!!!! says:

    I notice how you didn’t screencap the bishounen guy getting rolled over by the bloody large command vehicle, or Lelouch’s cool skateboarding action….on a machine five stories tall….

  30. Bayushi Kazemi says:

    “Geass requires the element of volition to initiate. So long as Lelouch wills it (consciously or subconsciously), it’s an order. In his confrontation with Rolo, (a wiser) Lelouch used his conscious mind to reign in his subconscious.”

    I don’t think this is the case. If it was, Euphie wouldn’t have gone on that killing spree because Lelouch was kidding when he made this suggestion. It wasn’t even an order, he just happened to meet eye contact during the wrong portion of his sentence (the “kill all elevens” portion).

    I think Rollo may have been specifically avoiding looking in Lelouch’s Demon Eye. The first half of their conversation could be explained with “Rollo couldn’t see the entire eye”, and this prevented it from taking hold. The second half…weeeeeeell, I dunno about that…

  31. bigbossSNK says:

    “Euphie wouldn’t have gone on that killing spree because Lelouch was kidding when he made this suggestion.”
    Lelouch was kidding consciously. Of course, the subconscious doesn’t have to play by the same rules the conscious does. (That’s why dreams are fun).
    Lelouch paid a dear price to find that out. Here it paid off.

  32. Guner says:

    Too much speculation. I call plothole.

  33. bigbossSNK says:

    I’ll take that as a compliment, then, seeing as I can explain Lelouch’s situation better than the staff in Sunrise could have conceived it.

  34. flame of heaven says:

    lol, damn sunrise, cant even explain something easy like that!

  35. Mike says:

    Fate’s comment was the best though, disregarding the 10 comments in a row before him on the very subject he’s talking about, dismissing them as something else. :D

  36. Keba says:

    Well it was a good episode so far. Though..some things can be questioned. The “everybody has geass” thing is getting kind of old though. It was cool when the main protragonist has it but hey it makes for a slightly more interesting storyline. I bet anything that Rolo and the emperor got their powers from V.V.

    Anyways…Let’s see what happens, and yes it does say something when a country has standard equipment for mass executions. I can’t POSSIBLY imagine why the people want to revolt against Britania -cough-

  37. lxs says:

    just watched ep2 again…so why does Rolo not just ‘stop time’ and kill Lelouch instead of trying to look flashy and putting ‘time’ when he goes in for the killing blow? >>;

  38. Guner says:

    The story would be over if the protagonist died so early. (except in excel saga)

  39. Peter Road says:

    wat is excel saga?

  40. jjjj says:

    the 5 bishounen annoying characters is the son off andreas darlton, the big blonde guy from the first season of code geass, FYI

  41. Allion says:

    I’m really amused watching the Code Geass characters doing the Danjo dance -> http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/electro/magnetic.htm

  42. blissmo says:

    I thought this episode was pretty boring T.T

  43. Uso says:

    It seems as though Lelouch may not be making eye contact at all for the first part of his speech (the camera angle sucked, but I think Rolo’s gun was blocking the eye). For the second part, when he turns around and looks in Rolo’s face, he only uses future tense. His ability requires the command tense, so he avoids its trigger. That “subconcious” stuff is BS. He’s used the Geass several dozen times by now. Are you saying his subconcious was all for it other time? Besides, if Lelouch wasn’t able to plan on it, he wouldn’t have turned around.

    I also noticed that they switched his glowing eye at 3:52, in the reflection of the camera. NOOOOOO!

    Decent episode, in the end.

  44. bigbossSNK says:

    True about the Japanese command tense. Still, I don’t see how this relates to the distinction between conscious and subconscious volition being BS. Supposing Lelouch’s Geass goes further out of control and stops requiring a verbal trigger, like Rolo’s, Lelouch’s state of mind will be far more important. And, as a primitive of psychology, you can plan things consciously, even if your subconscious doesn’t agree.

    As for Lelouch’s Geass eye, it isn’t switched. That’s how the scene would look in a reflection. Here’s proof:
    http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r3/bigbossSNK/LR1.png
    http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r3/bigbossSNK/LR2.png

  45. lee says:

    I find it amazing that Lelouch can rush back in time to take the bullet for Rolo, yet Rolo is frozen… maybe Rolo isn’t tt hot in a knightmare if he is not using Geass?

    Still swooning over Kallen’s kickass over the Galston Knight….

  46. Pingback: code geass r2 episode 5

  47. raulecruset says:

    Lelouche is awsome, he outmanouvred like a 100 ppl at the same time easily.
    I bet that rollo and suzaku will end up killing eachother with lelouche laughing in the end with his harem:P

    @ lxs
    rollo doesn’t want to kill lelouch becoz his mission is to get C.C. before he does it.

  48. meowpaw says:

    i’m surprised there isn’t a screencap of the pizza hut rival was reading.

  49. praango says:

    Where is the evil laughter? Code Geass is not complete without at least one outburst of evil laughter per episode. I’m very disappointed in you Lelouch..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *