So I just finished watching the first season vol.4 DVD, and I really feel like I missed something in "Ep.16:Chinks in the Armour of the Heart". Or at least like there were important story details that weren't obvious.
At the end of the episode Batou is quite upset at how things turned out, seemingly more upset than he would be merely from having caught a former idol of his youth as a spy. After all, Batou knew that Zaitsev was a spy right from the beginning of the assignment. The investigation was just about tracking Zaitsev's contacts.
And what was the significance of Batou angrily throwing out the bottle of liquor and the natural oil he had been feeding the Taikikoma?
I mean, it's obvious that the bottle of liquor represented both family emotional connections, and the caring of Zaitsev's wife, while the oil represented Batou's caring for the Taikikomas. I just not sure why Batou was felt the need to suddenly throw both out as a result of his experience during the investigation.
And why did Zaitsev lose his Olympic boxing match? It felt like we were supposed to understand by the end of the episode, but I have no real clue.
Frankly, the episode reminded me a lot of M. Night Shyamalan's movie 'Unbreakable'. There's a flashback scene in the movie where Bruce Willis' character gets in a car wreck while at college and decides to fake a knee injury so that he'll have an excuse to stay with his small town girlfriend rather than go on to a pro football career. This scene alone explains why Willis' character's later life is totally adrift, and why he has come to resent his wife and their relationship is on the rocks.
Maybe something similar happened with Zaitsev's boxing career and his wife? I have no real idea. But Ep.15 felt like Unbreakable might have if that key scene had been left out.
1st season - Ep.16 Ag20 - Anyone care to explain?
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Motoko2030
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Tonks_kittygoth
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Well, I agree with M2030 but I would like to elaborate more on it.
I think that the episode is about Batou's frustration and lonelyness, and feelings of betrayal.
This is the episode that the Tachikoma's leave.
In the beginning Togasa asks if he is ok about the Tachikoma's leaving and he shrugs it off grumpily as if it is no big deal. He is doing that "tough guy" thing and not acknowleging his feelings. He cares alot about the Tachikoma's and he feels that he has betrayed them by giving his the natural oil. If he had not done that, they may have not caught Kusinagi's attention, and been allowed to live.
He is millitary guy, so he doesnt dispute the Majors callous decision. Whether it is because he figures she knows best, or because it's "not done" to question orders, Im not sure.
So he goes on this assignment probably hoping to exonerate his former idol. His idol turns out to be corrupt, not as skilled as he hoped, and very importantly, not at all appreciative of all he has. Batou seems happy at the house, and acts as if he would love to have a nice kind wife like Zaitov has, and be an idol to kids and so on. Zaitov is just an ungrateful greedy jerk, who risks all his riches of happiness for more money.
Because of his job, he has to make a false friendship with the man, who genuinely begins to trust him. Batou is a pretty moral guy, so it is distasteful to him to have to lie to this man he used to idolize to gain his friendship, then betray him. It also hurts him to see how corrupt the man is.
It pisses Batou off a lot because he is forced to betray not only Zaitov who he is angry at for turning out to be a jerk, but Zaitov's nice wife, who trusts Batou so implicitly she gives him the wine at the end, but all the fans that will find out about him, including the woman at the army base who asked for his autograph.
In the end, Batou has all this pent up rage. He is a very emotional guy that holds it all in to fit himself into his chosen role as a military guy, but it has to come out somewhere. He throws out the wine because how can he enjoy the kind wifes gift after he sent her husband to jail? And what is the point of keeping oil for his friend tachikoma when he has played a part in it getting sent off to be dismantaled.
He has no family to go to, and no known friends other than the major who just sent his friend tachikoma's to thier death. (well dismantaling to be technical, but pretty much death. ) The only friends he has had recently have just been codemned to death, and sent to prison. He has no-one.
Finally, the undercover picture he has to show Zaitov shows him as married to Kusinagi with 2 children, a world he seem as if he would love to live in, but will never have.
He has had a horrible day So he gets out his rage and frustration, and greif with violence by punching the punching bag.
Does that help?
I think that the episode is about Batou's frustration and lonelyness, and feelings of betrayal.
This is the episode that the Tachikoma's leave.
In the beginning Togasa asks if he is ok about the Tachikoma's leaving and he shrugs it off grumpily as if it is no big deal. He is doing that "tough guy" thing and not acknowleging his feelings. He cares alot about the Tachikoma's and he feels that he has betrayed them by giving his the natural oil. If he had not done that, they may have not caught Kusinagi's attention, and been allowed to live.
He is millitary guy, so he doesnt dispute the Majors callous decision. Whether it is because he figures she knows best, or because it's "not done" to question orders, Im not sure.
So he goes on this assignment probably hoping to exonerate his former idol. His idol turns out to be corrupt, not as skilled as he hoped, and very importantly, not at all appreciative of all he has. Batou seems happy at the house, and acts as if he would love to have a nice kind wife like Zaitov has, and be an idol to kids and so on. Zaitov is just an ungrateful greedy jerk, who risks all his riches of happiness for more money.
Because of his job, he has to make a false friendship with the man, who genuinely begins to trust him. Batou is a pretty moral guy, so it is distasteful to him to have to lie to this man he used to idolize to gain his friendship, then betray him. It also hurts him to see how corrupt the man is.
It pisses Batou off a lot because he is forced to betray not only Zaitov who he is angry at for turning out to be a jerk, but Zaitov's nice wife, who trusts Batou so implicitly she gives him the wine at the end, but all the fans that will find out about him, including the woman at the army base who asked for his autograph.
In the end, Batou has all this pent up rage. He is a very emotional guy that holds it all in to fit himself into his chosen role as a military guy, but it has to come out somewhere. He throws out the wine because how can he enjoy the kind wifes gift after he sent her husband to jail? And what is the point of keeping oil for his friend tachikoma when he has played a part in it getting sent off to be dismantaled.
He has no family to go to, and no known friends other than the major who just sent his friend tachikoma's to thier death. (well dismantaling to be technical, but pretty much death. ) The only friends he has had recently have just been codemned to death, and sent to prison. He has no-one.
Finally, the undercover picture he has to show Zaitov shows him as married to Kusinagi with 2 children, a world he seem as if he would love to live in, but will never have.
He has had a horrible day So he gets out his rage and frustration, and greif with violence by punching the punching bag.
Does that help?
"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man.
Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as
one wants to live and not die, so do other
creatures." - His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as
one wants to live and not die, so do other
creatures." - His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Thanks.
While I think your reading of Batou emotional state is a bit darker and depressive than mine, your explanation for his reactions helps greatly.
I think that one of Batou's character traits, crafted deliberately to make him a slightly deceptive character for viewers, is that despite his quirks and emotional outbursts, he is at his core a dedicated professional. Personally, I think this forms the basis of his relationship with the Major, who could not respect and trust him is she did not feel she could count on him, but can allow herself to enjoy his somewhat casual nature as a result.
However, because I see Batou as being an intelligent professional who would have inherently understood why the Major made her decision regarding the operational dangers of allowing the Tachikomas to continue being used in missions, I overlooked that Batou would still have had residual conflicting feelings about the decision, despite his agreement with it.
Thanks again.
While I think your reading of Batou emotional state is a bit darker and depressive than mine, your explanation for his reactions helps greatly.
I think that one of Batou's character traits, crafted deliberately to make him a slightly deceptive character for viewers, is that despite his quirks and emotional outbursts, he is at his core a dedicated professional. Personally, I think this forms the basis of his relationship with the Major, who could not respect and trust him is she did not feel she could count on him, but can allow herself to enjoy his somewhat casual nature as a result.
However, because I see Batou as being an intelligent professional who would have inherently understood why the Major made her decision regarding the operational dangers of allowing the Tachikomas to continue being used in missions, I overlooked that Batou would still have had residual conflicting feelings about the decision, despite his agreement with it.
Thanks again.
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Tonks_kittygoth
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No problem.
I think that the title kinda hints at the situation too, "Chinks in the armor of the Heart."
B. seems to have his heart pretty well armored up, but some things get through.
I think a lot of his bluster, and joking is a sort of tears of the clown thing.
Did you see Innocence? That shows a pretty serious side to him. (diff continuim though.)
Maybe its me, and like I said in another thread I think your on too, Im so very not millitary, but I don't think that having strong emotions has to be seperate from being a very proffessional Millitary person. However, I can, and have had to be a very tough person in my life.
I am talking Movie/Tv/story land but I could see him sort of like some of the better Clint Eastwood, or Toshiro Mifune characters. Tough as nails, but still saves the little kids mom, takes extra good care of his horse.. stuff like that.
Maybe its diff. in the really real world. Seems like the kid would hand you a hand grenade, and the horse would kick you into the river in the really real world.
K. take care
I think that the title kinda hints at the situation too, "Chinks in the armor of the Heart."
B. seems to have his heart pretty well armored up, but some things get through.
I think a lot of his bluster, and joking is a sort of tears of the clown thing.
Did you see Innocence? That shows a pretty serious side to him. (diff continuim though.)
Maybe its me, and like I said in another thread I think your on too, Im so very not millitary, but I don't think that having strong emotions has to be seperate from being a very proffessional Millitary person. However, I can, and have had to be a very tough person in my life.
I am talking Movie/Tv/story land but I could see him sort of like some of the better Clint Eastwood, or Toshiro Mifune characters. Tough as nails, but still saves the little kids mom, takes extra good care of his horse.. stuff like that.
Maybe its diff. in the really real world. Seems like the kid would hand you a hand grenade, and the horse would kick you into the river in the really real world.
K. take care
"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man.
Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as
one wants to live and not die, so do other
creatures." - His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as
one wants to live and not die, so do other
creatures." - His Holiness The Dalai Lama