Lady Prospera - Tumblr Posts
Spoilers for Gundam Witch from Mercury episodes 13 and 14 follow.
So, now that we know exactly how Aerial’s been operating this entire time (well, give-or-take a couple details) it does raise the question of what Eri’s role in all this is.
Like, how cognisant is she of her actions? Is she just following Lady Prospera’s orders? Is she protecting her sister? Is she fully aware that she’s murdering all these people?
It’s worth noting that when Suletta expresses doubt about her actions, brought on by witnessing Sophie’s death, Eri (as Aerial) immediately steps in to reassure her that she’s totally on the right path, and should trust her mother (at least that’s the vibe Suletta’s response gives me).
But, in light of this new information, it’s worth considering Elan Four’s fight with (as we now know) Eri (again, as Aerial) and Suletta.
Eri essentially pulled the patented newtype therapy on Elan Four, reminding him of a significant time in his life. But the question is, why?
She had no problem murdering Sophie (though that was somebody actively trying to kill), but why give Elan this?
My immediate though is as a distraction, to give them time to set up that little coup de grace they hit Elan with, but the alternative is that Eri is a good deal more empathetic than someone under Prospera’s thumb should be.
It’s also possible that she was put into Aerial at an early age (I’m not sure how much of a representation what Sophie and Elan saw was) and as such a lot of her development has atrophied.
Other predictions and thoughts on this development:
1. Lady Prospera will almost certainly betray Delling.
Perhaps I’m reaching for the low-hanging fruit here, considering that this was already likely, based both on how they act around each other and Lady Prospera’s existence as a char clone (and therefore pretty likely to betray anyone). But I’m thinking that Delling either doesn’t know about this (highly likely) or this is just a small part of the larger quiet zero project, which he also doesn’t know the full details on. Given his position with Cathedra in the prologue, I just can’t imagine him backing this.
2. Lady Prospera will fight in the Aerial.
Okay, so this is the biggie. I’m thinking that Suletta comes around to Miorine’s way of thinking and backs her in the upcoming fight. Aerial is (initially) more loyal to Prospera than Suletta, and Suletta will be forced to use a different unit (though presumably still a Gundam). Throughout the fight, suletta will be desperately trying to appeal to Aerial/Her mother and eventually get through to Aerial, which will then refuse to dodge an attack that kills both Eri and Lady Prospera. Bonus points if it plays out similarly to Scirocco’s death in Zeta Gundam.
Alternatively Lady Prospera takes to the field in a shiny new Gundam, the culmination of Quiet Zero (I wonder if too many of my theories rely on the fact that we know absolutely nothing about the Gundam Schwarzette at this point), and trying to convince Aerial to take her side, while Suletta’s desperately fighting without Eri’s assistance.
While I do agree with your points about suletta and miorine, particularly their contrasting arcs at the minute, I must confess I’m somewhat lost on your last point.
Maybe it’s just that I haven’t seen Gundam Wing in quite a while, but while Char and Zechs are quite different:
In Aesthetics
In personal connection to the main villains - Zechs and Treize being old friends vs. Char haveing been gunning for the Zabi family since essentially day one.
In the precise details of their nobility - Char being concerned primarily with revenge for the death of his father, whereas Zechs seems to have ambitions to restore the Sanc Kingdom to its former glory, he just thinks that he really isn’t the right guy for the job.
In their arcs- Char goes from Rival to Friend to Villain, whereas Zechs goes Rival to Villain to Friend.
They’re generally pretty similar other than that (A young man heir to a kingdom joins the military in disguise in order to avenge the deaths of his family, rivalling the Gundam pilot and meeting someone else he comes to truly care about in the process).
There’s probably a comparison to be made about Char taking control of Neo Zeon and perpetrating the axis drop, versus Zechs/Milliardo leading White Fang and heading up Barge, but for the life of me I can’t remember why Milliardo does that.
My point is, while Char and Zechs are different enough that the change is noticeable, I’m not really sure how the differences between them apply to Prospera.
I just don’t see what Zechs brings to the table that Char doesn’t.
(I should probably mention that when I talk about Char here, it’s primarily a mix of the cunning manipulator presented in the Original Series and the Origin, and the World-weary charisma machine from Char’s counterattack. While I do very much like Quattro Bajeena, I just don’t think he’s relevant here).
I’ve been wondering just who or what was going to be the Caliban of this show. It’ll be interesting to see just what will happen to Suletta now that she has to rely on her own skills as a pilot, and all the stress it entails. Permet scores and all.
It’s also in character for her to come to terms with who and what she is after all that has transpired. Which is a relieve because I would hate to see it dragged out. Miorine, on the other hand, needs her tanuki, ASAP. And a tomato in these trying times.
Prospera going full steam ahead on crimes is strangely artful. That whole scene with her activating Quiet Zero and annihilating the Assembly fleet gave me chills, and also reminded me of later parts of Gundam Wing. Forget Char, she’s more like Zechs.
Silly Poll For Those Who Have Watched The Witch from Mercury
Below are two automobiles:
The 1962 Pontiac Tempest
The 1972 Mercury Cougar