Where we left off with Gundam SEED, the series found itself in a bit of a slump. With the arrival of the Archangel at the neutral nation of Orb, the series sets its sights high once again. Here we have a local climax between childhood friends Kira and Athrun, followed by a big change in direction for the plot, including a return to space. The best part about the Orb episodes is seeing Kira come into his own and act independently, taking several of the other characters along for the ride.

The first few Orb episodes are all about secrets revealed; that is, the fact that there are secrets is revealed. Kira and his friends hailed from Orb, before jumping on a ship that Orb built but actually belonged to the Earth Alliance, and getting sucked into Earth's military -- which doesn't include Orb, even though Orb is on Earth.

I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance!!!	I just saved a bunch of money on my wireless bill!!!

Still with me? Good.

The time in Orb allows for Kira's friends to see their parents -- a pleasant, heartwarming scene. Kira is a bit reluctant to take part in this activity, however. In a completely unrelated development, the leader of Orb, Uzumi Nara Atha, is a little distressed that his daughter Cagalli met a certain Archangel crewmember. This sprinkle of intrigue sets the stage for what happens later.

What follows is a major turning point for the series, with close friends fighting to the death as the Archangel nears its destination of Alaska. This plays out like one might expect, with plenty of melodrama to go around. A little too much, in fact. It becomes evident at this stage in the series that the two male leads have thus far suffered from underdevelopment, with Athrun faring slightly better than Kira. The simple notion that the two were close friends isn't enough for viewers to hold on to, when their fight comes to a head. It says something that the most heartwrenching scene in these couple of episodes involves a support character, with the rest being a contest of whose rage expression looks cooler.

Kira gears up for a Rugby match.	You...sold my Hello Kitty stuff? I...

The fallout of drama night is well-contained, thank goodness, and the series wastes little time in establishing a new direction. The Archangel's arrival at Alaska doesn't play out like the crew hoped, the war changes irrevocably for the worse, and our two leads are forced to do a little soul searching. The escalation of the war all but trivializes its purpose, and with this comes the death of intrigue for the remainder of the series. This move would have killed a normal Gundam, but SEED has had a higher degree of character drama than usual, and the characters pull up the slack well enough.

The remainder of the Orb saga is marked by shifting alliances, which helps to end the everybody-versus-kira monotony. Kira's recent experiences have him questioning what he's fighting for, which in itself isn't too exciting, but he is able to drag several other characters along in a "love and peace to save the universe" campaign. I have to admit that this new direction is infectious, if shallow. With Orb's military strength becoming attractive to the battered feuding armies and thus endangering our little group of hippie renegades, the hopes and dreams of humankind take to the stars once more!

As strange as this still seems to me, docking in Cheese Town actually saved the series from certain doom. It's a temporary boost, but it's enough to shift the plot toward a resolution. It worked, I think, because the fact that the series is always on the move is its appeal; direction doesn't matter so much. The final fight will be in space, as any UC Gundam clone is obligated to do.