Episode 21 Summary - "Ragnarok Connection"

Suzaku wakes up to find Anya by his side together with C.C. but is confused when he hears that Anya isn't who she appears to be...

Anya smiles, telling him that she was Marianne, Lelouch and Nunally's mother. Making their way inside to the destroyed gate, C.C. explains that the World of C was a collection of unconcious minds, binding the human soul and memories together. She is interrupted when Marianne decides to borrow C.C.'s power to enter the realm leaving Anya's unconscious body behind. Left alone, C.C. continues that Suzaku and her were alike because they both seeked death but couldn't die. She also claims that she had been using Lelouch all this time, keeping him alive until he mastered his Geass powers to grant her death. Even now she didn't regret it. Being an immortal witch her human emotions left her long ago.

Inside, Lelouch demands the truth from his father about his mother's death. Charles wasn't going to reveal it so easily claiming that Lelouch didn't have the right to hear it because he had lied all the way to achieve his goal. Lelouch smiles, admitting it but he saw nothing wrong with that. He was just adapting to different situations just like everyone in society does, showing a different persona when facing different people. Even Charles has been doing that, posing as an Emperor when he didn't even care about his people.

And that was exactly what Charles was trying to eliminate using his "Ragnarok Connection". Bringing all minds into one so that there will be no more deceit. Now standing inside a library, Lelouch is shocked to see his mother appearing alive before him. Charles then explains that long ago, V.V. and him had been living a terrible life as they watched members of the royal family fight for the throne using all means, lying, betraying and assassinating one another. Charles' mother was a victim of such actions and thus, he and V.V. swore to rid the world of such cruelty.

Both C.C. and Marianne agreed too. However, V.V. felt that Charles was starting to change after meeting Marianne as he enjoyed discovering true self and so, eight years ago he decided to summon her out alone and kill her. Fortunately, Marianne had the power to transfer her mind to another individual and Anya, a young girl who happened to be at the palace to learn etiquette, happened to be nearby that night. A cover up was made so that it looked like a terrorist act, making Nunally the witness. As Marianne concealed herself inside Anya, she soon learned she could communicate with C.C. and managed to tell her the truth, making her leave the cult.

The anger welled up in Lelouch as he listened, outraged that his father was trying to blame their suffering on V.V. but then he remembers what C.C. had said to him one day. One must send away what was most precious to them sometimes and that's what Charles had done to keep them safe from V.V. He even hid Marianne's body so that one day, she could return to it. He continues that he rewrote both Anya and Nunnally's memories so that they couldn't reveal the truth, making Nunnally think she was blind and disabled when she really wasn't. This way, V.V. wouldn't consider her a threat and think about killing her too.

As the research continued into Geass, they learned that they required another person who had mastered the Geass power other than Charles to activate the Ragnarok Connection. Being unable to convince C.C. they used the uprising of the Black Knights and Britannia to lure C.C., allowing her to nurture Lelouch's Geass in the process, hoping to use him instead. However, that was unnecessary now that C.C. is here. Claiming that it was to create the peaceful world Nunally and Eupheumia wanted, Charles extends his hand towards C.C., commencing the Ragnarok Connection, letting her know he will grant her wish for death afterwards.

Earthquakes can be felt around the world as the scenery around Lelouch and the others shatter. Marianne looks up in happiness knowing that they can finally use the Sword of Akasha to slay god. As Charles approach C.C., Suzaku demands what Lelouch has been fighting for all this time. He knew that he hadn't just been fighting for Nunally. Admitting he was fighting to protect those he wanted to, Lelouch stops his father and tells him he does not approve of his parents plans.

Lelouch questions why people lie and answers his own question saying it's because people have a purpose. In a united world where everyone can just live as they truly are, that can't be called "living". Hearing this, Marianne steps in saying they will be able to join the ones they lost too such as with Eupheumia but, Lelouch disagrees. Head down, he demands to know why they abandoned them and didn't stop the war between Britannia and Japan during the time they were sent away. He answers for them. They had no longer cared for them, obssessed only with their goal.

Charles and Marianne weren't thinking about the future because they were thinking about joining the dead and it was not the united peaceful world Nunally wanted. He was sure Nunnally wanted a world where everyone was kinder to one another. Suzaku agrees secretly, remembering how both Shirley and Eupheumia had kept Lelouch's identity as Zero a secret. Ready to put an end to his father's plan, Lelouch removes his contacts to reveal his Geass and looks up at god, the collective consciousness of mankind.

A second Geass sign appears in Lelouch's eyes as he desperately desires a better future. His Geass works and the world around them starts to crumble as the collective starts to separate and return to their individual minds. Charles try to stop it but he and Marianne were being absorbed by the World of C. Only C.C. was safe because she had abandoned their plans after realising their selfishness. Tears welling up, Lelouch wonders if his parents ever realised the meaning behind Nunally's smile. Through her disabilities, she understood that there are some things one could not accomplish alone and her smile had been her only means of gratitude.

The disintegrating Charles, lunges out at Lelouch, grabbing him by the neck demanding him to stop or they will end up in a world completely controlled by Schneizel. Lelouch knew that but he chooses reality over his parent's ideals. With one final cry, his parents are gone.

A month later, news has it that the missing Emperor Charles was going to make an announcement at the Britannian Imperial Capital of Pendragon on national television. Most of the royal family were gathered waiting including two of the Knights of Round. Suddenly appearing to sit on the throne was Lelouch, announcing himself as the Ninety-Ninth Emperor of Britannia and revealed that he had killed Charles. The guards rush in to remove him but Suzaku drops in to protect him. Lelouch introduces him as the Knight above all Knights, the Knight of Zero before standing up to use his Geass power on the crowd to acknowledge him at the next Emperor. They all shout, "All hail, Lelouch!"

Meanwhile elsewhere in the Pendragon, Schneizel was watching the broadcast together with Cornelia and Kanon. He didn't care and liked the challenge before him. He didn't mind giving Lelouch everything but will the people really bow before the power of Geass...?

Next Episode, "Emperor Lelouch"

Thoughts

Well, the story development suddenly felt like Evangelion...

This scene when Lelouch starts speaking to his father reminds me of when Shinji first met Kaworu Nagisa by the shore except the Thought Elevator in the background, is the big lift down to Central Dogma.

The song playing when Lelouch was confronting his mother and father inside the World of C with Suzaku and C.C. behind him, reminded me of Rei's theme song except a bit more pronounced. Maybe a tint of "Hedgehog's Dilemma" mixed in too.

Then we've got Marianne's soul living inside Anya all this time... Kind of like the personality of Shinji's mother being contained within Rei. Charle's idea of creating a better world by merging all minds into one is like Gendou's "Human Instrumentality Project".

But not a bad twist, Lelouch ending up killing his own parents despite what they have been trying to do. It's like the unfolding of a new story now that he's the new emperor.

The raw I had didn't have any competition at the end this time. Must have cut it out.