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| Seifriet recovers a lost memory, but he doesn't like what he sees. |
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Lost Memory.
Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: July 8, 1984. Writer: Tomoko Kawasaki. Director: Mikio Suzuki.
Robotech: A New Recruit.
Original Air Date - Robotech: May 9, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS
Seifriet is assigned to Jeanne's squad, with Gen. Emerson hoping that working alongside those he previously fought will restore his memories of the Zor. Andrzej is less than pleased, and there's resentment from Eddie, a squad member whose brother was killed by Seifriet's red bioroid, but the rest of the squad accepts him readily enough. But when a few memories break through the alien blocks, Seifriet finds himself unable to accept his own actions.
Meanwhile, Claude Leon learns that Gloire is the Zor's homeworld. Despite Emerson's arguments, Claude decides that this makes peace all the more unlikely. He resolves to attack first - a fight that Emerson knows the humans can't possibly win...
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
Zor is assigned to Dana's squad, with Gen. Emerson hoping that the half-Zentraedi Dana will be able to form a connection with him. The squad is hesitant to work alongside this former enemy, but the only active resistance comes from Eddie, a squad member whose brother was killed by Zor's red bioroid. But when Zor recovers some flashes of memory, he finds himself unable to accept his past actions.
Zor is able to remember that the Masters are here for Earth's protoculture. When Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard learns this, he decides that peace will be impossible. Anatole decides that the humans' only option is a pre-emptive strike - a fight that Emerson suspects they can't win...
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| Jeanne takes Seifriet on a date. |
CHARACTERS:
Remember Jeanne's anger at Seifriet and her guilt at having lost men under her command? Well, the writers apparently don't. Last episode's Jeanne would have almost certainly protested Seifriet being assigned to her squad. In this episode, she's not only fine with it - She reacts like a high school girl with a crush. This is even more overt in Robotech, with Dana actually saying at one point that she thinks she's in love.
The episode does showcase Jeanne's intuitive nature. Her plan to restore Seifriet's memories includes taking him out on a date... which sounds silly at best and inappropriate at worst, but it turns out to be the right approach. The Zor anticipated the kind of direct questioning employed by Lana. But Jeanne stirs up emotions, which the mental blocks were not designed for.
Jeanne deals well with Seifriet's turmoil at the end. She tells him that the past is done, and that shutting himself away will ruin his future as well. This is an effective scene in Southern Cross, but far less so in Robotech. For a change, the problem's not really the dialogue, but the voice acting. Paul St. Peter's performance as Zor is mostly stiff but adequate... except in this scene, where his line readings become downright robotic.
Advantage: Southern Cross.
NARRATION:
Both episodes begin with a recap narration, which is unsurprisingly more bombastic in Robotech. There is no further narration in Southern Cross. There is a little narration in Robotech, but it isn't at all intrusive.
Advantage: None.
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| Seifriet battles his demons in the simulator. Robotech adds enough inner monologue for a radio play. |
CUTS AND ALTERATION:
Sit-Ups: The episode opens with Jeanne doing sit-ups in the gym. She has completed twenty-three sit-ups when she's "saved" by Emerson's summons. But I guess twenty-three isn't heroic enough, so Robotech has Dana completing more than twice that number!
Emerson's Reasons for Assigning Zor to the 15th: In both versions, Gen. Emerson assigns the new recruit to the squad in hopes that serving with the people he had fought will bring memories to the surface. In Robotech, he has an additional reason. Because Dana is half-Zentraedi, he believes she is best equipped to work with the alien (who, in Robotech, is an alien clone and not a brainwashed human).
Dana's Squad Is More Resistant to the Assignment: A change for the better, in my opinion. While both versions have the squad expressing doubts, in Southern Cross the only serious objection comes from guest character Eddie, with the others (too) quickly accepting him. Robotech's squad is more resistant, with only Louis - who is overcome with curiosity about the alien technology - showing any direct friendliness. This helps to paper over the episode's single biggest flaw.
The Simulator: Southern Cross's Seifriet concentrates in silence while shooting targets in the simulator. Robotech doesn't do silence, so Zor has an internal monologue during the entire session ("Running out of time... One left."). As a result, a nicely animated and edited scene is transformed into a radio play with pictures.
A Memory: The Act break comes as Seifriet finally recovers a memory and collapses. In Southern Cross, he remembers the revelation from last episode - that Gloire is actually the Zor homeworld. Because of the changed context, that doesn't fit Robotech. What Zor remembers instead is that the Masters intend to conquer Earth for its protoculture. This change has a knock-on effect: Southern Cross's Claude Leon is jumping to conclusions when he orders his ill-advised attack, while Robotech's Anatole Leonard is simply reacting to Zor's exact words.
Advantage: Southern Cross.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
The Southern Cross score is better suited to Jeanne's date with Seifriet at the amusement park. The Robotech music works better when Zor recovers snatches of his memory. It basically evens out.
Advantage: None.
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| Seifriet has a nightmarish vision. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE - SOUTHERN CROSS:
Though Robotech does a decent job of making the squad's reactions to their new recruit a bit more realistic, the other changes are generally for the worse. Notably, Claude Leon's foolish pre-emptive strike becomes almost reasonable in Robotech, with Anatole simply reacting to Zor's declaration that the Masters will attack. At the same time, Gen. Emerson's pleas to find a peaceful solution go from sensible in Southern Cross to seeming naive in the Americanized version... something that I don't think was intended.
OTHER MUSINGS:
I am disappointed that Jeanne's anger from the last episode is completely forgotten. That, along with the Southern Cross squad being ridiculously accepting of this situation, chip away a bit at my overall rating. I particularly wish that the most hostile squad member was one of the regulars instead of a guest character audiences can easily dismiss.
Other aspects of the story work well. As much as I wish Jeanne was more conflicted, I liked her intuitive interactions with Seifriet, and Seifriet himself emerges as a sympathetic character. I couldn't buy into the squad's rapid acceptance of him. What I did believe were his own reactions to his memories, as he moved from determination to find out what happened to feelings of denial, guilt, and self-loathing.
So... a bit of a mixed result. The episode goes by quickly, and there are some fine elements. But I can't help but feel that with a bit more script attention, this could have been a lot better.
Overall Rating: 5/10.
Previous Episode: Déjà Vu
Next Episode: Triple Mirror/Triumverate
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