A hunt for treasure inflames the greed of the mercenary pilots, yet that only serves as a backdrop for the main story. With Makoto’s stalking of him getting to Shin, he decides to take action to find out why he is a target. But a close call rattles the young Japanese pilot as the mystery around him deepens.
It is time to get back to writing reviews to sharpen my skills of observation and writing. At this point in the series, the base and the desert are almost becoming characters unto themselves, lurking constantly in the background and adding atmosphere to all the proceedings. That was my thought after watching the opening to this tense episode. Neither location is a comfortable one and if there is one word to describe the mood evoked by this installment it would have to be the word uneasy.
Things start with a bang when the Area 88 radar operators detect a transport flight escorted by fighters headed for an enemy airfield. Shin and Kim are already in the air for a patrol, so Saki orders them diverted to intercept since they should easily be able to handle the opposition. Something unusual is hinted at by the base commander’s body language, but what has him acting that way?
It being night time, the radar equipped F-8 Crusader and Sea Harrier have a distinct advantage over the day light MiG-17Fs used by the rebels. Sneaking up from behind, a playful bet is made over scoring the first kill. What follows is an exciting, but one sided battle as the older MiGs are dispatched with style.
But all does not go right when Shin gets complacent and finds out that the defensive turrets on a Tu-95 Bear bomber are not there just for show. Surviving a brush with death brought on by his own error, the normally emotionless pilot looks haggard. His mood does not improve when he lands his damaged Crusader back at the base to find a vulture waiting for him.
That vulture would be the photojournalist Makoto, who follows the tired Shin back to his room. There he spies a calendar with its days being crossed off before the door closes. Clearly it means something, but what?
Inside the room, Shin has flashbacks to the near crash… and briefly of a man’s face. Signs of stress are evident in the taciturn pilot’s demeanor with a hint that why he is there may have something to do with it. Whatever the case may be, his cool façade is showing cracks.
The next day, an A-4 Skyhawk pilot named Randy is behaving oddly by buying fuel on his own dime for extra sorties. While Greg the Bear is missing in the desert after being shot down, something is strange. Sensing an opportunity for more money, the base’s resident Shylock, McCoy, cajoles to no avail and results to extortion to find out why he is doing this. It turns out the shot down transport is being looked for by the rebels and that it has something to do with gold on board.
Soon the base is in a tizzy as McCoy leaks out the word, knowing he will make a lot of money on selling fuel, parts, and ammo to the pilots. A clever use of jump jet capabilities by Kim puts him at the head of the race to find the downed aircraft. Yet Shin and Mickey refuse to take part, watching the whole affair with detached amusement. Since they are the aces of the base, they are not as desperate for money as the others.
While gold fever consumes the base, McCoy has yet another game going. Having overheard the telephone call between Makoto and his employer, he shares the information with Shin. Now thoroughly irritated and suspicious, the pilot decides to take his fellow countrymen up on a plan to get some photos from the air. Renting an unarmed F-4 Phantom, Makoto finds himself at the mercy of Shin. But they are not alone in the air and deadly confrontations are only beginning. Who is Makoto working for?
Thoughts
Pieces of the larger story are slowly being moved into place as a little more of Shin is revealed in each episode. The mystery around him allows the stand alone stories presented to hang together rather than just be the story of the week. Even though each episode has been self contained, those stories are used to show a little more of the pilot’s personality. Given how reserved the character is, it is a clever way to develop him. Shin is as far from being an exposition king as you can get.
The dogfights are impressive, if unrealistic, action sequences. This is a Top Gun kind of aerial warfare, so do not expect fidelity to the real thing. But at least there is a constant sense of danger and that the main characters could die at any time. It makes for a nice counterpoint to the character development and actually facilitates some of it.
Then there is the cliffhanger ending that is not about action. With one name spoken, the episode left me wanting more. It went by far too quickly, which is always a sign of an engrossing story.
BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!
Shin’s torment of Makoto through acrobatic flying turned into more of a duel of wills than I expected. Makoto is made of stronger stuff and the interrogation does not produce any information.
While the F-4S Shin is flying is unarmed, the gunsight should still work. It is a rare gaffe by the production team, since they feature instruments and looks through the front glass a lot.
Greg the Bear’s return and subsequent revelation about the gold on the bomber is a nice twist, one worthy of an episode of Combat. The fact that he destroyed a chance to end the civil war and allow everyone to go home earns him a well deserved beating by the other pilots.
That stunning setback plunges Shin into despair and he thinks of the woman from the end credits. Her name is Ryoko, but it is not her name that gets said at the end. Instead, we hear for the first time the name Kanzaki. The feeling of a far off storm forming ends the episode.
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