From: paradoxtxs@yahoo.com   
      
   Chris Kern wrote:   
   > Episode 88 - The last battle between light and dark!  A love pledged   
   > to the future   
   >   
      
   Yes, we know, we're so far behind that it's ridiculous, but Sunnie and I   
   sat down and watched this one and I did go ahead and write up some notes   
   on it.  It's been suggested that we should share what we do as we get   
   there, so I'll post it up.  If this is considered reviving dead threads,   
   just let me know and I'll stop, but hopefully we can spur a bit more   
   discussion.   
      
      
   The final episode of the R story arc.  Fairly good.  It doesn’t have the   
   impact of the end of Season 1, in my opinion, but it gets the job done.   
     The tug of war over Chibi-Usa went on a bit long, but it would have   
   been worse to put too much focus on Death Phantom.   
      
   This is the second very good battle theme we’ve had this season.   
      
   The final scenes were nice.  No teasing, no arguing, just a simple   
   farewell, and an admission from Chibi-Usa of just who Usagi really is,   
   then it’s time to go home.  We get a good look at all the aged Senshi at   
   the end.  Ami actually ends up being equal or taller than Rei and Minako   
   by the time all is said and done.   
      
   In the end, I was still left with a few questions, though.   
      
   Just what was Death Phantom anyway?  It’s hard to walk away from the   
   story without answering that one.  Every exposition he tried to give   
   always came off as very vague.  He’s the ruler of darkness.  Okay,   
   what’s that mean?  We never find out.  He wants to destroy everything,   
   Why?  Just because, it seems.  I’m left feeling a little cold here in   
   terms of details.  I can make up something in my own head, and probably   
   will sooner or later, but it won’t be anything but empty speculation.   
      
   Another big question.  Why did the Crystal disappear into Chibi-Usa?  We   
   never get that one explained either, and it is rather important.   
      
   Theory:  The Crystal wanted it that way.   
      
   In Episode 44, the Crystal is referred to as the Great Will entrusted to   
   the people of the Moon in the Silver Millennium.  This implies that it’s   
   sentient, and in this case, I think this disappearing act is the   
   Crystal’s choice.   
      
   Why?  Our first guess was to take shelter from the impending attack, but   
   that makes little sense.  The attack was only as dangerous as it was   
   because the Crystal was gone, leaving the Queen vulnerable. If the   
   Crystal had stayed put, the more experienced and mature Senshi of that   
   era could have likely dealt with Death Phantom without too much trouble.   
      
   The Crystal was willing to let the attack happen because it had another   
   goal in mind.  I speculate that it was trying to alter its own past, to   
   change a course that without some drastic interference, was going   
   someplace the Crystal couldn’t or wouldn’t tolerate.  Maybe this   
   particular problem wasn’t going to lead to disaster, but a pattern had   
   been established, one that years, decade or centuries down the road, was   
   going to blow up in their faces in a way that just couldn’t be fixed.   
   Something that needed to be nipped in the bud now.   
      
   This comes back to the question, how can Chibi-Usa go into the past and   
   give the Senshi all this information without changing her own history.   
   Answer: she can’t, and it was with this in mind that the Crystal fused   
   with her.  Perhaps it wants the past changed.  Just by making the Senshi   
   of this era face this threat, it’ll change their perceptions and how   
   they’ll deal with things going forward in the future.   
      
   As for the paradox factor, well, Setsuna said it herself, Usagi has   
   always been a lot of trouble.   
      
   It’s a bit of a long shot, but something has to justify the Crystal   
   vanishing like it did, otherwise this whole story arc is somewhat hard   
   to explain.   
      
   SK   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)