From: phoenix@mediaone.net   
      
   Act 34 - A Mother-and-Daughter Talk   
      
   This was a fantastic episode! I really love these sort of deep,   
   character driven stories. I'm not sure why both of these last two   
   episode titles referred only to Ami. Rei had just as important a part.   
      
   Rei is packing her bags to leave the shrine. (In a deleted scene, she   
   saw her father's assistant waiting for her outside, snuck around his   
   car and into her room). At the secret base, Usagi, Makoto and Luna are   
   worried about both Rei and Ami and their situation with their parents.   
   Rei is a particular concern because the youma seems to be targeting   
   her especially. They decide to split up, Usagi will search for Ami and   
   Makoto will take care of Rei. Just then Rei shows up and says that she   
   will be staying there for a while.   
      
   Zoisite shows up in Mamoru's room, warning him about Usagi, but Mamoru   
   refuses to change his mind. Zoisite then warns him to be careful of   
   Beryl and leaves.   
      
   Makoto brings Rei a huge bento at the base and then ask Motoki if she   
   could stay in one of the other karaoke rooms so she can secretly watch   
   over Rei. After some concern, he lets her stay in the office. I'm not   
   sure why Makoto didn't just stay with Rei or invite her over to her   
   own home where she is living alone. Anyway, Rei is now alone when Ami   
   shows up to spend the night as well. Ami tells Rei how bad she feels,   
   that she had never argued with her mother before. Rei envies Ami's   
   ability to speak openly with her mother.   
      
   They break out the bento and Ami suggests a party. It appears that Rei   
   has improved her digital wardrobe since the Makoto incident. In a   
   pretty neat trick, they simultaneously project an outfit onto each   
   other. I have to say that Ami's choice for Rei (including her hair)   
   was very cute. Actually, they both were. Then we get another modeling   
   montage as the girls try on all sorts of outfits, some cute, some   
   silly. It was a really fun and playful scene as the girls horse-played   
   together. A funny thing in the oshiokiyo for this episode, which was   
   filmed about 4 months later with all five girls interviewed together.   
   Ami (Chisaki Hama) and Rei (Keiko Kitagawa) were still in an extremely   
   playful mood with each, bumping heads, talking about being together   
   even after the girls go their separate ways and so forth.   
      
   Rei's father is in a reflective mood as is Ami's mother. Rei's father   
   looks at the same photo that we've seen Rei look at many times now. A   
   young Rei is in a swing with her mother standing behind her. However,   
   as her father pulls his copy out of his wallet, we see something more   
   that is not in Rei's picture. Rei's father is standing next to them.   
   Ami's mother looks through the pictures on Ami's desk where Ami is   
   obviously having so much fun with her friends and then she looks at   
   her photo books of Ami as a child and in those Ami is always alone or   
   only with her mother.   
      
   Makoto checks in with Usagi and let's her know that Ami is at the base   
   and all is well. Motoki sneaks some food into the office for Makoto to   
   find later. Ami and Rei have now fallen asleep on the couch, Ami's   
   head against Rei's shoulder.   
      
   The next day, Rei and Ami are cheerfully heading home together and   
   then split up as they head their separate ways. Rei is confronted by   
   her father's assistant again and she agrees to meet with her father,   
   but only on her terms. During the car ride the assistant tells her how   
   concerned her father was for her and how much he wanted to speak with   
   her. She thinks over his words.   
      
   Makoto had overslept in the office (after eating the food that Motoki   
   had left for her). She called Usagi to let her know that she had let   
   Rei get away from her.   
      
   Rei meets her father at her mother's grave. As they are talking, the   
   youma shows up, but is waylaid by Sailor Moon and Jupiter before it   
   could interrupt their conversation. Rei's father honestly admits that   
   he missed her mother's death because he was too busy working and that   
   was the same reason he had sent her to the shrine. However, it seems   
   to me that he now regretted his action and sincerely wished to rebuild   
   their relationship. This time Rei did not reject him immediately, but   
   asked for more time to think it over. Her father accepted her   
   decision.   
      
   Ami is staring at the carousel she loved as a child (and we see a cute   
   chibi-Ami with wings riding a horse). This was the same carousel that   
   she fainted on before changing to Dark Mercury. Ami's mother shows up,   
   somehow knowing that Ami would be there. Ami finally finds the courage   
   to tell her mother that she wants more then just studying now. She   
   wants some time to spend with her friends. Ami has no idea how her   
   mother might react. As she waited tensely for her's mother's response,   
   her mother walks up to her, hugs her dearly and tells her to go and   
   safely return. It was a wonderful moment.   
      
   Back with the youma, Sailor Moon and Jupiter are getting their tails   
   handed to them. However, Mercury and Mars suddenly show up and they   
   finally put the youma down in a four-way attack.   
      
   Rei and Ami share their wonderful news with the others and they   
   finally all jump for joy at Usagi's bidding (Unlike the earlier time   
   where only Usagi jumped).   
      
   As Ami sees her mother off on yet another business trip, Ami tells her   
   mother that she stills wants to be a doctor. Her mother tells her   
   that's good, just as long as it is truly her decision.   
      
   A cheerful Rei is getting dressed in her miko robes and smiles   
   off-camera, then leaves. We see that the object of her smile is a   
   photo that at one time was just of her and her mother. It has now been   
   unfolded to show the whole family, the same as the photo in her   
   father's wallet.   
      
   The act ends with Mamoru almost running down Mio with his motorcycle.   
   She had stepped out in his path and suddenly fainted to the street.   
      
   --   
   Phoenix   
   www.phoenixanime.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)