ROBOTECH REWATCH 44: Three’s Probably Relevant

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ROBOTECH REWATCH 44: Three’s Probably Relevant

Does this triumvirate make my butt look big?

At ease, troopers, Robotech is back.

Episode 50 – Triumvirate

So what is it with the Robotech Masters and threesomes? If the episode title is anything to go by, we’re about to find out.

Leonard makes a massive passive aggressive speech about how he appreciates the constructive criticism about his ‘shoot first ask questions later’ military policy but the time for discussion is over now and he is completely right.

Emerson is cranky.

Marie Crystal and Dana have a snarkfest on hover bike, Marie being super smug because she gets to be in the first wave of the attack (AKA Suicide Squad).

If that wasn’t enough lady sniping, Nova Satori then turns up to politely tell Dana she can back off from Zor now. Dana flares up because she doesn’t trust the scientists and she thinks he still needs her help.

“He’s mine and I’m going to keep him!”

Dana Sterling, always the professional.

Nova argues that Zor needs more probing (yes that word is used) and she is going to take over his supervision. Dana refuses to accept the orders and rages her way back to the break room.

The 15th ATAC are all disappointed that they’re being kept in reserve yet again, but Dana is too busy worrying that Nova is going to steal her man.

Luckily she has no lack of self confidence in her hotness and preens in her triple panel mirror.

Zor comes up to her room and has a minor breakdown about triumvirates when he sees Dana’s image reflected three times in the mirror. His memories are starting to come back, and he knows that the Robotech Masters acting in threes is vital.

“It sounds just screwy enough to be important.”

Dana has come to terms with the tropes of her reality.

Marie is about to set off into battle and gives Sean yet another serve of her fierce temper when he turns up to see her off. She softens, briefly, enough to stop yelling at him for five seconds before flying off to certain death.

The Robotech Masters are disappointed that their favourite reality show (AKA the live feed from Zor’s brain and eyes) is on the blink. Still, they catch sight of Zor getting into trouble for loitering from Angelo – but Dana steps in to defend him because she thought it was an awesome idea to give Zor complete freedom on the military base.

Her question ‘what do you think he is, a spy’ is obviously rhetorical, and Angie is so confused by the stupidity of the question (Zor’s kind of obviously a spy) that he doesn’t answer.

On with the battle! Leonard’s plan is put into effect and Earth stages yet another full out assault on the ships in space. Their weapons have no effect, so they keep shooting in the hopes that things will improve.

Oh humans I’m sure your military strategy used to be better than this.

Turns out that even when they do land a shot or two, the Robotech Masters’ ships heal themselves. Humans, you are screwed.

Dana and Zor hang out in a meadow while all this is going on. He actually expresses interest in her, asking if her youthful romping involved a boyfriend and she says she had a younger brother instead.

WTF? Is she talking about Bowie because otherwise I don’t know what to do with that.

They have a deep and meaningful about how hard it is for Zor to live without memories and Dana suddenly has a Big Idea that means she, Zor and Bowie get to go hooning around on hover bikes. I’m assuming this is no longer a date if Bowie gets to come…

The space battle is going terribly. They’ve lost most of their transports, hundreds if not thousands of lives, and are quite obviously outmatched in all respects. The commanders beg for permission to withdraw but Leonard won’t hear of it.

Dana leads Zor and Bowie to the isolated site of a previous battle between the humans and the invaders in the hopes that it will jog his memory. They head into a creepy cave, have a scary encounter with bats, and follow a mysterious blue light.

Then… to their amazement they find a hollowed out cave full of disco lights and amazing plants with pink orchid-like flowers. When Dana touches one, it stings her.

Zor has a revelation that the flowers, like the people in his dream, grow in threes. The three that acts as one. He declares that these plants are a new form of sinister life, and his past is buried here.

Dana suggests that they bring Leonard to see the flowers for himself and Bowie does an brilliant grumpy Leonard impression to show what a stupid idea that is. Which is true. Leonard would totally shoot the flowers.

In the battle, Marie discovers that Dana’s screwy idea about the Robotech Masters having to act in threes is of military relevance. Who would have thought it?

Dana reports to General Emerson, expecting to be in trouble because of stealing Zor. Instead, he lets her know Marie’s message and admits that the attack was a fiasco. Marie was lucky to survive, but the first wave has now disengaged.

Also, Nova is serving the coffee for Emerson which adds yet another duty to her bizarrely open job description.

Elsewhere, Leonard declares that the humans will fight to the very last man. He really makes no sense unless he is an alien saboteur at this point. Head canon accepted.