i actually really enjoyed this episode. We had some good duels (which is usually where it's at in Gundams), and more character development than in the first two episodes combined.

Setsuna really is so due for a breakdown... and we found out how Sagi and Louise (boy is she hot) will probably get wrapped up in all of this

Both Lockon and Hallelujah expressed huge preferences for certain kinds of battle. Also, seems like Hallelujah is a bit of a slacker, and not the best at keeping his mouth shut...

Graham is plain awesome. He is Zechs Merquise, but without a mysterious past (so far), and I'm looking forward to more of him. It's sorta refreshingly weird how his fascination with the Gundams is phrased in sexual terms (going on Mendoi's subs, which I trust)... I can hear the fangirls' pens scribbling misinterpretations of this into yaoi drivel already.

Tieria and the HRL Liet Colonel showed the first signs of a "spacenoid vs. earthian rift". Considering that space travel is still just starting, I wonder if this is just a cultural identification, or an evolutionary thing showing up early, ala Newtypes... Also, I like how Tieria just doesn't trust or like Setsuna. I hate it when the main characters get along perfectly.

also, quite a bit of technical information in this ep. The flagship is totally reliant on the Gundams for energy... And the remark about some of the Gundam parts being "advanced material, but nothing new from a design standpoint" really shows that the CB founder must have focused on developing the Gundams, to the neglect of both the flagship and some of their armnaments. Obviously they had to wait until now for the technology to implement his design...

I'm really smelling something fishy going on with the Chinese girl, her handler, and those two guys. That and Lockon's comment about the HRL's spaceport being "especially" safe for them to launch a freaking Gundam out of makes me think there's either some real treachery going on in the HRL, or that the backers of the Gundams that the Chinese girl represents are particularly out to get the HRL...

The "coordination" in the scene switching between the Union and the HRL colonel figuring out stuff about the Gundam, plus the fact that both he and Graham fought Setsuna in the same episode, really indicates an upcoming alliance... Kudos to the Union for being the first to make an "Anti-Gundam" squad, even though they're still the only ones to not have been attacked yet by CB

If more episodes are like this, I'll really like this show.