Episode 4 – His Name is Zero
As a part of the internal investigation surrounding the assassination of Prince Clovis, Jeremiah interrogates Suzaku, since the latter is the prime suspect. Suzaku claims that he does not recognize the gun, but Jeremiah points out that his fingerprints are all over it. Jeremiah tells him to “come clean” so that he may be judged as an honorary Britannian, not as an eleven, but Suzaku continues to deny his involvement, even as he is beaten. This harsh treatment is all just a part of Jeremiah’s status as a Britannian pureblood, and he just wants to use this situation to “purify” the Britannian military.
At Ashford Academy, Lelouch helps Nunnally into bed and tries to assuage her fears that Suzaku may be executed. Nunnally goes to sleep, and you really see just how helpless she is. She cannot even get into bed without help, and she is so weak that she almost instantly falls asleep after doing so. At the resistance cell headquarters, Tamaki yells at Ougi, saying that they should have claimed responsibility for Clovis’ assassination so that no one innocent, like Suzaku, would have been accused. Ougi then laments privately to the spirit of Kouzuki Naoto, Kallen’s brother and the former leader of the cell, that he is not cut out to be a leader. Of course, that is not true, as you will later see when Lelouch has his way. In two small vignettes, someone chats with a man seen in the first episode about some order the former has made. Since the man is under the compulsive power of Geass, the other person is assumed to be Lelouch. The other vignette is of all the students of Ashford at an assembly about the death of Clovis. Lloyd is sad because he has lost a superb pilot, one that he can never replace, so that the Lancelot will never run so well again. There he goes thinking of people as machinery again. Back at Ashford, Rivalz asks Lelouch if they want to go gamble some more, since school was canceled. But Lelouch declines, saying that he has somewhere else he has to go. Kallen goes to Tokyo Tower, as per the instructions of Lelouch’s recorded message from the last episode, with Ougi, Minami, and Yoshida tailing her. Lelouch calls her and tells her to go on a very specific train. They follow his instructions exactly, and Kallen answers his questions about the disparity between old Tokyo and the new Tokyo. Meanwhile, Diethard Ried, the television man, talks to Jeremiah, Villetta, and Kewell Soresi about the memorial services for Clovis, as well as coverage of Suzaku’s court martial. On the train, Kallen, Ougi, Minami, and Yoshida go to the front of the train, where Lelouch is dressed up in a purple, black, and red outfit and mask, calling himself Zero. He tells them that mere terrorism will not defeat Britannia, to their surprise, and he invites them to join him. They refuse to do so unless he removes his mask, but he decides that he will instead prove to them his power. At the headquarters of the Japanese Liberation Front, the largest anti-Britannian group in Japan, its members talk about what to do with the Suzaku situation. They look to one of their greatest members, Toudou Kyoushirou, for advice, and he recommends that they do nothing about the matter. At the cell where Suzaku is being held, Lloyd comes to visit him and tells him that, although Lelouch is alright, there is nothing that Lloyd can do about saving Suzaku. Suzaku replies that he has no regrets. This is characteristic of Suzaku’s behavior, since he cares more about helping innocent people and helping Japan than his own life. And if his death will ensure that no Japanese people are hurt, then he does not mind.
At night, surrounded by thousands of “loyal Britannians,” the cavalcade carrying Suzaku to his court martial travels through the Tokyo settlement. Nunnally, Lloyd and Cecile, and the Ashford student council all watch separately. The coverage deliberately frames the event as the trial of a terrorist, with the good people of Britannia ridiculing him for his betrayal. Suddenly, Jeremiah gets news of a car driving towards them: Clovis’ private car. Driving the car is Kallen, and Lelouch, dressed up as Zero, is hidden behind a flag. When the car catches up to the cavalcade, Lelouch reveals himself in a highly dramatic fashion. That is one of Zero’s trademarks: he has great entrances, exits, monologues, etc., all as a part of his “performance” as a knight of justice, as Diethard calls it. In a flashback, we see Zero giving orders to Kallen and Ougi to create a replica of Clovis’ car. Everyone shifts their attention to Zero as he makes his world debut. When Jeremiah threatens Zero, Zero reveals a facsimile of the capsule in which C.C. was contained, which everyone thinks contains poison gas. Zero demands that Suzaku be freed, but Jeremiah refuses. Zero publicly states that he is Clovis’ real assassin, which is technically true, since Zero is Lelouch, throwing everything into confusion. And Diethard eats it all up, since he is tired of covering idiocy like the Britannian nobles. Zero then warns Jeremiah that he had best be careful, if he does not want “orange” to be revealed to the public. This is a ploy to sow public distrust of Jeremiah and secure Zero’s escape route, which Zero finalizes by using his Geass on Jeremiah. Then, despite his normally better judgment, Jeremiah lets Suzaku go and orders all his forces to allow Zero, Kallen, and Suzaku to leave unharmed. The three of them escape by way of Ougi and a Knightmare Frame, and when Kewell tries to pursue, Jeremiah forces him to stop, still under the control of Geass. This is going to come back to bite Jeremiah in the butt, and the best part will be that he will not remember a thing! In an abandoned building, the resistance cell marvels at Zero’s success. Zero tries to convince Suzaku to join him in his quest to save Japan and defeat Britannia, but Suzaku declines, saying that Zero’s methods would defeat the purpose of trying to save Japan. Suzaku turns himself over to Britannia, and with the charges against him in question, it seems likely that he will not be executed. Back at Ashford, Nunnally breathes a sigh of relief as C.C. enters the room.
