Episode 9 – Refrain
Kallen lies in bed in the morning while the news talks about the Black Knights and the Lake Kawaguchi incident. She gets up when she hears a crash outside her door. A maid knocked over a chandelier when the ladder she was standing on broke. Kallen angrily tells her to clean it up and goes back into her room, where she wishes that the maid would go away. We see a picture of her and her brother when they were younger, along with an adult woman whose face is covered up by a sticker.
Elsewhere, at night, some crooks discuss a business deal revolving around Refrain, a drug that makes the user experience their own past. This drug has become popular among the former Japanese, who see it as a way to relive the glory days from before the occupation. Zero and the Black Knights burst in on the deal, and suddenly, in a scene change, Kallen, in school garb, jumps out of her chair at school and shouts, “the Black Knights!” She was sleeping in class due to exhaustion from the Black Knights’ late night activities, and everyone laughs. This is one of Kallen’s uncharacteristic embarrassing moments, and one of the only ones that does not involve her naked. Shirley wonders what is up with Kallen, and Rivalz tells them how good Lelouch is at sleeping in class.
Elsewhere, Cornelia tells Euphemia of her future plans for Area 11 and the importance of dealing with the mass Refrain usage. She says that, once she returns from battle, she will exterminate Zero. Euphemia has a flashback to last episode, and we see that Zero let her go after he confronted her. She begins to wonder just what is up with Zero and wishes that Suzaku could give her some advice. Euphemia is a smart girl, and she is already beginning to figure out who Zero really is, though she does not say anything. Back at Ashford, Kallen walks in on Milly’s characteristically bizarre way of celebrating Arthur’s arrival at the school, which involves everyone wearing cat costumes. Though they never show it, Lelouch’s is really odd and almost kinky. You can see it in art books and probably online too. They all laugh a bit, and Milly makes a reference to the classical Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and how they will all die together as friends. Suzaku gets all teary-eyed because he has such good friends.
After school, Kallen thinks about the impact that Zero and the Black Knights have had on the general population. Rivalz wonders why he has not seen Lelouch very often recently, and Nina remembers how nice Euphemia was to her. She is developing a bit of a crush on the dear princess. At the Japan Liberation Front’s headquarters, Todou and the Four Holy Swords discuss Zero’s rising popularity and reference the Guren Mk. II, an awesome Knightmare Frame that will soon become Kallen’s personal weapon.
At Kallen’s home, Milly comes to call on her. Kallen’s mother comes down and complains about Kallen’s behavior and the maid, and the maid accidentally knocks over a vase. In Kallen’s room, Milly delivers Kallen’s transcript and reveals that she knows that Kallen is half-Japanese. Kallen states that the maid is actually her real mother, and that the other woman is just her stepmother. Kallen complains about her mother clinging to the house and her memories of her husband, and we see that her mother is also a Refrain user, though Kallen is unaware of it. As Milly says Kallen has quite an interesting home life.
At Ashford Academy, Lelouch and Suzaku talk about the Black Knights, with Lelouch supporting their actions and Suzaku condemning them because he believes that they should work within the system. Suzaku leaves the room when Shirley arrives to give her a chance to confess her feelings to Lelouch, but Lelouch instead makes a snarky comment about Suzaku and does not even seem to notice that Shirley is there. Kallen and Ougi talk by phone about the Refrain problem and the Black Knights’ rising fortunes, and Kallen sees an eleven hot dog vendor being harassed by Britannians. She wants to help him, but Lelouch arrives and stops her. He uses his Geass to make the Britannians leave, and he and Kallen talk about the pride of the Japanese and people bowing their heads to Britannia. Kallen angrily slaps him and leaves.
Meanwhile, Kallen’s mother is out of Refrain, and Jeremiah and Villetta talk about their respective memory losses. That is an important subplot that will have some surprising consequences later on. That night, the Black Knights raid another Refrain operation, and Kallen uses her Knightmare Frame to stop the dealers. When she finds a group of Refrain users in the back of the warehouse, she sees that her mother is one of them. She gets upset, but she is suddenly attacked by a police officer in a Knightmare Frame, who is corruptly helping the Refrain operation. She seems to not care what happens to her mother, but while under the effects of the drug, her mother says that she is here for Kallen. Kallen realizes that the reason that her mother has stayed with her is not for her father, but for her, because her mother still loves her deeply. This is a really touching moment, especially for anyone who is really close to his/her mother. Kallen manages to defeat the police’s Knightmare, and Lelouch wonders about Kallen and her mother from the sidelines. C.C. watches enigmatically from above.
Kallen with Her Mother
In the hospital, Kallen visits her recovering mother, who is getting twenty years in prison for drug usage. Although the doctors say that she cannot speak at the moment, her mother manages to say, “Hang in there, Kallen.” Kallen cries and tells her that she will. This is another really touching moment, and it makes me tear up a bit. It is also a great part of Kallen’s backstory. She is not just some girl/eye candy. She is a well-developed character, one of the best in the whole show.
Episode 10 – Guren Dances
