[Eureka seveN AO Episode 12]

When a story starts delving into time travel, I start to get this ache in the front of my head. It’s not because I don’t understand. As part of my engineering degree, I also minored in physics. I understand Einstein, causality, and the whole lot. The reason is because most of the time, it’s done so poorly. The one time I really enjoyed a time travel story, was watching Primer.  For a budget of $7000 these guys made an amazing movie. Their practical exploration of going back in time, meeting yourself, and the effects on the future timeline and your future self was brilliant. It’s a pity more people haven’t seen that. Honestly, I hope Bones has, because what they are about to get into with Astral Ocean could either make or break this series.

Eureka is pregnant. This simple fact begins to unravel the paradox laid out before us. If Ao is sitting in front of her, how can she be pregnant? What Ao fails to realize, Ivica catches onto very quickly. This is not the same Eureka that he met 10 years ago. And when they realize that the Gekko-Go internal clock is 10,000 years ahead of the current time, they find that this Eureka comes from a different time that the one met previously. Or more accurately, she is from probably from around the same point as when she fell into Okinawan waters 13 years ago, prior to the burst there. Her two years of memories from being at this time are not there. And as Ivica flashes back to his first meeting of Eureka, during the fight against the Secret at Okinawa, it’s revealed that this current moment with Eureka may have been an influence on past events when when she first arrived. Our time paradox begins to grow.

The flashback is eye opening not only about Ivica, but Truth as well. 10 years ago, as Eureka flys (Yes. Flys.) away with the quartz, Nirvash is left to fight the Secret alone. In one final Scub Burst, Eureka disappears with the quartz. And the Secret is enveloped in Scub material, becoming Naru’s Sea Monster, and Truth. The transformation, from Secret to Truth, raises an interesting question. How sentient are secrets, and where do they actually come from? If Scub Coral is disappearing from the future to show up in the past, are secrets there to restore the balance? All we are left with is a ghostly image of Future Eureka, telling Ao that the Secrets are not his enemy.

Paradox’s, ghosts, meeting your past self as a baby in the womb, it’s all a bit heavy handed. Throw in a babbling Elena, and you start going from being a suspense sci-fi, to B rate film. While this episode is great, it’s also more of what we’ve seen in previous episodes, where we as the viewer get hit over the head with overwhelming amount of information and twists. What these feels like now, is that the series is moving towards an inevitable conclusion of scub coral taking over earth, but with a family reunion of Eureka, Ao, and Renton in the past. Or worst case, we develop divergent timelines between series, were the sequel becomes a prequel, which alters the future that negates the orginal.

Isn’t time travel fun?

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I am rather averse to time travel elements pulled into a story that isn’t a dedicated time travel narrative. That element does feel shoehorned in, as far as I’m concerned regarding this show. I’m just glad that Renton is somewhere beyond this heaven. All is right in the world.

Eureka seveN Astral Ocean References

[Eureka seveN Ao Episode 13]

Shock and awe. An old military term, that aptly applies to the last three weeks. Like a Blitzkrieg, it has been a rolled through the audience with hit after hit of revelation and hints.  This week caps off attack, as the conclusion to the appearance of Eureka and the fight with Truth comes to an end.

These last three episodes have been enlightening to us as a viewer. The correlations between timelines and people have become much clearer. But something more was done. When you also add in Elena’s episode, something bigger appears. This becomes a revelation of the truth of who Ao, and possibly Elena, really are. Elena’s association to Eureka has been a hanging question. And in a simple comment of “I’m having a girl”, do things start to fall together and apart at the same time. If we consider that the time line is linear without divergence, then Ao may not be Eureka’s first child. And if not, where is his sister? What if Elena is that sister? In a way, it makes sense in an anime sort of world. One child, when abandoned, grows up in foster care, hating their parents. The other, while also being left, grows up in a loving environment with a good friend. The attitudes by Ao and Elena fit into that meme.

And as if the shock of meeting his mother isn’t enough, a newfound messenger Naru continues to open his eyes. Her bonding with the Scub Coral provides a voice for the intelligent being that it is. And in this episode, that voice gives Ao an origin story he doesn’t understand. He’s relation to the very things that he works to dismantle. All he can think of is this makes him a monster, unknowing that he (probably) is half human.

Ao is searching. With everything that is going on, his place in this world is uncertain. The mother he thought he knew and the mother he just met, while being the same, is not what he expected. His best friend has chosen a path that he thinks counteracts his own. And the enemies that his has been fighting may not be his enemies at all. His world is slowly collapsing.

A time is coming in this show when the future and present will collide in an epic conclusion. Those in  the future working to save the Scub Coral. Those in the present trying to destroy it. And those caught in middle just trying to hold it all together. As much as been reveled to us, there is still so much to be unsure of. And with a new opening  teasing us with an image of what could be Renton, Bones seems to be saving the best stuff for last.

ghostlightning

Deep down, I think I know what’s going on in this show (i.e. I can follow the story), but I sure know I’ll sound stupid trying to describe or explain it. I’m hooked, but the fish also knows what’s waiting for it in the surface yes?

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[Eureka seveN AO Episode 14]

If there is anything Astral Ocean does better than It’s predecessor, is that it keeps the story moving. For the last month, the quick pace has brought us into the thick of the story without so much as a pause. And as we move from one revelation to the next, it’s now the Secret’s turn to begin revealing their story. What truth’s will Eureka seveN show us this week?

This episode begins to highlight a growing despair amongst Generation Bleu. Ao’s emotional state is slowly degrading. The confusion brought by seeing his mother, both in real form and ghost, makes him unsure of his self. Fleur and the rest of the pilots begin to question whether Secrets are really their enemy, putting doubt in their mind and in their attack. In true story form, this show is reach it’s darkest point before rising to a conclusion.

With Eureka’s return, the status of how Secret’s fit into the world has been put into question. What were lead to believe at the series beginning is changing as rapidly. The capture of the “head” of a secret by the Japanese government, and their ability to communicate at a basic level open’s a new Pandora’s Box. The truth that the secret speaks only works to confirm what the ghostly Eureka said. Secret’s may not be an enemy at all, but a protector of this time, a sort of earthly antibody.

Complicating this is the revival of deactivated Scub Coral. And the people reactivating it are Naru and Truth. For what reason has yet to be seen. Naru has bonded with the Scub, and is able to communicate with it. Truth is something entirely different. Being an amalgamation of both Secret and Scub makes his intentions all the more curious. What does he gain by reactivating the Scub, other than to bring more secrets to the mix?

As Generation Bleu moves to counter the reactivation of the Scub, they also achieve real time communication with the captured Secret using Gerog’s AI. The Secret places the blame on the reactivation of the Scub on the event from 10 years ago. The even that started Generation Bleu, infected Naru, and where Eureka was the first one to remove the crystal from the middle of the Scub Coral. There is an implication on the Secret’s tone that by not letting them destroy it, that their continued return is the result.

With much at stake in the story, it’s brutal that Bone’s has decided to take a three week break to avoid interfering with Olympics’ coverage. As this episode is paired with 16, there will be plenty of time to speculate and make conjecture. But it will be anyone’s best guess as to where the story goes.

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I know I want to like this show so very much, but I am truly, truly lost.

[Eureka seveN Astral Ocean References]

[Eureka Seven AO Episode 15]

They finally did it. As I mentioned before, I hate shows that involve time travel. It’s a plot device that, when done poorly, only leads to confusion. And  the moment Bones started to use it, I knew this could end terribly. This week brings more confusion in the AO universe, and of course, it all revolves around time travel.

Time paradoxes suck. Once that can of worms is opened, you begin to question every moment you’ve watched up to that point. You wonder what timeline you’re in, did it really happen, and fundamentally, what is actually true. If everything I just watched a lie? What was the point?

To make the point, Bones went to an extreme. They spend most of this episode making sure we pay attention to team Goldilocks. They show Chloe spying on a conversation about the coral. They remind us multiple times that two of the members (and sisters) live in the vicinity of a formally dead Scub burst. They make the “death flag” so obvious that we’re expecting something to happen. And it makes some sense. Goldilocks is the second team, the team that will be missed the least, but just enough to make a point. And it wouldn’t be good drama if the loli didn’t disappear, only to be saved later.

But how do our other characters fit into all of this? As we see, Naru is using an earlier version of the Nirvash to fight Secrets. And as Gen Bleu’s plan unfurls, we see Truth come unglued and begin to attack the capsule.  But he doesn’t attack it directly. He uses missiles from Russia to do his dirty work. In this case, and at other moments, we find that when a Scub Coral is active, Truth does not come in direct contact with it. With his power, he could have easily destroy the Scub Crystal capsule, but he avoids it. He is always using a proxy to do his dirty work when it comes to Secrets and Scubs.

As for AO, he is reaching his limit. The head games brought on by the words of his mother. The stress of trying to figure out whether he should fight Secrets or Scub. The prophetical dreams when he does manage to sleep. He is at a breaking point. The world he lives in is falling apart around him, and his actions are only pushing things more out of reach.

At least in next week’s preview, we finally tackle the mysterious book that supposedly has all the answers. That might be good, since the rest of the show doesn’t seem to offer any. Because where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

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Everything in this episode leading up to the confusion with Team Goldilocks disappearing was rather good. I really got into it, then fuck. Shit like this makes me remember all the things I dislike instead of just letting me appreciate how organic the global effort in support of the operation played out. Instead, I now just really want to nitpick at how wasted the humanoid form is in this show.

The Secrets and the IFOs are humanoid giant robots. Well, at least the final or most recent crowd of secrets are — shout-outs to Gurren Lagann. But given how the show portrays combat, there is little to no point for the humanoid form. This is worse than RahXephon. While I do think that the humanoid form is the best form to watch in action, but the thing is, there has to be action!

The limbs must be dynamic, the body must move like a human. In this episode you basically see the secrets just float/fly completely inert. They let their force fields stop the conventional weapons, then just inertly fire their bendy homing lasers. This is a total waste of mecha design… A TOTAL WASTE.

Basically, they’re just flying saucers — which would have been the perfect design given the range of motion and the ability to fire from all points. Well, there is no point.

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 16]

With every action, there is an equal, and opposite reaction. One of the fundamental laws of physics, it defines that no action happens without affecting something else. And is Ao finds out, his Scub Coral bazooka (or Quartz Gun as Gen Bleu calls it) not only destroys Secrets, but reaches through time to affect past events. With the inclusion of just this one element, this show has gone from being a sort of battle between Scub, Secret, and Human, to that of how can Ao restore the timeline. Wonderful.

The affects on the timeline have begun to weigh on everyone’s mind. But especially with Ao. This currently ripple and alternate time line were created by him and his use of the Quartz Gun. In his mind, he as removed Team Goldilocks from the timeline. And in his despair, he turns to Gazelle and company. And in their conversation, we get our first real introduction to Johansson’s book. Johansson is a (presumed) scientist that found Truth as a child in the aftermath of the first human versus Secret fight on the Scub near Iwato Island. As we saw in Episode 13, Truth appears to be a Secret that was enveloped by Scub material, forming Naru’s Sea Monster/and the humanoid looking Truth. Johansson takes in Truth, and from the knowledge held in Truth’s head, he writes a book. This book describes the affect the Scub have had on the history of Earth. Their arrival alters the time line, presumably the timeline that forms the basis for the original series. What Ao finally realizes is that he hasn’t destroyed the members of Team Goldilocks, but that they living lives where the Scub Coral did not cause them changes.

As Ao has to see this for himself, he rushes off to Ireland to see first hand that they are alright. During his side mission we’re presented again with an interesting conversation. Georg is not the same anymore. Since the interface to the Secret occurred, he periodically loses himself, and it appears that Generation Bleu, including Ao, are actually interfacing with the Secret, whether they realize it or not. This interface could be very useful later, should Ao and the Secrets goals both align.

As for Ao, his role in history and the future is calling him. While Pied Piper goes back to retrieving the quartz from the newly reactivated Scub Coral, the new Quartz Gun reactivates on its own. It’s hunger is for the quartz heart, and it forces the Nirvash to retrieve it, despite the local authorities resistance. And once it has retrieved it, no other than Truth shows up. In the confrontation, Eureka (Ao’s mother, not the one that returned) crosses the timeline to talk with Ao. She describes the Scub as being living in both Space and Time (look up the space time continuum), which is why they randomly appear and different points in time in the past earth. And when she jumped with the quartz crystal, she was lost in time.

In seeing his mother, he’s one again driven to action, this time to save her from the limbo of time. But as goes to pull the trigger, which would kill Truth, and probably destroy the Scub Coral, the weight of changing the timeline again ways on him and he can’t do it. A big decision to make as a 13 year old, and he can’t do it. And maybe that’s a good thing. It’s probably not wise to go about changing the past without a plan.

In watching this episode, it is clear that as a child of the Scub, if anything certain, it is looking like Ao cannot escape his fate as some sort of guardian of the timeline.

And now my speculation for the week. Here are my thoughts on how the timelines have played out between the original series, and the present. Think I’m close?

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 17]

Everyone needs a little down time. Some R&R, a break from the fight, rest for the weary. And honestly, for this show, this applies for not only the characters, but us as the viewer as well. We have been on a whirlwind of time travel and time paradoxes with enough confusion to keep us guessing until the end. But this week is a reprieve from that. Which is definitely a good thing. This episode brings us back to the humanity of the situation. Emotions, friendships, and trust. As I know I’m going to be all over the place with this one, I’ll keep it short.

Fleur’s attitude has been very stand offish. She creates barriers between her and those around her. She doesn’t ask questions, she doesn’t talk about her past, and she doesn’t open up to others. She keeps things bottled up. She’s generally not a lot of fun to be around. These actions have hers have put Ao and Elena at a distance. And it’s finally come to a head. With a good bitch slap from Elena, and an emotional slap from Gazelle, she’ finally has to take stock in her emotions, and those around her.

As for Ao, he has reached his emotional end. He runs from his problems to the Americans. he feels he has no one else to turn to, so he goes to those that he thinks will help him pull it together. But as he finds out, the relations there are sterile, filled with contracts and agreements. He tries to explain it away, but, as represented by Noah’s gorging on sweets, there is an emptiness in him that is not being filled.

Avoiding emotions just isn’t the Eureka Seven way. One thing was made perfectly clear; Love is an essential. The love between Eureka and Renton. The love between Dominic and Anemone. Their love was a driving force to action. And in this episode, in a small part, we finally begin to see it as well. It’s not until the emotions of both Fleur and Elena reach their peak, that Third Engine activates. While it may just be plutonic love for Ao, it’s enough to get things going. Elena and Fleur fly off to take Ao back, with the power of their love driving the IFO’s.

And in their actions, two people finally get what they need. Fleur acknowledges her emotions, both for her friends, and for Ao. And Ao feels like he belongs. They acknowledge each other’s feelings. Of course, when the heat of the moment cools down, the Third Engine’s loose their drive. But hopefully, this is a growth moment for the three of them. Ao will finally feel like a part of the team, and will give up his whiney attitude. Maybe Fleur will finally engage in meaningful conversation with Ao and Elena. And maybe Elena will finally have friends she can rely on to figure out who she really is.

In kind of a side note, there is an “End” flag for Episode 22. This either means that the last two episodes will be doubles, or the that they are finding a different time to air them. You  can check out the TV schedule here.

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 18]

Yes, I know I’m a week late. Between family and work, life has gotten busy this Fall. But honestly, that’s no excuse. I guess the reason I’m really late is an indication of my growing frustration with this show. And this week’s episode, with it’s shotgun approach to unraveling mysteries and creating new ones, was almost a letdown. It was utterly anticlimactic.  And why do I think that?

The Mystery of Maggie Kwan is Confirmed

With very little focus or fanfare, we’re formally introduced to Maggie. While the other members of Team Goldilocks never piloted IFOs, Maggie apparently still does, and is fighting for the Allied Forces. She has been convinced that saving the kids of Generation Bleu is the right thing to do.

The Secret That Wasn’t Really a Secret About Truth

As Bones has been hinting at for the last 6 or so episodes, the true form of Truth is that of a Secret.  As we saw in the Eureka flashback, along with the following fight on the Gekko Go, Truth is a Secret that lost it’s purpose. Following the fight with Eureka, the Secret changed its form. And if Naru is correct, some amount of Scub was also brought into that form.  The way this is revealed to us was almost like the writer was saying “Didn’t you know that already?” It feels like they were looking to just rush through it in an effort to get the story on to the next phase.

Elena Drops Bombs, and No One Things Twice About it

Honestly, how many times does Elena have to say something outrageous, before anyone will listen to her? Last week, she tells Fleur that she killed Miller and took on her identity, and all Fleur can do is stare at Elena, get bitched slapped, and walk away. Then this week, Elena point blank tells Ao and Fleur that she was brought to this world by Eureka, and that she doesn’t belong here. Their reaction? More blank stares, and completely blowing her off. What the hell? You would think, of all people, Ao would be engaged in that conversation. But he has only a muted reaction. Granted, they were interrupted, but you think he would have mobbed Elena over that revelation.

The Captain Goes Down with the Ship

Once things start hitting the fan, Christophe has no intention of seeing it to the end. And in his final, desperate act, he attempts to take Truth down with some Quartz. But again, it feels like it was all rushed. What should be, in anime terms, a desperate heroic acts, feels like it was forced down our throats.

So here we are. We are at least 3 (but hopefully 5) episodes to the conclusion. There are still things that this show still has not touched on. What about the IFO in the deep basement of the Gen Bleu facility? Is Naru going to do anything other than hang out with the Scub in a white night gown? Will anyone take Elena seriously?

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 19]

Never mind. She may never be normal.

With this episode, The show has cemented it’s path to conclusion. It will be Pied Piper against the World. And Ao fighting himself and Elena over the ethical decision to use the Quartz Gun. And these paths are not mutually exclusive. And the Johansson book has (probably) predicted all of this.

Blanc was a conniving leader until the end. The deals he makes are made with the full knowledge of the predictions of the Johansson book. And with this knowledge, he sets up Pied Piper to continue the new directive. Until last episode, Secrets were the enemy, with Scub to be protected. But the change in course is cemented with a secret pact with the Secrets, with Japan as the executor on behalf of the Secrets. But there is one other person that has been shown to religious read the book, and it’s the Japanese officer Nakamura. I’m interested in seeing how he reads into the prophecy, and what he will do to hinder or help Pied Piper. He might even become the prophet Ao needs to drive his decision to use the Quartz Gun.

And when it comes to the Quartz Gun, no one is more direct about it’s use than Elena. Elena above all realizes the stakes. After being torn from her time line by Eureka, she understand that the only way to correct the situation is to start eliminating the Quartz not only in the present, but also in the past. But he actions in the second half of this show are interesting. Rather than stick close to Ao, and force him into making a decision, she defects to the Allied forces. As nothing she’s done has made any sense until now, I’m guessing this latest action wont until the very end.

And the man wielding the gun, Ao, is at the crossroads of his ethical dilemma. Bones has made it all to obvious that Ao sees using the quartz gun is a matter of right and wrong. It’s as if Ao has completely missed the point that using the gun will change how history has played out. he could very easily use it to make changes to the present. He misses the whole idea of parallel time lines, causality, and such. I guess I can’t blame him, he is only 12. But while he debates what is right or wrong, he is missing his goal of trying to reach his mother, which can only happen if he changes the timeline. I remember the hardest decisions I had to make in Junior High was whether I was going to wear shorts or jeans to school.

How do I think this will all end? I think the resurgence of Truth will be the push needed to fire the Quartz Gun. It will be the only way Truth can be destroyed. And to destroy him, Ao will fire with all of the pent of rage, releasing the guns true power. This release will reset the time line, restoring Ao to the future, where we will see him, reunited with Eureka and Renton.  To save the timeline, and Eureka, he must destroy the past created by the Scub, and the lives of the people it has effected.

What do you think?

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 20]

Loyalty and Allegiance seem to be a very fluid concept in this show. In a short span, we have both Ao and Elena defecting to the other side. We have Big Blue World dropping Generation Bleu and declaring them rogue. And the remaining members of Team Harlequin joining up against Pied Piper. To me, it’s all contradictory to the guiding principles of the original series.

As we’ve written and commented on before in this series, where Eureka 7 had heart, this show has politics. And in these most recent episodes, the politics has led to alliances and contracts. The alliances are being made that will form the final conflict at the end of this show. The most fitting alliance is between Pied Piper and the Secrets, with the Japanese nation acting in proxy for much of it. Both are outcasts and pariahs. Both have objective that are contradictory to the rest of the world. This alliance, while execute in good faith, almost seems to hang on by a thread with so much distrust between the Secrets and their former enemies. But the secrets are a very logical life form. They uphold their in of the deal with a certain mechanical efficiency, to the point of destroying their own to fulfill the agreement.

And the members of Pied Piper are fitting into their roles nicely. Ao’s piloting skills, and flying discipline, even impressing his Japanese flight leader. Ao is beginning to understand the plight of the Japanese people he saw as an enemy for so long. Fleur is also taking on her new role as company president with ease. Strangely, it didn’t strike me as odd that she would show such little remorse over her father’s death. The way her emotions have been at times, large events do little to shock her. So when you add in the resentment for her dad, it’s hardly surprising that she would show such little grief at this point. I’m going to venture that at some point, and emotional break down will be in her future.

And last, but not least, we have Elena. She has definitely reached an emotional breaking point. Her belief that she is associated with a much later future, combined with her hatred for Eureka, has left her completely unhinged at times. But she’s the one character that, in my humble opinion, seems to act with a true sense of emotion. While Ao pines for his mother, and Fleur refuses to acknowledge her father, Elena feels a true sense of desperation to get back to where she believe she belongs. She is willing to abandon all bonds and allegiances to make her goal a reality. Just like the slap she gave Fleur, I see her being that final catalyst to pushing this show to it’s breaking point.

In all honesty, this show really has me stretching for more that just an episode summary. Every week seems just a little more rushed, and a little more scattered. My hope is that for episode 22, and the future 23 and 24, that we’ll see all of this tied together in a meaningful, if not logical, way.

[Eureka seveN Episode 21]

As Otou at Sea Slugs laments, the “plot twists” are set up to try to drive you to feel surprised. They want you to go “holy cow, I didn’t expect that”.  But honestly, I don’t think us as the audience are all that surprised any more. It would be more surprising if the show would finish one continuous thought, before randomly dropping something new on top of us. And with that, let’s dig into the last AO episode for the next two months.

Is anyone else wondering when Ao will finally take Truth head on? Ao has been given the ultimate equalizer; the Quartz Gun. At any point, he can just end Truth’s mad rage. But every time they confront each other, he refuses to pull the trigger. We’ve seen Ao reach the edge of letting his emotions go. But for whatever reason, he just wont let go on Truth. Of course it would be too anticlimactic if he killed him too soon.

Truth has now reached the ultimate final boss state. He’s part Secret, part Scub, and he’s merged with and IFO. The three powers present in this universe are all summed up in this one life form. In this final form, he’s reached a point where he can now act on his destructive mind-set. As Truth attacks Ao, he creates a massive wave of trapar, that is released into the surrounding areas. While it was disruptive to the IFO’s it has another effect. Remember all those Coral Carriers that are piloting IFOs in the area? Well, with increased trapar, comes a faster take over of the Scub in the human body. Such a convenient thing.

And in this weeks “Who’s side are you on” contest, we have a couple returnees. Elena makes her return to a very uninterested Ivica. And Team Harlequin, along with Mama Hannah, are teaming up with Pied Piper. Why doesn’t anyone care what side people are on?

On a less critical note, I’m glad to see Naru and Ao sit down together like they used to. That relationship had reached an odd and strange state. But with Naru bringing Ao to her, they have a chance to have some time with just the two of them. A little bit of Ao childhood innocence is found again, as he blushes after holding her hand. The scene as they sit and have dinner relives some of that early chemistry that we had between the two of them at the beginning of the show. The misunderstanding that Ao has about her relationship to Truth shows how clueless he still is to her feelings for him. She has always wanted to join him as an equal, to “fly with him”. Maybe with these two, we’ll get to relive a little bit of the love line that the original series had.

But, the last three minutes of this show sets the stage for the end of this series. We get to see a small hint at the come. We find Renton, in a search across time and space in search of Eureka. Along with a fantastic looking Nirvash, they rush into a Seven Swell Scub Burst in search of her. Even with that funny white patch on his head, Renton is a welcome site to this show. The dramatic union we’ve all been hoping for may actually happen. But, there is a long two month wait before we can see it.