Outlaw Star

Episode 17-18

It was inevitable that reviewing this show two episodes at a time would make for some odd combinations. Frankly, with how wide a net Outlaw Star has cast in tone and story, I'm surprised it took so long. Nevertheless, “Between Life and Machine” and “The Strongest Woman In The Universe” make for an extremely odd pair.

Episode 17 is, like 15, a more sober and introspective affair. This time the focus is (finally) on Melfina and her growing apprehension about her own identity and purpose. Gene promised all those episodes ago he'd help her find the answers she wants, but they've made virtually no progress since, hopping from odd job to pirate battle to space race with no real aim. The opening with Mel visiting a space lizard church is a bit of an odd choice, but it does add to the feeling of existential unease that's been building within her this whole time, a conflict that only gets more complicated as Saionji Kyouichi Harry MacDougall shows up and tries to make her his robowife. Turns out the reason Harry got such a cyber boner for Melfina is because he's ALSO a man-made person, grown in a classic sci-fi vat of green people juice and complemented with a cyborg arm.

The resulting chase is probably the most tense Outlaw Star has been so far. This isn't a standoff between gunslingers or a faceoff between skilled assassins, but a desperate escape from a petty and vicious man ready to violently take what he wants from the woman he's projected his own desires onto. Which makes it a little awkward when inter-cut with Gene tussling with robot panthers and Aisha learning Seismic Toss, but thankfully that's not enough to ruin the tension. And while brief, the trippy cyber-world chase as Harry tries to hack Gilliam and Melfina is likely the most visually arresting sequence in the whole show so far, using visuals alone to hint at a deeper and more distressed side of Melfina than we've ever been privy to before. But what really sells it is that things don't cleanly resolve – Harry's expelled and runs off vowing revenge, but Melfina's left clearly disturbed by all this and seemingly nobody around is capable of reassuring her. Gene looks plenty dour about it, but if he says anything to her it's not on screen and Melfina ends the episode more confused and anxious than where she started.

Anyway enough of that, time for pro wrestling! And crossdressing!

I imagine this played out better when watching week-to-week on TV, where after days of stewing in the sober conclusion of the last episode it made sense for a goofy adventure about wrestling matches to lighten the mood, but good god does it make for whiplash with the way I'm watching. Which isn't to say the episode isn't good – it's probably the most fun I've had since the ice cream selling cactus – but it definitely threw me for a loop. It's great to see Aisha really take center stage for the first time since joining the crew, and even cooler that there's some real wrestling moves on display during some of the fights. I'm less enthused by the extended goof about Gene crossdressing to rig a women's tournament, but much like Fred's introduction episode it's at least not as obnoxious or offensive as I expected from this hoary old trope. Gene also proves himself to be a total scrub by balking at a woman built like a freight truck, so I'm quite glad he got suplexed into the mat. Reiko deserves a show that can appreciate her.

Outside of that though, it's just a fun one-off adventure. Aisha gets to wreck shop for once while being a comedic scumbag who shoves a tied up competitor into a locker to steal her masked wrestler outfit, then eventually throws down with a werewolf pirate AND we finally see the full animal form of the Ctarl-Ctarl in action. What's not to love? If not for me watching this mere minutes after possibly the heaviest episode of the series thus far, nothing would feel at all out of place. So while these two episodes couldn't be more different, I certainly appreciate them both separately.

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Outlaw Star is currently streaming on Funimation and Hulu.