// Episode Guide
This serves as a quick reference guide for those people with a specific episode or event in mind, but who cannot remember which episode that was. Larger story summaries can be found on Wikipedia.
** SPOILERS GALORE! **
// #07 IDOLATOR
Type: Stand Alone. Title: Idolatry – IDOLATOR
- Foreign revolutionary hero (who has survived despite many assassination attempts) often visits Japan. Section9 investigates why.
- Awesome fight scene at a hotel involving an undercover police unit, a huge bodybuilder-type bodyguard, two sexy leather-clad lady body guards, and of course the Major.
- Real life homage: Revolutionary figure Che Guevara.
- Twist Ending: The real hero died long ago. The public has been seeing clones in order to keep the hope and morale of the population alive.
// #08 MISSING HEARTS
Type: Stand Alone. Title: The Fortunate Ones – MISSING HEARTS
- Medical students run a small time illegal organ stealing operation on the side. Section 9 teaches them a lesson.
- Another appearance by Kurtan, in a nurse outfit, complete with sexual innuendo.
- A folksy CEO who adopts a small robotic body makes a humorous appearence.
- Motoko, Batou, and Togusa are thought to be the yazuka by the students. They are (hopefully) scared into redemption by their encounter.
// #09 CHAT! CHAT! CHAT!
Type: Complex. Title: The Man Who Dwells in the Shadows of the Net – CHAT! CHAT! CHAT!
- Major enters a chat room where Laughing Man fans discuss their hero.
- First appearance of Chroma - Major's anonymous online alias / body double.
- Surprise: The Laughing Man (Aoi) was the moderator of the chat room. Much impressed with the Major's accurate deductions, he gives her a hint about where he is.
- Funny Moment: Major was diving while driving, completely ignoring her passenger, Batou's, conversation.
// #10 JUNGLE CRUISE
Type: Stand Alone. Title: A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise – JUNGLE CRUISE
- Psycho serial killer horribly mutilates women as they watch. Section 9 pursues him. Batou has flashbacks to a grusome war campaign in Central America.
- Possibly most graphic & disturbing episode in the season. It was pulled from the air in some countries, and aired with a warning in other countries. (I tried to keep screencaps non-graphic)
- Surprise: The killer is a former soldier who went crazy after being orderd to murder civilians in a war. His government brought him to Japan on purpose so that Section 9 could kill him for them, disposing of their secret mess.
- One US critic disliked this episode for "anti-American sentiments." That's missing the point. Ok, the fictional American Empire is based on the real US' Southern states, which does have a history of violence and militarism. But the episode's true intent lies in reminding viewers of the cruelty of psychological terror campaigns of all warfare in general. Even the usually cold members of Section 9 went a bit OOC in order to express their disgust at the killer's sadism.
// #11 PORTRAITZ
Type: Complex. Title: In the Forest of Pupae – PORTRAITZ
- Togusa goes undercover at an abusive children's social welfare facility. The managers actually abuse the children by exploiting them to hack mazes and sell the data.
- Togusa meets Laughing Man / Aoi in person! J.D. Salinger references galore.
- Creepy moment! Togusa is about to dive into the brain of a child... until he sees the eyeballs of another ghost who got lost in there peer out from the kid's neck.
// #12 ESCAPE FROM
Type: Stand Alone. Title: Tachikoma Runs Away; The Movie Director's Dream – ESCAPE FROM
- Storyline #1: "A day in the life" as Tachikoma sneaks out for a joyride in the city. Befriends a litle girl who is looking for her puppy.
- Surprise! The dog is actually dead. This explores the theme of death, grief, and empathy using two innocent and childish characters.
- Storyline #2: The Major investigates a mysterious box where users dive in to see a movie, and never come out. Wow, a rare moment of the Major genuinely crying.
- Surprise! Everyone stays out of their own free will because the movie is that touching. The Major and the director have an ingenius conversation regarding the nature of dreams, hope, and diversionary entertainment.
- Bonus: Look out for manga, & literary references on the movie posters.