Search - The Big O II - Missing Pieces (Vol. 2) on DVD

The Greatest Megadeuse

Strategos | In Space above Planet Earth | 07/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While the first disc in the second season of the Big O was largely used to acclimate us once again to the characters and plot twists common to the Big O, in this second disc things finally start moving towards a resolution... at the end.

Some of the most stylish and enjoyable episodes of the first Big O series concerned Roger's wannabe nemesis Beck, and in the first episode in the series he makes a silly, over-the-top, ridiculous (and highly entertaining) return. While Beck in the past has resorted to kidnappings of various sorts (he kidnapped Dorothy in the first episode of the Big O remember?), this time he kidnaps Roger! And with the negotiator kidnapped, it's up to Dorothy to begin negotiations. This whole episode is actually a parody of Mighty Morphin', flashy, overblown mecha that have become popular, and features a great battle at the end with the Big O that you really need to see for yourself (let's just say that old school giant robots are a BIT more powerful than the transforming types in the opinion of this show's creators). This episode is also interesting for the increased religious imagery (Roger is imprisoned on a cross!), and some strong character building dialog between Dorothy and Roger (when Beck accuses Roger of having Dorothy for a lover and Roger denies it, only to have Dorothy respond to Roger's denial with offense I almost couldn't believe it!). A pretty great episode all told.

The second episode on the disc involves a robot assassin who is on a rampage of destruction, and poor Dustin who gets stuck with a robot partner sent from Paradigm. The highlights of this episode include Dorothy's close brush with death when she is targeted by the assassin, and a giant robot that chases her and Norman. Other than that the episode mostly just explores the relationships between androids and humans. Interesting.

In the last episode of the disc, things finally really get going. Roger, suffering from terrifying dreams of the past, decides to visit Rosewater's father who still lives on the farm growing tomatoes. Roger starts demanding answers, but the only answers he really finds is that he needs to figure just who he is and what he has forgotten. Meanwhile Dorothy investigates a song she overhears and finds a gathering of operatives from another country outside of the city. Roger and Angel have a little relationship building alone time while Roger tries to figure things out. The real punch of the episode comes when Angel confronts Roger with what she perceives as the obstacle of their growing closeness, his affection for a certain female android. There's barely time for him to respond before she realizes that a meeting of her fellow foreign operatives is going on and she should be there (you DID know that she was from another country right?). The next thing you know, Allen Gabriel discovers and starts systematically (and psychopathically) destroying Dorothy while Roger struggles to destroy a new Megadeus that has suddenly appeared. The episode ends with a magnificent cliffhanger when the Big O suddenly shuts down, and it looks like Dorothy is about to be destroyed (do you call destruction of an android murder?). Whoa.

If you were a fan of the first season of Big O and have been following the story thus far, you will probably want to keep watching to see the shocking conclusion. While the polish, style, and overall quality is not quite as high as in the first season of the show, the second season is still quite good, and features enough new music, characters, and plot developments to keep it quite interesting for the duration. Hang on tight because it's going to be a bumpy ride from here on out!"