#lionfluff

That's his nephew with the business end of a beamsaber pointed at the room full of Romefeller financiers and himself, going shark-eyed and telling his soldiers to execute their chief engineer, and they're about to do it, right in front of the leader of Romefeller, without a question. Dermail's gotta be thinking about they raised and groomed the family prodigy for power and now they're looking at the results of that labor and thinking "we have GOT to put that man in a smaller cage".

Also, like,, I know this is probably just a fluke of translation, but the choice of words to "murder Tuberov" vs. "execute Tuberov" is so compelling to me. "Execute" would imply that Treize has the authority to issue a command to have the chief engineer of Romefeller killed on behalf of Romefeller-- which he very much doesn't. Instead he says "murder", and every soldier in the room says "how high". This is a personal request. It's his little Cersei Lannister "power is power" moment.

It's just so, so bad when they do that! you hand raise them from cubs and they're so cute but then they grow up and turn into exactly the thing you trained them to be and now they're sizing you up! There's nothing you can do at that point but put them down, oof you hate to see it! like Unfortunately he has principles. We thought he'd eventually grow out of those, but he never did, poor fool. It's such a shame, such a waste of a good asset. Like jfc if Treize hadn't resigned in person Dermail was going to have him poisonstabbed six times to death.

Treize was always going to be a problem for them in the long run, but that has to have been the exact moment Dermail decided he needed hobbling. And more than that, humbled-- No, you don't get to play with your toys anymore, you don't get to give your friends special favors, you're not going to save them when they get into trouble. Tuberov decides what happens in space, Lady Une answers to him and Dermail. We decide what you "say" on behalf of OZ. You work as *part* of the PR team that's manufacturing conflict, that's your job; you don't command and you don't lead and you don't set doctrine. (When Treize eventually steps down, Tuberov becomes the commander of OZ, which makes me wonder if that was in the pipeline already.) We don't even want you as a "dazzling mirage" for the soldiers anymore. You can do that from a distance, they don't even need to see the real you to do that, and besides, pretty soon we'll have mobile dolls that don't need inspiring.

(god, episode 22 is the most dense neutron star of an episode. every ten seconds there's something to unpack. chef kiss.)

I can't help but think that Dermail having both Treize and Tuberov report to him at the same time is a power move. Making them stand next to each other at the front of the class where they have to behave. And they're equals now. Except Tuberov is the one calling the shots, the one directly coordinating with Lady Une, who is readily accepting of his agenda. And he says so, to Treize's face, in a truly "that's not what your girlfriend said last night" kind of way. And I just think. I just think that's on purpose. There aren't any soldiers in that room to dazzle. Just shareholders, and you answer to them now. Be a good boy and do as you're told.

Thank you, Duo. Treize agrees. He doesn't remember signing off on that one. Colony FM Radio Host: Treize and Une are helping us manufacture mobile dolls in space! , Treize: Source please

Authoritarian regimes always eat themselves and baby, it's dinner time. Love this for me. Love seeing my man on the menu. That's why they're the Specials.

God he's so sad. God he hates that he's so good at this part of power. God he wishes he was Zechs. You want to be Zechs so bad right now it makes you look stupid. The one woman who still believes in you just called you a god and it broke your heart so thoroughly you decided to break hers right back.