Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing - Episode 10

After a pretty needless filler episode last week, Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing resumes its normal service this week, and boy does it have plenty to cover.

The important moments begin right from the off, with Millia officially signing up to an alliance between Turan and Anatoray - another step closer towards rebuilding her devastated homeland.  What's more, Dio has a guest to introduce in the form of Alvis Hamilton, a girl with the ability to control an Exile just live Millia's sister - an ability which will doubtless come in handy later in the series, but for now the information forthcoming as a result suggests most definitely that Liliana is alive.

Indeed, no sooner is this possibility mooted than we're granted an audience with the returning queen (as she now is herself), as she makes rather a grand arrival with a Federation fleet in tow.  Rather than a subjugated captive, Liliana seems to be well in control of her own faculties, although despite this her appearance in front of her remaining forces is only to announce the cessation of hostilities and a new era of peace with Turan under the control of the Federation.  Is peace really worthwhile without freedom?  Millia doesn't think so, going against her sister and sticking to her guns - quite literally, with those guns belonging to Anatoray.  Of course, such a bold decision doesn't exactly impress the Federation, and the Sylvius in particular finds itself the target of their forces in more way than one, leaving Fam in charge of making good Millia's escape.

After the damp squib of that recap, this was another great episode of Last Exile - extremely fast-paced (arguably too much so in a way, to the point of Liliana's arrival feeling contrived) and with plenty going on to keep you hooked from beginning to end.  It wasn't simply all action this time around either, with enough politics and other goings-on to bring a little variety to a series that has threatened to become a little too action-centric at times.  It may still feel a little too simplistic at times to challenge for greatness, but there's still a lot to like about Fam, the Silver Wing at this juncture now that it's gotten its teeth into the material at its fingertips.