Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing - Episode 14

Despite their secretive armaments and an Exile of their own, it seems that even Glacies' massed forces are powerless to resist the Federation's own Exile, brought to bear once again courtesy of Princess Liliana.  But with Glacies laid to waste, is the horror of the destruction wreaked upon this land the final straw in turning opinion against ruling president Luscinia within factions of the Federation?

While the suriving pilots of Glacies are greeted by an unexpected figure, the Sky Pirates have problems of their own as they being repairing the destruction caused to their own hideout by the Federation, giving them more than enough evidence that Kartoffel and its people are also within Ades' sights.  Given that, it's no surprise that the Sky Pirates are more than willing to lend everything at their disposal to Millia, although what she's actually going to do with such dwindling power is another question entirely.

Indeed, much of this episode is really about Millia's inner turmoil, with her loathing of what her sister Liliana has done using her control of an Exile offset by the fact that she is, after all, still her sister.  Her outer determination to kill Liliana to put an end to the suffering and destruction she's caused brings an angry reaction from Fam, who sets out to prove her friend's idea wrong the only way she knows how - by racing with her Vanship.  Come the end of this demonstration, Millia and Fam are singing from the same song sheet once again, the song in question being one of creating happiness for all and sundry - an idealistic concept, but one that might just fit in with the news delivered to their doorstep by the end of the episode.

After an episode of wall to wall action last week, things were bound to be a little more sedate in terms of warfare with a requirement to focus instead on the personal and political.  I still can't shake the feeling that  Fam, the Silver Wing's politics still haven't been hammered out and depicted well enough to really have any impact, but thankfully the depictions of war, destruction and loss coupled with Millia's conflicting emotions had enough to power the episode forwards somewhat.  Some of its developments may still feel a little too convenient, and it certain manages its warfare in the sky better than its other elements, but I'm continuing to enjoy this new take on Last Exile's world nonetheless.