A pose Raleigh Becket would've been proud of.
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It's giant monsters versus giant robots. What's not awesome about that?
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Season 1
Episode 1: From The Shadows
- The entire prelude of Hunter Vertigo fighting off invading Kaiju and trying to save a busload of children (their own among them). Just when you thought the inherent awesomeness of Pacific Rim kaiju vs. robot action couldn't be ramped up, in steps anime to show that yes, indeed it can. Special mention to Hunter firing off a warhead, which expands from what looks like a bullet into a full rocket, the kaiju slapping it aside to redirect at the busload of kids, then Hunter at the last second catching the rocket and shoving it, motor-first, down the kaiju's throat. The boom is just an afterthought at that point.
- Taylor and Hayley suiting up to pilot Atlas Destroyer. Loa says she'll do her best to help, and the conn pod's arms come down, pilot suits attached, and open up to close around the new pilots. Tony Stark wishes his first few Iron Man armors worked that slick.
Episode 4: Up and Running
- In other Pacific Rim entries, we've seen pilots with high drift compatibility work together, and as Raleigh said, "the deeper the bond, the better you fight." Well, now we get to see what two people who are barely drift-compatible and working against each other looks like, and it ain't pretty. Mei and Taylor's movements are stumbling and uncoordinated, and Copperhead pretty much hands them a Curb-Stomp Battle. Makes how well all the other pilot pairings in the franchise functioned that much more awesome, but also seriously ramps up the drama and handicap of this particular encounter.
- To get Copperhead off their back, Mei orders the detonation of mines on their route. Cue massive amounts of Stuff Blowing Up while Atlas Destroyer tries to Outrun the Fireball, with Copperhead pummeled by massive explosion after massive explosion... and it just keeps coming. Finally, the last, most massive blast — big enough to look almost like a nuke — just knocks it unconscious. Once again reinforcing why Jaegers exist: nothing else can even hope to stop a Kaiju.
Episode 5: Escaping Bogan
- Taylor deciding to solo pilot Atlas Destroyer to rescue his sister and Boy. Turns out, in all the years the PPDC has been running their Jaeger program, they've given some thought to the Jaeger's biggest drawback. . . they just haven't told anyone, because it's stupid dangerous and they don't want anyone trying it. The Jaeger's computer stores data from previous pilots, and can let a pilot Drift with this recorded data, a "Ghost Drift." Not only can this help you pilot solo, but you can internalize some of that pilot's skills. Taylor chooses to Drift with the recorded data of Herc Hansen, during his last mission where he, also piloted solo. Herc's last ride is a Dying Moment of Awesome, but then Taylor uses that to rescue his sister, who immediately hops into the rig to help him with the strain. Then they pick up Mei, who boots Taylor out because he's strained his brain enough, so Mei and Hayley finish their destructive escape from Bogan's latest encampment.
Episode 6: Boneyard
- Atlas Destroyer getting a replacement right arm from the Mk IV Jaeger Chaos Nemesis. It looks brutal and badass, and Loa describes it as "Limited dexterity, but extremely durable." It also holds their first weapon, a vanadium steel saber chain. At last, Atlas Destroyer has the means to defeat Kaiju, and to celebrate, they do Gipsy Danger's "fist-in-palm" pose, with the Chaos Nemesis claw enveloping Atlas Destroyer's regular fist. Let's Get Dangerous!, indeed.
- Largely an off-screen one but Apex survived on its own for a considerable period of time during which (due to the breaches being closed) it probably had the PPDC's undivided attention. Since the Black, it's heavily implied to have killed every Kaiju and Jeager in the graveyard and doesn't seem to have a scratch on it.
Episode 7: Showdown
- Boy reveals his true form as a kaiju for the first time and knocks Copperhead on his ass. Boy's inexperience and smaller size don't stop him from defending Hayley.
- Copperhead finally goes down after getting an entire nuke shoved down his throat!
Season 2
Episode 1: Boy
- Boy quickly and methodically slaughtering the Rippers in his human form is a mixture of awesome and nightmare fuel. He is only stopped when he is led into a trap set up by the Sisters and is incapacitated by a Kaiju tick.
Episode 2: "The Never Never"
- Atlas Destroyer is standing on the edge of a canyon full of Kaiju as the three main characters argue over whether or not to go in and try to get the help Boy needs. While they are out of their harnesses to argue, an Acid-Quill ambushes them and knocks the Jaeger into the canyon. While being thrown around the cockpit, Mei manages to lock her feet into the harness, catch the falling Taylor, and sling him around into the other harness. They have entered an E-Drift by the time Atlas Destroyer hits the ground.
- Immediately after being knocked into a canyon with several Kaiju by an Acid-Quill-and initiating an E-Drift on the way down-Loa gives accurate, move-by-move directions that Mei and Taylor use to evade and counter each act by the Acid-Quill until they stab it in its head with its own quill.
- Bunyip-man may have been insane, probably didn't tame any Kaiju, and most likely got people killed by encouraging the growth of The Black's Kaiju population-BUT he did survive for who knows how long feeding Kaiju to live in the same space as him, up to and including RAISING one of them who he fed by hand. (Until he lost the hand)
- Taylor goes through his second E-Drift in a matter of hours at the most, and then quickly moves out of the way of a charging Kaiju. When we get an outside view, the Jaeger's helm makes it look like a casual and dismissive side-step.
- With dozens of Kaiju swarming Atlas Destroyer, Taylor and Mei come up with an inventive way of reaching their escape route. They deploy the chain arm into the wall of the canyon ahead of them, then reel it in. Machinery strains, dust and small rocks kick up around the Jaeger's feet, and then they start to MOVE. We are now treated to the sight of a metal titan skidding across the canyon, weaving through Kaiju and, since their only weapon is tied up, PUNCHING anything that gets in the way.
Episode 3: ""Divide""
- One for the bad guys; both of the hybrid Kaiju fought by Atlas Destroyer put up a good fight, showing why they should be taken seriously.
- One opens the fight by ambushing the Jaeger, jumping down to knock it flat, and then manhandling it by throwing the machine aside.
- Late in the fight, with one hybrid left, the Kaiju gets its jaws around the Jaeger's head, and death rolls like an alligator. The move leaves our heroes with next to no options, throwing their Jaeger around repeatedly. Both pilots are in what looks to be excruciating pain, and if the move had lasted much longer would likely have proven fatal.
- Thankfully, the good guys gave as good as they got, dropping both Kaiju solo, despite being pinned for a good chunk of the fight.
- An early moment in the fight gives a small moment for their ability to recover: the chain is stuck in the upper jaw/nose of one hybrid when the other rams them. Due to the chain, they swing around the Kaiju it was stuck to until it breaks loose. What makes this impressive is that they manage to go from flying sideways parallel to the ground into a solid landing on their feet.
- The fight's coup de grace is rather impressive as well; Atlas Destroyer plants its feet and performs a kind of modified suplex to impale their last opponent on a stone spire. Nice on its own, but what makes it impressive? They do this while said opponent has its jaws locked around their head-the Kaiju is lifted straight up in the air just by using the neck and back muscles to stand up, and then swung overhead as the Jaeger falls on its back. The entire Kaiju's weight is supported by the head and neck armor, without cracking.
- Shane and Spider get their own moment in this episode. The pair ambush a trio of Sisters, killing one, tasing another and threatening to kill the third unless she halts the hybrids chasing Atlas Destroyer. When that doesn't work, they just tase her too and drag along their new hostage to meet the pilots and Jaeger they just saved.
- A slight meta moment; we haven't seen Brina Travis in the flesh since the first episode, or at all since the first season finale. Then Shane reveals the face of the Sister who's been hunting our heroes the last several episodes: Brina's back.
