REVIEW: ‘Trigun Stampede,’ Episode 7 – “WOLFWOOD”

With the landship under attack, Vash and Wolfwood have their hands full trying to keep Livio from killing them. As if things didn’t seem bad enough, the ship has gone off course and looks to collide with the settlement Wolfwood and Livio grew up in. With the clock ticking will the gang be able to save the day one more time in Trigun Stampede Episode 7?

This episode is a tension-infused ride from start to finish. Picking up exactly where the last episode left off, the opening half of this story wraps up Wolfwood’s confrontation with Livio. This focus quickly establishes the emotional weight that Trigun Stampede Episode 7 will carry with it right till the end. The conclusion to this conflict is gut-wrenching, even as it shows how much Livio and Wolfwood’s past truly meant to them. Several brief flashbacks are brought to life by the same rough, hand-drawn style we saw last episode, which brings an element of innocence to this story that makes the outcome hurt all the more.

How this outcome will ultimately impact Wolfwood is a big question that this episode leaves open. The animation throughout this episode does a great job of telling the viewer what Wolfwood won’t say. The man is holding on by a thread, and as he is thrust into another life-or-death problem, without even a moment to process what has happened to his world, it feels obvious that the wounds he has festering are only going to get worse as the story progresses.

Even once the threat of Livio is resolved, the situation doesn’t get much better overall. With the ship on a collision course with Wolfwood’s home settlement, the team must do all they can to save the day. This crisis delivers my favorite moment in Trigun Stampede Episode 7, as it allows Meryl a chance to shine.

Meryl is a far different character here than I remember her being in the original series. As a newbie reporter, she has largely gone to ground when the trouble starts, only occasionally lending a hand in a tight spot. In the wake of all the calamities the group has already survived, Meryl is given a great character moment here where she decides she isn’t going to just survive anymore. She is going to do something. And while that something may be foolish and will probably get her killed, she’s gonna do it. It is an awesome moment that sees her stand up to Roberto’s often pessimistic outlook on the world as she chooses to embrace the hope that Vash has always represented throughout the series.

The final moments of Trigun Stampede Episode 7 leave the viewer with a massive revelation that promises to change a lot about the show’s narrative going forward. I cannot wait to see how the next episode will address this moment. There are so many directions the series could take this plot beat, I can’t even begin to guess where it’ll go. But given how the series has been directed so far, I have confidence it will find a fantastic path to tread.

Trigun Stampede Episode 7 is streaming on Crunchyroll.