Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to the course at a moment of high drama and rank duplicity, as it appears Eve’s handler Rose has done… something to ensure Aoi misses her last putt. Has she hollowed out the earth beneath the final hole, and stationed an army of children in the cavity to adjust the lay of the course? Is she controlling a giant fan that’s only just off screen, manipulating its mighty blades to ensure Eve’s victory? I don’t rightly know, but the fact that neither of those hypotheses sound wholly improbable means we surely must be returning to the delightful, delirious Birdie Wing.
Our last episode saw Eve and Aoi at last competing in a full eighteen rounds of golf, even if they were technically positioned in two separate sub-groups. The production was nonetheless able to create a solid sense of tension through Aoi essentially “chasing” Eve across the course, all while both establishing Eve’s existing limitations as a player and illustrating how Aoi is already leading her towards a more positive, uplifting relationship with golf itself. It’s clear that Aoi and Rose have fundamentally incompatible hopes for our young golf mercenary, and regardless of how that plays out, I’m eager to see whatever preposterous worldbuilding flourish Birdie Wing offers next. Let’s get to it!
Episode 4
“Vipère.” Alright, we’re clearly introducing that snake-themed lady from the OP, an excellent sign
Contrasting Aoi’s last-day score against her overall tournament score is a convenient way to make sure she wins handily overall, yet still engages in a close competition with Eve on this particular day
There’s no ominous musical sting accompanying Aoi’s miss this time, which seems to imply that Aoi just missed, and there was no nefarious scheme involved whatsoever. The power of boarding and musical accompaniment – cinematic language has so many established, universally understood tonal modifiers that it is not hard to construct a fake cliffhanger out of framing alone. Just think of how many “it’s you” cliffhangers you’ve seen that present an implication of threat, only to pay off the next episode with a fond reunion instead
Eve unsurprisingly berates Aoi for missing such an easy shot. Unlike the previous opponents who she psychologically undermined through her power and confidence, Eve wants to fight Aoi at her best
WAIT GODDAMNIT I WAS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! They’re just fucking with me now, as it turns out Rose’s accomplice shined a laser pointer in Aoi’s eye
Apparently Rose “doesn’t want Eve to lose her motivation,” and assumes this false victory will maintain her hunger
Fun smash cut from Aoi raising her trophy in triumph to Eve moping at the river’s edge
We flash back to Aoi suggesting they play another round early the next day, before Aoi has to return to Japan. Nice effect of having the sunlit waters reflected in Eve’s eyes, emphasizing how dazzled she is by her rival
Eve reflects on how she now has a reason to get up in the morning. Not just obligation, not the need to provide for the people she loves, but a reason to actually enjoy life
Apparently Rose’s patron is a real estate magnate. I suppose that makes sense as the sort of “end boss” of golf capitalism
“But she also has secret mafia ties.” I mean, you could have just said she’s a real estate magnate, the second part is always implied
This does seem like an effective way to provide context for Eve’s battles, though – she’s fighting a proxy war between land barons. One of the fundamental truths of golf is that it is a grotesque waste of land, water, and other essential resources, all being squandered for the sake of a pastime only the wealthy get to enjoy. Leaning into that truth in order to provide context for Eve’s underground activities is a smart, thematically resonant choice, given her own personal conflict centers on how many people can’t even afford to feed and shelter themselves
Oh my god, she’s in some kind of underground golf mega-arc, a course fully contained inside a massive metal shell. Nice sweeping pan across this course, taking full advantage of its CG modeling
“Rich people have a lot of money to spend on entertainment.” Eve’s not gonna let that subtext go unnoticed
“The rules are set up so that the one who makes them, the ‘house,’ makes more money than the players.” Yep. At the top end it’s all just the ultra-wealthy gambling and exchanging money with each other. I didn’t expect this show to so quickly dive into golf’s economic implications!
Eve’s opponent is working for Mr. Nicolas, a mafia don
They’re competing over rights to both land and the casino on top of it. Further emphasizing the link between golf and gambling – for those hosting these tournaments, the gambling rights are all that matters. A truth that’s impossible to avoid in our own world, where sports gambling has become inescapable. Really, in any industry, gambling is the ultimate product – you’re not selling anything tangible, you’re just selling a false promise of glory or financial freedom
Oh my god. We get what sounds like an ominous theremin stinger for the introduction of “Vipère the Reaper”
“I’ll make certain you have a good time. During the game, and after it!” Gotta have at least one carnivorous lesbian in your sports yuri melodrama
Eve immediately starts in on her usual arrogant, dismissive routine, which of course only makes Vipère all the hornier
“There’s already another name in my heart. I don’t need anybody else’s name.” Damn Eve, you’re not wasting any time!
I feel like golfing in a skintight jumpsuit would inhibit your swing a bit, but I suppose I’m no Vipère the Reaper
Ahahaha, this golf facility is so gloriously excessive. We’re basically getting a Gundam activation sequence for them reformatting the course into the correct hole. And this place is supposed to do that for every hole?
“We’ve mastered terraforming, but only for golf” is the kind of worldbuilding embellishment I live for
“Nouveau riche.” Eve knows how to hit Catherine where it hurts
Eve’s drive ends up in the rough! What trickery is Vipère employing!? And will she ever stop doing that creepy tongue thing???
Elsewhere, Amane makes her report to Aoi’s mother, who is swift to notice Eve’s matching score
Aoi’s soothing, luxurious bath makes for a stark contrast with Eve’s mercenary labors. Given how much this episode has focused on the economic realities of golf, I wonder how much we’re going to dig into that, potentially exploring how Aoi’s carefree attitude towards golf is a privilege provided by her lofty social status
I love Vipère’s weird little giggle-snort noises. Phenomenal character so far
It seems Vipère is… activating her power by unzipping her jumpsuit? Sure, why not
“I was able to make the second shot on hole one normally.” If this episode is initiating a sequence of episodic villains with JoJo-style secret techniques to discover, I will be extremely satisfied
Absolutely insane postcard memory shot of Eve being ensnared by a snake emerging from Vipère’s crotch. It seems our last episode was altogether far too normal, and thus we must swiftly make up for lost time
Eve makes the crucial shot, declaring that Vipère was distracting her with her poison pheromones. I love golf
Incredible exaggerated expression cuts as Eve literally kicks Vipère to the ground
Like a good Precure villain, Vipère is even more fun as Eve’s put-upon ally than her enemy
And Done
Thus our promised reunion ends in tragic betrayal, with Eve only capable of firing an apology golf ball right past Aoi’s departing plane. So ends what was almost certainly Birdie Wing’s most fun episode so far, and undoubtedly its most ridiculous, as our heroine faced off with the wonderfully over-the-top Vipère the Reaper. While Eve has proven a charmingly preposterous golfer in her own right, Vipère actually forced her to play the straight man relative to her own sharp-fanged tongue gymnastics and other ludicrous behavior. And that perpetually evolving golf course! What a wonderful testament to Birdie Wing’s bombastic worldbuilding, a clear inheritor of Girls und Panzer’s “wait, they all live on a giant goddamn battleship?” mantle. From the socioeconomic subtext of golf’s existence to the finer points of pheromone-based golf tactics, Birdie Wing has so many things to teach us.
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