Summary[]
A series of android suicides prompts Section 9 to investigate the manufacturer. While Section Head Daisuke Aramaki questions the plant manager, Kusanagi and a Tachikoma covertly hack into the plant's database to try to uncover any possible wrongdoings by the manufacturer. As it turns out, all the androids were of the same model, an obsolete product known as the GA07_JL android, dubbed the Jeri by its small but loyal fanbase. The Genesis Jeri-model android was popular because of the ease with which an end-user could modify it to their own specifications. While the plant manager half-jokingly comments that the Jeris have grown despondent because of their obsolete status, Kusanagi discovers that a virus has been inserted into the mainframe, probably by an end-user who had sent his Jeri back to Genesis for refurbishing. Then it's revealed that the user wanted to eliminate the other Jeri's so that his would be unique.
The episode also includes multiple homages to legendary French New Wave director Jean Luc Godard. The Canadian Diplomats Jeri has a similar haircut and wears similar outfits to the character of Patricia Franchini in the film "Breathless" (1960). In this film the protagonist, Michel Poiccard, tries to escape to Italy with his girlfriend, Patricia Franchini. This is almost identical to what the Canadian Ambassadors Son and his Jeri do in the episode. Additionally, while Batou and Togusa are investigating the Canadian Ambassadors Son's home they find multiple film reels. Batou picks up one of these reels and the frame shows, in the top left, the french title for the movie Breathless. In the center of the frame is the movie "Alphaville", another Jean Luc Godard film from 1965 which is described as a "science fiction neo-nior". In this film a secret agent, Lemmy Caution, tries to fight against a dystopian government. One could make the conclusion that the Canadian Ambassador and his Jeri mimic "Breathless" to a similar but admittedly lesser extent that Ghost in the shell mimics "Alphaville".
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Episodes |
|
1: Public Security Section 9 |
2: Runaway Evidence |
3: A Modest Rebellion | |