The latest episode of "Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blodded Orphans" brings fans to another cliffhanger as the battle between rival economic blocs Arbrau and SAU forces begin.

Entitled "Silent War," the conflict started after a member of the SAU reconnaissance team crashed due to the Ahab Reactor's interference against Arbrau's fighter suits. Despite both forces not having enough field experience in defense force, Gjallarhorn's Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Fleet and Tekkadan's Earth Branch are reinforcing SAU and Arbrau's side, respectively.

However, all diplomatic, military and transportation access to the Arbrau territory have been made impassable by Radiche Riloto and Galan Mossa; essentially making any negotiations with Tekkadan impossible. With this, Gjallarhon's troops inside Arbrau have been forced to remain on their respective bases, unable to report outside the area.

Engaging in never-ending skirmishes, Aston, Takaki and their other comrades struggle; they are forced to depend on Gallan Mosa, which makes their instincts and battle reflexes declining over time. At the final minutes of the episode, McGills rides on his Graze Ritter mobile suit to attempt to end the battle between the two conflicting factions.

It is not clear if McGills would be able to stop the month-long stalemate before Aston and Takaki's team does. Meanwhile, fans of the series speculate a death flag coming for Aston or Takaki, and a lot of them are not happy about it.

The episode features a military standoff that just would not end, according to a review from Anime News Network. The episode's lack of a clear conclusion might make some fans irritated. Another interesting fact is the episode begins while the fight is already ongoing; there was no backstory on how the battle actually started, a review from The Fandom Post says.

Despite all of these, the show's excellent storytelling makes up for all of the viewers' frustrations towards the episode.