Sorry that my posts on the various shows I am following are running late. Things got very busy around my house due to some issues with water in our basement and lovely stuff like that. I will try to catch up in the next few weeks, but for now, I'm going to shorten my reviews and include a link to a slide-show with more screenshots at the end. I will work to see if I can embed the slideshow in the next couple of weeks! 
What started out as sci-fi action show that morphed into a fish-out-of-water story has progressed nicely into a slice of life comedy. It also has a strong philosophical bent and a fairly large amount of entirely harmless fan service. So far, it is one of my favorites of the spring season.
Impressions and Highlights:
As episode three begins, we see the backlash from Ledo and Chamber's complete annihilation of the pirates that were attacking Bellows in episode 2. The reaction of everyone, particularly Amy, who calls Ledo an idiot and runs away, baffles him quite a bit.
However, it is very clear that everyone on Gargantia is upset and very concerned about his actions, since the pirates are certain to retaliate. The cultural difference between the space civilization, where an enemy is an enemy and enemies need to be annihilated completely, without remorse and the Earth civilization, where pirates attacking you is not something you want to encourage, but you want to discourage it by making it not a profitable endeavor, not by killing people, is very well handled. Bellows obviously understands where the problem lies and reaches out to Ledo, offering him food in thanks for saving her and her crew, but at the same time, letting him know that his methods were entirely unacceptable.
She gives Ledo a radio so he can talk to the leaders of the fleet when she determines the time is right. The phrase, “Give fresh water to the one who catches the fish” is used at one point to highlight the philosophy that those who live on Gargantia follow, and this concept resonates with the leader of the fleet, leading to their accepting Ledo's help and eventually allowing him to stay with them. Amy makes in very clear that she would like him to stay.
Eventually the pirates come seeking revenge. Ledo makes amends and offers to help protect the fleet. He agrees to prevent unnecessary human casualties and there is a nice little action sequence. The pirates are a bit over the top, from the toothless, ugly grunts to the overly sexy pirate empress, but it doesn't detract too much from the episode.
From there, the story takes a serious turn to the slice-of-life side of things. The next two episodes are mostly about Ledo discovering his place on Gargantia and his struggle to feel useful, despite the fact that the only job he truly is equipped for is fighting and that is something the people on Gargantia would rather he not have to do.
He is also clearly seeking a way to communicate with and return to the Galactic Alliance. This more fully introduces two characters: Amy's brother Bevel and the fleet's doctor. Ledo tries to find out what remnants of human knowledge about space travel still exist, the answer to which is “not a whole lot.” Amy's brother provides him with some insight into how to live in their civilization, as well as providing the spark for an interesting bit of back story. He figures out that the pattern of holes Ledo has been lasering into the Hideauze tooth is actually making a flute. He even plays a tune on it. This sparks a memory for Ledo, possibly from a time before he was a soldier. It causes a serious emotional reaction. One way to interpret the flash-back scene, where a boy that looks very similar to Ledo, but younger, is in a chamber of some sort and being sent into some sort of machine, is that he had a brother that was euthanized due to some sort of defect. It is hard to say if that is the case, but it does open a window into his past.
There is also some interesting tidbits about Ledo's impression of the poor planning and discipline of the Gargantian way of life. Then the way everyone works together to gather fresh water when it rains seems to impress him. Perhaps giving him a glimpse of what he isn't seeing due to his perspective?
The fifth episode seems mostly fluff. It is a “calm day” so the ship is turning off power to conserve energy, give repair crews a chance to work in calm conditions, and an excuse for everyone else to party. In a sense, it is the obligatory swimsuit episode, but it is also more than that. It provides for a good deal of character and world building and a good amount of humor. With the exception of the transvestite prostitutes, which were not really funny and kind of offensive, it was a great little episode.
Click here for a slideshow of screenshots from these episodes!