‘Shōgun’ Episode 9 Is the Best TV Episode of the Year
It’s rare that a TV character’s death truly surprises me. I’ve seen tons of well-written deaths, sure, as well as endings for characters that I didn’t see coming. But to really shock me? It’s no easy feat. (I watch TV for a living, people.)
And yet! Shōgun’s body count continues to put my jaw on the floor. Nagakado's folly in Shōgun episode 7 was certainly one of those moments. Hiromatsu's death last week was another. So, imagine my delight when episode 9—which I'll outright say is the best TV episode of the year so far—left me stunned once again.
This week's action begins with Mariko (Anna Sawai). Throughout the series, she's begged to join her family in death. Her father was executed for assassinating Kuroda, the former ruler of Japan. Mariko survived because she was married to Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe)—and she's never forgiven him for forbidding her to die alongside her family. Mariko believes that it's the honorable thing to do. For Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), it's a waste of her life. He has a special task for her. After weeks of translating for a foreigner, entangling herself in an affair, and begging for death, she's finally ready to fulfill Toranaga's plan.
According to the episode title, this week is finally... "Crimson Sky." Shōgun first teased the operation in episode 6, when Toranaga and Hiromatsu discussed a full-scale assault on Osaka Castle. At the time, audiences weren't aware that Toranaga would only send an army of one. The days of threatening to kill yourself in front of Lord Toranaga are over—it's time to do that for someone else now.
Arriving in Osaka, Mariko is accompanied by John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano). The two men plan to curry Lord Ishido's (Takehiro Hira) favor now that Toranaga "plans to surrender." But it's all part of their lord's greater scheme. In a grand hall, with Ishido and Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido) as their audience, Yabushige formally surrenders and offers Blackthorne as a gift. He surmises that Lord Kiyama's (Hiromoto Ida) "boring Christian squabbles" in seeking Blackthorne's execution will win him points with the Council of Regents—but Ishido is fully in control. Ishido dismisses Yabushige and states that his surrender amounts to merely "hollow words from a traitor." Their quest is a failure. For Toranaga, it was never meant to succeed.
It's-a Mariko Time!
The floor is Mariko's. She begins with a backhanded compliment, congratulating Ishido and Ochiba on their impending engagement—which is meant as a dig at her former friend. In return, Ochiba asks Mariko to compete in a poetry battle. (This feels likre a rap beef, but for feudal Japan.) Mariko offers up the first haiku: "While the snow remains/Veiled in the haze of cold evening/A leafless branch." She drops the mic, declaring that there won't be any more verses. Ochiba is speechless. Did she just call me a leafless branch?
With ice in her veins, Mariko says that she's leaving the next morning with Toranaga's wives. They're in captivity in Osaka alongside the Council's families, but their status as political prisoners is an open secret in the public eye. With this request, Mariko directly challenges Ishido to admit that everyone in Osaka Castle is forbidden to leave. If Ishido forces her to stay, he's the aggressor and not Toranaga. Remember: up until now, the Council has made it seem as if Toranaga is the only one threatening the heir. If Ishido revealed that he essentially claimed power for himself, it would look like Toranaga is the only one willing to fight to free Osaka from Ishido's tyranny. How will Ishido respond?
"No one is confined here,” Ishido lies. "But since you chose to speak in this outrageous fashion, it is my duty to ask the Regents for a formal review." Ah! Bureaucracy. It's a classic defense. Feudal Japan needs a rule book, because these guys are just making up new guidelines all the time. In response, Mariko states that her first duty is to Lord Toranaga. "I am no peasant to be trodden on," she says. "My line has been samurai for a thousand years, and I will never be captive, or hostage, or confined. I am free to go as I please... as is anyone."
Blackthorne is flabbergasted. The Englishman has no idea what is going on. “You’d walk into a sword just to prove the blade is sharp?" he asks her. She tells him not to get involved. He is still absolutely smitten with her—and she cannot allow him to perform one of his classic overindulgent outbursts.
Later, Mariko's son visits her. He's concerned about his mother, pleading with her to stand down. He also brings up his plans to wed Kiyama’s granddaughter. "We serve Toranaga," she reminds him. "You will marry as our lord instructs." He doesn't care, saying that he will disown her if she is disgraced. I've never dislike a character faster than this kid. Support your mom, little man!
Crimson Sky
In the morning, the moment arrives. Mariko attempts to leave with Toranaga’s wives as everyone watches from the castle walls above. As expected, Ishido’s guards state that she doesn’t have a permit to leave. Mariko's guards respond that they require none. So, when Ishido’s guards refuse to budge, Mariko orders her first guard to kill them. He does—quite easily, by the way—but then he's struck by an arrow from above. Not fair! The rest of her guards rush in, and all the men are slaughtered.
When even more of Ishido’s guards arrive, Mariko begs the Council to call them off. They are powerless. Kiyama offers to call a meeting, but that proves worthless. Mariko states, once again, that she is free to leave. Warning arrows land around her feet, but she presses on. This is Crimson Sky. Wielding a long spear called a naginata, she begins the fight. It’s Mariko vs. about a dozen guards. Though she's able to wield the weapon well, she’s forced to the ground. "It is not possible to fight through all these men," she says, in a huff. "We must go back. However, these men have prevented me from doing my duty to my liege lord and I cannot live with that offense." Gathering her breath, she declares, "I will take my life at sunset."
Mariko, no! "She will die to be free of the disgrace that has burdened her," Ochiba figures. "And then all of Osaka will be disgraced for letting her die." Ishido asks Ochiba for counsel on the matter, but she responds that she has none. If he allows Mariko to die, "there will be a revolt from every high family in Osaka," she says. If she’s allowed to leave, that means everyone can leave. Basically, she surmises what we already figured out above.
To meet with Mariko, Ochiba sets up a playdate between her son and Blackthorne. She says that the heir is interested in the foreigner, meaning that Mariko will accompany him to translate. Mariko plays along. She quickly realizes that this meeting is a ruse just so the two women can speak face-to-face without suspicion. "These games must stop," Ochiba warns. She begins to relay to Blackthorne her past with Mariko. They grew up like sisters, even though their fathers were enemies. After the assassination, Mariko receded and their friendship ended. Now, Ochiba accuses her of seeking a pointless death. "Only you can end the games you accuse me of playing," Mariko urges. "Accepting death isn’t surrender. Flowers are only flowers because they fall."
Blackthorne pleads with her, too. "You’ve made your point—there’s no reason to die for it," he tells Mariko. Death is permanent. "Would you consider living for me?" he asks. It's probably his silliest request yet, but I understand. My man has to try something, right?
At sunset, an audience forms. It’s time for Mariko to kill herself in protest. Though she requested Kiyama to be her second, he does not attend. Perhaps, he was ordered not to attend. Blackthorne steps up to be her second. After last week's seppuku shocker, the tension is unfathomable. Will... Mariko... die... too?!
But Wait! The Finale is Set
Ishido arrives, just in the nick of time, throwing down her permit to leave. "No one is hostage in this castle," he concedes. It's the right choice, even if it means a minor defeat. Mariko drops her knife and falls to her knees. A hard battle, but she won with her life intact! Toranaga’s wives and children are free to go, safe from Ishido’s clutches. At night, she sleeps with Blackthorne again. But we can't end the episode there. The finale is next week.
Ishido accepts Yabushige’s offer and orders him to kill his own guards. Assassins surround their homes. As Will Ferrell says in Talladega Nights, "The ninjas are out to get me." It might be hard to believe, but this is what Ishido's real-life counterpart actually did in Japanese history. He sent armed guards to kill her, even after submitting to letting her go. It's an insanely desperate move, sure to bite him in the ass even if he succeeds. Putting aside Mariko for a second, killing Toranaga's wives would both incite war and make Ishido the aggressor. This is just a bad plan, all around.
The assassins arrive at Mariko’s room, but Blackthorne is there since they spent the night together. He knocks off about five guys with his gun, including one who was hiding in the walls. Moving about the house, the onslaught of shinobi pushes the group of Blackthorne, Mariko, Toranaga's wives, and Yabushige into a storage room. The assassins plan to blow the doors open with dynamite, as Yabushige begins to lose his mind. Mariko accepts her fate. To protect everyone inside, she puts her body in front of the doors and is blown to bits.
And then... credits?! Of all the insane deaths I've seen in Shōgun so far—Nagakado slipping and shattering his head on a rock, Yabushige boiling a prisoner alive, and even Hiromatsu stabbing himself in the gut—I never thought Mariko would die, let alone by dynamite! Somebody call me an ambulance—I need some major recovery by the time I see you all next week.
You Might Also Like
