Shogun: Crimson Sky Show Only
April 16, 2024 11:25 AM - Season 1, Episode 9 - Subscribe
Mariko arrives in Osaka for the fight of her life. Blackthorne and Yabushige scramble to save their own heads as their options dwindle.
"While the snow remains
Veiled in the haze of cold evening
A leafless branch..."
A lost daughter turns to God. A highborn woman makes an entrance at court. Poetry and a defiant ultimatum. A mother is not ashamed. An Onna-musha tries to break free. A sister causes tears. A devout Catholic makes a final confession and risks her eternal soul. The honorable Toda Mariko voices one last protest.
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"While the snow remains
Veiled in the haze of cold evening
A leafless branch..."
A lost daughter turns to God. A highborn woman makes an entrance at court. Poetry and a defiant ultimatum. A mother is not ashamed. An Onna-musha tries to break free. A sister causes tears. A devout Catholic makes a final confession and risks her eternal soul. The honorable Toda Mariko voices one last protest.
The FX Viewer's Guide
The official podcast
That fake-out suicide certainly had me fooled. I thought she was safe.... and then.. BOOM...
posted by Pendragon at 1:12 PM on April 16 [2 favorites]
posted by Pendragon at 1:12 PM on April 16 [2 favorites]
Well, the episode title certainly had me fooled.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 11:20 PM on April 16 [1 favorite]
posted by Parasite Unseen at 11:20 PM on April 16 [1 favorite]
What was going on when the shinobi held Yabushige at the gate and kept tapping his fingers on his shoulder? Simply counting time until Yabushige could go?
posted by Thorzdad at 3:47 AM on April 17 [1 favorite]
posted by Thorzdad at 3:47 AM on April 17 [1 favorite]
What was going on when the shinobi held Yabushige at the gate and kept tapping his fingers on his shoulder? Simply counting time until Yabushige could go?
Yes, that's my understanding.
That fake-out suicide certainly had me fooled. I thought she was safe.... and then.. BOOM...
1, flagged for being "too soon," and 2, I honestly think that Mariko was prepared to go through with the suicide for the same reason she threw herself in front of the door at the end. It was the combination of her loyalty to Toranaga and her desire to die, and Ochiba's breakdown of Mariko's play. Either Ishido lets her go, but then has to let go all the hostages, or Mariko dies and it sparks an uprising from the powerful Osaka ruling class.
Mariko thought that Ishido blinked, when really, he had decided to just liquidate the problem so to speak once he could have Mariko killed out of public view so to speak. Mariko realizing that Plan A to get the hostages out of the castle had failed, went with Plan B. Granted, she had to assume that Anjin and the others would somehow survive to share her death at the hands of Ishido (yes, we the viewers will grant this contrivance!).
I think this is why Anjin stepping in as her second was such a big deal when the Christian council member failed to appear. She was confronted with the real possibility that she would be going to hell and Anjin, who well, I wouldn't really trust with a sword, stepped up to make sure that he carried her death on his soul instead.
The acting in this episode just continued to be incredible.
I'm really curious to see where Anjin goes now with Mariko's death. Toranaga has him and Yabushige figured out, but me? I dunno. Will Yabushige's treachery put him back in Ishido's good graces or will the failure of the plan leave him out in the cold?
Given the name of the episode, I had thought we were going to see Toranaga's forces attack the castle, so this much slower paced, quiet episode was a surprise, but a welcomed one.
posted by Atreides at 7:17 AM on April 17 [3 favorites]
Yes, that's my understanding.
That fake-out suicide certainly had me fooled. I thought she was safe.... and then.. BOOM...
1, flagged for being "too soon," and 2, I honestly think that Mariko was prepared to go through with the suicide for the same reason she threw herself in front of the door at the end. It was the combination of her loyalty to Toranaga and her desire to die, and Ochiba's breakdown of Mariko's play. Either Ishido lets her go, but then has to let go all the hostages, or Mariko dies and it sparks an uprising from the powerful Osaka ruling class.
Mariko thought that Ishido blinked, when really, he had decided to just liquidate the problem so to speak once he could have Mariko killed out of public view so to speak. Mariko realizing that Plan A to get the hostages out of the castle had failed, went with Plan B. Granted, she had to assume that Anjin and the others would somehow survive to share her death at the hands of Ishido (yes, we the viewers will grant this contrivance!).
I think this is why Anjin stepping in as her second was such a big deal when the Christian council member failed to appear. She was confronted with the real possibility that she would be going to hell and Anjin, who well, I wouldn't really trust with a sword, stepped up to make sure that he carried her death on his soul instead.
The acting in this episode just continued to be incredible.
I'm really curious to see where Anjin goes now with Mariko's death. Toranaga has him and Yabushige figured out, but me? I dunno. Will Yabushige's treachery put him back in Ishido's good graces or will the failure of the plan leave him out in the cold?
Given the name of the episode, I had thought we were going to see Toranaga's forces attack the castle, so this much slower paced, quiet episode was a surprise, but a welcomed one.
posted by Atreides at 7:17 AM on April 17 [3 favorites]
If Anna Sawai doesn't get an Emmy for this episode, we riot.
posted by Pendragon at 9:30 AM on April 17 [1 favorite]
posted by Pendragon at 9:30 AM on April 17 [1 favorite]
I'm not entirely sure that the shinobi weren't sent by Toranaga, to ensure that Ishido didn't weasel out of his dilemma.
posted by phooky at 9:58 AM on April 17
posted by phooky at 9:58 AM on April 17
Given the proximity of Yabushige being given a "Hey, Ishido had a change of plans!" and the event, I think it's very like Ishido's idea to send the shinobi.
I thought it was interesting how Mariko's white funeral/death gown figuratively turned into a wedding dress from the framing of the moment after Ishido interrupted the death ritual, i.e., it looked like she and Anjin were being married/wed. Granted, this is very much mainly a Western notion drawing upon her gown being seen in this perspective. But I think also, that was the intent since we later have a consummation of said figurative wedding.
If Anna Sawai doesn't get an Emmy for this episode, we riot.
Please add me to the listserv for the organizing for said riot.
posted by Atreides at 11:12 AM on April 17 [1 favorite]
I thought it was interesting how Mariko's white funeral/death gown figuratively turned into a wedding dress from the framing of the moment after Ishido interrupted the death ritual, i.e., it looked like she and Anjin were being married/wed. Granted, this is very much mainly a Western notion drawing upon her gown being seen in this perspective. But I think also, that was the intent since we later have a consummation of said figurative wedding.
If Anna Sawai doesn't get an Emmy for this episode, we riot.
Please add me to the listserv for the organizing for said riot.
posted by Atreides at 11:12 AM on April 17 [1 favorite]
Given the proximity of Yabushige being given a "Hey, Ishido had a change of plans!" and the event, I think it's very like Ishido's idea to send the shinobi.
Yeah, Ishido offered Yabushige his life in exchange for an unspecified favor; notably, Ishido didn't write down his offer, so Yabushige isn't just doing a favor, he's on the hook for the fallout if they get caught. So Ishido hires the shinobi and Yabushige is in charge of making sure they get in. Mariko knew immediately that they were coming for her, so while I doubt that we're supposed to think Toranaga was omniscient enough to predict assassination, the dialogue implies that he and Mariko probably did plan on Yabushige (the predictable goshawk) doing something that would shank them in the back.
posted by thomas j wise at 12:27 PM on April 17 [1 favorite]
Yeah, Ishido offered Yabushige his life in exchange for an unspecified favor; notably, Ishido didn't write down his offer, so Yabushige isn't just doing a favor, he's on the hook for the fallout if they get caught. So Ishido hires the shinobi and Yabushige is in charge of making sure they get in. Mariko knew immediately that they were coming for her, so while I doubt that we're supposed to think Toranaga was omniscient enough to predict assassination, the dialogue implies that he and Mariko probably did plan on Yabushige (the predictable goshawk) doing something that would shank them in the back.
posted by thomas j wise at 12:27 PM on April 17 [1 favorite]
I know Anna has had a short career thus far, and before Shogun I had only seen her in Monarch, but she has been absolutely masterful playing Mariko-sama since episode 1. Her performance in this episode cannot be equalled.
posted by lhauser at 6:06 PM on April 17 [1 favorite]
posted by lhauser at 6:06 PM on April 17 [1 favorite]
Not to take anything away from Anna Sawai, whose performance in this show has been nothing short of breathtaking (I have literally gasped more than once), but man does the difference between her work here and on Monarch show what a difference skilled writing and directing can make for an actor.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:38 AM on April 18 [5 favorites]
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:38 AM on April 18 [5 favorites]
What was going on when the shinobi held Yabushige at the gate and kept tapping his fingers on his shoulder? Simply counting time until Yabushige could go?
Visually counting down until the second group could enter (after which Yabushige could go.) Presumably the first group had farther to go to get into position. They appeared to know the layout very well.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:56 PM on April 20 [1 favorite]
Visually counting down until the second group could enter (after which Yabushige could go.) Presumably the first group had farther to go to get into position. They appeared to know the layout very well.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:56 PM on April 20 [1 favorite]
If Anna Sawai doesn't get an Emmy ... we riot.
Agreed.
Anna Sawai's performance throughout this series has been consistently brilliant, hitting so many subtle notes perfectly.
Since the original series is being revisited by so many to compare-and-contrast with the current one, I was hoping that Yoko Shimada, the actress who originated the role of Mariko in the 1980 series, would also get some more posthumous recognition.
She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy- truly historic at the time, but her life took a tragic turn and she apparently died alone and penniless.
posted by ishmael at 11:08 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]
Agreed.
Anna Sawai's performance throughout this series has been consistently brilliant, hitting so many subtle notes perfectly.
Since the original series is being revisited by so many to compare-and-contrast with the current one, I was hoping that Yoko Shimada, the actress who originated the role of Mariko in the 1980 series, would also get some more posthumous recognition.
She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy- truly historic at the time, but her life took a tragic turn and she apparently died alone and penniless.
posted by ishmael at 11:08 PM on April 22 [1 favorite]
Oof, I’ll miss Mariko - she was the source of so much subtle humor and heart. Anjin-sama’s going to have a rough time communicating without a translator, but if his plan is to steal a bunch of Catholic wealth, presumably the priests won’t help him, so… the other sailor, maybe? Either that or Anjin’ll have to do a lot of charades.
posted by tautological at 5:19 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]
posted by tautological at 5:19 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]
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posted by Molesome at 11:30 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]