MIDNIGHT REVIEWS Shōgun Episode Eight
Midnight Reviews features reviews and thought pieces written and edited by a parent, at night, after bedtime.
Shōgun Episode Eight: ‘The Abyss of Life’
Series created by: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Featuring: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano
Synopsis: With Toranaga (Sanada) having chosen surrender, his vassals must make their own decisions about where they stand. Blackthorne (Jarvis) is somehow in an even worse position, having been unceremoniously let go. Will he be able to find his old crew?
Review: The Abyss of Life, like Toranaga himself, is an episode that lets you in thinking it’s going to be weaker than what came before. During the first few minutes it seems hyper-focused on making the rules of feudal Japan the be-all and end-all of the episode. But if the episode is all plot, it either needs to get on with it or build tension, which is impossible as Toranaga has his forty-nine days mourning after the death of his son Nagakado (Yuki Kura). The rules that the show uses to trap characters in tense, impossible positions have seemingly trapped the show itself.
That is, until the episode reveals its true self, enabling itself to become just as masterful and wonderful a piece of television as the rest of the season.
This idea that the episode can somehow be one thing, whilst secretly being another is reflected in the excellent tea scene featuring Mariko (Sawai, fantastic once again) and Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe). Otherworldly in its serene nature yet simultaneously dealing with an undercurrent of sadness, this might be the episode’s most absorbing sequence. Abe is excellent at striking a balance between a man caught by those strict social rules, and therefore being pitiful, while at the same time being worthy of no pity at all due to Buntaro’s consistent negligence as a husband.
When does loyalty become blind and senseless?
Nagakado looms over the entire episode, even after his funeral. Mariko is ready to die, yet when given an option she refuses. Toda Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka) must make a decision that proves himself a friend, yet at the same time abandons those he loves most, with these actions showing him to be strong and capable even when he is weak. It all leads to a gut-punch ending. The heartbreak is palpable and leaves even Toranaga at the point of breaking, unrestrained for once in his life.
Blackthorne is almost the inverse of all the characters he shares the screen with, which is perhaps something the writers have done on purpose. He is stuck between two places, his old and his new home, but cannot be part of either. He is two things, and yet he is none. The curled lip Jarvis gives him as he throws part of his clothing to the ground shows how far Blackthorne has come since we first encountered him.
It’s not all serious doom and gloom though. Shōgun has always managed to add some humour despite all the stakes and consequences on show. There’s a cut which actually elicited belly laughs when it’s revealed who Blackthorne has gone to in his desperation. Yabushige (Asano) being ordered to go to Osaka, then being reminded of this duty at least once again, is hilarious purely because Asano’s performance just about hides his aversion to his fate. With him also lies an interesting debate: when does loyalty become blind and senseless? Every character seems to have their own independent answer.
With the theme of the episode revealing itself to be this duality, Toranaga is the one with most facets on show. Sanada’s performance enables us to see Toranaga at once small, shrinking and shirking. At the same time he is proud, regal, a bull of a man. However, does he suffer as a character from always being one step ahead of everyone else? At first his plotting and scheming where great ways to keep viewers on their toes, but the reveal that ‘this was the plan all along’ is a little bit old hat. At least in this episode, the convention is used to show just how far Toranaga is willing to go, revealing a cynicism not glimpsed before.
As Shōgun ramps up ahead of the finale, I am reminded of an earlier episode where Toranaga discusses the layer-upon-layer of secrets hidden within everyone. With his unwillingness to destroy part of Japan, in order to save the whole of it, what will Toranaga choose to do next?
Shōgun is available to watch on Disney+, with episodes due once a week every Tuesday.
Matthew D. Smith likes to overshare his views on movies whenever and wherever he can. Indulge him, and follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Smith_M_D
