Summary
Tokyo Vice is shaping up, and if these first two episodes are anything to go by, it could be one of the best shows of the first half of 2022.
This recap of the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice season 1, episode 2 contains spoilers.
Tokyo Vice season 1, episode 2 recap
Firstly, before I start the episode recap, I just want to comment on how great the title sequence for Tokyo Vice is. The visions, the music, the vibe. It’s grand. As for the episode itself, it starts with Jake running through the street, as an angry man chases him with a knife. They claim that Jake is a pervert for asking about his wife’s panties. The reality of the matter is that Jake was further investigating the recent deaths linked to a potential loan shark.
Samantha goes to acquire a property and book an appointment. But apparently, the realtor won’t be interested in renting “to her”. Jake continues to search for the panty thief, as Funaki questions a local thug. Is the investigation being purposely cleared? His partner certainly thinks so. As the third shop gets attacked by the Tozawa, in a bid to prove their territory, it doesn’t go any further as they can’t risk war. There is, at least, good news for Jake, as his article will run in the morning edition of the newspaper.
With evidence and a confession, there looks like there may be an arrest. As for “Pops” wife, she reveals her husband was attempting to bring in a lawyer in regards to loan sharks and “their ways”. After the panty thief gets reported as being captured, it discredits Jake’s article. Which, as it happens, now places Jake’s role with Meicho Shimbun Newspaper at risk.
The ending
After Jake speaks to his mother, and it’s revealed that he hasn’t seen his family for three years, Jake tells Miyamoto that he owes him a story. Whilst Miyamoto seems to talk his way out of it, Jake leaves him with the full bill for the meal that they just had. At the dodgy nightclub, Samantha gets told to serve at table 7 because a new customer, Sata-san (Shô Kasamatsu), waits for her. It doesn’t take long before Jake joins their booth and edges his way into their conversation. Later that night, after missing the last train, Jake sleeps at work and listens to some audio tapes from his sister, where we learn that his real name is Joshua.
During the night, Jake wakes up to a police alert of a possible organized crime incident. Jake rides to the crime, where Nakamura is holding a gun. However, after Detective Katagiri enters the scene, Jake tries to take a photograph. The noise, as a result, alerts Detective Katagiri to Jake, and he warns him “don’t write about this”.
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