Summary
Another stellar episode of Shogun explores the futility of war and builds to a tragic, significant death.
“Where’s the beauty in this?” asks a man watching his nephew’s brains seep onto a rock, and he certainly has a point. With “A Stick of Time” lingering in the long specter of impending war, it’s only right that the episode is largely about the pointlessness of conflict. Several characters in Shogun Episode 7 can’t wait to die, it seems, but only one of them does, and tellingly it’s the one who was untouched by war; who had idealized it, and was eager to fight one because he knew so little of what it would cost.
Toranaga’s First Battle
Legends are lies that have been retold so many times that hardly anyone remembers the original version. The legend of Toranaga begins where this episode does, 46 years in the past when he was a child of twelve. When most of us were playing Xbox, the “boy warlord” was winning battles. Tales of his victory were told far and wide. When the conquered ruler Mizoguchi kneeled before him, the young Toranaga lopped off his head in a single stroke. Or so the story goes.
It’s only later we learn that it took Toranaga nine messy hacks to finally separate Mizoguchi’s head from his shoulders. He knows what war is — silly mistakes that people lie about.
Hurry Up and Wait
Following the end of Episode 6 when it was decided that Crimson Sky was a go, Toranaga has decided to turn to his brother Saeki for aid in storming Osaka. The specifics of how the attack will work remain unclear, and Blackthorne is still pining for a maritime command so he can actually be useful, but Toranaga’s in no rush. He even books Saeki a week with Kiku, much to Omi’s dismay, and plans a night on the booze before he even makes the pitch.
The waiting drives everyone crazy. Buntaro is still nursing a murderous hatred of Blackthorne, with his annoyance manifesting as visible disgust at Blackthorne’s chopstick fumbling to literally being inches away from cutting his head off while he’s practicing swordplay with Yabushige. He even goes so far as to formally request permission to kill Blackthorne from Toranaga on the grounds of not liking how he looks at his wife — not that he should really have any say in that matter — but Toranaga reminds him that he’d have to kill Mariko as well in that case. Buntaro skulks off, but Mariko once again begs Toragana to allow her to die and be free of all this trauma.
Fuji also plans to kill herself in Shogun Episode 7. When her grandfather arrives with the remains of her husband and son, she mentions how she’ll happily become ash herself just as soon as her service is over. “Why not live?” is the response, and she doesn’t have a good answer. Living would require victory, and victory is far from assured.
Brotherly Love
As it happens, Fuji is right to be skeptical. During the revelry, Saeki’s jovial stories of Toranaga’s exploits take an obviously belittling turn, and he happily reveals that he has already taken a different offer from the one Toranaga is about to propose. He is, in fact, the new Regent, and his men promptly cut off all the exits. Toranaga is to surrender himself to Osaka, and Nagakado is formally ordered to commit seppuku for killing Jozen.
Toranaga says he’ll think it over, but really, what choice does he have? The next day he surrenders, much to the surprise and disgust of many present, including Blackthorne. But, as we’ve discussed, Toranaga knows war. And he knows when he has lost one.
Shogun Episode 7 Ends With A Tragic Death
Someone who knows much less about these things is Nagakado, and thus it’s he who meets a messy and needless end in “A Stick of Time”.
Unable to accept his father’s surrender, Nagakado ambushes Saeki at the tea house and tries to assassinate him. However, he’s cartoonishly unsuccessful. When he’s about to strike the killing blow, he slips on Saeki’s wet robe and smashes his head open on a rock. He bleeds to death right there, for nothing.
Something tells me Toranaga isn’t going to be thrilled about this.
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