Summary
A stellar, understated episode perfectly lays the groundwork for the final two episodes.
Let me say this: The final two episodes of Shogun are going to be truly exceptional. And they have Episode 8, “Abyss of Life”, to thank for that.
The entire season has been great, obviously, but rarely will you see a slice of storytelling so masterfully understated as this, so subtle and layered with nuance. Some might mistake it as “filler”, but they’d be wrong. Everything in this hour matters, gradually revealing a long game that is faintly terrifying in its implications.
The Mourning After
Following the tragic ending of Episode 7, Lord Toranaga is at his lowest ebb. He has been given the customary 49 days to mourn Nagakado, but after that, he will be taken to Osaka to formally surrender.
With word of Toranaga’s surrender and his worsening physical health, dissent is stirring among his clan. He doesn’t even personally attend Nagakado’s funeral, and some of the attendees do so wearing armor as a political point. Nagakado’s death seems to have amounted to very little. His tragic demise has not forced his father to change course, and loyalty is so valued in Japan that it hasn’t galvanized anyone else to openly rebel against his decision.
Omi thinks about it, at least. But some pointed words in private mean little.
Land Grab
Father Martin Alvito, the Portuguese Jesuit who has been running secretive trade pacts with the Japanese, spies an opportunity. He tries to compel Toranaga to ally with Lady Ochiba, denying Ishido any legitimate political power, but Toranaga knows how this would be perceived and refuses.
Nonetheless, Father Alvito trying to sway Toranaga’s course constitutes him holding up his end of the bargain, so Toranaga agrees to hold up his own and grant the man land on which to build a church. Alvito sees this as a victory until he realizes the allocated plot is right next to a brothel. Toranaga knows what he’s doing, as we’ll see.
Blackthorne’s Dilemma
Toranaga’s waning influence puts Blackthorne in an interesting position. He’s technically free to leave Japan, and he initially intends to, but a brief encounter with one of his former crewmen gives him an identity crisis. He’s now culturally Japanese, at least enough to think his countrymen are coarse and off-putting.
But he’s not technically Japanese. He’ll never be afforded the same respect and opportunity as a native. He hasn’t even mastered the language. So, he’s stuck.
Believing Toranaga’s imminent surrender will leave him adrift or dead, Blackthorne petitions Yabushige, offering to let bygones be bygones and sail under his name instead. Yabu, out of loyalty to Toranaga, refuses. At least for now.
Hiromatsu’s Sacrifice
What changes Yabushige’s mind is easily the best sequence of the episode. Toranaga assembles his clan to get the signatures of those who agree to formerly surrender alongside him. There is disagreement among his chief advisors, all of whom think he has lost the plot and gone soft. He claims to want only a peaceful resolution to the conflict that is best for Japan, even if it isn’t necessarily best for his own clan.
Hiromatsu takes drastic action and declares that if Toranaga insists on surrendering, he’ll commit seppuku. He’s trying to prove a point that Toranaga is okay with pointless death — including that of his oldest and closest friend — when it suits him. He’s willing to let people die in vain.
As it turns out, Toranaga is willing to let people die — but not in vain. Hiromatsu commits seppuku, with Buntaro being his second, lopping off his head to cease his agony after his point is proved.
Toranaga’s Plan
At the end of Shogun Episode 8, Toranaga reveals that Hiromatsu’s death was necessary so that his surrender is convincing. Just because he was willing to lose the battle doesn’t mean he’s ready to lose the war.
Everything was part of a long game. Toranaga knew that Hiromatsu’s sacrifice would embolden Yabushige to turn against him, so he accepts Blackthorne’s offer and prepares to sail with him to Osaka, to deliver the guns and cannons. Toranaga sends Mariko on the same vessel, with revenge plans of her own.
Just when he seemed at his weakest, Toranaga was playing everyone all along. To the graves of Hiromatsu and Nagakado, he swears their sacrifices won’t be in vain.
