We are a week away from the end of Shogun, which has been the best show of the year thus far by quite a considerable margin. Episode 9, “Crimson Sky”, was the best installment yet, ending with a shocking death and setting up the final stage of Toranaga’s plan in Episode 10, “A Dream of a Dream”.
As usual, I’m going to speculate on what might be coming up, and — again, as usual — I’ll be referring to the book a fair bit. So, this is your polite warning: The following will probably contain significant spoilers for the Shogun season finale, and if you don’t want those then look away now.
Okay, without further adieu.
Blackthorne Is Not Going to Be Happy
After agreeing to behead Mariko and then finally getting another night of action with her, Blackthorne has been through the wringer, and her death is likely to send him spiraling. What’ll be worse for him is that, in the book, his ship is burned, stranding him in Japan. I fully expect this to happen in the season finale.
It is revealed in the book’s epilogue that Toranaga himself orders Blackthorne’s ship to be burned to keep him in Japan and retain his services against Ishido. This is only one facet of Toranaga’s calculated long game, which included sending Mariko to Osaka on what he knew would be a suicide mission. Speaking of which…
Toranaga Will Become Shogun
Again, according to the book, it was Toranaga’s plan all along to become Shogun. Everything he has done has been a calculated move to seize power, and in the season finale, he will depose Ishido in the Battle of Sekigahara.
This, if you’re keeping track, absolutely makes Toranaga the villain here. He has manipulated everyone and sacrificed several of his loved ones and trusted advisors for his own ends. He’s a brilliant character, and his inevitable victory only makes him more so.
Yabushige Will Pay The Price For Betrayal
Yabu’s treachery will be exposed in the finale and he will be ordered by Toranaga to commit seppuku. Before doing so, he will gift Blackthorne his sword.
While not a brilliant character like Toranaga, Yabu has nonetheless been a fascinating one. His actions in the penultimate episode were rooted primarily in fear; of Toranaga’s defeat, and of what might become of him if that were to happen. He chose self-preservation in a culture of self-sacrifice. Unfortunately, he backed the wrong guy.
Seeing the ramifications of his actions will no doubt sit poorly with Yabu, and his inevitable death will make a nice callback to the moment that so impressed Blackthorne in the first place when he would rather take his own life than drown. Blackthorne and Yabu have had an odd relationship since the beginning, and the gift of Yabu’s katana will be a nice ending to it.
Shogun Episode 10 Release Date and Where to Watch
Shogun Episode 10 is scheduled to release on FX on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The release time is 10 PM EST on FX and 12:01 AM EST on Hulu. Episode 10 is titled “A Dream of a Dream” and will have a runtime of 58 minutes.
