"'Shogun' is the best show on TV right now."

Sean could become my favorite series at the moment. I'm a bit behind on reviews, and I have three reasons for that: First, I've had a lot going on in the past few weeks, and I've fallen behind on everything. Second, sometimes when I really enjoy a series, I just want to watch and enjoy it, rather than analyze it in detail. You can't always be a critic. Finally, I wrote a very long article where I went into detail about episodes 2 to 5 (my review of the first episode is here), but before I could publish it, I ran into technical issues, and poof! Everything disappeared. Apparently, the entity was too corrosive. All that work went to waste. So here I am, making a second attempt to write this article from scratch, but probably a bit shorter.

Let's start with chapter two...

Chapter Two: The Servants of Two Masters

In the second episode, the plot was established, and we learned about a larger conflict. We found out about the Council of Regents and the politics that divided them into three camps: the first between Christians and non-Christians, the second between Toranaga and the four other regents led by Ishido, and finally, each against each in their own petty and underhanded ways. We also learned more about the global political situation when Blackthorn explained to Toranaga that Spain and Portugal had effectively divided the world between themselves. Anjin was sentenced to death but was saved by the ever-scheming Yabushige. The best moment: the assassination attempt on Blackthorn. The assassin, posing as a maid, sneaks through Toranaga's estate but ultimately gets defeated by the regent and Anjin, who rushes to help.

Chapter three: Tomorrow will be tomorrow

While the second chapter built the plot for a larger conflict, the third chapter was about igniting the first spark. Toranaga deceives the Council by sending his wife, Anjin, Mariko, and other members of his court to the village of Ajiro, but secretly goes himself instead of her. Blackthorn helps them escape by posing as a cruel interrogator when Ishido's men try to inspect the litter. They find themselves ambushed by men sent by the Christian regents, and a fight breaks out, becoming even more complicated when Ishido's men realize that Toranaga is secretly fleeing from Osaka, where he was supposed to be disgraced and executed. They fight their way to the dock, where the valiant samurai Buntaro stays behind to battle the attackers. Mariko, Anjin's translator, watches as her husband bravely charges into what she believes to be his death. Complications arise, and Toranaga is forced to negotiate with the Portuguese Jesuits and the captain of the Black Ship to find a safe way out of the harbor. Blackthorn stays behind, but thanks to his skills as an experienced and enthusiastic pilot, he maneuvers the Japanese ship close enough to the Black Ship to escape, with a little help from the Spanish navigator Vasco Rodriguez. The best moment: After their escape, Toranaga orders Blackthorn to teach him how to dive. He does this by making Anjin dive again and again while he watches. "I see you're a very observant student," jokes Blackthorn. Then Toranaga challenges him to a race to the shore. "Don't let him win," Mariko warns him. "He hates that."

Chapter Four: Eight Whips

For his bravery and help in Toranagi's escape, the angin is granted the title of hatamoto, a highly respected banner bearer or vassal. In the village, he is provided with a house and staff, including Fuji — who recently lost her husband and child — as a disgruntled attendant. Mariko also receives a room in the house, as she is now his main translator. Eventually, the situation begins to heat up when she catches the angin bathing, and they have a rather deep conversation about her troubled past, after which they arrive at the imagined London of Blackthorn, where he envisions the two of them walking along the Thames. Later, Mariko sneaks into his room, and they go to sleep.

Chapter Five: Broken by Fists

Finally, we come to the fifth and current episode, and this is my favorite episode of the season so far. Here, all the pieces come together to fully transport us into the second half of the season. Toranaga returns from Edo with his army, and for Mariko and Blackthorn, there’s an unpleasant surprise: Buntaro, who has reached safety with the help of the ronin. Buntaro must live with his wife in Blackthorn's house, which quickly puts an end to their romance, although it doesn’t mean the end of the Englishman’s new feelings. Toranaga, meanwhile, is furious with his son for his recklessness, although he rightly suspects that Yabushige and Omi have planted seeds of doubt in his mind. Instead of punishment, he praises the ingenuity of their plan, claiming it will force Ishido and the armies of the other regents out of Osaka and provide a more level playing field. He even promotes Omi to commander of the artillery regiment, a position previously held by his son. Yabushige is furious. Toranaga also gifts Anjin a pheasant, which the Englishman hangs outside his house. His Japanese companions don’t know what kind of meat it is and look at it with some disgust, just like the rabbit stew he once prepares for himself, Mariko, Buntaro, and Fuji. Soon, dinner turns into a drinking session between the two men. Buntaro clearly despises Blackthorn, and Blackthorn has quickly learned to return the sentiment (even though he was the only one on the ships who urged them to return and save the samurai in the third episode). The drinking leads to danger. Buntaro tells Blackthorn (through Mariko, who carefully navigates their verbal insults as diplomatically as possible) to choose a gate standing against the house and begins to draw his bow. He wavers from drunkenness and then aims at his wife. Blackthorn shouts for her to move away, but she stands still, not flinching, as the arrow flies past her and through the paper wall of the house. He does this a second time, leaving Blackthorn and Fuji clearly shaken. Mariko is icy. We learn from her during dinner the true story of her family. Her father, Lord Akechi Jinsai, killed the former tyrant who ruled Japan, and for his crime, it was ordered that every member of his family be executed before he committed seppuku. Only Mariko survived, forced to marry Buntaro and stay alive, fully aware that he hates her. Later that night, Blackthorn hears noise and sounds of a quarrel between Buntaro and Mariko. He bursts in and finds her clearly beaten, then chases after the samurai. Buntaro turns, but instead of drawing his sword, he drops to the ground and lays it before him on the path. He blames sake for his behavior, which only angers Blackthorn even more. But Buntaro apologizes again, asking for forgiveness for bringing discord into his home. Disgusted, Blackthorn returns to his house, only then noticing that the two arrows shot in drunkenness were embedded close together on the right gate.