Shogun
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The clouds seem to suit everyone.
She doesnt say no, but nothing about her reaction suggests shes leaning toward a yes.
In Edo, Toranagas inner circle mourns Nagakado, recalling his youthful foibles with good humor.
Or some of them react this way.
Yabushige agrees with his nephew and wants to march on Osaka.
Some generals wear their armor in silent protest of Toranagas decision.
The sadness cant quite drown out the restlessness.
But just how ill is Toranaga?
This, well soon see, is not a casual request.
Other tense meetings precede that proposed tea ceremony, however.
Tell me, Father Martin replies, will you wear those clothes when you see your men?
Even he probably doesnt realize how cutting this remark will prove in time.
Toranaga does not take this well, blaming the Catholic Church for its lack of support.
After all, they both loved the Taiko and the heir.
It makes sense, right?
Whatever sense the alliance might make on paper, this will only get in the way.
Toranaga might be a dead man walking, but hes still in charge for now.
All is lost, it would seem.
Then its time for tea.
Its a bittersweet moment in their fracturing marriage.
Buntaro remembers the happiness of their early days together.
Mariko, as she politely puts it, struggles to remember it the same way.
When Buntaro asks if she still has feelings for Anjin, she doesnt reply.
For Mariko, this proposal is just a continuation of Buntaros habit of just not getting it.
She doesnt want death for deaths sake; she wants to be away from him.
He abuses her and overwhelms her and she wants to be done with this.
When Buntaro cries after she leaves, is he at last starting to understand the woman he married?
One memorable scene of estrangement follows another albeit an estrangement of a much different kind.
Blackthornes next steps begin with a strange alliance.
Yabushige turns him down, but not for the expected reasons.
Hes also now convinced that Toranaga hasnt given up and wants to wait to see what happens next.
This leads to an unexpected confession.
Its not what Blackthorne wants, for himself or Mariko.
But this is what hes stuck with anyway.
But where others might see a wasteland, she sees potential for the city to come.
Also watching this from a short distance away: Father Martin.
looks like the courtesan teahouses and the cathedral will have to find a way to live side by side.
Will Ochiba honor the request?
Its tough to read the expression that crosses her face as Daiyoin breathes her last breath.
Back in Edo, if Toranagaisdisingenuous about surrendering, he has an odd way of conveying it.
But the exchange that follows suggests thereisno bluff.
In the exchange that follows, Hiromatsu suggests he can no longer follow Toranaga.
Left with no other option, he commits seppuku, though it means dying in vain.
Later that night, Mariko tries to make sense of it all as she talks to Toranaga.
Theyre both goshawks to be thrown at opponents.
But this isnt really a question at all.
Toranaga, too, is in the position he wants to be, but at what cost?
Was it worth it?
Thats a question left forShoguns final two episodes to answer.
Two weeks ago brought the (apparently deferred) promise of Crimson Sky.
Last weeks episode ended with a powerful shock.
Hiromatsus sacrifice appears to have been long in the works.
Nagakados death, however beneficial it might have been, was not.
Does he have a clear head for what comes next?
Similarly, every episode has looked great, but this one nails the moodiness.
Lets tip a hat to director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour and cinematographer Marc Laliberte.
An earlier version of this recap incorrectly stated that Blackthorne had regained control of his ship.
It has been corrected.
