The main plot inches towards the inevitable showdown between Toranaga and the Regents but the real point of this episode is the development we get for Blackthorne and Lady Mariko.
Until now, Blackthorne has been something of a cypher. We know he came to Japan as a fortune-hunter and he holds animosity for the Portuguese, but that just seems like something he's inherited from his culture. Is there something more to him?
This episode exposes his core conflict: he's a man without a home. He left England presumably because of dissatisfaction with his life there, despite having a wife and children. Now he wants to leave Japan, still as antsy as ever. Is there any place he would ever feel at peace?
Not coincidentally, there are hints about the future of his currently icy relationship with Mariko. The romance plot, which everyone expects who's seen the 1980s version, is being handled with deft restraint. This is some very good writing, and avoids any possibility of the romance being forced or soapy.
Mariko's backstory gets fleshed out more but in her case, it's been pretty obvious what her struggle is: she's intelligent and sensitive in a world that makes it very hard for a woman like that. Her current husband will never appreciate that aspect of her, so she needs a new hubby, hint hint.
Put it together and you have two people whose core conflict can be resolved by the other. Maybe not this season at the pace they're going but certainly there will be a season two and beyond.
Until now, Blackthorne has been something of a cypher. We know he came to Japan as a fortune-hunter and he holds animosity for the Portuguese, but that just seems like something he's inherited from his culture. Is there something more to him?
This episode exposes his core conflict: he's a man without a home. He left England presumably because of dissatisfaction with his life there, despite having a wife and children. Now he wants to leave Japan, still as antsy as ever. Is there any place he would ever feel at peace?
Not coincidentally, there are hints about the future of his currently icy relationship with Mariko. The romance plot, which everyone expects who's seen the 1980s version, is being handled with deft restraint. This is some very good writing, and avoids any possibility of the romance being forced or soapy.
Mariko's backstory gets fleshed out more but in her case, it's been pretty obvious what her struggle is: she's intelligent and sensitive in a world that makes it very hard for a woman like that. Her current husband will never appreciate that aspect of her, so she needs a new hubby, hint hint.
Put it together and you have two people whose core conflict can be resolved by the other. Maybe not this season at the pace they're going but certainly there will be a season two and beyond.