REVIEW: ‘Shōgun’ Episode 9 — “Crimson Sky”

Things are really heating up in the penultimate episode of Shōgun. Shōgun Episode 9, “Crimson Sky,” focuses on Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), and Lord Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) as they head to Osaka to confront Lord Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira). Time is running out for Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his allies as they desperately fight to survive.

Shōgun Episode 9 is all about giving Mariko a chance to shine. Right from the start, the episode focuses on her youth and what led her to be in her current position. It also shows her first meeting with the Portuguese priest Father Martin. Father Martin has been a key player, acting as the voice of the Church when speaking with Toranaga, but it turns out he has way more history with Mariko and in Japan as a whole.

The brief moment where we get to see Martin and Mariko’s past connection does bring up one minor issue with the series as a whole. Historically, the Church played a pivotal role in global colonization. Locally in Japan, they were a key driver in many areas when it came to Europe’s engagement with Japan. It is a bit disappointing, then, that their role in the show is mainly relegated to just Martin and the occasional appearances of some of his fellow priests. They are background characters, which hinders some of the key moments in this episode that revolve around Mariko’s faith.

Mariko has come to Osaka to free the hostages held by Ishido. She calls him out in front of the Council of Regents and their retainers in a truly daring way. It is her shining moment, her chance to show how brave she is and what a steadfast ally of Toranaga she is. Ishido rejects her demands out of hand, but Mariko takes matters into her own hands. It is here that we get one of two major moments with Mariko that highlight how amazing a character she is.

Leading the hostages out of the castle in Osaka, Mariko is met by soldiers sent by Ishido. They are ordered to stop her but she wastes no time ordering her men to kill those standing in her way. She has been a character content to work in the background for so long, but she does not hesitate to do what must be done.

This sets off a bloody battle that is over almost as fast as it starts. Her men were vastly outnumbered but all were willing to die for her. Left alone, it would make sense for her to back down and save herself and the hostages. Instead, she defiantly picks up a fallen naginata and tries to fend off the encircling soldiers. It is such a badass moment and the beautiful display of skill from Sawai is simply astounding.

While Mariko is showing how strong she can be, Blackthorne and Yabushige are standing on the sidelines along with the Regents. When Mariko finally backs down, they realize that they are all prisoners. Even those who thought Ishido was their ally. This will have severe ramifications in the season finale. Characters and viewers alike are taken aback when Mariko says that, because she failed to return to Toranaga, she must commit seppuku.

Her willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for her Lord is another shining moment of her character development. She has to face death head-on so many times and is even willing to bring it upon herself. Her sense of honor and duty is so strong while all of the weak men around her are simply concerned with keeping themselves alive.

The one man who realizes how serious this is is Blackthorne. Normally a loud, brash man leaping at the sight of anything wrong, he is strangely silent for much of Shōgun Episode 9. It is not until Mariko resigns herself to death that he finally speaks up. But even when he does, he is much more controlled than he has previously been. He tries to convince her to not go through with it, but when she refuses he ultimately offers to serve as her second and finish the job.

This is important because in her faith, taking one’s life is the ultimate sin. She is worried about spending an eternity in hell which is briefly hinted at, but a larger focus on religion in the series would have helped this moment hit harder. Blackthorne tries to reassure her by saying “Hell is no place I haven’t already known. Let it from your mind,” which is a great line by itself, but it would have landed with greater impact had the importance of religion been a larger focal point.

Shōgun Episode 9 piles up on the tension all episode long, but in the last 15 minutes, it seems like there might be a happy ending. Ishido gives in right before Mariko takes her own life and allows her and the hostages to go. There is celebration and joy, and everyone is almost immediately more relaxed. Then, in typical Shōgun fashion, everything hits the fan right at the very end.

The entire series has been a masterclass in building tension, offering relief, and then twisting the knife at the last second. Shōgun Episode 9 is no different. Everything in the episode builds to one specific conclusion which the episode flips on its head at the very end. It is a truly shocking ending that allows Mariko to fulfill her desired role in a way that no one sees coming. In a series full of great episode endings, this stands as the best so far.

Shōgun Episode 9 is a dramatic and tense whirlwind of emotions that delivers one of the best episodes of the series so far. It plays with the emotions of viewers and characters and sets up what is going to be one epic finale.

Shōgun Episode 9 is available now on FX and Hulu with new episodes released weekly.