Ranking the Episodes of Shogun

Greetings, reader!

I may be a bit late to the party, as the series came out this spring, but better late then never. Shogun, the critically acclaimed Japanese-American historical drama that many have hailed as the best TV series of the year so far, provided the world with 10 episodes of elite television. Now it sounds like a second season might be on the way. If you haven't checked the show out yet, it's on Disney Plus and it's great! Episodes of a show like this are particularly hard to rank, as the level is so consistent, but I like a good challenge - so here is my ranking of the 10 episodes in Shogun's first season.

Oh, and a spoiler alert is in order, as I discuss major plot points from all episodes.

10. Servants of Two Masters (Episode 2)

Many seem to rate the show's sohpmore episode highly, citing how it's the one where the pace really picks up and the action begins. I do agree, but at the same time, in shows like this I appreciate the intrigue and strategic conversations and politics et cetera even more than the action that it leads up to. Therefore Servants of Two Masters, which doesn't have as much of my favorite elements as most episodes and relies on its action-heavy ending, finds itself at the bottom of the pack despite having many good moments. No bad episodes in this series, that's for sure.

9. A Stick of Time (Episode 7)

The show's (or at least the first season's) endgame really start to build with this episode, were we meet Toranaga's (Hiroyki Sanada) half-brother Saeki (Eita Okuno). It's all fun and games until Saeki reveals his betrayal, leading to Toranaga's surrender, which seems a bit easily-given-up until the viewer starts to pick up subtle signs that he may be playing the long game (this sense would escalate in the next episode). While the events of A Stick of Time are dramatic enough to stick with you, it doesn't quite reach the high levels of intrigue found in the even better Shogun episodes, so I had to rank it near the bottom.

8. Broken to the Fist (Episode 5)

While the large-scale politics of the show's plot are constantly in play in the background, this episode focuses mostly on the more individual-level human drama of its characters. Triangle dramas may be a cliché, but they are rarely as well-written, well-acted and culturally loaded as the one between John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) and Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe), so it's an exceptionally good one. In this episode, and particularly the sake-drinking scene, the tension between the characters is downright frightening, made great by the dialogue and perfected by the acting performances. It's one of the more intimate episodes in the series, and it works.

7. Anjin (Episode 1)

The first episode is, especially for someone who hasn't read the book this is based on and doesn't have tons of knowledge of this period in Japanese history (such as myself), a bit much. Characters and storylines are introduced at a rapid pace, and viewers (at least those of us who aren't operating at a 4D-chess level) might have to do some recapping and googling afterwards to make sure we know what's up. Once you get past that, however, it's a damn good pilot.

The historical, cultural and political intrigue central to the show's premise is just off the charts here. The domestic situation of 1600's Japan is fascinating enough on its own, with all the power vacuums and plotting between regents - and when you add the Portuguese and their secretive trade relation to Japan, not to mention the English ship that arrives to stir things up, with the religious rift between Protestant England and Catholic Portugal mixing the pot, we start to reach Game of Thrones levels of intrigue.

6. The Eightfold Fence (Episode 4)

Shogun's fourth episode is a well-balanced mix of all the show's biggest strengths: we get the humane element in the deepening bond between Blackthorne and Mariko, tactics and philosophy in the deep conversation scene that the episode gets its title from (and reflecting on how the idea of the Eightfold Fence relates to multiple ongoing storylines), and exciting action with the surprising final scene. It's a tight hour, with many-sided (dare I say 'eightfold') storytelling.

5. Tomorrow Is Tomorrow (Episode 3)

I'm a sucker for warmth and wholesome moments, even in a series where those are very much not the point. Amidst the dark themes and morally gray actions of the series, of which there are many in this episode, we get an absolutely beautiful ending scene that momentarily lightens things up. Even with all of the later events that dampen one's opinions of the characters, nothing can quite take away the touching nature of the moment where Toranaga names Blackthorne hatamoto, as the latter teaches the former how to dive into the water. The scenery, lighting and cinematography of the scene really nail down its emotional value, reminding one of the humanity at the core of the show's schemes and brutality.

4. A Dream of a Dream (Episode 10)

From the very first scene, flashing forward into the elder days of John Blackthorne sometimes in the future, I knew that the finale was going to be a good one. I've since read reviews that have demonstrated that a lot of people didn't like the finale, feeling the abscence of the Battle of Sekigahara to be anticlimactic. Again, I haven't read the book so I can't judge this decision adaptation-wise, but purely as an invested viewer of the series in itself, I found this to be the perfect artistic choice. While Shogun did intense battle sequences well, they never were the main focus, and like I mentioned, I found the strategizing and the backroom conversations much more thrilling than the actual fighting.

Therefore, having the season's climax be Toranaga merely explaining his 5000 I.Q. plan in full and mind-blowing detail to Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), before the latter commits seppuku, was thoroughly more fitting than having a big battle sequence as the climax. The full reveal of Toranaga's plan is cynical and upsetting to a viewer craving for likable characters, but inescapably perfect for the modern TV viewer's urge for antiheroes and shades of gray.

3. The Abyss of Life (Episode 8)

The seventh episode had left viewers (or at least this viewer) a bit confused - is Toranaga really giving up that easily, or is there something else going on behind the scenes, or would that just be wishful thinking? The eighth episode follows up with gradually more and more evidence that something else is, indeed, going on. One's opinion about Toranaga, who up until that point had been one of the more heroic characters, becomes a complicated thing in The Abyss of Life, as we see how brutally far he's willing to go in order for his plan to work.

The episode features sacrifices and loss that will leave the viewer with mixed feelings, and with great anticipation on how everything will go down in the next episode. Once again, the Game of Thrones comparison has to be made, as the whole 'I don't even know who I'm rooting for anymore but I still can't wait to see how it all shakes out' feels very Blackwater.

2. Ladies of the Willow World (Episode 6)

I loved this episode, and was confused to see that it had the show's lowest IMDB rating (an 8.1, sticking out the crowd after many consecutive episodes in the 8.8 - 9.0 range). I wondered why this was, with the idea coming to me that the episode's focus on a few strong female characters might be a bit much for sexist assholes, but I quickly dismissed the thought; surely a show this clever would have viewers smart enough to not be misogynistic, and surely the rampant sexism in our society isn't so extreme that merely having a show's episode focus slightly more on the female characters would warrant negative reviews?

Yep, I once again underestimated the internet. Women, I am so deeply sorry for the bullshit you have to endure in this shit-show society.

Yeah, quite a few 'history enthusiasts' of the incel variety got all up in arms about the fact that the men don't wield all the power in this series. When viewing the series through the lens of not being a massive dick, Ladies of the Willow Wood is definitely one of Shogun's finest hours - Anna Sawai and Fumi Nikaidô's performances as Mariko and Lady Ochiba are powerful, the flashback to their past illuminates with the viewer with game-changing context, and the present-day developments are compelling as well. I had considered Mariko to be the show's most interesting character already before this episode, as the show did so much with the translator's role in a language-blocked cultural rift and the power Mariko wields with carefully selected word choices, but this episode cemented her placement as the show's best character even further.

1. Crimson Sky (Episode 9)

The penultimate episode seems to be everyone's favorite, and with good reason. So much of the fascinating plotting and scheming we've been following comes to an explosive climax here, while still leaving enough fallout and unanswered questions for the finale. Yabushige's plan to play both sides reaches a point of no return, Blackthorne finds his courage being tested, violence breaks out in the Osaka castle, Ishido (Takehiro Hira) and Ochiba have some great villain moments, you name it. Mariko has like three different moments in this episode that could be described as her most iconic and character-defining, ultimately culminating in her sacrifice.

The whole Crimson Sky operation, that had been discussed throughout the series, turned out to look very different from what one expected, and the full context with all its implications would only be explained in the next episode. But this was an episode more thrilling and pulse-racing than any other in Shogun, while also having great slow-burning character moments saving it from being too action-heavy for the show's nature.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my updated list on the best films directed by women.