‘Shōgun’ Episode 8 Recap — Two Can Keep a Secret If One Is Dead

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Shōgun Episode 8.

The Big Picture

• Nagakado’s death buys Toranaga much-needed time to implement his plan for surrender.
• Blackthorne’s attempt to ally with Yabushige hits a roadblock, revealing his conflicting loyalties.
• Mariko’s realization about her unhappy marriage culminates in a heartbreaking conversation with Buntaro.

With FX’s epic series Shōgun heading towards its final set of episodes, one has the sense that the show isn’t charging towards an action-packed finale but slowly building up to more and more devastation. That instinct only persists throughout the entirety of this week’s installment, “Chapter Eight: The Abyss of Life,” which not only clues us into more of what’s going on in Lord Yoshii Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) head but also the losses that are required to ultimately secure victory. But has Toranaga actually gone too far in terms of allowing one of his most enduring allies to die at the end of a blade for him, or is this only the beginning of what we’re in store for in the coming weeks? On the other, non-war planning side of the story, pilot-turned-hatamoto John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) initiates an alliance with one of the last people we ever expected, while Mariko (Anna Sawai) reaches a point of realization — and acceptance — regarding her unhappy marriage to Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe).

Nagakado’s Death Delays the Inevitable in ‘Shōgun’ Episode 8

Although Toranaga has already pledged himself to surrender to his half-brother Saeki (Eita Okuno), the death of his son, Nagakado (Yuki Kura), in the previous episode delivers the respite he needs. It’s fortunate timing, too, that Toranaga has been afforded the customary 49 days to properly mourn before having to turn himself over, because the lord of the Kantō isn’t looking so hot. Whether because of the pace the funeral party is forced to set in traveling to the city of Edo or any other stresses Toranaga is understandably going through at the moment, he’s dealing with a rather troublesome and persistent cough — the type that usually signals characters are about to be knocking on death’s door. It wouldn’t be beyond the pale to suggest that Toranaga could be faking illness to make himself look as small and helpless as possible, and therefore even less of a threat, but it does offer a convenient excuse for him to be conspicuously absent from his own son’s funeral.

Said absence doesn’t go unnoticed by Toranaga’s most loyal general up until this point, Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), who also observes to Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) that several of the lord’s supporters are wearing their armor to the funeral in clear protest of Toranaga’s decision to surrender. Dissent is certainly being sown within the ranks, but when Hiromatsu later participates in a private audience with the lord, alongside Mariko and Father Martin (Tommy Bastow), Toranaga doubles down on his word, looking every ounce the defeated leader we never hoped he’d become. It doesn’t help that, after being dismissed, Hiromatsu decides to inform the other vassals waiting outside that Toranaga clearly has no intention of surrendering, insistent that his lord will fight and seemingly refusing to accept any other outcome.

Although Toranaga appears to be at his lowest, he still finds an amusing way of getting one over on Father Martin and the Catholics. Remember when he promised several acres of land in Edo to the madam Gin (Yuko Miyamoto) to build an entire district of teahouses? Well, canny viewers will also recall that Toranaga committed to allowing a Catholic church to be built in the same city earlier in the season; he just didn’t specify where said church would be planted. Turns out it’s going to be right next door to the teahouses, much to Martin’s chagrin. I’m not necessarily convinced we’ll see the fruits of Toranaga’s scheme take full shape here with so few episodes remaining, but it’s still a hilarious image to consider in terms of what the new face of Edo will look like as these new neighbors start to settle in together. (Courtesans and priests living together, mass hysteria!)

Blackthorne and Mariko Are Even More Adrift in ‘Shōgun’ Episode 8

After his disgusted declaration last week that Toranaga’s plan has only amounted to “Crimson fucking horseshit,” Blackthorne has all but returned to looking out for number one — and that means allying himself with someone who can help him achieve what he really wants. The Anjin‘s dynamic with Yabushige has always been refreshingly honest on its face, especially because the two recognize the truth in each other and don’t hesitate to tell it like it is. With Blackthorne’s increased understanding of Japanese and Yabushige’s impressive patience in teaching him new words, they’re even one step closer to having a full conversation. Yet when Blackthorne attempts a sitdown with Yabushige and offers to sail under his banner, instead of Toranaga’s, the lord of Izu outwardly bristles at the suggestion. To partner with Blackthorne in that way would be considered an affront, especially when Yabushige also believes Toranaga isn’t close to giving up the fight. You can see the moment, though, when Yabushige seriously considers Blackthorne’s idea, especially after the Anjin makes reference to one of their first defining encounters (in which Yabushige nearly died by drowning in his efforts to save another man).

It’s almost impressive, the degree to which Blackthorne continues to try and find a way to get back to the Erasmus, yet when confronted with the possibility of reuniting with his crew, he realizes he’s been more affected by his time in Japan than he thought. His conversation with Yabushige — translated through Mariko, of course — reveals that he initially “fooled [himself]” that he could make a life in this strange and beautiful country, but recent events have led him to believe that he needs to shape his own fate. Blackthorne is clearly wrestling between what he thinks are his important responsibilities, especially while his ship is still out there parked on the shores of Ajiro, and, by his eventual admission, the fact that his “own people… seem strange.” He’d certainly rather get into a fight with one of his former crewmates over his new wardrobe than acknowledge how changed he’s become — and after essentially pounding said crewmate’s face into a pulp, any attempt at getting the old Erasmus gang back together seems to be well and truly dead.

Meanwhile, Mariko’s story continues to live in the angsty places this week, but a critical conversation seems to have put the final nail in the coffin of reconciliation between her and Buntaro. Although her husband makes an effort at something resembling a grand gesture by way of a chanoyu, or tea ceremony — even Mariko remarks on how beautiful it is! — Buntaro sort of mucks it up by suggesting the two of them meet death together in protest of Toranaga’s impending surrender. What’s worse is that he frames it as a romantic and meaningful proposal, trying to get her to remember when their relationship was a happy one. Mariko, however, is under no illusions that their marriage was anything other than awful and doesn’t let Buntaro’s chanoyu distract her from delivering the brutally honest truth. For her, what she’s been denied all these years isn’t death, but a life free of him — and she would rather “live a thousand years than die with [him] like this.” Her words are necessarily cutting, even though Buntaro waits until she’s left the room before breaking down. On the one hand, kudos to Mariko for finally freeing herself of this guy; on the other, Sawai and Abe play this scene with such painful clarity that it’s hard not to feel a little sad about the end of their characters’ relationship.

Toranaga’s Master Plan Begins to Take Shape in ‘Shōgun’ Episode 8

As it turns out, Nagakado’s shocking death was only the beginning of the bodycount — and with only two episodes remaining, no doubt even more losses are in store for Toranaga and his allies. What makes this week’s installment so heartbreaking is the lengths that showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, as well as the writers’ room, have gone to in order to make Shōgun‘s ensemble feel as dimensional and complex as possible. That kind of crucial character work is precisely what makes the death that plays out in “The Abyss of Life” even more excruciating — especially once we learn that it was all a ruse carried out in service of Toranaga’s greater plan.

Naturally, the stage has to be set for everyone else to believe that one of the series’ most rooted relationships has reached an impasse — and that for Toranaga’s most trusted general, no other path sits before him apart from death. On an ominously dark and rainy day in Edo, Toranaga’s vassals are assembled at the lord’s request, where he declares that everyone must sign their names alongside his own in surrender on a document to be delivered to Ishido (Takehiro Hira). Everyone seems visibly uneasy about putting things down in writing, but Yabushige and his nephew Omi (Hiroto Kanai) contribute their signatures, and for a moment it seems as though everything will proceed without incident — until one vassal stops the signing process. Naturally, there is suspicion within Toranaga’s generals that his plan is simply part of a greater ploy, but the “great master of trickery” simply says that he is prepared for his fight to end here.

While the generals loudly decry Toranaga’s actions, Hiromatsu’s quiet declaration that he will commit seppuku in protest brings everything to a screeching halt. Even Toranaga appears stunned by his chief general’s lack of allegiance, but when the other vassals try to interrupt, Hiromatsu silences them with a single word, insisting that whatever plays out next is between himself and his lord alone. Despite his efforts to appeal to Toranaga on more than one level — their long history together, their deep friendship, the fact that the lord is throwing away everything they’ve fought so hard for — the bushō will not yield. So Hiromatsu begins preparing to commit seppuku, much to everyone else’s horror, including Buntaro, who is tapped as his father’s second and immediately vows to end his own life afterward. In an ironic turn, Hiromatsu orders his son to live, saying, “You will know what it is to be denied,” but adds that Buntaro must continue on and not give up on Toranaga, even when he seems to have given up on himself.

Hiromatsu’s death seems completely unavoidable, but only we — and later, Mariko — discover that it was a necessary part of duty later that night. In a private audience with her lord, the translator is visibly shocked to learn that Hiromatsu’s display of protest was inevitable, because the general was in on Toranaga’s plan. It doesn’t make the loss of an old friend that much easier to bear, though, and throughout this revelatory conversation, Sanada’s performance, as the lord holds back tears in multiple instances, lets us witness how much of a toll this battle is taking on Toranaga. In order for Osaka and the Council to believe that Toranaga’s defeat is legitimate, they also have to believe that his closest allies are divided — and there’s no more convincing way to do that than for one of them to take his own life. However, as Mariko vows she’s ready to do her part in whatever comes next, and Toranaga swears that his allies’ sacrifices will not be in vain, his enemies are also strengthening their bonds, especially now that Ishido and Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido) have just agreed to join forces in marriage…

New episodes of Shōgun premiere each Tuesday on FX and Hulu in the U.S.

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