Warning! Major spoilers ahead for Shōgun episode 9.
Summary
- Anna Sawai teases that the major character death in
Shōgun
episode 9 will cause surprising reactions from some of the other characters. - The finale will feature a ”
revelation
,” and more character connections will be revealed. - Characters like Lord Toranaga and John Blackthorne are sure to have powerful reactions to Mariko’s death.
Shōgun star Anna Sawai teases how Mariko’s death in episode 9 will impact everyone else in the upcoming finale. Serving as a TV adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, FX’s Shōgun is created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, chronicling a battle for power among Japanese lords and ladies in the 17th century. The series has featured a number of notable character deaths thus far, but episode 9, “Crimson Sky,” sees Lady Mariko sacrifice herself at Osaka Castle in service of Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada).
In a recent interview with TV Insider ahead of Shōgun episode 10, Sawai teases the implications of Mariko’s surprising fate. According to the actor, Mariko’s death will bring out dimensions from other characters in the show that audiences haven’t yet seen. Check out her full comment below:
“Oh my gosh. Because of her actions, people start to change very, very drastically. We get to see certain connections with characters that didn’t have connection at all. Ochiba [Fumi Nikaido], we see a side of her that we didn’t get to see in the previous episodes. And so everyone is kind of mourning the loss and starting to see things differently. And in one of the final [scenes], there’s a very big revelation. I’m very excited to see how people react to that.”
Who Will Be Most Affected By Mariko’s Shōgun Death?
Shōgun Episode 10 Could Be A Bloody One
As previous episodes have demonstrated, many in Shōgun‘s cast of characters are not overly crippled by the death that occurs around them. Some of this is because the show establishes that death is treated differently in Japan at this time, with characters willing to end their own lives for their own wrongdoings, but it’s also because many of the main characters are seasoned warriors. Toranaga, for example, remains as cunning and steadfast as ever, despite losing his son, Nagakado (Yuki Kura), his oldest friend, Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), and a large chunk of his army.
It’s possible, however, that Mariko’s death will be the last straw for Toranaga, and he will embark on a bloody campaign of vengeance against Ishido (Takehiro Hira) for what he has done. Ochiba, too, seems poised for quite the reaction. Mariko and Ochiba, after all, have a long history together and were childhood friends, and Ochiba pleads with her former friend in episode 9 to not throw her life away.
It’s John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), however, who could end up being the most emotionally distraught by the death, at least on the surface. As has been seen in previous episodes, he sometimes struggles to contain his emotional outbursts, especially when it involves what he sees as avoidable death. It remains to be seen how Mariko’s death will impact the Shōgun finale, but Sawai’s latest comment affirms that the event won’t go without consequence.
The
Shōgun
series finale releases on Tuesday, April 23, on Disney Plus and Hulu.
Source: TV Insider
Shogun
Shogun is an FX original mini-series set in 17th Century Japan. Shogun follows John Blackthorne, who becomes a samurai warrior but is unknowingly a pawn in Yoshii Toranaga’s plan to become Shogun. The series stars Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne and Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga, along with Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, and Yûki Kedôin.
- Cast
- Cosmo Jarvis , Hiroyuki Sanada , Anna Sawai , Tadanobu Asano , Yûki Kedôin
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Writers
- Maegan Houang , Rachel Kondo , Justin Marks , Emily Yoshida
- Directors
- Frederick E.O. Toye , Jonathan van Tulleken
