05.14
Oh hey, it turns out Ashi’s mom did meet up with Aku at least once. And Jack and Ashi didn’t copulate after that kiss. Well, Genndy. I admit to being rused, and I’ll salute you for that.
What I also salute are some of the moments between Jack and Ashi this week. The episode improved far more in those interactions compared to last week, with Jack telling Ashi about his childhood and how the cherry blossoms flew in the spring. Both character slowly get to know each other not just as warriors, but as friends. Others might think these scenes to be slow, especially for the episode right before the finale. And while I kind of agree, seeing Jack and Ashi unwind before the storm is a little nice. There are still some cutesy scenes like Ashi blushing at the sight of Jack bathing, and her search to find new clothes took a little longer than it should have, but at least it doesn’t reach the nadir of last week.
We get some clues as to why Jack has been alone for all this time, because he has issues with falling in love with people. And in trying times like this, he doesn’t want Ashi to become nothing more than a memory. He doesn’t want any of his old friends to become mere fragments in his mind, and perhaps that’s the reason why he’s been apart from friends like the Scotsman for so long. But with Ashi, someone he can finally see as more than a friend, he’s watching his steps. Deep in his subconscious, he fears another Ikra situation. He’s afraid of getting tricked by the false hope of bliss yet again.
And sadly for Jack, that happens. Ashi’s now Aku’s slave, and his ultimatum is to kill the woman who finally pulled him out of an ages long depression. He has to watch as another innocent is claimed by his enemy. But he can’t stand the bloodshed anymore, and in a moment of weakness, lets Aku take his sword from him. It’s dramatic. It’s suspenseful. But, it seems a tad predictable. People on Samurai Jack threads were speculating that Aku would possess Ashi as one final fuck you to Jack, and while I didn’t believe in it until the episode aired, everyone was predicting that Jack and Ashi’s relationship would end badly in some way. So while it’s a twist, it wasn’t a horrifying, out of nowhere twist that would get me talking for an entire week. More of a “Huh, that sucks” feel for Jack. Personally, I was more concerned by evil Ashi resembling one of the characters from Antz, and how that will cause some bug fetishists to come out of the corners and draw crossover fanart.
Oh yeah, Scaramouche’s subplot finally ends. He tells Aku about the sword. Then they dance. And Aku kills him for giving out outdated information. Yeah.
But one scene that stood among many was the Guardian’s broken glasses. But there isn’t a body around. So he might be dead, or maybe he’s just missing in action. I know we only have twenty or so minutes left of Samurai Jack, but I’m still not sure if he’s finished. Definitely no time for a fight between him and Jack, but maybe he’ll show up and let him into his portal. Unless Genndy decides to spend time about a secret time portal that no one had known about until now, where else is Jack going to find his way back home? Unless they decide to have Jack stay in the future and accept his life, teaching us that his real victory was the journey and friends he had along the way. Or some shit like that.