Shogun has built up to the show's version of the Battle of Sekigahara since the first episode. Every careful twist, clever scheme, and tragic death guided the ensemble cast towards that legendary conflict. "A Dream of a Dream" is the conclusion of everything Shogun set in motion, and it will be intensely controversial. Instead of delivering the cathartic Game of Thrones battle at the end of it all, Shogun ends its tale with an exchange of words, the fulfillment of an old promise, and the certainty of a new future.
Emily Yoshida co-wrote "A Dream of a Dream" with Maegan Houang. Yoshida previously contributed to the show's fourth episode, but Houang is a new voice in the series. Houang previously directed several music videos for artists like Mitski and Hana Vu. This is a big year for her career on the small screen. She's the credited writer on the fifth episode of Park Chan-wook's The Sympathizer, which will premiere on May 12th.
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How does Blackthorne's journey end?
Shogun's finale opens with a questionable spoiler. An elderly John Blackthorne lays in his bed as his grandchildren marvel at the sword he brought home from his time in Japan. The visions seem to be flashes of the life Blackthorne believes he could live, rather than the end of his story. Blackthorne reels after losing Mariko. He struggles to offer a proper eulogy, asking God to shepherd her to the great beyond. The blast that killed his lover injures him as well, leaving him unconscious for some time. When he wakes up, the daimyo have decided to send him away. Blackthorne believes that he'll be killed on his walk to the ship, but Father Alvito explains that the higher-ups reached an arrangement. Blackthorne believes that Mariko negotiated his salvation, burning his ship to save his life. He boards a rowboat with Yabushige and Toranaga's family.
Blackthorne's relationship with Yabushige became more fascinating in the show's latter half. The traitorous samurai indirectly caused Mariko's death, but the encounter seemed to leave him half-mad. He lost hearing in one ear, but the emotional damage seems more severe. Ishido sends Yabushige back to Toranaga. Lord Toranaga is thrilled to see his family return safely, but his reactions to Yabushige and the Anjin are less heartwarming. Toranaga orders Yabushige to commit seppuku and returns to his policy of tormenting the locals to ferret out any traitors. Yabushige requests a more creative death, then asks Blackthorne to be his second, but Toranaga refuses both. Blackthorne puts his own life on the line to defend Ajiro village, eventually prompting Toranaga to relent and demand his fleet. He also sends off his consort, Fuji, with a moving mourning ceremony at sea. Blackthorne ends the series by dragging the wreckage of the Erasmus back to shore. Even Buntaro helps out. He seems on top of the world, even as he watches his imagined fate disappear into new possibilities.
Does Lord Toranaga become the Shogun?
Lord Yoshii Toranaga is one of the most effective schemers in fictional history. He can't literally see the future, and he had to give up almost everyone he loves, but his grim plan has reached its conclusion. Lord Toranaga becomes Yabushige's second for his seppuku. Their conversation is perhaps the most impactful moment of the series. The great Tadanobu Asano and Hiroyuki Sanada have worked together several times, but this may be the zenith of their collaborations. Yabushige asks Toranaga what will happen next. He imagines all the things he'll miss, saddened to know he won't see his nephew's first battle or the conclusion of Toranaga's plan. Toranaga lowers the veil slightly.
Lord Toranaga sent Mariko to Osaka as a sacrifice. He ordered her to burn Blackthorne's ship, then allowed her to die to weaken Ishido's hand before the final conflict. As for the Anjin, he's been using him as a distraction and keeping him around for a laugh. He notes that Blackthorne will never leave Japan, just as William Adams never did. Mariko was the Crimson Sky plan, an invasion of Osaka that devastated the united front against him. After her sacrifice, Ochiba-no-Kata pulled her support, guaranteeing Toranaga's victory on the battlefield. Yabushige accuses him of hypocrisy, but Toranaga explains that all things are possible through his victory, demonstrating that he's learned more from Blackthorne than he lets on. In his vision, he will unite Japan, destroy his enemies by playing them against each other, become shogun, and enact a peaceful dynasty. History buffs knew how this story would end, but Shogun shocks the world by never playing out that battle. It's an inspired, bold, and creative decision that depicts Toranaga's true victory occurring long before soldiers don their armor. After the jaw-dropping conversation, Yabushige accepts his fate, slicing his belly as Toranaga smoothly decapitates him. Toranaga ends the series by watching as Blackthorne retrieves his ship, safe in the knowledge that he'll burn it again in due time.
Shogun has been the best show on TV this year. It's a masterful drama with some of the best character writing and acting in modern memory. The finale may disappoint some fans who were waiting for another healthy dose of samurai combat, but the final scenes should stand among the best TV has to offer. Shogun doesn't end with a bang, but it remains jaw-dropping either way.
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