Shogun, Episode One

The new Shogun is so far a lot of very silly fun and I am having a wonderful time. It’s incredible the difference between a really good silly period soap opera and an indifferent one.

I think the new Shogun is a really good silly period soap opera, with a lot of very wonderful scenes where people in elaborate historical costumes stride purposefully down hallways after saying things like “Let’s get this over with,” and it gets me every time. But in an indifferently-done period drama, I find all the hallway-walking totally enervating and tedious. It’s all in the delivery, I suppose. I could watch the cast of Shogun stride purposefully down a million hallways. Or when somebody says “Welcome to Osaka,” and they’re being polite, but what they mean is “I hate you and within 48 hours I intend to have legal justification to eat your family,” that’s just terrific, and so much the better if the scene is really brightly-lit while they’re saying it.

I guess what I mean is that when television is good, I really love to watch it!

ERASMUS CAPTAIN: we have no food, no water; we cannot see the stars to steer by. I personally have scurvy. four of our five ships are gone, nearly 500 men dead already. are you thinking what I’m thinking?

BLACKTHORNE: it’s always darkest just before the dawn!!

ERASMUS CAPTAIN: we shoot ourselves

BLACKTHORNE: no. No! think of the eleven men who aren’t dead yet. Things always look their worst right before you reach Japan and become a millionaire. look at all this white sand I found!

ERASMUS CAPTAIN: and now on top of everything you’ve gotten white sand all over my desk. farewell

BLACKTHORNE: I am going to become a millionaire in Japan for both of us

my first order of business is to land in Japan

things are really looking up!!

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[The starving and scurvy-riddled Erasmus crew are captured and taken in chains to a castle belonging to the powerful-yet-embattled Toranaga]

BLACKTHORNE [dangling from a pole]: what they don’t realize is that this puts me in an incredible bargaining position

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[Lord Toranaga is out falconing with his son Nagakado. They watch the falcon successfully take down her quarry.]

NAGAKADO: She’s magnificent!

TORANAGA: My son, I’m going to let you in on a secret: Like this falcon, I also intend to kill my enemies.