For weeks, everyone shÅ gun The character John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) wanted was to reunite with his crew. From the Erasmus Washed ashore on Ajiro, Blackthorne has not only been trying to survive, but also to keep his men safe, together, and on mission. However, as Blackthorne becomes more and more committed to serving Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), he seems to have become less and less egregiously European. Mariko (Anna Sawai) has taught him some Japanese, baths have become a comfort, and Blackthorne has found a comfortable place for himself as a hatamoto and samurai.
**Spoilers for shÅ pistol Episode 8 “Abyss of Life,” now available on Hulu**
These changes became frighteningly evident in this week’s installment of the foreign exchange hit, shÅ pistol Episode 8 “Abyss of Life” because Blackthorne finally reunites with his men and, uh, hates them. He specifically travels to the filthy side of Edo (aka future Tokyo) to discover that the six surviving crew members have been living like disgusting, horny* peasants, drinking all day and sleeping with badly treated prostitutes every night. Seeing his former friend Salamon (Dakota Daulby) is enough to make Blackthorne distance himself from him. However, Salamon sees the pilot and recognizes him.
*In the novel by James Clavell, shÅ gunBlackthorne is especially repulsed when he realizes that his men have been living in the eta part of Edo; eta They were the lowest peasants, employed in dirty acts that other Japanese of the time rejected, such as digging graves.
What follows is a deeply uncomfortable scene in which Salamon accuses Blackthorne of intentionally ruining the lives of the ErasmusThe crew to satisfy their own ambitions. Every time Blackthorne tries to win Salamon over to his side, the sailor refuses. Finally, Salamon mocks Blackthorne’s robe and tells him to get rid of his skirts. Soon the two men start fighting and let’s just say that Blackthorne, who has been eating fresh seafood and washing off all the germs, is by far the stronger fighter.
After Blackthorne knocks out Salamon, a Japanese assistant forces him to leave… which means Blackthorne has apparently officially rejected his men… or has he? At the end of the episode, he returned his swords to Toranaga and decided that it is foolish to remain in the service of the doomed man. Blackthorne is adrift.
shÅ gun Star Cosmo Jarvis told Jugo Mobile during an interview at Winter 2024 TCA that he felt Blackthorne’s response to Salamon revealed how “opportunistic” he was.
“You know, at the core of Blackthorne’s motivation, there is something that people may or may not pick up on. He is an opportunist and that was in the book. In the book, he is always compared to the respect that Sir Francis Drake received from Queen Elizabeth,” Jarvis said, referring to the many, many Sometimes Blackthorne’s point of view dreams of riches and honors similar to his return to London in Clavell’s novel.
“It seemed to me that reading it, even though Clavell never nails it down, well, he doesn’t nail it down in the way you think someone might define a character who is supposed to be so tremendously opportunistic, a little bit cursed.” “Open-minded opportunist, but I guess I read it that way,” Jarvis said. “And I found it interesting that, although he professes to forming alliances with people and suggesting ways to help, deep down there is a part of him that is only there for something he thinks he wants.”
Jarvis continued to sing the praises of his co-star Dakota Daulby before hammering home why Blackthorne so callously dispatched his former shipmate.
“In that scene, [Salamon’s] criticizing Blackthorne for being the cause of what got them there and what got them there,” Jarvis said. “I guess it’s become clear that he’s a threat to Blackthorn’s very being and that those people are no longer useful to him, despite them being the men he’s been at sea with for years.”
Therefore, he took away Salamon’s daylight and left him potentially dead to rot in the street. Blackthorne is more than happy to get rid of what he no longer has any use for, including his former shipmates.
