FXs Shogun seems to be scratching an itch left by the ending of Game of Thrones.
This article includes spoilers forShogun(andGame of Thronestoo).
It is a spectacular sight.
The slaughter which is to commence against him will be immense.
… Or so were told.
Its a vision of the future gifted from one man to another who is already dead.
Because that is not the point of the final episode of the miniseries.
But this show isnt about winning the game.
Obviously a key reason for this is that the shows first four seasons were adapted from author George R.R.
Martins original three (and best)A Song of Ice and Firenovels.
These are the ones where characters had seemingly complete arcs before the game board reset.
And to showrunners David Benioff and D.B.
Weiss credit, they often made shrewd choices in adapting those characters for the screen.
It was the characters.
(Usually terrible on that show.)
Who lives, who dies?
Power resides where people think it resides.
Its a trick, a shadow on the wall.
And each character informs a larger tapestry about how individuals are used and moved by the sweep of power.
In spite of being an honored guest/implicit hostage, Mariko breaks decorum and demands to leave the castle.
She is always boxed in by the expectations and tight-smiling cruelties placed on her by men.
Yet even this metaphor still works as a grand move in the larger game of thrones.
Indeed, even in her final victory Mariko was nonetheless ordered to make this stand by her lord.
The master game player…
A Winner Without Fireworks
Which brings us back to theShogunfinale.
Its a testament to the chilling intelligence and cold-blooded ruthlessness of Yoshii Toranaga.
I dont control the wind, Sanada dryly observes.
I only study it.
What a magnificent understatement.
Still, the Anjin looks at Toranaga with gratitude, like a pet who has been well trained.
That is all you oughta know about why Toranaga becomes shogunthe militaristic ruler of Japan.
The same applies to his similar kindnesses he previously showed to Mariko.
There are thus a few ways to read Toranagas rise to the top.
It might depend who you ask.
The same would likely apply to the historical figure he is based on, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
But it came at a greater cost than just the lives of a couple pawns like Mariko and Yabushige.
Consider the relatively charitable Portuguese priest whom Toranaga allows to build a church.
There was indeed the Shimabara rebellion of 1648.
Toranaga was acutely aware of Ochibas childhood friendship with Mariko, which ultimately superseded her initial distrust of Toranga.
However, her original disdain for Toranaga will eventually be vindicated.
It made his vision for an orderly and safe Japan easier to achieve.
It treats the revelation as a natural outgrowth of a character audiences have been rooting for.
It isnt a twist; its a culmination of a great characters journey to power.
And if you find yourself second-guessing your allegiances to him, then you know the shows ending worked.
