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Shogunimmediately teaches us how to watch.
No swordfight ensues; both Toranagas delicate situation and his mans breach of protocol are resolved verbally.
But the penalty imposed on the soldier is so horrifying I dont think Ill ever stop thinking about it.
InShogun, saying the wrong thing can get you killed.
Saying nothing can get you killed, too.
The wrong choice can separate a person from their privilege, or their head from their torso.
Shoguncontinues teaching us how to watch in the second episode.
Blackthorne tells the Jesuit.
you’re free to twist my words in the Portuguese favor.
When Toranaga is assured that they are, the scene revises its visual grammar.
Toranaga and Blackthorne speak their own languages to one another in closeups cut like a tennis match.
Of course they cant actually talk to each other directly all of a sudden neither understands the others language.
Its not quite right to say that the series is about cultural relativism.
Yet in other scenes, he comes across as a likable guy youd want to have a conversation with.
The contrast never makes you thinkWhat an inconsistent characterizationbut ratherPeople sure are complicated.
Theres no superimposition of approval or disapproval on characters actions, an increasingly rare perspective on American television.
Shogunactively resists the temptation to build characters worth rooting for or despising.
Everyone else is neither hero nor villain, but a person defined by conditioning, appetites, and neuroses.
ButShogunis a drama, and a big-budget commercial drama at that, so it cant gettoosubtle.
Do we control our drives or the other way around?
Thats the question here, andShogunhas the good taste never to answer it.
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