With Vicious driven off…for now, it’s time for the crew
of the Bebop to get back to what they do best…sort of. But it’s not just new bounties catching their
eyes. Faye and Jet both find their own
pasts catching up to them in dangerous ways.
Will Faye finally discover the truth of why she awoke to a strange new
future? Will Jet finally be able to kill
the man who took his arm and cost him his career? And in the middle of all of this can the
Bebop bounty hunters finally earn some money for all their trouble?
Backstories, histories, questions of the past unanswered,
those are the orders of this weeks Bebop set and man did the creator have some
fun with these.
While the bulk of the backstory themed set is focused on
Faye, it’s actually Jet’s story that is actually the strongest of the two
stories. Episode 16 “Black Dog Serenade”
is a much better episode for the robo armed ex cop than Ganymede Elegy. It’s darker and grittier tone make for better
tragic storytelling that is both exciting and nail biting. Even if you can guess the twist at the end,
it’s still very well done. Not to
mention, the episode has a great Film Noire feel to it, especially in the
flashback scenes where we discover how Jet truly lost his arm and how it still
haunts him. Definitely one of shows best
episodes.
Faye on the other hand, has the start of a great tale but
it does leave you hanging on a couple of levels while still being pretty
effective. Seeing Faye both before and
after her cryo slumber is a little heartbreaking. She was such a different girl before her
accident (tied to that pesky Gate Incident again), so happy and full of hope
for the future, a far cry from the jaded and heavily masked spitfire she is
today. And it’s a past, like we the
viewer clearly see, that has no real answers yet. The con man who she tried to love didn’t have
anything and the video tape she receives is just as cryptic. Jet’s past seems to have been wrapped up
rather nicely by the end of his episode, but Faye’s still leaves more to be
desired…especially after Spike and Jet went through all that trouble on Earth
to find a video player to view the cassette tape. I think Spike’s reaction to Faye’s backstory
while in the bathroom is pretty spot on as Faye asks rather annoyed, “How long
were you in there listening Spike?” “Too
long, your story needs editing.”
Speaking of which, despite the minor letdown of not
learning too much more about Faye’s unclear video tape, Spike and Jet’s Indiana
Jones esque search for a Beta Player in an abandoned, death trap filled museum
on Earth was a helluva lot of fun. It’s
rare to see these two doing something not bounty hunter related and it leads to
some funny and great moments, especially after all that work they almost come
out empty handed. But the real scene
stealing duo this week is lovable fan favorites Ed and Ein, who finally get
their own adventure in the hilarious Episode 17 “Mushroom Samba”. This was definitely one of the shows most
light hearted and fun filled episodes as Ed and Ein race to catch a Mushroom
dealing bounty head before their vengeful but no less experienced competition
beats them too it. It almost makes me
wonder why this loveable pair never got a spin off series of their own. If anything they would’ve been great for a
movie short style series, similar to the Tachikomatic Days shorts on Ghost in
the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. But
sadly no such series exists that I’m aware.
Still, most fans of Bebop adore Ed’s wackiness and Ein’s ability to
understand her and that makes them one of the shows greatest strengths.
Not much else to say here. Good times were had by all and the series is
still rolling strong with the supporting cast getting some time to shine after
some Spike heavy episodes. See you next
week Space Otaku Cowboys.
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