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Shōgun Recap: With Friends Like These
Toranaga’s plan begins to play out in an episode that delivers thrilling set pieces and complex political maneuvering in equal measure.
Before reading too much into Blackthorne’s allegiance to Toranaga, however, remember what Lady Mariko said to him about the guards potentially discovering Toaranga’s ruse: “He will be killed … and all of us.” Shōgun understands that the interwoven relationships between characters need to be directly tied to each of their individual motivations. Blackthorne is concerned about what will happen when they reach their destination and Toranaga is found out, but his worries won’t come to fruition: Lord Kiyama’s men, still after “the heretic,” are waiting to ambush the procession from the high ground in the woods. On the official companion podcast, stunt coordinator Lauro David Chartrand-Del Valle pointed out that they wanted the action on the show to feel historically accurate, so there are no flourishes, no kicks, no flips, and no flashy moves.
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