Shōgun episode 4’s shocking ending is explained by the FX period drama series’ showrunners, who tease a big response coming in episode 5.
Shōgun episode 4’s shocking ending is explained by the series’ showrunners, who tease a big response coming in episode 5. The latest episode of FX’s acclaimed series based on James Clavell’s epic novel sees Englishman John Blackthorne giving Japanese warlord Yabushige’s army a crash-course in delivering European-style precision artillery fire. In the episode’s shocking final scene, the absent Lord Toranaga’s favor-seeking son Nagakado makes use of what he’s learned by surprise-attacking their enemy Ishido’s emissaries with a cannon barrage, an act that will surely bring down massive repercussions, as teased by interpreter Mariko uttering “It is war.”
In the wake of Nagakado’s fateful decision to slaughter Ishido’s men and bring on near-certain war, Shōgun season 1 showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks explained the bloody final scene, teasing a reaction coming up in episode 5. “It’s the point of no return,” Marks said (via TVLine), adding that Ishido’s response “will be an interesting one to see.” Check out his further remarks below:
“Up until this point, the escape is an escape — it was a ‘misunderstanding’ where Toranaga simply wanted to leave and so he left, and we’re all polite about it. But no one’s polite about a surprise cannon attack that murders one of Ishido’s prized retainers. Once you cross that line, you can’t uncross it.”
“The more interesting question that this middle portion of the show gets into is, ‘How does Toranaga, who wasn’t even there, respond to those kinds of things?'”
Shōgun Earned Its Game Of Thrones Comparisons With Episode 4
Given its epic scope and intrigue-filled storytelling, Shōgun was bound to draw comparisons to Game of Thrones. Those comparisons seem fully-earned now that the FX show has unleashed its most brutally violent scene to date, a shocking moment of carnage that raised the stakes for all the characters, setting up a full-on war.
Nagakado’s surprise attack against Ishido’s emissaries may not be as stunning as the Red Wedding, which saw beloved characters being felled, but it was a game-changer for Shōgun, coming as the dramatic punctuation mark to a relatively sedate episode filled with intimate character moments. Game of Thrones delivered epic battle scenes better than any show in TV history, and now Shōgun has set itself up to depict bloody medieval warfare in its own period-authentic terms, unless somehow Toranaga is able to defuse the situation with diplomacy.
It’s yet to be seen what happens next to Toranaga, Blackthorne, Mariko and the rest of Shōgun season 1’s characters, but peace seems unlikely after Nagakado’s brash act. There may not be dragons involved, but what happens now on Shōgun may nevertheless prove comparable to the most epic Game of Thrones moments.
