Shōgun Review: 11 Ups & 2 Downs
7. Up: The Stealthy Heartbreak
For the most part, Shōgun is a drama of enveloping dramatics. The characters are caught in a power vacuum, grappling to consolidate power and safety, and their journeys are unbelievably twisty and tense.
But every now and again, amongst the scheming warlords, forgotten heirs and the looming spectre of war, the series is deeply heartbreaking. The aforementioned Seppuku of the young samurai and his child is an early indication of the show's tragedy, and a promise that little of what's to come will end on a happy note.
Even the show's most objectively antagonistic figures - particularly Lord Ishido and a cunning Lord Yabushige - are explored with wrenching results as two men torn by their nature and their desire for increased authority.
No character is given more wrenching material to work with than Lady Mariko, though, who's relationship with Blackthorne and slowly unfurling backstory leads to one of the most devastating scenes in the show. For all its action and political strategising, Shōgun packs a mean emotional punch.