Cowboy Bebop
I'm always a little sad when I get to the end of a "Cowboy Bebop" re-watch. It really is a phenomenal series from beginning to end. It's one of my top ten favorite anime and more than that it's just one of my favorite shows of all-time. If you've been watching with me and it's the first time you've seen it, I hope you've enjoyed it and I hope you'll watch it again. A programming note for everyone. This space will be where I'm going to focus on my favorite anime. Before I move on to the next anime I want to cover, I figured we'd look at the live action, one season Netflix "Cowboy Bebop" adaptation that premiered in 2021 starring John Cho. So, be prepared for that. Let's get in to these final two episodes.
Jet Black: "Turn back. You told me when we first met... that you were a man who had already died once. Just forget the past, okay?"
Spike Spiegel: "There was a woman. For the first time in my life, I saw a woman that was truly alive. That's what I believed. She was a piece of me I had lost. She is my other half that I had longed for."
Vicious makes his move against the elders of the Syndicate but initially it seems like his coup has failed. Spike and Jet are ambushed by Syndicate members and are saved by Shin, who is the brother of Spike's former Syndicate associate, Lin. Shin tells them that the Syndicate is targeting anyone who was ever associated with Vicious including Julia. After meeting Julia serendipitously, Faye passes along a message and Spike heads out to meet her. At the same time, Vicious's plan is successful as he kills the leaders of the Red Dragon.
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| Lovers in a graveyard. |
I can't believe we've reached the end. It doesn't matter how many times I watch these final two episodes, they always make me really emotional. And looking back, I have to say that I think this final three episode of "Cowboy Bebop" is one of the best ending runs of any series ever. Once you watch the final two episodes, I think that you really appreciate "Hard Luck Woman" even more. And how they take Ed and Ein off the board in a way that makes sense because honestly, I can't imagine what these final two episodes would have looked like if they were part of them.
Before we get really deep in to the meat and potatoes of this episode, I have to say that "Cowboy Bebop" loves episodes that are set in the rain and really no anime does it better. It looks so gorgeous and it really is perfect especially for these final two episodes.
These final episodes bring the series full circle and really do a phenomenal job of reminding viewers why they love "Cowboy Bebop" in the first place. The action in these final two episodes is absolutely insane. Maybe some of the best action we've seen in the series history. The shoot out between Jet, Spike and the Syndicate members is great and when Jet gets shot, you gasp. You feel it. You're not sure what's going to happen. You know that this is it. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, which I really appreciate.
There's something special when Julia and Faye meet for the first time. Julia is in her red sports car being pursued by the Syndicate members. I think sometimes that it's easy to not take Faye seriously. I love how precise she is when she shoots. It's really impressive and Faye truly is a badass. I love seeing this meeting between Faye and Julia. Two women who are extremely important to Spike in completely different ways. This scene though gives me the one thing about this episode that I always struggle with. When Julia and Faye are talking, there is this flash of recognition that seems to show on Faye's face. Like, she realizes that this is Spike's Julia. But, when Julia tells Faye that she has a message for Spike, Faye seems shocked that Julia knows who she is. It's just a small moment, but I kind of wish it was a little bit clearer.
There are so many great visual moments in this episode and it feels like every time I watch it, I see something new. In this watch, I noticed the moment when Faye comes to tell Spike about Julia's message. Spike has his back to her almost the whole time, but we can see Faye reflected in the brown liquor in Spike's glass. It's just a really great moment and you may notice it at first watch, but its just another thing that really makes "Cowboy Bebop" a classic.
I have to give a shout out to Jet. I love the moment in the bar before the shoot out when he's grumbling to Spike about how Ed and Faye are the cause of their old problems. But then, he's telling Spike one of his many stories. It's very Jet and I just love the show giving us these classic moments because they know that every one could be the last.
The episode ends with another stupendous action scene. I love the juxtaposition of the Syndicate members and elders getting gunned down as Vicious escapes with the space battle between the Syndicate goons, the Bebop, Red Tail and the Swordfish. You didn't think that we weren't going to get a classic Bebop space battle in the final two episodes, did you? The episode ends with Spike finally meeting Julia in the graveyard and her holding a gun on him.
To Be Continued...
Grade: A
Spike Spiegel: "Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is fake because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I've been seeing the past in one eye and the present in the other. So, I thought I could only see patches of reality, never the whole picture."
Faye Valentine: "Don't tell me things like that. You never told me anything about yourself, do don't tell me now!"
Spike Spiegel: "I felt like I was watching a dream I could never wake from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over."
Spike and Julia have their long awaited reunion in the graveyard they were initially supposed to meet in after Spike left the Syndicate. Julia confesses that she could have killed Spike on Vicious's orders but she couldn't do it and hence has been on the run ever since. She suggests they flee but Spike can't do it, once he finds Annie murdered by the Red Dragon. When Julia is killed in a gunfight with the Red Dragon, the stage is set for Spike to have his final confrontation with Vicious.
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| "Bang." |
I feel like I might ramble a little bit throughout this recap. I just love this episode so much. It's a perfect series finale. So, if it feels like I'm rambling, I apologize in advance.
You all know I love starting at the end, so let's do that. That final sequence in this episode is really perfect. For a long time, I went back and forth about what I wanted to happen. Do I want Spike to survive this? Do be still out there somewhere complaining about Jet's cooking and being annoyed by Faye? Or do I want him to have died on those steps after finally getting his revenge, truly at peace? I feel like the episode definitely pushes us towards the latter and after watching it again, I think that's maybe how I've finally landed. I love Spike bathed in white light, stumbling down the steps after his final bloody confrontation with Vicious. The finger gun with the bang. The angelic children's choir singing. The slow pan up to the single star winking out, nodding to the conversation that Jet has with Laughing Bull. Perfect.
So many great moments in this episode with the characters and a lot of great callbacks. I loved Jet cooking for Spike one final time and him still complaining. Spike telling Jet the story of the tiger striped cat only for him to say that he hates the story because he hates cats. The two of them laughing hysterically. Not because they necessarily think it's actually funny but I think more so they just know this is probably one of their final times together and this is how they want to remember it.
My favorite scene in this finale is the one between Spike and Faye. It's packed with so much emotion and there is so much left unsaid. Spike tells Faye the story about his eyes and she is desperate for him to stop. She's pushed against getting close to Spike and Jet this entire time. She's kept them at arm's length and now Spike is getting personal when he is most likely heading off to die. Faye can't handle this. She has her memory back but there's nothing for her. She's accepted these people as her family, as someone she can be herself with and she's losing them. I can imagine she's also upset that she missed saying good bye to Ed and Ein.
So many great visuals in this episode. Aside from the final scene with Spike, I really love when Julia is shot. It's a sad moment and definitely one you know is coming. But it's great. The slow mo fall as the doves scatter behind her. The quiet moment as she dies.
There are great call backs to Spike's first fight against Vicious. The grenade toss. The cut on his cheek. The double guns. I love when they both have each other's weapons and trade back before they go after each other again. Mortally wounding each other at the same time. I don't love Vicious as a villain overall. We never know enough about him to really care about him and the same can be said for Julia, but int these last two episodes, none of that matters. It all works incredible well.
This is a superb series finale. One of the best I've ever seen. Perfection. I'm not even sure how to wrap this up. Go back and re-watch it. Watch it a few more times. Revel in it's amazingness.
You're Gonna Carry That Weight.
Next up, we start on the live action version with the first two episodes.
So that's a wrap. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the series as a whole and this series finale. Let me hear them in the comments.
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