Review: Samurai Jack ” Episode XCIV”

Gotta get back to the past…

Spoilers Below

This episode starts where the last episode left off. Jack is bleeding out while floating down the river. This has to be the worst condition I have ever seen Jack in, as he gets tossed through white water rapids and down a waterfall before regaining consciousness. Clutching a log for life he floats down river day and night. A frog joins jack on at the log and issues a warning that the sisters of Akuu are coming. Jack tries to kick faster but quickly passes out from fatigue. He awakens on the shore of the river.

We see that the kunai thrown by one of the daughters of Akuu is still wedged in Jacks abdomen as he exits the water and wanders through a forest, unintentionally leaving tracks due to his open wound. We see the ghostly samurai again as Jack trudges forward. What is this ghostly apparition? Is it death? Jack’s own mental image of a samurai giving him strength, driving him forward? Jack stumbles into a cave and removes the kunai, howling in pain and subsequently passing out.

Jack awakens in chills and sweats as his own conscious torments him again, looking more twisted and demonic than ever. We find out that Jack has never killed a human, and this is part of what is tormenting him. Jack’s conscious looks very demonic here taunting him that the other daughters of Akuu will surely kill him when they find him and it must be what he wants.

Jack awakens. Something approaches the cave. Jack is covered in blood and ready to strike. It’s the lone wolf from the prior episode, also covered in blood. The wolf stands at the entrance to the cave looking at Jack. Jack looks at the wolf, yet can barely keep his eyes open. Jack passes out again.

Jack dreams of an even that occurred in his childhood. He is riding in the imperial carriage with his mother and father, the emperor, as the imperial caravan is attacked by assassins. The assailants kill the emperor’s guards and demand the emperor show himself. A young Jack watches through the blinds of the carriage he was riding in as his father takes a stand against the attackers. The emperor poetically offers the killers an option, to leave and live and see another day, or stay and meet their destiny. The assailants chose to meet their destiny. Blood flies everywhere as the emperor defends his family. Some blood even lands on young Jacks face and gets in his eyes.

Jack awakens with renewed vigor and decides to stitch himself up. The wolf returns clutching a pheasant in its jaws, having gone on a hunt. The two warriors eat together, bonding over the meal and sharing the food. Has Jack found a new companion? As Jack tends to his wounds, the wolf licks Jack’s wounds clean. Jack tries to repay the favor by splashing water on the wolf’s wounds. Not a good idea, as the wolf responds by baring its teeth, snarling and barking in Jack’s face. A misunderstanding. Next, we see Jack attempting to sleep in the freezing cold. Jack passes out again. When he awakens he finds that the wolf has curled up around Jack, keeping him warm. Together, the two solitary warriors make a full recovery and the wolf sets out on his own path. Jack stays in the cave. Will we see this lone wolf again?

Another dream. Jack’s father is washing Jack’s face, who got blood in his eyes from witnessing his father take lives in order to defend their family. His father drops much-needed knowledge on him, telling him that the actions and decisions you make are a clear reflection of who you are. You can not hide from yourself.

Next, we see the daughters of Akuu, carrying their dead sister. They leave her lifeless body behind because to them, after all, death is failure. The remaining 6 sisters are on Jacks trail, following the river and the waterfall in order to catch up with Jack. They are excellent trackers, following Jacks path even through the swiftly flowing water. They eventually exit the water as well, on high alert as they search for the samurai. A female deer emerges from the forest, followed closely by a buck. These girls have never seen a deer before. They expect the buck to slay the do thinking the buck’s horns make him one of Akuu’s minions. Instead, the two deer nuzzle each other and run away at the first sound of danger. They sisters don’t understand what just happened. The deer are soon forgotten as they notice more of Jack’s tracks and follow them, brandishing their weapons.

The daughters of Akuu travel further before stopped in their tracks by a voice. It’s Jack! He repeats the poetic words his father said to the men who attacked his imperial caravan, giving them the choice to leave and live, or stay and face their destiny. Snow falls gently as the daughters of Akuu get ready to kill.

Jack appears out of nowhere and impales two of the daughters with a spear before making a break for it. Four more left.  The remaining daughters of Akuu give chase. An epic, acrobatic battle ensues, and Jack is able to impale another one of the daughters of Akuu through the stomach with one of the sisters’ knifes.  The three remaining sisters do some weird type of fusion and charge Jack, taking him by surprise and managing to cut him a few times. Jack fights back valiantly but gets winded quickly. Jack makes a run for it before meeting a dead end at the end of a tree branch upon a high cliff. Jack’s back is against the wall. It’s time to face destiny. Jack discards his weapon and prepares for hand to hand combat. The first sister charges jack and he evades all of her strikes before throwing her off the branch and into the chasm below. Sister number two charges Jack and gets knocked out in one blow, falling to her death. The last remaining sister throws the flying meteor end of her chained kusarigama at Jack and he allows it to wrap around his arm as they tango in their dance of death. He manages to knock her off the ledge as well, but she is not finished because she is still hanging on to her weapon, whose other end is still wrapped around Jack’s arm. As Jack unwraps the chain from the kusarigama from around his arm, she screams at Jack, claiming our hero will die at the hand of Aku even as she falls to her death. Jack breathes a sigh of relief. He has defeated some of his most dangerous foes yet.

The tree branch the intense life or death battle just occurred on snaps and Jack falls into the void below. Another amazing episode comes to its conclusion.

This episode was fantastic! Jack’s conscious made another appearance to torment our hero. Watching the two engage in a battle of wills really makes me feel like Jack is on the verge of giving up and taking his own life. It’s as if his conscious is his own worst enemy, sewing seeds of fear and doubt in Jack’s mind at any opportunity. The flashback or dream sequences that involved Jack’s father, the emperor, were executed wonderfully. Not only the animation but even more so with the words spoken by Jack’s father. Not only did the wise words that the emperor spoke ring true for Jack in his current situation, but can also be applied to everyday life. If you’re the type who looks for a deeper meaning in an episode, Samurai Jack delivers beautifully here. I was also pleasantly surprised that the lone wolf from last episode made an appearance in this episode, for I surely thought that wolf had succumbed to the injuries it sustained in its own battle. The connection between Jack and the wolf was interesting to watch as it unfolded as well. The two are kindred spirits as Jack is a lone wolf himself in this desolate future. I would personally really like to see this wolf make an appearance in a future episode, however if this is the last time we see that lone wolf, it will make sense

. The fight scenes between Jack and the daughters of Akuu were artfully executed as well, but I was kind of shocked that they all seemed to meet their destiny by way of Samurai Jack this episode. I thought that they had the potential to be major villains or at least last for more than three episodes. The good news though is that this means that bigger, better and more heinous villains are sure to head Jack’s way in the near future! I still wonder about the identity of ghostly samurai that Jack has visions of as well. What is it? How long will Jack’s conscious continue to torment him?