Review: Samurai Jack “Episode XCVI”

Yo! Samurai Jack is packed to the MAX with major events this episode and you gotta see it for yourself! If you have somehow not managed to watch an episode of the new Samurai Jack, this is THE episode to watch. From early on in the episode, big things take place and it doesn’t stop until the credits roll either. The last scene of this episode has me wanting, no needing to see what happens next.

Spoilers Below

The first thing first though. IT’S THE RETURN OF THE SCOTSMAN! I If you remember from earlier episodes of Samurai Jack, The Scotsman is a loud-mouthed, sword-swinging, gun-blasting force to be reckoned with that teamed up with Jack on a few occasions during the ongoing fight against Aku.  Not only is he was one of my favorites of Jack’s allies, but he hasn’t changed a bit… aside from the aging that has happened in the past fifty years. I had hoped that they planned on bringing back The Scotsman at some point in time, but I did not expect them to do it this episode. He now has a daughter, commands an entire clan of Scotswomen, and is literally waging war with Aku to this very moment. If you are a fan of Samurai Jack at all, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS SCENE.

Immediately in the next scene, we see that Ashi is also struggling with herself internally. In an intense interaction with her master that may or may not have been a hallucination; she is criticized, scolded and told she is a failure. Was this an actual power of her master, or just Ashi’s own conflicted mind raging war with itself? Jack recently told her for the first time in her life that everything she knows is a lie, so of course, she’s questioning her motives. The man she has been trained to kill since she was born has just given her enough of a glimpse of light to make her see that she was living in darkness the entire time and making her question everything she has ever known. In such a short amount of time, Jack has changed her life. Ashi is stuck in quite the conundrum. Throughout this episode and at the guidance of Jack, Ashi’s eyes are opened to more of what Aku’s world is really like and the evil that is Aku.

Really, this episode focuses on Ashi’s growth just as much, if not more than Jack’s. I am interested to see how this new relationship between Jack and Ashi will turn out. I can easily see this becoming a teacher/student type relationship in the future, especially if Jack takes Ashi along as a sidekick. A particular scene involving a lone standing tree really seemed significant for no reason to me. This beautiful tree stands alone amongst the wasteland that is filled with the dead stumps of other trees. It was said that Aku was the reason for this, having laid waste to the forest himself. By just growing there, that one tree is fighting against Aku. The manner in which this moment is executed makes me wonder, could the tree be symbolic for Jack? For Ashi? Jack is like the lone tree because he alone is the one man that can defeat Aku, and whom Aku fears. Ashi has the potential to be the lone tree because she could choose to stand out from amongst the negativity from which she was raised and fight against Aku. It has already been shown that she has compassion for nature deep in her heart. The question is though, is it her new ambition against Aku genuine? How long will she side with Jack? I felt like she was too quick to go from a cold-blooded assassin to wanting to take down Aku. She also has some serious latent potential and has incredible will power, as showcased in a later scene. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this play out. Either way, one thing is for certain. Ashi is going to be important in the future.

Another thing that happens in this episode is Jack is tormented by (surprise) his own inner demons again. I’m really curious to know as to how these demons in Jack’s brain got so intense? What does this stem from? It seems like every time Jack gets a slight moment of peace or solitude, it is immediately snatched away by his demons. Jack is never at peace. Perhaps our villain tonight shed some light on this subject while observing Jack for himself. Jack refuses to harm innocents. Do these his demon represent all of the innocent lives that have been lost while on his mission to defeat Aku? One more important thing… what is up with the Samurai Specter that seems to be plaguing Jack?

Overall, this was one of the best episodes of Samurai Jack yet, especially from this newer run. It’s got that “classic” Samurai Jack vibe to it that makes me feel like the story never stopped. Not only is it as action packed as ever, but a lot of major things take place this episode. Somehow, it all happens smoothly and has great pacing. This episode is orchestrated magnificently. The worst thing about this episode is that it ended on a freaking cliffhanger and I absolutely have to know what happens on next RIGHT NOW.

SCORE
9.5/10

 

By the way, did you see Jack tame and befriend that Sea Dragon like it was nothing? That was too dope!