Review: Samurai Jack “XCIX”

After a few great episodes that focused on the development of the plot that wasn’t quite as action-packed as we were used to, this week’s episode gets us back in the groove of sword swinging action that only Samurai Jack can deliver. Man, it is great to see Jack use his trusty sword once again.

Some Spoilers Below

I was reminded of 2001: A Space Odyssey in the opening scene as a large monolithic looking spaceship floats into view and heads towards Earth. As it enters the atmosphere we’re left wondering “what the hell is this thing?” as we are whisked swiftly to a rendezvous with our heroes Jack and Ashi.

Jack and Ashi are exploring a futuristic Arabian marketplace. When Jack and Ashi run into a food peddling Walrus, a few comedic events take place that really made me laugh out loud. I probably laughed harder than I should have because this Walrus sounded almost exactly like Dr. John A. Zoidberg, one of my favorite Futurama characters. Anyway. Soon our heroes are headed to their next destination via some sort of camel-brontosaurus fusion. Boy, was that thing ugly. I could almost smell the rancid breath this creature is sure to breathe seeping through my television.

Inside the passenger area of this creature is very crowded, forcing Jack and Ashi to stand close enough to each other to make physical contact… and here’s where things start to get interesting. They accidentally touch and hold hands. But wait! They didn’t mean to hold hands, right? Whoops! This is awkward. Since they are in such a compact and overcrowded area no matter what they try to do, Jack and Ashi are repeatedly forced to get closer and closer to each other. I’ve never seen Jack sweat so much in my life! Not even when facing Aku! Fortunately, Jack literally notices the writing on the wall. Well, maybe it’s not a wall per se, but their enemies are wearing shirts that spell out “Death to Samurai Jack”, and naturally, a fight breaks out. Have I ever said how good of a team Jack and Ashi make? Not only is this fight full of action, but it is also hilarious. Many times Jack and Ashi unintentionally make contact while taking out the enemies, only to apologize to each other fervently before dishing out more punishment to the villains and making their escape into the desert.

While the two wander the desert I was delightfully pleased to see that Jack hasn’t lost his touch of making those straw hats that his mother taught him how to make as a child. As a raging sandstorm pops up, they encounter the monolithic spaceship from the beginning of the episode and they hop inside for shelter.

Jack and Ashi enter the spaceship and start exploring it, and Ashi is attacked by a poisonous leech of some sort. After disposing of the creature the couple tries to escape, only to find the exit has disappeared. I definitely got a Maze Runner vibe from this particular sequence of events. We also find out that the leech is part of a larger anthropomorphic organism called “Lazarus”, who has started pursuing our heroes, hoping to devour them. During one particular scene, I felt as if our heroes were being chased through M.C. Escher’s “Relativity” painting because of all of the different angles that stairways seemed to flow from. One thing is for sure, Lazarus is hungry and Jack an Ashi look like a tasty meal.

As Ashi and Jack run, they stumble across a hidden “safe” room that is stocked full of weapons. Perfect. Right before this happened I was just thinking that Ashi should have a weapon of her own. Well, ask and you shall receive! Ashi arms herself and Jack happens to stumble across the one weapon capable of defeating Lazarus as well, a sort of electrical discharge. I do have to note here that it’s not made clear if Ashi chooses to keep the weapon she comes across. She is an excellent fighter, but I definitely think that she needs a weapon of her own. This would allow her to compliment Jack even better than she does now.

Our heroes face off Lazarus in a serious do-or-die situation, more comedy ensues. The Lazarus leeches eat Ashi’s entire outfit! For a moment Jack loses his cool and actually disrobes in order to provide Ashi with clothing. Once again this proves that this version of Samurai Jack is meant for a more adult viewing audience. I won’t spoil everything that happens in this showdown with Lazarus, but one thing is for certain. Lazarus is one tough opponent, capable of shapeshifting, splitting into multiple forms or even detaching parts of its self for simultaneous stealth attacks from multiple angles.  Did I mention Lazarus can regenerate? There are a lot of heroes who would fall victim to an enemy like Lazarus.

This episode brings back the action-packed cinematography that we love Samurai Jack for. You would be hard-pressed to find a dull moment while watching this episode and even if you do, action follows immediately. Lazarus is one of the most original, challenging and dangerous monsters that Jack has ever faced. Also, the budding relationship between Jack and Ashi is “touched upon” a few times throughout the course of the episode as well. I really want to say what happens to close out the episode but you have to see it for yourself. All I’m going to say is… I called it. So far I have yet to be disappointed by this fantastic reboot of the series. This is how a continuation of a show should be handled, and I hope Samurai Jack sticks around for a while. Next week’s teaser also has me anticipating what will happen next as Jack appears to visit a place he seems to be familiar with, but doesn’t immediately remind me of anything I’ve witnessed Jack go through before. To continue to see the evolution of Samurai Jack will be interesting, to say the least, and I eagerly anticipate what the future holds in store for our hero.