MrX

Fujiko was one of my favorite characters in the book and the actress playing her is doing a great job playing her.

Decker

I was confused about that too. Also didn't he make the nasty stew out of it? The one that they wouldn't eat and ordered it thrown into the sea? If so, why was the pheasant still there? And if not, what did Blackthorn serve them?

mugwump

He served them rabbit stew. At that time in Japan eating meat (meaning four-legged mammals) had been mostly banned for centuries. Oddly enough rabbits weren't considered "meat" since they were classified as two-legged.

As for the pheasant, it was common to let them "rot" by hanging to age and dry as a way of making them taste better. Some hunters still do this with game birds today but hopefully with fewer flies.

bluetoast

For book/mini series fans, the moment the pheasant was shown at the beginning you knew what was coming. It’s interesting to expect that and yet still have the tension/anticipation.

story

As I said a bit ago, I'm waiting until April to watch this with our oldest when our lives get a little quieter, so I enjoy reading your talk about this (I read the book several times so I'm not concerned on spoilers).

However, it's been a while since I watched the original miniseries, and I think I will watch it this summer on my newly-arrived Blu-ray. Would there be enough people who want to find a similar timeframe to watch it and have a discussion thread so it's more or less in "real time" as we take in episodes?

OldBoy

the seeds for war is imminent.

MrX

The side eye and tea sipping from Fujiko when Mariko and Goyoko, I don’t think they name her on the show, were negotiating was great

DJariya

Whoah, some good stuff this week. Toranaga declaring war was a good way to end it.

I loved the little subtle moments when Blackthorne, Mariko and Lady Kiku was interacting with each other. It had such a poetic nature to it. And then we see Lady Kiku's boyfriend giving the jealous eye.

and I loved Mariko's negotiating tactics with the Mama-San

MrX

The show has been diverging somewhat from the book the last 2 episodes.

This ep was badically setting everything up for the rest of the series. Still a lot for them to squeeze into 3 episodes.

Decker

This show is SO DAMN GOOD! I really enjoyed tonight's episode. Poor


that was not a glorious death.

DJariya

That death is going to have some interesting ramifications. But, it was obvious Toranga’s half brother was shady.

I liked the opening flashback when Toranaga was a child and already a leader.