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This article contains spoilers through episode 9 of Shogun.
The explosive ending to the penultimate episode of FX and Hulu’s Shōgun sets the stage for the epic finale to come. Ishido (Takehiro Hira) is desperate to hold onto his power, and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that everyone bows down to his will. With the arrival of Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), and Mariko (Anna Sawai) in Osaka, Ishido’s hold on the other Regents comes into question, and the delicate balance of power in Japan finally begins to topple.
Here’s everything you need to know before episode 10 of Shōgun, including where to watch and a full recap of episode 9.
When and Where Will Shogun Episode 10 Be Available to Watch?
Shōgun episode 10 “A Dream of a Dream” will be available to watch in the U.S. at 12 a.m. ET Tuesday, April 23 for Hulu subscribers. Those with cable or a live TV subscription can catch the broadcast airing of episode 10 on FX at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT Tuesday April 23.
For UK viewers, Shōgun episode 10 will be available on Disney+ for subscribers beginning at 5 a.m. GMT Tuesday April 23.
Shogun Episode 9 Recap
Yabushige, Blackthorne, and Mariko arrive in Osaka to find that no one is allowed to leave the palace without explicit permission. Even the power of the Portuguese is no longer enough to keep Kiyama (Hiromoto Ida) and Ohno’s (Takeshi Kurokawa) families safe. They are now all forced to reside in the palace in order to ensure their compliance with Ishido and Ochiba’s (Fumi Mikado) plan.
Yabushige and Blackthorne are required to have an audience with Ishido and Ochiba the morning after their arrival, during which Yabushige tries to offer Blackthorne as a gift to Ishido in an effort to save both of them from certain death. Even though Blackthorne was once Toranaga’s trusted Hatamoto, Ishido shows no interest in this deal, claiming that the heir has no interest in a barbarian.
When Mariko arrives for her audience, however, we finally get to see a glimpse of the plan that Toranaga put into motion by sending her to the capital. She insists, in front of everyone, that she must leave Osaka the next morning and return to Edo with Toranga’s wife Kiri (Yoriko Dōguchi) and consort Shizu (Mako Fujimoto). Ishido insists, despite the clear evidence otherwise, that nobody in the palace is a prisoner, and that they can leave at their leisure.
The next morning, this is clearly not the case. Mariko, Kiri, Shizu, and Toranga’s men are met with resistance during their attempt to leave, with Ishido’s men claiming that they can’t leave without a permit. Mariko makes a big show of this attempt, and when she is unable to clear a path forward, insists that a great injustice has been done. Because she is unable to fulfill the duties given to her by her liege lord Toranaga, she now must die by her own hand.
Mariko’s Christianity complicates the ritual, given that the religion during that time greatly considers death by suicide to be a mortal sin, no matter the reason. To get around this, Mariko asks Kiyama to be her second. And he agrees, publicly, to do her the honor.
Now that she has forced Ishido and Ochiba’s hands, they now have to either let her go through with the ritual sacrifice, admitting that everyone in Osaka is being held their against their will or forbid her to go through with it and let her leave, giving up what little power they hold over those whose loved ones are being held in the palace.
Using the heir as a ruse, Ochiba invites Blackthorne and Mariko over for a chat, trying to convince Mariko to not go through with her plans. Mariko insists that she’s not playing games and that Toranaga only wants to end the fighting and warmongering, arguing that Ochiba is the one playing games.
When it’s time for the ritual, Mariko finds herself without Kiyama as her second and forced to forfeit a chance at the Christian afterlife she believes in. Seeing her pain, Blackthorne offers to be her second in his stead. He doesn’t fully support Mariko’s decision to end her own life, but understands what this means to her.
At the last minute, Ishido appears with permits that would allow her to leave Osaka as she was ordered to, playing like she’s being difficult and over-exaggerating the situation. The other women gathered in support of Mariko crowd Ishido begging for their own permits, and Ishido insists that they have always been allowed to leave Osaka.
Meanwhile, Yabushige does as Yabushige does and makes his own deal with Ishido to once again save himself. That night, he helps assassins enter the palace in an attempt to kill Mariko and the remaining members of Toranaga’s men (no way was Ishido going to actually let them leave).
Yabushige of course acts like he has no idea what’s going on and tries to take refuge in a storeroom with Mariko, Blackthorne, Kiri, and Shizu. With nowhere left to run, Blackthorne tries to find a way out the back window while Yabushige just stands there terrified. Mariko sees no other way out for them, and stands in front of the door to take the brunt of the cannon fire used to break down the door so that the others might still live. While we don’t yet know her fate, it’s unlikely that she would have survived.
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