FX’s ‘Shogun’ is what thrillers hope
Several projects have claimed to be the “next Game of Thrones,” including HBO’s own prequel series chronicling the demise of House Targaryen.
Many of these would-be successors have one thing in common: they are works of imagination. If Thrones shows that fans are willing to watch a series about dragons and ice zombies, the assumption is that they will want something similar.
While the magical components were vital to Thrones, the secret sauce was something more grounded: high-stakes politics.
HBO may have spent an enormous amount of money to bring Westeros to life, but, to quote Tyrion Lannister, the show never seemed more confident than when it came down to wonderful talks in magnificent settings.
(A passive-aggressive debate between Varys and Littlefinger seemed more intense than any of Thrones’ war scenes.) Throw in the carefully researched history of Westeros, and Thrones became one of the most immersive experiences the medium has ever seen.
The television scene has changed dramatically since Thrones was at its peak popularity: the proliferation of streaming platforms has resulted in increasingly fragmented watching patterns, while Peak TV is now beginning to plateau after years of excessive expenditure.
In essence, the circumstances do not exist for any show to become the “next Game of Thrones,” no matter how captivating a program may be. If any series deserves to stand out, the new FX limited series Shogun is a strong contender: a grand historical epic brimming with political intrigue.
Shogun is based on James Clavell’s blockbuster novel of the same name, which was first turned into a miniseries for NBC in 1980. It takes place in 17th-century Japan, with the country on the verge of civil war. It has been a year since Taiko, the ultimate leader of a united Japan, passed away.
The taiko’s heir is too young to seek the throne; thus, a five-member Council of Regents has been formed in his stead. While each member of the council has their own agenda—two of the men converted to Catholicism after the Portuguese began commerce with the island nation—the most mysterious of the group is Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), a legendary warrior from a dynasty family.
The other council members have banded together against Toranaga, thinking that he intends to appoint himself shogun and rule Japan under a de facto military dictatorship.
The council, led by the conniving Lord Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira), is preparing to impeach Toranaga, which would result in his death sentence.
Toranaga sees a chance when a shattered Dutch vessel, led by English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), lands on Japan’s beaches. Blackthorne, a Protestant, is an opponent of the council’s Portuguese-allied members and may be used as a negotiating chip against them.
But, more crucially, Blackthorne understands Western warfare, and his “barbarian” ship is armed with cannons and muskets, weaponry that may tip the balance in Toranaga’s favor if war breaks out.
It’s a complicated structure, and one of the highlights of the Shogun is keeping track of the shifting allegiances of the key political figures. The dilemma is exacerbated by the rigid set of customs and decorums that distinguish Japanese society. In the premiere, for example, one of Toranaga’s samurai speaks out of turn when Ishido criticizes his master; as a result, the samurai is commanded to commit seppuku and end his lineage.
In instances like this, Blackthorne serves as an excellent audience proxy, responding in amazement as those around him appear to handle life and death with such callousness. Blackthorne’s cultural shock is also where Shogun indulges in levity: He can’t understand why people in this nation bathe more than once a week. “Blackthorne, I know it smells crazy in your kimono.”
Of course, Blackthorne cannot speak Japanese, so Toranaga hires Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a noblewoman from a disgraced family, to act as his interpreter. (Mariko, a converted Catholic, speaks Portuguese, which is how she and Blackthorne converse, yet their whole speech in the series is in English.)
Mariko and Blackthorne eventually connect over their unusual circumstances: two players in a tight political chess game in which one wrong move may result in an all-out war that breaks Japan apart.
