There’s something lurking on the Bebop and it’s slowly taking out the crew, one by one. Cowboy Bebop has flirted with horrific elements in the past (see: “Sympathy for the Devil”), but in this one, Watanabe and crew give a full-on tilt of their hats to the space monster movie with “Toys in Attic.” Remember, there’ll be spoilers not only for this session, but also potentially the ones that proceeded it.
1. An Evil Alien Creature, Whoooooo
We’ve spoken at great length throughout these columns how Cowboy Bebop takes and mixes genres. Overall, we’re given a space western but Watanabe and his Sunrise crew aren’t afraid to take different approaches. Sometimes, this doesn’t work out; other times, it creates some of the most memorable sessions. “Toys in the Attic” borrows heavily from Alien and Steven Spielberg, mixing it with its own humor and a sense of bathos. Quick review: bathos is when creators purposefully upset the tone or mood of a piece, generally to make it seem trivial or ridiculous. Therefore, with this session, we get a solid, frequently terrifying story, ultimately upset by a well-delivered punchline.
2. This Isn’t Hide and Seek, Dammit
Here’s the thing “Toys in the Attic” straddles perfectly: the balance between terror and humor. The people at Sunrise spend as much time showing Spike, Jet, and Faye’s different reactions to the situations as they do creating these point-of-view shots of the monster crawling through the vents. The lingering shots of characters alone in the Bebop, with maybe a strange sound echoing out around them carry the same weight as an early scene where Spike runs Jet through a list of viruses. What’s more, the show is distinctly aware of when to draw out the tension to the snapping point and when it’s appropriate to interrupt it with a joke.
Take the revelation of the space monster, for instance. Watanabe reveals about 2/3 of the way through that it’s this sentient blob, zipping and sweeping through the air ducts. The question then moves from, what is it? to where did it come from? Is it an evil space monster, like Ed suggests? A mutant rat with a unique poison per Spike? No. Turns out it’s a leftover lunch that mutated into this gelatinous creature.
Again, this speaks to how well Watanabe and the crew at Sunrise execute this story. In other narratives, the final revelation would completely stop the momentum. Here, however, we’re given a little more, taken a little further, as Spike tries to jettison the source. Everything exists just for that final punchline.
3. Captain’s Log
Oddly enough, this session starts like a Star Trek episode. Jet gives a captain’s log sort of update, and the narrative gets passed from character to character as more of them get bumped off. It’s an interesting subversion, a device giving these characters agency and presence before stripping it away after being attacked by an evil force. You could even read it as part of Cowboy Bebop‘s ongoing efforts to take the glamour and shine out of space. I could see something like this also going toward the arguments about the show being nihilistic, but the show does make an effort to show the characters continuing on in the face of it.
4. Empty Time
“Toys in the Attic” almost completely shucks off a score. It doesn’t even rely much on diegetic music. I know I talk about the editing a lot on this series, so let’s take a moment to hand it over to the sound designers for this session. There’s the squishy dart of the blob. The single drop of water dripping in the background. The firing up of the heat detector, sounding like a Polaroid camera. Ein’s yelps throughout the ship. Footsteps, down long corridors, up ladders, over grating. The dull electric hum constantly suggesting the poisoned refrigerator. The sound of the jet engines surging forward without concern.
5. Well, I Prefer to Think of It as Enterprising
I think Cowboy Bebop is at its best with these weird digressive sessions. Watanabe and crew stay true to the characters’ reactions and personalities, making their choices believable and consistent. This makes the story all the more effective. With a few pieces of shorthand — such as Faye cheating Jet out of his belongings or Spike attempting a skishkabob with a flamethrower — you’re able to understand them enough to invest in their plight. Without being tethered to that overall plot with Spike’s old life, we’re given a solid and engaging session.
What did you think? How well does Cowboy Bebop juggle horror elements in relation to everything else that’s going on in the story? What other references did you pick up on? Let us know in the comments and stick around next time, space cowboys, as we double down on the past in “Jupiter Jazz.”
