Cowboy Bebop Blue Crow Waltz Television 

Five Thoughts on Cowboy Bebop’s “Blue Crow Waltz”

By | January 11th, 2022
Posted in Television | % Comments

One episode from the end, and we get the flashback episode. We had an entire season of buildup about Spike’s past with the Syndicate, Vicious, and Julia, so now we see how it all went down. So without further ado, let’s take a look.

1. Flashback Episode

The entire episode is a flashback to Spike’s past, giving us his history in one go. But the start of the episode is… okay, it starts with Vicious talking to Spike (who was going by Fearless at the time) about shaving his balls. This entire conversation goes on a lot longer than it needs to.

And look, when Jet and Spike talk about random nonsense before the plot kicks off, I get it, it’s to show their camaraderie and give us a glimpse at what they do between episodes. The episode tries to do the same with Fearless and Vicious, but did they really have to talk that long about shaving their balls?

Anyways, we learn a bit more about them throughout the episode. For instance, we learn that Spike/Fearless lived on the streets until Caliban took him in, making him and Vicious essentially brothers. We see him and Vicious report to a capo named Stax and are assigned to carry out negotiations with the Neptune Cartel, but Vicious is a loose cannon and Fearless needs to keep him in check.

So basically, we learn how close they were as friends, but how Vicious feels both entitled to control of the Syndicate and lacks the restraint or foresight required to make it work.

2. Fearless, Fearless, and Julia

We also see how Vicious and Julia first met. She sang at Ana’s bar, he saw her, and sent her a drink. From there, we skip ahead until later in the relationship, and generally see it play out. (Also, apparently Julia is Russian? There was nothing to indicate that before, but okay.)

But we also see when she meets Fearless/Spike, and since Vicious is in a pretty sour mood (due to the Neptune Cartel negotiations going south), they’re the ones to spend time together and dancing. And when Vicious decides to cut their night out short to hit a guy from the Neptune Cartel with a car, Fearless is the one to take her home and comfort her.

So since there’s nothing like a little trauma bonding, they immediately start doing it.

Now, that scene wasn’t half bad. The transition from Fearless and Julia spilling a bottle of wine to Vicious pouring alcohol on his victim was decently done, and the contrast between the lovemaking and Vicious’ torture and murder while the same song played over it helped.

The affair certainly started quickly, but it was handled well enough.

3. Spike’s Killing Spree

So, Vicious made the foolish mistake of, y’know, murdering a high-ranking member of the Neptune Cartel in an alleyway where anyone walking by could see. Not the best call. So either the Syndicate offers up Vicious in retribution, or it’s war.

Stax calls for Fearless to kill Vicious, but because this is Spike we’re talking about, he can’t kill his friend/brother (steal his girl, yes, but not kill). Instead, he goes and wipes out the entire Neptune Cartel.

And the scene showing it is pretty good. The camera pans past windows showing the fight, with the action in shadows but briefly illuminated by muzzle flashes as Fearless fights through the entire cartel. We see him use a variety of weapons, and eventually the sound stops all together, leaving nothing but the soundtrack. So all in all, a well done scene.

Then we get to the end, when Fearless sees a young girl who witnessed the scene. In an earlier moment, we established that he has a rule against killing kids, so he tells her to run. But we also know from a previous episode that the death of a young girl still weighs on his conscience, so, for the sake of his friend, he breaks that rule.

Nicely done.

4. Vicious is Mad at Dad

When all the killing is over, what of Vicious? Well, it turns out he was just drinking through the night, anticipating his death. What he gets instead is a visit from dear old dad, who actually congratulates him and Fearless for their attack on the Neptune Cartel. For once, Caliban actually says he’s proud of Vicious, causing another series of ridiculous facial expressions.

Continued below

And of course, Caliban knows Vicious had nothing to do with it, and it was all a test. So Caliban calls Vicious a worthless liar, and spills the beans on Fearless and Julia running away. How does he know? It’s not explained, but we’ll go with the Syndicate having a really good spy network.

All this comes after a scene where Vicious recounts the time his mother jumped to her death, and his father made him watch. It’s a moment of reflection that explains why Vicious is so messed up, and all this goes to add more depth and detail to his interactions with the Elders in earlier episodes.

The only problem is, it comes so late in the game that we’ve already made up our minds about Vicious. So while it may help with the character on repeat views, it didn’t do too much this time.

5. Left For Dead

After all is said and done, Fearless is ready to leave the Syndicate and take Julia with him. So while the lead-up might be a little different from the anime, the end result is the same: he waits for a woman who doesn’t arrive, and gets shot instead. We even get the iconic shot of a rose falling into a puddle of water as it plays out.

This time, we see that Julia wanted to go with him, but she was stopped from leaving. Instead, Vicious tells Fearless that she chose to stay, and the gunfight begins.

Although Fearless does get shot a few times, he falls into the river, which obviously means he’s going to be assumed dead but will miraculously survive. That’s the moment where Fearless dies and Spike Spiegel can be born, and all things considered, it matches up with the anime well enough.

So once more, we get some ups and downs. Vicious continues to be a weak point, and the moment where Spike/Fearless and Julia began their affair feels a little sudden too, but it still hits the right beats for the episode and adds more to what we know about all the characters involved.

Next episode, it all concludes, so join me next week as I present my thoughts on the finale. Until then: see you, space cowboy.


//TAGS | Cowboy Bebop

Robbie Pleasant

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