1x14 Gateway Shuffle

[7.3/10] Well, this was an improvement at least. I like the idea of our heroes having to match wits with a collection of theatrical ecoterrorists. It’s very Batman, somehow. The fact that “Twinkle” Maria Murdock and her “children” have the local enclave by the shorthairs with a virus that could turn everyone into monkeys is pretty out there as plots go, but the dynamic it creates of shifting who has leverage from moment to moment is good stuff.

And yet, once again, our heroes just stumble into getting the MacGuffin of the week. I think that's been literally every episode so far? Is this an anime trope I’m not familiar with, or just a Cowboy Bebop thing that's going somewhere.

Despite my complaints about the contrivance, I find myself really enjoying Jet as a character. Spike is still mildly grating with his put-upon, uber-talented slacker routine. Faye is a little more interesting in this one, finding herself stranded and having to make nice and use her own con artist capabilities to get out of the jam. But Jet’s the best so far (give or take the pup), resourceful, intimidating, competent, and with some past connections to the police that make you wonder what backstory led him to becoming a bounty hunter. It’s nice to see him getting to take a firmer hand in this one.

Frankly, the shtick with Maria Murdock started to run thin after a while, since again, the whole thing has a Batman 66’ level of depth. But the local minister scrambling to meet her demands while Spike and Jet can't decide whether it’s better to capture her or turn her over, makes for some good twists and turns.

When it comes to action, the race against the missiles through the “gateway” (a wormhole, I think?) is one of the best Cowboy Bebop set pieces so far. There’s genuine tension in Faye racing to blast the projectile before they destroy Spike and his ship, and in their race to escape the gateway before it closes. Throw in Spike using his pickpocket skills to deposit the deadly virus into Maria Murdock’s pocket, leaving her hoisted by her own primate petard, and you have the show’s best episode so far.

Overall, I’m still struggling to connect with the characters (save Jet), and I wish we got a little more setup for what exactly the deal with this world is, but hopefully both of those things will come with more time and more episodes.