Samurai Jack Season 05 Episode 07 Review

After a somewhat down episode (in terms of quality in my opinion), Samurai Jack Season 05 Episode 07 bounced us back in a big way. And it did so by not only showing us the past in many fashions, but helped also push us forward to the final three episodes (*sobs because it’s almost over*).

From the moment we heard that Jack lost his sword, the big question was, “How did he lose it?” We did see a flash of how it happened, but there was no context. But here, we got all the context we needed, and it was a perfect mesh of both the first four seasons, but also this one. As we got to see Jack succeed…then fail once again because of Aku. Then, we witnessed the rise of his anger and frustration that we’ve seen all this season, which led to the death of innocent animals who were warped by Aku.

This opening scene wasn’t just service to answer questions, it helped set the tone for the episode in a big way, for when Jack realized he didn’t lose the sword, that it left him, he knew an inner search for the sword was necessary.

Before I go any further, I want to once again praise the show for its use of not only art, but sound to deliver powerful moments. Jack’s soul journey was beautiful. And the scene of him making tea, where there was literally no sound except for his touching and moving of the items was masterful, especially since it was interweaving with the battles that was going on outside.

Which of course brings us to Ashi, who showed that just because she dresses nice, doesn’t mean she’s a nice girl all over. Her absolute beatdown of that army is easily one of the coolest moments of the series. Comparable to the many beatdowns Jack has brought to the table over the years. Then, for Ashi’s mother to arrive? And try to kill both Jack and Ashi? Wow. I loved how Ashi told her mother off, and did all she could to defend Jack, including potentially killing her mother (no corpse, no death confirmation!).

Finally, Jack talking with the spirit guide and realizing that it was himself that was preventing him from finding the sword was powerful. The evil version of Jack played a perfect role in this realization, as you know that in his mind, Jack was saying these things, but he knew that it wasn’t the path. And how freaking cool was it to have the gods from the original episode/movie show up and give Jack back not only his sword, but his outfit and classic appearance? That was cool.

Now, all of that being said. There’s a huge logic problem with this episode. How did the gods shave Jack’s beard? I mean, did you see that thing? It was massive!!!

….I kid, it’s not that. It’s the arrival of the army and Ashi’s mother. Jack and Ashi flew in on a massive bird, which means they likely had been traveling for some time. So how did the army not only assemble, but know where they were going, in the presumably minutes that it took to notice them? Now sure, from the moment Jack sat down to the arrival of the army is unspecified, but if you look at the sun, it couldn’t have been that long.

Plus, how did Ashi’s mother get involved in all of this? How did she get to there herself? It’s not stated, and it’s clear that it wasn’t a vision like the island one we saw, so…how did that happen?

Logic issues aside, Samurai Jack Season 05 Episode 07 was another near masterpiece. And I’m super excited to see Jack back in action in his classic form.

“What’s next?”

“Aku.”