The premiere of the final season of Samurai Jack was amazing. Not only did it establish the new status quo for the series, but it delivered some great action that is to be expected from the show. It feels like the Samurai Jack of the past but more polished and more mature, which is a treat for those who grew up with the show.
So how does “XCIII” stack up to the premiere ? Well, I’d say that the second episode of the final season is even better, delivering even more action and suspense than the first, and will leave viewers anxiously waiting for episode three.
SPOILER ALERT! Before we discuss the episode further, there will be spoilers in this review. While I’ll try to be as spoiler-free as possible, at certain points it will be unavoidable, so keep that in mind.
Unlike the first episode, “XCIII” begins on a lighter note. Viewers finally get to see Aku and what he’s been up to for all these years. It’s clear that the past 50 years have not been kind to the tyrant and like with Jack, he’s being haunted.
While Jack is haunted by his past, Aku is preoccupied by his present/future as Jack’s immortality is beginning to weigh down on him. He has to always be vigilant and look over his shoulder because the threat will constantly be there, despite his best efforts.
Again, like with the first episode, we get more tidbits as to what happened in the time gap, in particular what Aku has done. We are slowly but surely getting the whole picture.
As for the rest of the episode, we follow Jack as he’s met by the latest version of Aku’s beetle machines before meeting the Daughters of Aku. I was surprised to see the Daughters clash with Jack so soon, but it leads to me to believe that the Daughters will have more of a role in the overall season than I once thought.
We also get to dive more into Jack’s shattered psyche as some of the darkest thoughts yet start to burrow their way out of his mind. If you thought Jack was broken before, this scene really hammers home how deep his depression is.
The sequence with the Daughters is the part where the episode goes off-the-rails insane. The action choreography is superb, better than the first episode and possibly better than anything we saw before in Samurai Jack.
From multiple weapons to the changes in scenery and the weather, everything is masterfully and carefully planned to get Jack from point A to B, all done with little to no dialogue.
The first episode’s final fight had a lot of dialogue, to not only give backstory but to give a sense of levity from the imagery we saw in the early parts of the episode. The climax to this episode is the complete opposite.
The fight is brutal and Jack is pushed to the edge unlike anything we’ve seen before. The choreography isn’t the only thing that needs to be praised, the selection of music really amps up the intensity and the looming doom for Jack as he tries to fight off all seven Daughters of Aku.
I’m gushing here, but you need to experience the last 10 minutes to really appreciate what’s happening and the story being told, especially when Jack makes a shocking discovery at the end.
Overall, “XCII” is the best episode of the final season of Samurai Jack so far. It gives more insight into the mindset of Jack, gives viewers a dose of Aku and some of the most heart pounding action you’ll see on television. Tartakovsky and the rest of the team could have shown only the last 15 minutes of the episode and fans would be satisfied.
Another small thing I noticed: I loved the fact that “XCII” is a direct continuation of the first episode, as oftentimes in Samurai Jack the episodes bounce around in time or settings. The serialization between the two episodes was great, and I hope that continues in this season.
Believe me, this is the episode everyone will be talking about.
