C@LAg said:
congrats?
Poor Buntaro had a bad day.
Got dunked on by his wife, then denied by his dad.
And Toranaga using his best friend and son's deaths like that. What a dick.
They both willingly "sacrificed" themselves. Of Hiromatsu, Toranaga said toward the end, "He played his role well." And then he thanked his son in the final scene for buying them more time.
There was simply no other path.
All Toranaga did was play to both of their natural inclinations/what each would inevitably do.
In short, it was either surrender and they all die, or let his best friend and his son die in honor/aid of their cause (and hopefully their eventual victory).
Yes, both were brutal decisions, but also a no brainer in the end. And one of the few times I've ever thought "That was
actually brilliant" when a character pulls off a supposedly "brilliant" strategic move against his foes.
What a play.
What an episode.