Review: Shogun, "A Dream Of A Dream"
I knew going into “A Dream of a Dream” that there would be no climactic battle; I knew this not because of any insight on my part, but because a fellow critic posted about their confusion after watching the finale. As such, I can’t tell you what my reaction would’ve been if I’d watched “Dream” with my previous expectations intact. At this point, I’m not even sure what those expectations were. Obviously I knew the fallout from Lady Mariko’s death was going to be important, and of course Toranaga was going to ultimately win in the end. But while I don’t think I was looking for some kind of massive action spectacle, I definitely wasn’t prepared for what we got. Even knowing there would be no actual war, I doubt I could’ve predicted a finale as mournful, eerie, and odd as this one.
Does it work? I mean, I’m going to try and answer that question in multiple paragraphs, but: yes. It worked for me, at least. It didn’t work perfectly, mind you, and I’m curious how all of this will play out if and when I watch the entire series over again. But on the fundamental level of delivering a satisfying conclusion to the story and providing closure for all the major figures, “Dream” basically sticks the landing. It may not do so in a way we were hoping for, but such is life, really. You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you get something else, and fingers crossed it might turn out to be what you need.
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