It's not always easy to read what goes behind Yoshii Toranaga's stern face and baggy eyes. He is an expert at guarding his thoughts from his friends as well as enemies. He looks like a clever chess player, busy planning and predicting the outcome of future scenarios. Toranaga - like any powerful, respectable ruler - wants to win. Since he prefers being secretive, his decisions baffle those around him. So when Toranaga leaves his people behind at the beginning of Episode 4, characters like Kashigi Yabushige are left disconcerted. Now, what is the lord up to? Where is he going?
You remember Yabushige, right? He behaves like a snake who cannot be trusted. Look at his uneasy expression when the crowd goes from chanting "Yabushige-sama!" to "Toranaga-sama!" It's good then that Toranaga doesn't reveal his plans to him (he didn't know anything about the lord's escape in the previous episode, too). The game of deceit is put quietly in motion in Episode 4. It starts like a whisper and consumes everyone with blood by the end. "You should be our lord," you hear a woman murmuring. Toranaga's son gets frustrated by his insignificant position and makes a terrible decision. "It is war," Mariko's words echo in your ears ominously.
But more than all this political intrigue, it's the tender moments that turn out to be the highlight. When Mariko (again) catches Blackthorne naked, they begin having a warm conversation about what they would have done in London on a night like this. Mariko and Blackthorne become the beating heart of this episode. If you were confused by Mariko's smile, which arrived towards the end of the third episode, and found yourself thinking, "Shouldn't she be grieving?" Or if you once again find yourself puzzled by the swiftness with which Fuji-sama accepts her consort designation, don't worry.
We are informed about something known as The Eightfold Fence. It's an impenetrable wall behind which women like Mariko and Fuji-sama retreat whenever needed. "Do not be fooled by our politeness. Our bows, our maze of rituals. Beneath it all, we could be a great distance away. Safe. And alone," Mariko informs Blackthorne. Still, the shift from something this poignant to something amorous feels hasty. The romance should have been stewed a bit longer before going to sexual territory. But then, maybe there is no time. You see, a war is coming. What a pity.
Final Score - [9/10]