The X Bridge | DataDock

Session 16: Black Dog Serenade

Synopsis: Ever seen Con Air? Well, this episode is kind of like that movie, only this one takes place . . . in space! A riot takes place on a prison ship. The ringleader of the riot happens to be the one responsible for the loss of Jet's arm. Reunited with his former ISSP partner, Jet begins his assault to take care of business, but he doesn't know the whole story behind that fateful night.

My Thoughts: After witnessing the origin of Faye Valentine, we're witness to the origin of Jet Black, namely the incident that caused him to lose his arm. A very dark episode not unlike Asteroid Blues and Sympathy For The Devil. The younger cast members (and Faye) hardly make a peep in this episode.

Session 17: Mushroom Samba

Synopsis: It seems the Bebop crew can't keep a buck. Nor fuel. Nor food. A starved Ed and Ein explore the vast desertscape in search of fun, adventure, and food while defying crooks, thugs, and drug dealers.

My Thoughts: Racial stereotypes aside, this was the funniest episode of Cowboy Bebop. This was one of the few episodes to showcase the youngest members of the Bebop crew, Ed and Ein, who went in search of food only to find "shrooms." Ed did experiments on the other three human members to see if they were safe to eat after she saw Ein act funny after eating one. Their reactions to the "shrooms" were priceless and comedy gold.

Session 18: Speak Like A Child

Synopsis: A package arrives via COD for Faye. Being a cheapwad, she refuses to accept charges for it, so Jet and Spike decide to keep it as their own. When they discover that it's an ancient relic from the past (a videotape), the duo begins scouring the underground of Earth for a video player. They discover that the tape reveals a different side of Faye than they're used to seeing.

My Thoughts: Once again, Jet and Spike venture through the savage world of Earth on a mission to find something. This time, they're looking for an archaic video player (only now in the age of DVDs are VCRs being looked at as archaic). A requiem for the better Betamax format, this was another comedic episode, especially that shot of Jet and Spike grinning proudly with a television and videoplayer in their hands. The comedic moments subside only at the end when everybody, including Faye, look at the video, which features a very young Faye sending a message to her future self.

Session 19: Wild Horses (DVD Session Five)

Synopsis: The Bebop call on an old friend to help with repairs to the ship, but something goes extremely wrong, and they have to rely on an old relic of a bygone era . . . a NASA space shuttle?

My Thoughts: This may be one of the creators' favorite episodes, but it was another bump in the greatness that was Cowboy Bebop. Although it had some comedic moments, the new characters didn't really mesh well with the current cast. It was almost like this could have served for a pilot for a new show set in the Bebop universe. Also, this episode prominently featured the Columbia spaceship, which tragically exploded on February 2, 2003. As a result, Cartoon Network didn't air Wild Horses for a couple of months.

Sessions 20: Pierrot La Fou

Synopsis: A roly-poly powerful being has killed several high-ranking ISSP officials. When Spike discovers his strange paranormal powers, our hero finds himself on the wrong end of the whipping stick, leaving him bandaged up just like at the end of Session 5. Undeterred by his embarrassing defeat, he accepts an invitation to an amusement park. "Huh?" is right.

My Thoughts: This is a strange, yet brilliant episode that showcased the fighting side of Spike. The title villian is just plain weird. He kind of reminds me of a strange mix of Mr. Fig (please tell me I'm not the only guy who read those books back in the first grade), A Clockwork Orange's Alex DeWild, and some weird spooky thing. And it all ends in a twisted amusement park that a combination of Disney World and Pinocchio's Pleasure Island in space.

Session 21: Boogie Woogie Feng-Shui

Synopsis: After receiving mail from an old friend, Jet discovers from his friend's daughter that his friend is now missing. Now they're being chased by these mysterious figures who had dealings with them. What secrets does the mysterious artifact

My Thoughts: Another Jet-centric episode (Ganymede Elegy and Black Dog Serenade are the others), it's also a pretty good episode that mixes comedy (particularly the ribbing Jet gets from the rest of the crew about his friend's daughter, a young lady who, in Jet's words, is old enough to be his little sister) and adventure. Fun episode with a little Asian symbolism.

Continue on to the next batch of episodes right here.