IR TV Review: TOKYO VICE - EPISODE 9 (“Consequences”) [Max]
The aspect of pushing a button is that eventually a response is given. With Episode 9 of Season 2 of "Tokyo Vice" entitled "Consequences", everyone with these elements from Jake to Sato to Sam to Katagiri must make a choice. When Jake returned to Missouri, it seemed like a odd story divergence but now, as the end of the season progresses, it is one that was necessary so one understood where Jake came from but also where how it affected where he was headed. The stakes don't come to bear until that balance is understood. The interaction with the underworld for many would seem outside their purview but that is why this works. Sam, as a comparative, really can't return home but we sense that complication. Sato has a home but he understands he can never return though he has made peace through a sacrifice that has brought him back to bear. Sam understands this but doing so puts her in danger. That is why the trajectory of what happens with Tozawa works because even in the quest for power, certain concessions and understandings must be made.
Untimely this is why the black angel (per se) works (that is my name to avoid spoilers). She is the key to the entire house of cards. Its destruction could have been simply avoided but human ego is what determines certain paths. It can be seen in today's world on many levels. Tozawa can only cut off so many heads at once but it only takes one knife to come through his shielding. After the catalyst event in Episode 5, the element of a bloodbath comes down to perspective and perception. Jake understands this but without the balance of Sam and Sato in his life and sage of Katagiri (though he is also trying to save his own skin), he wouldn't survive. All the actors really know what they are doing but (after speaking to them at the beginning of the season), creator J.T. Rogers and Executive Producer Alan Poul keep this on track (though likely the input of the real Jack Adelstein cannot be understated). The question is with their courage, how far will our heros per se compromise to attain what they need? A-
By Tim Wassberg
