FX’s Shōgunis the kind of show Hollywood had stopped making. A riveting tale of power, betrayal and honour, the show transports the viewers to a richly realised and vibrant Japan of the early 17th century. A fish out of the water story, Shōgun thrusts an outsider into a complicated and unforgiving environment that was feudal Japan with its hidden agendas and dangers lurking on every corner. After Shōgun‘s heart-wrenching ending, fans are already speculating about the possibilities of another season. So will there be a season 2? Let’s find out.
Here’s what we know about Shōgun season 2 so far
There has been no news of Shōgunseason 2 and there likely never will be. The reason is simple: Shōgunis based on a 1975 historical novel of the same name by James Clavell, and season 1 has already covered the entire story. So despite all the success, we will probably not get a second season 2 of Shōgun.
Back in March, Justin Marks, who co-created Shōgunalong with his wife Rachel Kondo, confirmed much the same while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.He also explained their reasoning for letting the show end as a miniseries. He told the publication, “We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence. We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it — and we ended in exactly that place. And I’ve been party to this in the past with shows like this, where you build a whole factory, and it only pumps out 10 cars and closes up shop. It’s a bummer.”
It is indeed a bummer, but there is still a way a season 2 and even 3 might happen despite Shōgun‘s ending. Read on to find out.
Explore our list of other entertaining period dramas here
Spoilers ahead!!
Shōgun season 1 plot: What happens in the show?
Shōgun begins with an English ship Erasmus being stranded in a tiny Japanese coastal village called Ajiro in 1600. The crew, including the ship pilot or navigator (‘anjin’ in Japanese) John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), find themselves at the mercy of the local samurai warriors. Blackthorne eventually ends up in the custody of a powerful Japanese warlord called Yoshii Toranaga, the administrator of the region called Edo. In Japan, the ruler Taikō has recently died, leaving a young son behind. In the power vacuum, five regents with equal power are supposed to handle the affairs until he comes of age. Among them is Toranaga. But four of them are united against Toranaga, thanks to the power-hungry Lord Ishido (Takehiro Hira), who fears Toranaga’s power and influence. A canny thinker and utterly ruthless when needed, Toranaga sees an unlikely (and also initially unwilling) ally in Blackthorne, who with the help of his knowledge and weaponry may help turn the tide in the impending war.
Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) is an intelligent noblewoman loyal to Toranaga, who has a literal death wish due to her dark past. She becomes a translator to help Toranaga and Blackthorne communicate and also Blackthorne’s only true friend in this wholly alien environment he finds himself in.
This was the era when Japan was kept in the dark about the rest of the world by the Portuguese, for whom Japan was an unofficial colony, and they controlled its international trade. The Portuguese missionaries also played a significant part in introducing Christianity to the Japanese, many of whom eagerly converted. But this was quite a bone of contention as many Japanese saw Catholicism, a new religion to them, as a threat to their native Buddhist traditions. But it still helped solidify the Portuguese control over trade in the region. The Japanese still ostensibly had authority over their internal matters, but in reality, even there was considerable Portuguese interference.
Blackthorne and his men were sent to turn the Japanese over to the British side. Blackthorne, a protestant like his other compatriots, has a religious reason to hate the Portuguese as well. But he, instead, finds himself drawn ever deeper into the ensuing power struggle for the control of Japan and Toranaga’s schemes.
Across the show, we see Blackthorne and Mariko fall in love but Mariko also gets her death wish when she sacrifices herself to thwart Ishido’s blockade of the city of Osaka — all part of Toranaga’s schemes. Sawai, the actress behind Mariko, delivers one of the best TV performances you will see this year and if she is not showered with awards later, something is wrong with this world. Ultimately, Toranaga’s plots bear fruit, though we do not see him battling his archenemy, Ishido, as the show ends before the battle begins.
The show tackles themes such as the clash of Eastern and Western traditions and outlooks, loyalty, identity, honour and religion.
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Shōgun season 1 ending explained: What happens in the show’s finale?
So what happens in Shōgun‘s ending? The episode begins with a flash-forward, and we do not know if it really is something that happens in the future or if it’s just one of Blackthorne’s fever dreams. We see him old and wizened, confined to his bed in his room as his grandsons look at and talk about his katana with awe. He is still clutching in his hands the wooden cross that was given to him by Mariko not long before she died.
Cut to the present, in the aftermath of the explosion that kills Mariko, Blackthorne is shattered beyond words. But he is allowed to go back to Ajiro and Toranaga due to a secret deal Mariko made to spare his life. On the ship, Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) is hysterical and urges Blackthorne to take him to England as he knows Toranaga will have him killed for his betrayal in Osaka (it was he who allowed the assassins to enter Mariko and Blackthorne’s quarters).
Blackthorne, disgusted, refuses. In Ajiro, Blackthorne is shocked to see his ship destroyed and learns that Toranaga is getting people killed to find the culprits. He finally admits that he was using Toranaga and the Japanese as a weapon against the Portuguese (“I fed you s***” is what he says) and had no noble intentions in visiting these shores. Toranaga stops him before he commits seppuku (ritual suicide) and asks him to rebuild his ship and fleet. He also later admits to Tonomoto Akinao (Yasunari Takeshima), who is really a samurai called Muraji, that it was he who ordered the ship destroyed after Mariko had made that deal. Damn Toranaga, always scheming.
Toranaga receives a letter from Ochiba no Kata (Fumi Nikaido), the heir’s mother. We later learn that she is withdrawing military support from Ishido after Mariko’s sacrifice. On the battlefield, Ishido will be alone to face Toranaga and his armies. We see a glimpse of that.
Oh, and Blackthorne has found a purpose again and enthusiastically begins to build a fleet of ships for Toranaga, who has made it clear that Blackthorne will not be allowed to leave Japanese shores again. So that flash-forward was indeed just a dream.
One has to applaud Shōgun makers for making the ending not a big action sequence but something it has excelled at since the beginning: solid character work and narrative craftsmanship. Many will be bemused by the lack of a large-scale action-sequence, but like its source material has always eschewed spectacle in favour of what actually makes stories work: emotional depth and introspective storytelling.
Watch all the 10 episodes on Disney+.
Can Shōgun season 2 still happen?
It’s possible. The original story might have ended, but feudal Japan and the Edo period that followed the events of season 1 boast rich material that can be explored for not just season 2 but also beyond. Perhaps, we will not see Lord Yoshi Toranaga and John Blackthorne as their tale has ended, there are other stories and characters that talented screenwriters can invent to continue the saga. There is a novel called Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, set around 200 years after the events of Shōgun, but still in feudal Japan.
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of © 2023, FX/ IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
-When will Shōgun season 2 be released?
After Shōgun‘s ending, it is unlikely that the show will be renewed for season 2 at all. Co-creator Justin Marks has said the same. But Shōguncould become a franchise, and the second season could explore some other period of Japanese history, which is incredibly rich.
-What will be the plot of Shōgun season 2?
We do not know since the season 2 is unlikely to happen. If it does, it will probably not involve the same characters as Toranaga, Blackthorne and Mariko. We could see a whole new cast of characters.
