Episode III : It's a Dog Eat Dog - Conclusion

"Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why." ~ Kurt Vonnegut

Synopsis:

"Jack attempts to beat back Aku's army and save a race of canine archaeologists." 

Another rare moment of continuity, as the beginning of the episode opens with another brief montage riding a techno beat, summarizing the last two episodes in possibly thirty seconds. Upon the news that Aku is sending an army of robotic drones their way, Jack concocts a plan to defend their position. After working all through the night, Jack is ready to fight and the dogs are hiding in the ruins of an older human society. Jack brow beats the robotic drones and goes super saiyan to finish them off. Aku is not pleased, but recognizes the opportunity to plan another fight on his own terms. 

Breakdown:

Having no thumbs, these dogs are incredibly versatile to handle all the different kinds of machines they have at their disposal. It is thanks to the incredible ingenuity of Jack that they are able to create a plan to defend themselves. 

What is most important here, is the level of ingenuity that Jack actually has. His ability to be dropped into any setting, understand the technology, and use it in a creative way to fight off an enemy he does not know is a simply unfathomable task. He does not know what robots do, hardly understands guns, only spent a brief time in a rocket, and has to defend around 100 canines by himself. He did not understand how to use a ball point pen, but he knew the best means to protect their position in a resourceful and creative way. 

Most ridiculous machine ever. 

While the dogs are making trenches, licking rock (yes, they have licking machines), setting traps, and fixing armor for Jack and his incredible 6 legged steed, Jack is busy working on things he knows. For example, checking to see that sharp looking crystals are actually sharp. Then promptly turning them into weapons - spears, arrows, and pungee pits. With his strong affinity for exotic alien animals (which looks oddly like the horse things in James Cameron's Avatar), Jack tames this beast with an apple. 

The Whiniest Dog In the World

Jack also is able to make a bow and arrow from a bar he takes out of a machine, some wire, the legs of another machine, and the crystals easily found everywhere. As I mentioned, Some dogs fix him some armor, Jack makes a war banner, and then the sun rises. That is when the Aku's army arrives. 

"You will pay for my pain in the past with your pain in the future" - Aku

And just like with LOTR, with the rising of the sun - in the east - a new day breaks. And it will conquer over evil. 

I realized watching the sun rise that Samurai Jack has been awake for literally two days. He had traveled to Japan, got his sword, met his father, rode straight on to Aku that night and fought him. Aku then flings him into the future where he jumps from flying car to flying car to safety. Following his run in with lizard men, he is greeted by talking dogs and whisked away by rocket-mo-car to their community, where he devises a plan to help them fight off Aku. He spends all night creating defenses so that once the sun comes up, he can fight this vast robotic army by himself by way of hell storm of swords, spears, arrows, rockets, and other traps. When his job is done, he simply says, "There is no need for thanks." 

THIS IS HOW I ROLL

If Jack gave a F#@$ before, he certainly does not give one now. This fight literally takes up 2/3's of the episode. We are looking at literally 13/48's preparation and 1/16 montage. The fight sequences for the conclusion of these three episodes sets the bar at a new level. We glimpse the possibilities of this show from an action packed stand point. Later, we learn about the philosophical, symbolic, and dramatic properties of this show. 

It is not often we see Jack with a bow and arrow. But this episode shows that he is never off the beat. It was probably years ago that he shot around with Robin hood (or centuries, however you decide to look at it), and it still does not matter since he can shoot his crystal arrows through rock. Riding 6 legged horse monster beast horseback, he is able to shoot buttons like it's his job - activating catapults. Jack sets his level of acrobatics down in the episode too - jumping from pillar of rock to another pillar of rock to set off another rocket jet. Did I mention that the robotic drones couldn't make the leap? They are robots of war and they can't keep up with him. 

And the robots are beginning to understand what it means to be 'Terrified.'

Samurai Jack simply accepted what had happened to him, stepped up to the plate, ignored the pitch, and ran around cutting down the basemen. His steed rams robots with its head, smashing them to bits, his spears can kill five at a time, and he hasn't pulled out his sword yet. 

The dogs are helpless and practically useless. They don't know which is more scary: Jack or Aku. 

The world had yet to see a true good step up to fight Aku. Samurai Jack is just as dangerous as the shapeshifting master of darkness as he is the essence of all ancient history embodied and trained into one man. And when his sword is unsheathed - the most concentrated instrument of righteousness ever created on this Earth - there is no stopping him. 

The longer he fights, the slower the action becomes - emphasizing his acute senses and raw passion to defeating Aku. Soon, there are no longer exploding bug drones, but oil leaking exoskeletons of robotic failures. It is a bloodbath. Naturally, there could not actually be blood in the series unless you are a robot or a battle scar. 

This is simply the breaking point for Jack. He is overcome with emotion for his family, for the horror and oppression Aku has brought to the world, and his own plight. He recognizes that it will be a long road ahead of him if he wishes to return to the past and undo this future. (I would almost argue that a future with Aku might be better off than the political and economic state we are in presently... but that seems to be a different topic.) 

I have emphasized Samurai Jack's incredible genius, might, and skill. What I have not addressed is the retarded nature of the bug drones. They are of a great number, but obviously not too many that a single man cannot handle with creative effort. The drones have some very serious flaws - which are directly (I presume) the fault of Aku (unless he bought them from a third party). For example, they have no special sensors, guns, or mobility. They simply run, stand up, and swing their arms around. Fortunately for Jack, they do not self destruct, they do not shoot lasers, nor do they communicate with each other. Jack is better than them in every way; outrunning them, out maneuvering them, out smarting them, simply beating them. 

There is an instant, when there are only a handful left, when Jack closes his eyes, and a drone takes a step backwards. He flashes his eyes back open and calmly says, "No. There is no escape." 

"He is stronger than I remember..." ~ Aku

And Aku is really pissed off. If his incredibly lousy drone army can't stop Jack, then what will it be? Aku begrudgingly accepts his long forgotten problem; "My eyes and ears are everywhere - Nothing you do shall be unseen: The world is mine. We shall meet again when I see fit, in a time and place of my choosing." 

What this shows us is that Aku is seriously unprepared. He had thousands of years of uninterrupted rule with plenty of time to plan out how to best fight Jack. He came up with nothing. Furthermore, it seems that he did not know exactly when Jack was going to come back... It was surprising for him. Aku is a very well designed villain, who does as every villain does - plans only for the short term. That is why I believe Skeletor from He-Man is the best villain. Period. But that has no room in the universe of Samurai Jack. 

Lesson(s): 

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." ~ Gandalf; LOTR 

Samurai Jack's character has expanded every episode thus far. Starting as a child, he became a fighter, a time traveler, a tourist, and finally a nomad - traveling the earth in hopes of finding a path to fight for the salvation of the Earth. Jack recognizes that what is the past will stay that way unless he is able to move forward and make due with what time is left to him. This is the ultimate test of endurance. 

It can be very difficult to seize every moment to its maximum, or continue to push forward when things seem to be at their bleakest. But everyone on this Earth has a different challenge specific to them and it is up to them to make the most of everything that happens. In the grand scheme of things, the only person we really have to blame is ourselves. This is a fundamental truth that is among the hardest to learn, especially when it is so easy to push blame. Moving past these notions, past regret, past yourself, are harder than any individual challenge someone might face. Focus on what will make you stronger and don't lose sight of your goals.