I’m just going to come out and say it: Ed is by far my least favorite character on Cowboy Bebop. I don’t like her hyperactivity or tendency to speak in childish phrases (although some of her non sequiturs are pretty funny). She has a good rapport with Ein, but I could take or leave her relationships with Jet and Faye. And with the exception of her role in her final episode, I don’t see much purpose for her on the ship. As we learn from this episode, Ed is an accomplished hacker (or, in the parlance of the times, “net diver”). However, as I’ve pointed out a few times, Jet has shown that he is very competent with computers and hacking, and I’m not quite sure why the writers felt the crew needed someone whose only skill was hacking. But I digress. How was “Jamming with Edward” as an episode? Seeing how the episode is very Ed-centric, it is not my favorite, but it certainly has good elements, most of which explain the history of the solar system or further develop the characters of Spike, Jet, and Faye.
Most of this episode took place on Earth, which has come to be a pretty awful place to live. The planet is surrounded by debris, most of which consists of moon rocks left from the gate explosion we saw in “Sympathy for the Devil.” The planet is plagued by rock showers, which cause massive explosions upon impact with the planet. When the crew learns that they will have to go to Earth to search for the latest bounty head, Jet complains that nothing good comes from the Earth anymore. The state of the Earth is another great example of Bebop’s ability to balance cynicism with optimism, and the show treats the subject very well. Humans finally ended up destroying much of the Earth when they tried to implement a new technology, and now the people stuck on Earth either live underground or are subjected to horrific environmental conditions and have been basically forgotten by the rest of the human race. On the other hand, humans have continued to exist, and the gate technology has allowed them to do so on other planets. What’s more, the show doesn’t base the episode around man’s failure to preserve our home planet; the idea is there for those who see it, but it is not essential to the overall enjoyment of the series.
As moon rocks constantly change the Earth’s topography, the bounty head bringing the crew to Earth is altering the Earth’s surface in its own way. A satellite system, commanded by a satellite with a glowing red eye, similar to HAL 3000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, has been using lasers to carve large animal shapes into barren areas of South America. The carvings have caused a widespread media response, with people speculating around the clock about the purpose for the carvings and their culprits. Through clips of various news shows, we learn of the 8 million wulong bounty on the culprit, that people suspect that the culprit is a hacker named Radical Edward, and that only crazy people believe that aliens exist.
Spike decides to sit this adventure out, claiming hackers are boring, so Jet and Faye search for Ed themselves. Meanwhile, we see Ed doing various things, from tracking the location of the Bebop to messing with I.S.S.P. agents sent to arrest her by remotely accessing their ship and crashing it. We get to know some of her quirks, like her distinctive speech patterns and methods of moving (the girl is made of rubber). We also see her figure out who is responsible for the strange carvings: the satellite system itself. When she hacks into the satellite, she is greeted by a strange voice (which sadly does not say “Good morning Ed. I’m afraid I can’t do that, Ed.”) identifying itself as the CPU for the satellite system. The satellite explains that Earth used to be a beautiful planet and that it had many similar carvings, but after the explosion, many were lost, so it decided to recreate them. (Sounds a little like WALL-E, in that only a machine appreciates the Earth anymore.)
Ed decides to rename the satellite MPU, because it’s kind of like CPU only neater… Her words, not mine. She then contacts the Bebop crew with an offer: she will give up the identity of the bounty in exchange for a favor. The impulsive Faye greedily accepts without hesitation, or even learning what the favor is to be. Ed informs the crew that their target is MPU, but warns them that “capturing” it won’t be easy because the satellite network is armed with lasers to protect itself against saboteurs.
The climax features some great dog-fighting choreography as Spike and Faye attempt to get close enough to MPU without getting fried, as Ed assures MPU that Spike will only make a copy of the program so it can continue to exist. Through Ed’s advice, Spike is able to get close enough to make a copy of MPU, but the crew doesn’t get their happy ending when Earth officials rule that bounties can only be collected on living beings.
But before the Bebop can leave Earth, Ed demands that they fulfill their end of the bargain: she asks to become a crew member. Faye encourages Jet to take off, exclaiming that some (most) promises are meant to be broken. That one line of dialogue does more for Faye’s character than entire movies provide for some of their characters. Other great character bits include a shot of Jet continuing to poorly care for his bonsai tree, Faye’s belief that hackers are all stereotypical fat nerds, Spike’s desire to help out once the situation gets dangerous (flying against attacking satellites), and a few stray comments Jet makes about women in general and Faye in particular. Once again, Jet shows disdain for women, complaining that he’s not one to lead around a woman, or be led around by one. He also makes a snarky comment about Faye’s age, causing her to smash her heel into his foot. I always remember how much I enjoy Spike and Jet, but for some reason, I tend to forget some of Faye’s best moments, like that one.
As Ed looks on at the retreating Bebop, she pulls out her remote and brings the ship back. The final scene shows Spike and Jet once again upset about being forced to take on a new crew member. Again, Spike is snappish while Jet looks at the situation with a defeated attitude; he can’t do anything about it, but he’s not happy about it. Spike, on the other hand, complains that the three things he dislikes – children, animals, and women with attitudes – are now all on the ship with them. All Jet can do is reiterate that nothing good comes from the Earth.
Up next: Faye speaks in metaphors about love as slow piano music plays. She refers to having no regrets about the woman who got away, despite the lingering pain. We see images of Jet and a fishing village as Faye states that in the next episode, Jet Black will “sing it up with soul.”
No comments:
Post a Comment