I’d like to start this review with two quotes, one from the previous episode of Bebop and one from Firefly, a show seen by many as a live-action equivalent (or the nearest thing to a live-action equivalent) to Bebop.
“Bounty hunters must be the lowest form of life there is… human beings are just a price tag to them.” –VT, Cowboy Bebop Episode 7, “Heavy Metal Queen”
“Every planet that's been terraformed for human life has its own little quirks.” –Sheriff, Firefly Episode 3, “The Train Job” These two quotes frame two overarching issues in Cowboy Bebop that are on full display in “Waltz for Venus”: (1) what kind of people make up the crew of the Bebop and (2) what kind of world(s) are they living in? Let’s start with number two.
The citizens of the solar system in the Cowboy Bebop universe tend to live in less-than-ideal conditions, and are forced to make the best of the situation. Most of what we’ve seen so far has been poverty, with many locations in poor upkeep and ridden with crime. “Waltz for Venus” introduces a new facet of the problem: some planets and moons didn’t turn out quite right when they were terraformed. For instance, when planetary settlers made Venus habitable, they used a species of floating plants to help stabilize the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the plants release spores which induce allergic reactions in some people. If the reactions go untreated, a condition known as “Venus sickness” results, which causes blindness and even death in those affected. From what we see of Venus, it looks like a beautiful enough planet, but I find it hard to believe that anyone would choose to live there knowing that they have a fairly strong chance of contracting a fatal disorder. Instead, most people living there probably settled there before people knew about Venus sickness, and have been unable to afford to leave.
At least that’s the case with Stella Bonnaro, a young woman living in a crashed spaceship in the Venusian desert. The girl is blind from the Venus sickness, but she could regain her sight with the right medicine. Unfortunately, the cost is exorbitant, and it’s unlikely that a person forced to live in an abandoned ship in the middle of the desert has much money (unless said person is extremely eccentric). Enter Stella’s brother Roco, one of the most sympathetic bounty-heads-of-the-week this show will ever use. He works for a small fry crime boss and helped steal a grey ash tree, a rare and valuable plant used to manufacture medicine that cures Venus sickness. So not only is Venus sickness a big risk to people living on Venus, but the medicine used to treat it is very expensive.
This brings us to point number one: when confronted with an opportunity for great profit, what will the Bebop crew do? The episode begins with them FINALLY turning in some bounty heads (named Huey, Dewey, and Louie) for a reward of 1.5 million wulongs. Roco witnessed Spike and Faye in action, and was impressed by Spike’s ability to take down two of the thugs without breaking a sweat. He tracks down Spike and asks him to teach him how to fight. Spike is put off by the request and tries to get rid of Roco, but the man is nothing if not persistent. He eventually gets Spike to relent; Spike explains the philosophy behind his style of combat, which requires being loose and relaxed, like flowing water. Spike remains relaxed against opponents, including Roco, who think that force alone is enough to win fights. However, the lesson is cut short when Roco spots his partners in crime. He gives Spike a package and tells him to meet him that night at a dilapidated cathedral.
Spike opens the package and learns that it’s the grey ash tree. He takes it back to the Bebop, where the crew learns that there is a bounty on Roco, his boss, and the other henchmen who helped steal the grey ash, and that the combined bounty on all seven criminals will be doubled if all are turned in simultaneously. So what kind of people are Spike, Jet, and Faye? They have received a plant of incredible value (tens of millions of wulongs) from a bounty head who has put his trust in Spike. Do they sell the plant and double cross Roco? Spike certainly felt no affection for him before, and they could definitely use the cash.
Of course, Faye is the first to suggest they sell the plant. As I’ve said, Faye is the most cynical and self-interested member of the crew. Jet, the closest the show comes to an honorable man, refuses, but only after hesitating briefly (a fact Faye gleefully points out). Jet clarifies that the plant is stolen, so fencing it will be a risk. Faye tells him that sometimes people need to take risks, but Jet quickly shuts her down, pointing out that she already lost all her money from their recent payday at a casino. Spike decides to investigate more, and this leads him to Stella.
Through her, Spike learns about Roco’s criminal activity. She tells him that Roco tends to get into trouble and hangs out with the wrong crowd. But he does it to earn money to buy medicine for her. Stella would prefer he stayed out of trouble, and has come to terms with her blindness, but Roco is obsessed. Roco’s obsession is dangerous, as it needlessly puts himself in danger, but his heart is clearly in the right place. Stella comments that Roco has a beauty within him, and senses that Spike does as well, despite Spike’s own hesitations about himself.
Stella also explains a little more about Venus sickness, and says that the plant spores responsible fall from the sky and look like snow. It is a beautiful display, but the results of it can be deadly. Nothing is as it seems. Before leaving, Spike finds a packet of grey ash seeds hidden in a music box given to Stella by Roco.
So now, the Bebop crew is in possession of a mature grey ash, worth more than nearly any of the bounty heads featured previously on the show, and multiple grey ash seeds, each worth 8 million wulongs. All the crew needs to do to maximize their profits is to capture Roco, Picaro, and the other gangsters, which shouldn’t be too hard, because Spike has a meeting set up with a trusting Roco. When they arrive, Spike tells Roco that he knows about the bounty and the grey ash plant, and Roco thinks that Spike is there to collect the bounty on him.
Many bounty hunters probably would. The sombrero gang from “Heavy Metal Queen” would. Hell, Faye probably would if she weren’t with Jet and Spike; she already expressed an interest in selling the grey ash. And had Spike not learned about Stella and the devastating effects of Venus sickness, it’s likely he would as well. Roco was just some kid who pestered him into teaching him martial arts. But Stella was right, and Spike really does have something beautiful inside him, despite his unfeeling and distanced outward personality and career choice.
Of course, Spike’s sympathy doesn’t extend past Roco, and he and Faye attempt to bring in Picaro and the rest of the gang. (Is it just me, or does Picaro dress like a Marvel villain from the 70s?) In the ensuing firefight, Roco is struck by a bullet, and Spike tries to help him. He yells at Roco not to die, but unlike when he did the same to Giraffe in “Sympathy for the Devil,” the emotions in Spike’s voice are empathy and sadness rather than greed. The idea of losing someone he has only just met is devastating after learning who he truly was. As Roco dies, he peacefully and hopefully wonders whether he and Spike would have been friends had they met at a better time in Roco’s life.
The episode ends with Spike visiting Stella one more time, who is now in a hospital and receiving treatment. This time, she is much more dismissive of Roco’s criminal activities upon hearing that Roco won’t be coming to visit. Initially assuming that Roco is in jail because he was doing something bad, she begs Spike to tell her what kind of person he was when she learns he died. Spike confirms to her that he was a terrific guy. The episode ends with a beautiful shot of the dangerous spores falling from the sky as Spike and Stella look on from their different locations.
Up next: As synthesizer music plays, we hear a new voice, a young girl who introduces herself as Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. She tells us that she will be showing up, as Spike playfully asks who she is and Faye does the same, but in a much more annoyed manner. Like the preview for “Honky Tonk Women,” this introduces Ed as much as it does “Jamming With Edward,” (or, in this case, even more so); we hear Ed’s distinct speech patterns and use of youthful idioms. Next time, the cast will be complete.
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