[7.4/10] Well, V.T. is officially my favorite character in the show, and I hope she comes back. From her being a no-nonsense long haul trucker, to her stepping in to defend a poor waitress being harassed by a group of good-for-nothings, to her toting around an adorable anti-grav-friendly cat named Zeroes, she is the coolest thing the series has offered so far.
But the major set piece here is good too! Spike, Faye, and V.T. working together to hunt down their latest quarry, a Rick Moranis-esque unassuming bounty hunter named Decker, and having to break out of an old mine when the hunt goes awry, makes some cool sequences. The other two coaching Faye through how to set off the explosives Decker was carrying so they can make a throughway is appropriately tense. And Spike doing more zero gravity balletics, with a few close calls and some clever shooting to get him back to V.T.’s waiting hand, makes for a good routine.
I still find Faye pretty tiresome. She’s got some peak “Men Writing Women” qualities that I don’t love, between being overly sexualized and embodying some cheap stereotypes at the same time. But honestly, having a character like V.T. helps a little, to show that Cowboy Bebop isn’t as limited in the spectrum of female characters it can present.
Otherwise, there’s not much to it. It’s a pretty straightforward hunt that's mainly notable for introducing such a cool new player to the mix. The throughline of V.T. winning money by having people guess her name is a neat little bit. Spike figuring it out via her locket, containing a picture of her with her husband, is a solid payoff. I like how her spouse being a dead bounty hunter explains her reflexive disdain for the profession, and Spike giving up the money he won out of recognition for her loss is one of the more decent things he’s done to date.
Overall, a straightforward episode, but one that's elevated by V.T.’s presence in the proceedings.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-02-23T00:48:32Z
[7.4/10] Well, V.T. is officially my favorite character in the show, and I hope she comes back. From her being a no-nonsense long haul trucker, to her stepping in to defend a poor waitress being harassed by a group of good-for-nothings, to her toting around an adorable anti-grav-friendly cat named Zeroes, she is the coolest thing the series has offered so far.
But the major set piece here is good too! Spike, Faye, and V.T. working together to hunt down their latest quarry, a Rick Moranis-esque unassuming bounty hunter named Decker, and having to break out of an old mine when the hunt goes awry, makes some cool sequences. The other two coaching Faye through how to set off the explosives Decker was carrying so they can make a throughway is appropriately tense. And Spike doing more zero gravity balletics, with a few close calls and some clever shooting to get him back to V.T.’s waiting hand, makes for a good routine.
I still find Faye pretty tiresome. She’s got some peak “Men Writing Women” qualities that I don’t love, between being overly sexualized and embodying some cheap stereotypes at the same time. But honestly, having a character like V.T. helps a little, to show that Cowboy Bebop isn’t as limited in the spectrum of female characters it can present.
Otherwise, there’s not much to it. It’s a pretty straightforward hunt that's mainly notable for introducing such a cool new player to the mix. The throughline of V.T. winning money by having people guess her name is a neat little bit. Spike figuring it out via her locket, containing a picture of her with her husband, is a solid payoff. I like how her spouse being a dead bounty hunter explains her reflexive disdain for the profession, and Spike giving up the money he won out of recognition for her loss is one of the more decent things he’s done to date.
Overall, a straightforward episode, but one that's elevated by V.T.’s presence in the proceedings.