Cowboy Bebop Session #14: Bohemian Rhapsody

You have to love the use of color in this shot. It's beautiful.

We begin with our fearless trio of bounty hunters collecting their respective bounties. Each comes back with a queen chess figurine. All of the characters caught by Spike, Faye and Jet are absolute crumb bums. They aren't the "masterminds." No bounty is collected to begin the latest installment of Cowboy Bebop, Session #14, Bohemian Rhapsody.

None of our primary players wants to be selfless. No one is willing to cooperate or collaborate. Faye suggests pooling their info together to get the bounty, of course she's playing them as only Faye can. She's a master opportunist. Still, our boys have no interest in joining forces as a unit initially, but they relent to Faye's idea and 'fess up all they know.

One thing is certain in this particular vision of the future, it's every man or woman for themself. The outlaw life is just crawling with criminals and opportunists with little regard for anyone or anything around them.

Ed is annoying in general, but she serves a purpose in helping our criminal gang get their bounties. I must admit I can certainly see why Ed is played for androgynous. She doesn't really exhibit any kind of female tendencies. She's definitely more of a tomboy. So Ed is given one of the chess game pieces and learns it is a data chip to access the net. Ed finds a mysterious aged figure who has been playing a game.

Jet goes to the feds and calls them on their little game. They are using the bounty hunters to get to Chess Master Hex who has apparently returned to stir up trouble at the age of 98. It appears he's met his match in Ed. Hex is a programmer who aided in the hyperspace gate project centralizing their control. He was fired when he questioned the program was being rushed. He's been missing for 50 years.

Ed informs his crewmates he is playing chess against the very man they are looking for. Other bounty hunters are after him as well including a fellow named Jonathan. They have tracked him to a floating scrap metal yard in space. Jonathan damages the Bebop to knock Jet out of commission.
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Spike and Faye are looking for him aboard the floating scrap station. Spike and Jet happen upon floating cats, dogs, vegtables, people and even pigeons. It is a curious scene. What is up with this place? Spike and Faye stumble upon Hex and so does Jonathan who wants his money back.
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It turns out Jonathan is Crazy Jonathan who starts shooting the place up, but he gets knocked out by Spike. Spike is sympathetic to the old chess master who just likes to play games.
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Jet explains to the suits that Hex simply forgot about all of his traps. In return for their silence he tells the suits to leave the old codger alone. Jet won't go to the press if they leave him alone. Jet, the big softy, wouldn't want Ed to lose his chess partner.
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Meanwhile back on the scrap station, Jonathan has joined the rest of the looney toons. It's a bit of an old retirement home for crazies at this point. Drink and be merry. Ed is beaten in the end and the old man closes his eyes. I suppose just another siesta in his sweet final days.
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Bohemian Rhapsody: C+