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Shōgun has a darkish night time of the soul in Episode 8, “Abyss of Life”

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Shōgun has a darkish night time of the soul in Episode 8, “Abyss of Life”


A brand new episode of Shōgun is out, and as we do right here each week, it is time to gush about its hovering highs and devastating lows. To this point, FX’s historic drama set in feudal Japan has been about as pitch-perfect as we may have hoped, doing justice by each the 1975 James Clavell novel that it is based mostly on in addition to the cultural nuances of its time interval. With “Abyss of Life,” Shōgun predictably turns in one other hour of excellence. Nevertheless it was additionally a painful episode with our characters at their lowest. With solely two extra outings left within the restricted collection, I am hoping we’re at a turning level for the present.

We have loads to debate about this week’s episode of Shōgun. As at all times, beware SPOILERS forward.

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Final week’s episode of Shōgun, “A Stick of Time,” ended with the loss of life of Lord Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) son Nagakado (Yuki Kura), who slipped and cracked his head open on a rain-slicked rock simply as he was about to homicide his uncle Saeki (Eita Okuno), who was working with the politicians in Osaka to power Toranaga’s give up. “Abyss of Life” is all concerning the fallout from that occasion, which feels excellent. The brooding calm earlier than the storm.

Nearly all of this episode takes place in Edo, Toranaga’s new stronghold which is beneath development. Edo has been referenced rather a lot all through the season, so it was very welcome to lastly spend a while there.

That is to not say that anybody is essentially having a enjoyable time in Edo. Like Episode 7, this one is a bleak, heavy affair. Because of Nagakado’s premature loss of life, Toranaga and his retainers have been granted the normal 49 days of grieving earlier than they’re anticipated to go to Osaka for give up. Everybody in Toranaga’s camp thinks that he’ll use this time to tug off one final intelligent scheme to win the conflict for Japan’s future. However Toranaga is adamant that there was sufficient bloodshed and that it is time to give up. This causes an immense schism amongst his followers, as a lot of them could be put to loss of life together with him and have qualms about surrendering and not using a struggle after they’ve sacrificed a lot for the trigger.

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This offers Shōgun ample alternative to discover what this end-of-the-road second means for its ensemble of characters. Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe) tries to reconcile together with his spouse Mariko (Anna Sawai), which really made me really feel some empathy for him regardless of his string of terrible conduct towards her. However even right here, their variations are unimaginable to beat: for Mariko, life with Buntaro is a jail. Her line that she would slightly stay a thousand years than die by his aspect was a depraved burn, and solely on Shōgun may or not it’s adopted up by a well mannered bow to finish the dialog.

In the meantime, the Anjin John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) has to reckon with the truth that he’s not the identical man he as soon as was. Ultimately, he reunites with one of many crew members from his ship, who’ve been held in Edo these previous few months. Nonetheless, it goes badly, with the crewman accusing Blackthorne of main them to Japan for his personal ambition to be the primary Englishman to land there. Fists are thrown, and Blackthorne leaves torn.

Now that he is now not in Toranaga’s good graces, that places Blackthorne in an fascinating spot. His personal folks appear unusual to him, but he’s not accepeted by Toranaga both. As an alternative, he goes to Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), proposing an alliance between them as two males pressured to steer their very own fates. Yabushige refuses — at this level, he is nonetheless holding out hope that Toranaga’s give up is a ruse, and does not wish to betray him. Yabushige has step by step change into a favourite of mine this season. At any time when Asano is on display screen, Shōgun is robotically extra enjoyable — which is extra essential than you would possibly assume, given how dour the present is at this late stage.

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Toranaga’s faction is teetering on the point of insubordination, which involves a brutal head close to the tip of the episode. After a number of of Toranaga’s samurai put on their armor at Nagakado’s funeral in protest of the give up, Toranaga decides to assemble all his generals and power them to signal an official doc proclaiming their give up. A number of jot down their names earlier than, eventually, voices of dissent are brazenly raised.

The next scene is gripping, as Toranaga contests wills together with his generals, ordering them to signal what basically quantities to a contract for their very own deaths. Toranaga’s oldest good friend, Hiromatsu (Tokuma Nishioka), pushes issues to the brink by declaring that slightly than signal his loss of life warrant, he’ll commit seppuku proper there on the spot to show that Toranaga is main his followers to die in useless.

There’s been numerous seppuku in Shōgun, however Hiromatsu’s would possibly hit the toughest of any we have seen, due to the emotional weight hanging between him and Toranaga. That Hiromatsu’s son Buntaro is the one to second him and take his head after he is opened his personal abdomen provides one other layer. After which, after all, there’s the horror of all of the assembled samurai as they understand that the longest-serving man amongst them had simply taken his personal life in protest of the give up.

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It is a sensible scene that is helped alongside by top-notch performing, lighting and staging. All appears misplaced for Toranaga and firm.

However lo! On the eleventh hour, Toranaga hints to Mariko that he is in reality planning one ultimate scheme — and that Hiromatsu, his oldest and most loyal good friend, understood his obligation nicely sufficient to know that it might solely work if everybody nicely and really believed Toranaga was defeated. It isn’t fairly clear if there was an express association between Toranaga and Hiromatsu concerning the latter’s seppuku, or if he simply knew his good friend’s thoughts that nicely. I do hope Shōgun clarifies that just a bit, however both approach, the tip end result is similar: Toranaga has a plan to shock his enemies in Osaka.

Like all of the samurai following Lord Toranaga, I have been ready for this sort of twist for episodes now. Shōgun is masterfully drawn and by no means something lower than glorious, however the previous few episodes have been one problem after one other for our heroes, with out a lot of the levity and speedy scheming that was extra prevalent within the first half of the season. To some extent that is superb — in any case, the stakes are life and loss of life and it would be a tonal conflict if Shōgun did not deal with that severely. However I am eager for a reminder of Toranaga’s canniness as a frontrunner to push us over the end line. And from the seems to be of issues, Shōgun is poised to ship on that in its ultimate two episodes.

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It ought to shock nobody that Shōgun continues to be wonderful. At this level, the present has maintained a constant degree of excellence that has made for a fabulous viewing expertise. I do hope that its ultimate two episodes stability the brooding tone of the previous few out a bit with the final word reveal of how Toranaga approaches his enemies in Osaka. Shōgun has earned that belief a number of instances over; all that is left is to look at and see if it sticks the touchdown within the coming weeks.

Episode Grade: A

All 6 books in James Clavell’s Asian Saga (together with Shōgun) ranked worst to greatest. darkish. Subsequent. James Clavell Asian Saga ranked

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Previous Navy Simply Added New Kinds to Their Clearance Part: $1 Finds & Extra

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Previous Navy Simply Added New Kinds to Their Clearance Part:  Finds & Extra


Our writers and editors independently decide what we cowl and advocate. Whenever you purchase by means of our hyperlinks, E! could earn a fee. Learn more.

 Clear your schedule, put your cellphone to don’t disturb, and head over to Old Navy. Why? They only added a ton of stylish kinds to their clearance section, and which means tank tops and extra, as little as $1. Save as much as 85% on clothes, sweaters, coats, activewear, and extra — every little thing you want for a winter capsule wardrobe. Plus, there are such a lot of coloration and dimension choices. I am eyeing the $15 loafers and the $3 mock neck tank top.

What’s on Sale at Previous Navy?

Get these new clearance deals at Old Navy and save as much as 85% on winter and office-ready styles. You can too get $20 and under stealsjeans under $25, stylish barrel jeans for $36 (till February 4), and all the time discover a deal within the sale section, with kinds beginning at simply $0.97. There isn’t any promo code; the low cost can be utilized to your Previous Navy buy within the cart.

Scroll all the way down to shop our curated picks at Old Navy. You are assured to have somebody cease you on the road and ask, “The place did you get that?”

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2025 Oscar nominations: See the complete listing

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2025 Oscar nominations: See the complete listing


And it has come right down to this.

After months of hype, campaigning, predictions, and pivots, the 2025 Oscar nominations will arrive Thursday to supply readability in a muddled awards season.

When the mud settled, Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, Conclave, Wicked, and Anora had been amongst these jockeying for Finest Image.

The 2025 Oscar ceremony will air on March 2. Right here is the entire listing of nominations for the 97th Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist

A Full Unknown

Conclave
Dune: Half Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Nonetheless Right here

Nickel Boys
The Substance
Depraved

BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
James Mangold, A Full Unknown

BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo, Depraved
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Nonetheless Right here

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Full Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Monica Barbaro, A Full Unknown
Ariana Grande, Depraved
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Actual Ache
Edward Norton, A Full Unknown
Man Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Sturdy, The Apprentice

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
A Full Unknown
Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora
The Brutalist
A Actual Ache
September 5

The Substance

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Stream
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robotic

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Black Field Diaries
No Different Land
Porcelain Conflict

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Emilia Pérez
Stream
The Lady With the Needle
I’m Nonetheless Right here

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
“Stunning Males”
“Within the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Wander to Marvel”
“Yuck!”

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“Demise by Numbers”
“I Am Prepared, Warden”
“Incident”
“Devices of a Beating Coronary heart”
“The Solely Lady within the Orchestra”

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
“A Lien”
“Anuja”
“I’m Not a Robotic”
“The Final Ranger”
“The Man Who Might Not Stay Silent”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
Dune: Half Two

Emilia Pérez

Maria

Nosferatu

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
A Full Unknown
Conclave

Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Depraved

BEST FILM EDITING
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez

Depraved

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
A Totally different Man
Emilia Pérez

Nosferatu
The Substance

Depraved

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Half Two

Nosferatu
Depraved

BEST SCORE
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Depraved
The Wild Robotic

BEST SONG
“El Mal,” from Emilia Pérez
“The Journey,” from The Six Triple Eight
“Like a Chicken,” from Sing Sing
“Mi Camino,” from Emilia Pérez
“By no means Too Late,” from Elton John: By no means Too Late

BEST SOUND
A Full Unknown
Dune: Half Two
Emilia Pérez
Depraved
The Wild Robotic

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alien: Romulus
Higher Man

Dune: Half Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Depraved



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Selena Gomez Teases New Music After Engagement to Benny Blanco

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Selena Gomez Teases New Music After Engagement to Benny Blanco



Selena Gomez is again within the studio! 

In a video posted on her Instagram Tales on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the singer and actress, 32, teased that she’s engaged on new music as she filmed herself in what gave the impression to be a house recording studio.

The clip started with the digicam dealing with Gomez as she wore a white tank prime and a pair of black headphones. The Emilia Pérez star then picked up her telephone and turned it to indicate the view in entrance of her, which included a desk, audio system and a big display screen on the wall. 

Guaranteeing she stored any particulars about what she’s engaged on underneath wraps, Gomez positioned a pink coronary heart emoji over the display screen, earlier than switching the digicam again to herself and elevating her eyebrows and pulling an excited expression. Faint music may be heard taking part in within the background of the clip. 

The Only Murders in the Building star teasing new music comes practically a 12 months after she launched her final single — “Love On” — in Feb. 2024, impressed by her months spent in Paris the earlier 12 months.

Selena Gomez movies herself in what seems to be a house recording studio.

Selena Gomez/Instagram


The monitor adopted 2023’s “Single Quickly” and her 2022 collaboration with Rema on “Calm Down.” The tune topped charts all over the world and even scored awards together with the 2023 Billboard Music Award for prime afrobeats tune in 2023 and greatest afrobeats on the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

Gomez labored on “Single Quickly” along with her now-fiancé, report producer Benny Blanco, with the monitor popping out simply months earlier than she confirmed the pair have been relationship in Dec. 2023. 

A 12 months later, the couple, who began relationship in June 2023, announced their engagement, with Gomez sharing the information in a candy Instagram post

Selena Gomez positioned a pink coronary heart emoji over her pc display screen, conserving what she’s engaged on underneath wraps.

Selena Gomez/Instagram


“perpetually begins now..” she captioned the Dec. 11, 2024, put up.

The carousel featured a close-up snap of her engagement ring, in addition to a photograph of herself and Blanco, 36, celebrating their completely happy information with a hug.

Years earlier than issues turned romantic between the pair, Gomez and Blanco collaborated on the 2021 tune “I Can’t Get Sufficient” collectively. It additionally featured Tainy and J Balvin.

And exhibiting his help for his fiancée’s newest musical endeavor, Blanco reposted Gomez’s Instagram Tales video on his personal account shortly after the star shared the put up.



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