Let’s Talk About the Love Triangle in ‘Shogun'

By Sara Clements | TV | April 9, 2024 |

By Sara Clements | TV | April 9, 2024 |

When I first tuned into Shōgun, I didn’t think it would turn into a drama about forbidden lovers. Of course, it’s not only about that. To recap, it’s based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name and details the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate (a military government of Japan during the Edo period in the 17th century.) Shōgun is a political, historical epic inspired by real-life figures and real-life power struggles, with five lords vying for the title of shōgun and to rule Japan. In the middle of all the political drama is an Englishman, John Blackthorne, who becomes a right-hand of sorts to Tokugawa (renamed Toranaga in the series). Sent by England to disrupt Portugal’s Christian takeover of Japan, he becomes embroiled in Toranaga’s war against his enemies for the shōgun title. Now, if you haven’t started Shōgun because historical epics are often too dense to get through, let me entice you with the show’s love triangle.

Blackthorne, who’s seen as just a “barbarian” by most of the Japanese he encounters, needs a translator. That task is given to Toda Mariko. She is the wife of a skilled samurai, Toda Buntaro, who was thought to have died in Toranaga’s escape from Osaka after the previous ruler’s death. What is at first thought as just fulfilling the wishes of her lord, Mariko finds herself drawn to the barbarian - and the feeling is mutual. They’re about to fall in love. The tension in this fictional romance is apparent from an early moment that involves Mariko just happening to find John skinny-dipping. What is at first awkward, turns into a rumination of what could be; John describes to Mariko where he’d take her in London on a date. It’s clear that Mariko hasn’t experienced real love. Like many marriages, Mariko’s is more of a transaction between families (however, if you watch the show, you discover that this marriage also saved Mariko’s life). This moment is met with a deep sigh that says, “I wish.” The two solidify their desire with a night of passion.

Now, I did say this was forbidden. Just as you’re getting into this romance, Mariko’s husband, Buntaro, shows up alive. It’s a real buzz kill, especially since he’s an abusive asshole. This isn’t one of those love triangles where you can’t decide who Mariko should end up with. You know it should be John from the start. Buntaro is no fool, he can clearly see that something has been going on in his absence. “For years, the ice has not melted. But with him, it’s different.” Since Buntaro’s return, though, Mariko has essentially dumped John. As his translator, Mariko has been living in the same house with him. Now, Buntaro lives there, too, so Mariko also has to fulfill her wifely duties. It’s probably for the best that John and Mariko don’t act on their feelings with Buntaro under the same roof, but this creates some of the best moments of tension on TV so far this year.

The first dinner scene since Buntaro’s return is a clash of egos between him and John to see who can slurp their noodles the loudest or who can drink the most sake. It feels like you’re watching them spare without ever drawing their swords. It’s a brilliant head-to-head between the two men in Mariko’s life, with the clear winner becoming blurred. Despite Mariko wanting to keep things professional from now on, it grows increasingly more difficult. The great Lord Toranaga himself can sense something is going on because John is all wound up and it’s making him want to leave Japan. To help him relax, Toranaga sets up a night in a brothel to spend with the best courtesan. Mariko, as his translator, is asked to join him. However, as Mariko translates the courtesan’s sensual words, they are phrased as though they are her own. The camera frames Mariko only, occasionally panning up her body and focusing on her lips. Then, the camera goes to John, looking at Mariko with both great desire and sadness. When it’s time to spend his private night with the courtesan, he brushes Mariko’s hand. In a sense, it feels like a goodbye. A solidification that whatever happened between them is over now.

It is difficult to predict what will happen between the pair. Since the romance between John and Mariko is fiction, we can’t go ahead and spoil it for ourselves. And considering that an affair could mean them losing their heads, it creates a lot of suspense and anxiety for an audience who is rooting for them. It’s the kind of bond, full of vulnerability and nuance, that we don’t often see in a show of this grandiosity and lends more to the series than perhaps many would have thought. With only a few episodes left, there still seems to be hope in John’s heart that they can run away together somehow - if only Mariko can break from the chains of oppression.