Thursday 3 September 2009

Spice and Wolf II - Episode 9

By the end of the last episode I couldn't help but find myself worrying that Lawrence's late night chat with fellow merchant Abe would end up getting him into trouble, and low and behold within seconds of episode nine kicking off poor old Lawrence is left receiving the cold shoulder from Horo for leaving her alone.


Of course, this little sulk doesn't last for long, but it does set the tone for much of this episode, which becomes a study of the jealousy that both parties feel about various things - As Horo gets irked by Lawrence's habit of befriending others and staring a little too hard at other women, so Lawrence finds himself becoming snappy when teased as to how many partners Horo has had in the past. As is so often the case with this series, the whole thing feels very human and grounded in reality - After all, who doesn't find themselves swallowed up by jealousy from time to time?

Away from all of the usual teasing and probing conversational gambits practised by our two main players, Lawrence successfully gets to meet with Rigolo; a man who can see right through Lawrence as he announces that the fifty-man meeting is over (Lawrence clearly wants to know how it all ended, but also knows better than to ask), but who is otherwise both helpful and sympathetic to the information that he's trying to gather around Horo's homeland. However, it isn't Rigolo that dominates the climax to this episode but Abe, who appears intent on making a deal with Lawrence that seems almost as crazy as it is shocking at first glance (although I think I know what she has in mind)...

As per usual for this series, I have nothing but good things to say about Spice and Wolf - The verbal jousting between Horo and Lawrence is as compelling as ever, matched only by the reactions and expressions of one as the other jibes at them. Once again this episode has a great sense for showing the growing understanding between these two characters - From their far clumsier beginnings, the pair now know how to hit all the right spots with a single sentence, be it complementing the other or sending them into a fit of jealousy. Horo in particular really shines through in terms of the range of her personality - An old, wise woman on the one-hand but still insecure and almost child-like at times on the other. I could probably write about these characters all day, but I won't; instead I'll just leave it as read that I'm now counting down the days to episode ten.

7 comments:

kitsune and neko said...

ok. lot's of questions: 1. where is lawrence teased for horo's previous partners, 2. i didn't get their conversation about the number of colours of horo's soul and also lawrence's answer to horo's tease that he might get jilted with the mouth he has, and 3. what do you think abe proposed exactly?...oh right and another one: horo is scared due to their life expanse difference?

Hanners said...

1. Lawrence snaps at Horo when she quips about how she won't be counting sheep in bed.

2. Horo's "multi-coloured" soul suggest that Lawrence is hardly the first love of her life, or indeed the first person to have such a profound impact upon her, which again ties into subsequent conversations about her past relationships.

3. My theory is that Abe has realised who (or rather what) Horo actually is, and wants to effectively buy her to use against the Church who shunned her and messed with her business.

I think you've probably hit the nail on the head about what Horo is scared of - You could probably argue some wider considerations, but from what we've seen in previous episodes the thought of Lawrence dying before her does seem to be her biggest fear.

Putang said...

y'know... I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that she hasn't had any or at least many past relationships that reached the level of her and lawrence... because if lawrence really was "hardly" her first, I'd assume she'd attempt to avoid a relationship with lawrence when she met him, but instead she was the 1 who often flirted with him. And normal male wolves approaching someone of her size... I don't see that happening either hahaha... at most I'd say she's had only 2 people she was close with...

which I'd assume be another of her kin in the north (which could've been the reason for her leaving in the first place) and maybe the human she made an agreement with in the first village... but a thing that this argument lacks is children... now whether she can have any or not, or even crossbreed I dunno...

Markimark said...

Hmm...from her reaction when Lawrence finally asked how many there were i figured she had no one, who was ever as close to her as he is right now.
May be wrong, but that was my first impression...may have another look at it tomorrow...

Great episode - but i really felt like punching Lawrence in the face the moment before she fell asleep (the whole scene from her saying, that she is scared, till he leaves the room)for not saying something...dont exactly know what, but it felt not right.
That was a migc moment, and he just let it slip away...

maybe its just me and my imagination ^^

narich said...

i agree with Markimark, i tot the way she looked when lawerence finally asked how many she had had was like she had not any and was just teasing him and the lawerence reply that he might be a fool kinda supported this but i might be wrong. And about what horo might be scared of, i tot that she might be scared that at some point of time lawerence might not be there to cuddle or spoil her anymore which could be inline with separating or life span difference. Also, about what abe meant by selling horo, i wonder is it about selling her fur for clothes due to the 50 man meeting or to the church for revenger. All in all interesting episode, first time posting on this blog

Enigma said...

Personally I believe what Horo may have deemed as being scary was the fact that she has fallen for lawrence so quickly and yet he doesn't totally realize it. But like she said if he did come to realize it she might be a bit troubled. However this could verywell tie into what Σεβαστή Νικηταρή and Hanners said about her thinking of the large deficit between their lives.

Calvin said...

I think he realizes that she hasn't had any lovers, only because of the face she gave him when he quipped about the fact that she wasn't going to count sheep. He realized that she was just teasing him, hence the whole idiot thing.

Plus, thinking about it, she said she was scared. Why else would she be scared unless it was her first time falling in love with a human? She knows they don't have a long life expectancy, and she doesn't know what to do. Hence, no past lovers, unless it was a wolf.