Cowboy Bebop Sessions 12-13 (Part I) - Ooooh, We're Halfway The-ere...

Sessions 12-13 - Jupiter Jazz

Congratulations; you've reached the halfway point.  What better way to celebrate than with another rude awakening, so to speak, for Spike Spiegel?  The funny thing is, no one on the Bebop is actually living their "real life": Jet's an ex-cop who left on bad terms with his girl (though that got resolved a few sessions back); Faye is later revealed to be the Steve Rogers of this show, Ed kinda just goes wherever the wind takes her,

and

even

Ein

was a data-dog (or something) before Spike reluctantly took him in.  Spike is supposed to be the main attraction, of course, and as was elaborated on (barely) in "Ballad of Fallen Angels" (and my god is that a cool title, just sayin'), Spike used to be in the Space Mafia, and he had a partner Vicious who was, surprising to exactly no one, totally vicious, and betrayed his friend and his friend's love interest (possibly shared?).  Spike and everyone else on the Bebop have spent their time running, some away from their old lives, some towards it (Ed runs to wherever the shiny thing is), but no matter what they do, the past always comes up behind up, like a bad dream there is no waking up from.  That's life, and that's what Jupiter Jazz is all about (well, there's more than that, but-- oh just keep reading).

Here we have a strange case in that this is one of only two two-parters, the other being the finale.  When Bebop does a two-parter, you can rest assured they did it for a reason.  Not a moment in any one episode is wasted, and this is no exception.  I guess I should start talking about the plot now...

Remember the Native American guy from the very first session?  I almost forgot him, then went "Oh yeah, he was a guy" (what planet even is this?  Is he even "American"?  Whatever.).  So he notices a shooting star in the sky, and explains it was "no ordinary star", but the tear of a warrior, who, somewhere, had finished his battle.  Meanwhile, in a ship above Jupiter... it's Vicious!!

He's got his hands in something nasty as usual, like the shipment of Red Eye.  Yeah, that drug that we also haven't seen since Session 1!  Vicious and his lackey will be dropping it off on Callisto, a super-cold planet, which Vicious would need protective clothes for if he weren't so goddamn evil.  No, he doesn't need logic.  Nor a moral code.  Nor love.  He's just... you know, vicious.

Meanwhile on the Bebop, Spike is complaining about, ironically enough, how hot it is, Ed is derping about, Ein is asleep, Jet is trying to fix the cause of the heat problem, and Faye... is the cause of the heat problem.  Wotta bitch.  Of course, Spike doesn't wanna go after her this time, he's free at last!  Then he finds out she took the money as well.  One 180 degree turnaround later, Ed is looking for her on the nearby Callisto with her magical Internet powers (this *was* 1998, computers *could* do that, right?).  She finds someone, and says their codename is Julia.  Spike immediately loses his shit and runs for the Swordfish.  Ed uses Ein as a pillow; Ein has no choice but to accept it.  Spike is hellbent on looking for his woman, leaving Jet to find "the other one".  Jet actually threatens kicking Spike off his ship, which Spike is surprisingly unfazed about.  He's got more important things on his mind... or he's just being stupid, as Jet insists.  He storms out, saying he doesn't understand why Spike is even doing this.  Neither does Spike, says Spike.

Faye has certainly made herself at home, though.  Spike's search for Julia leads him to the sax player in the exact bar she is in... or it would if Spike hadn't got jumped.  Meanwhile the sax player, Gren, would be chatting up none other than Faye.  They split up, but Faye runs into the same guys as Spike, and Gren comes back to her rescue.  Back with Spike, he finds out Vicious is involved, and that he only used Julia as a codename... so yeah, Spike's pissed.  Jet, of course deciding to get involved, discovers almost everyone in the town is a criminal, including Gren, but doesn't actually seem to care.  Hey, look, Spike found Vicious!

Hey, look, Spike got shot!

And at Gren's place, Faye makes a startling discovery...

What.

What.

WHAT?

Confused? Disturbed?  Wondering how Spike's holding up?  What was Ed doing all this time? It would be a two-parter, wouldn't it?