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"Stray Dog Strut." Spike wasn't kidding during the last preview about "totally changing gears." I assumed in my naïveté that these previews represented the most "Japanese" aspect of the show, and all the silliest moments were cherry-picked to target a certain demographic. Turns out it accurately set the mood for what the episode was: a comedic romp. Whether it was too much mood whiplash is something I'm still reeling from, but it certainly wasn't what I expected. Actually, it was sort of was what I expected before starting the show, having more of the usual anime tropes. Whether these tropes were played straight or lampshaded is hard for me to say, since this is still my first real anime. But I'd like to think that Cowboy Bebop has some measure of self-awareness, and that this episode was an example of not taking itself too seriously. If you consider "Asteroid Blues" to be "style over substance," then "Stray Dog Strut" must be "comedy over substance."
Before getting into this episode, let's cover some things from the last post. I realize some of the rampant predictions and other rhetorical ponderances I make will eventually be proven wrong, like not knowing whether the red planet was Mars. I leave any further ignorant quips for you to silently, unspoilingly observe, but rest assured I will be researching all about this show once I've finished it. But of course feel free to comment about anything else until then. Also, I neglected to give it a rating! In a blatant but loving ripoff of the PotentialCast, I'm going to steal their format of incorporating a semi-nonsensical reference. So "Asteroid Blues" gets 9.5 boxes of "Flake" out of 10. "Stray Dog Strut's" rating will be saved for the end of this post.
Now, episode discussion! No flashforward (or flashback?) this time, but the sequence of teaser and intro are switched. There's not much of a mystery as to what's in the suitcase if you watched the preview. The real mystery is what the hell is the deal with the toilet paper around Hakim's neck!? Were they part of some ritual, or a disguise, or bandages? My primary guess will be bandages, for reasons I'll cover later. The first of many baffling moments. Almost as baffling as the three scientist hitmen who'd rather shoot Hakim than collect on his bounty, but that's another thing I'll discuss later. Hakim takes out these clowns with ease, and saunters out of the Engrish graffiti-strewn bathroom.
Episode title card, and the Bebop flies once again through the stargates (there's probably a more apt ripoff-implying sci-fi reference, but whatever) toward what's definitely Mars, probably. This time I realized the irony of being bombarded by rules and regulations upon entering a wild west-style realm. Compounding that incongruous feeling is our first glimpse of "Big Shot," which is quite possibly the best thing since the Cowboy Bebop intro itself. The costumes, the accents, the sound effects - all gold. In grand tradition, I'll name these unnamed characters "Tex-Mex" and "Magic Top." They provide us with another mangled-English rap sheet, this time for Abdul Hakim. The vaguely inappropriate term for his racial makeup suggests being part black and part east Asian. Then there's the height discrepancies between the 200 cm and 6'2 listed, both of those being shorter than what he appears later. If the rap sheets are intentionally unreliable, then Spike is excused for later mistaking the spiky-haired suitcase thief for being Hakim. Otherwise it's another instance of Spike sloth for not paying attention to the details, since that guy was clearly under 6 feet.
Then we get a call from "Dr. Emmett Eggman." The details are sketchy, but here's my interpretation of how things went down. First, Hakim stole the data dog. Then he got facial reconstruction at the lab, because Doc saw his suitcase. Doc may not have performed the surgery himself, but he was enough in the know to have Hakim's post-surgery face. Then Hakim socks Doc and escapes with the help of some fast-healing toilet paper bandages. I also toyed with the idea that Doc was actually part of the data dog research lab, because why would Hakim rip him off, being a pet thief? But I'll stick with the former theory because Doc being bad leads down a confusing rabbit hole of conspiracies and lies. Regardless, Spike seems the type to rush into things without all the info, so this will probably be a recurring theme.
Hakim confidently remarks that this job is a sure thing, as does Spike later. With six hours to spare, he patrons the local beverage shop. Ever the sadist, he offers a concoction to "Roach Face" while partner-in-crime "Perpetually Shocked Thief" takes off with the suitcase into a garbage truck. In another totally inconspicuous truck, "Deep Shit," "Seems That Way," and "Smartass" roll through town lamenting the fall of their three other shady scientist comrades. Spike's getting clues from the low-key "Keith," who reveals the proliferation of slavery and/or prostitution on Mars, as well as shady pet shops. By the way, the peace sign in the weapons store - classy. Sure enough, "Mama Shady's" wheelin' and dealin' with P.S. Thief when Spike comes in guns blazing. Bafflingly, he assumes the thief can't be the real Hakim just because the dog isn't valuable at first glance, not to mention never realizing its value throughout the episode! Hakim didn't know how much the dog was really worth either, if Deep Shit is to be believed.
This makes me wonder - who pays out these bounties? If I had to guess, it's some as-of-yet unseen politically influential corporation, a representative of which was perhaps on the phone with Hakim. The only semblance of law enforcement I've seen is the mere existence of police, so it wouldn't surprise me. Seems like neither the police nor the shady researchers want info on the data dog released to the public, so it kind of makes sense to not include the dog in the bounty. I feel it's safe to assume that the reason a pet thief's bounty is so high is because of his valuable cargo. Both Spike and Jet only clue in as far as to surmise that the dog is valuable to Hakim, but if he's the only one needed for the bounty, then who are they to argue?
Once Hakim finds Mama Shady's pet shop and causes house pets to wreak havoc throughout the stars, a straight-up Scooby Doo chase ensues. Homage or no, it was a bit of an eye-roller - the pop music not helping at all. Hakim's looking crabby, am I right!? Spike and Jet reiterate the dog's obvious worthlessness while fitting it with a tracking device for a trap. Spike's not a fan of the plan, but what else is he supposed to do? A de-crabbed Hakim a.k.a. "Snoop" can't postpone the meet with the buyer as it's "impossible," shattering his vintage antenna flip phone in frustration. Thankfully, he encounters "Old Man Bird" and Peeko whose clairvoyance provides the most accurate insight of anyone in this episode. Deep Shit orders Smartass to start up the dog whistle, much to Seems That Way's objection. Deep Shit's ignorant quip about not hearing the dog whistle was probably the first laugh-out-loud moment for me, so points for that!
Another potential instance of Spike sloth appears while he's apathetically complaining about his duty, and the dog gets away. Hakim steals poor Harold's wedding car, and a slightly less wacky chase breaks out, with the Dogship Enterprise (license plate number NC-1702) in close pursuit. What do you know, they start indiscriminately shooting, apparently no longer worrying about drawing attention to themselves. Ace pilot Spike expertly catches the botchedly-anesthetized pooch, and the criminals make a hilarious crash-segue into...
Shucks howdy, another instance of Spike sloth! I have to believe he was asleep on the couch while they made the data dog announcement. Mama Shady didn't connect the dots either, but she's not a professional bounty hunter. At least, I doubt it. She is shady though. Just look how she whacks off Perpetually Shocked Thief's butt! And it looks like Hakim passed on his toilet paper bandaging ways to Roach Face. Spike imagines the dog complementing some bell peppers, and Tex-Mex and Magic Top bid the space cowboy goodbye.
PREDICTIONS: I may have been wrong about meeting one of the two main characters last time, but I just have this feeling we'll at least meet a woman (or women?) of the honky-tonk persuasion next time. There were two small mentions of the Bebop needing fixed - one where Jet said something was history before Spike got a call from Doc, and one when he said he'd have enough dough after rehauling the ship to buy some Peking duck. So I predict it'll break down, if not the next episode. A bounty will be put on the dog, but it will of course prove invaluable to the gang so it sticks around. Since I just saw Guardians of the Galaxy, I'd like the head of the mysterious bounty-paying corporation I mentioned earlier to be a Guillermo del Toro-esque collector of criminals. Finally, I'd like to track some recurring trait for Jet, but I still know relatively little about him. Just to have something, how about the times he sarcastically patronizes Spike? Call them "Jet jests."
RATING: There were many fun moments in "Stray Dog Strut," but that's about the biggest thing it had going for it. The cinematography and editing were good as before, especially the comedic timing. But Hakim wasn't as interesting as Asimov, the events occurred more wackily than logically, and even the Spike sloth got a little frustrating. I know I can't berate him much as the all-knowing observer, but some of these comedic moments of ignorance didn't make up for its own ridiculousness. So this episode gets 7.5 times saying "shit" instead of "damn" out of 10.
Until next time, "Time for a dog nap!"
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