premiere air date: December 16, 2001
summary: Several of the episodes in the series begin the way this one does
- with a juxtaposition of past and present, so that you don't at first know which
one is the now. The story begins as Spike wakes from a bizarre dream (flashback?)
in a blues club, where a genius child harmonica player (Wen) is performing. This
time the boys are hunting a bounty head named "Giraffe", who seemingly has a grudge
against Wen's guardian, "Zebra." Unfortunately just as Spike is about the capture
him, Giraffe dies leaving behind a puzzling message and a ring. Spike, being the
upstanding guy he is, spends the rest of the episode trying to carry out Giraffe's
dying wish, with some unexpected results. "Sympathy" is a particularly dark, poignant
episode, and while not one of my favorites it has its moments. One theme brought
up during this episode is a recurring one throughout the series: the nature of
comraderie and loyalty. As almost an aside, Faye settles in a little bit more
to life on the Bebop; although Spike and Jet still act as though they dislike
her, they are getting comfortable with her being there. She's becoming a comrade.
Another side bit to this episode: Jet is bandaging Spike, nagging him up and down
about the way he always gets hurt, and Spike, like a wayward son, just says "I'm
sorry." That scene, short as it is, is a microcosm of the whole Spike/Jet relationship
throughout the series. I find the real affection between these two touching.
rating: B++
