#routley

I love Abijah as a villain because, one, his seemingly boundless brutality and sadism, and two, the fact that he's fully aware that he's a monster, and he's totally shameless about this.

Hello, hello, everyone! It’s a brand new year, which means we have higher chances of getting a brand new trailer with a brand new content very very soon. Which is why I decided to summarize all the things I’m looking forward to in the upcoming season. Just to be clear – I don’t expect ALL OF THEM to happen, I just want to have fun later to check how many of them come true ;)  

I’ll start with the most basic ones and then proceed to my more personal wishes, like shipping preferences and things like that.

1a – Culture Clash!

Mizu, being raised as a Japanese person, will surely be shocked by some European customs, like cuisine, hygiene, manners, religion and even approach to sexuality. Honestly, the more the better. And if some other Japanese characters like Taigen or Ringo decide to follow Mizu to London, it would make things even more interesting (I’d like to see Ringo’s reaction to typical English dishes). Fun fact: a similar culture shock has already been explored in the tenth novel of the “Young Samurai” series by Chris Bradford. It’s a book for kids, but I still believe that Chris made a good job in showing what might have shocked a Japanese person in XVIIth century England (makes me wonder, whether Blue Samurai Creators have read that novel).   

1b – More Mizu Sex Reveals

Looking for an idea for a drinking game? I propose taking a shot every time someone new discovers that Mizu is a woman. I’m sure the big secret will come out at least couple of times in season two. One of the most exciting moments I’m looking forward to is Taigen finding out and his reaction to it. If I were to guess, I’d say it would happen somewhere in the last two episodes of season two.

1c – Historical Accuracy

First, I want to say, that I don’t believe historical accuracy should be priority in every TV show. There are series, which are very well written and entertaining even without making everything EXACTLY as it was in the past (cough, cough, my beloved “Bridgertons”). However, it is always impressive when creators manage to include many realistic elements in their show, without ruining the plotline, and creators of BES certainly did their research. Of course they haven’t made a hundred percent realistic feudal Japan, but they managed to create a beautiful balance between historical realism and modernity. Even though I’m a huge Japan culture nerd, they not only managed to show me things I DID know and like (tea ceremony elements, sword fighting forms), but also things I didn’t know (I can’t believe I haven’t heard about the ohaguro before BES– oh my God!). So yeah… dear creators, if people are going to expect some realism from you in the second season, it’s basically your own fault for setting the bar so high ^^. I, for the record, don’t expect Mizu to get to England in that sorry excuse of a ship she’s boarded in the last episode of season one, because it’s like… umm… ignoring CENURIES of naval evolution which enabled Europeans to finally sail the world? Let’s sink that boat and let Mizu (and Fowler) be saved by some nice English ship.   

1d – New fighting styles

It is implied by Mizu holding a rapier in the poster promoting season two, and I’m sooo excited about it! Read my special post regarding this topic here.

2a – Taigen going to London

I’ve written a separate post about why Taigen going to London would be beneficial for the plot – you can read it here.

2b – Another half-breed

Mizu has already met someone like her in the brothel episode, but they didn’t really exchange any words. I want it to change in second season. I expect Mizu to meet another half breed in London – preferably someone with a completely different personality than Mizu, without any self-hate or revenge obsession. I'd also want Akemi to get friendly with a blue-eyed person who isn't Mizu. I'm making a special order: more half-breeds, please!

2c – More info about Violet

That scene from the first official season two trailer? Honestly, I can’t imagine it to be anything other than flashback of Mizu trying to get to Violet and killing him (if you were following my metas, you know that one of my favorite theories is that Mizu’s glasses used to belong to Violet).

2d – Fowler escaping at some point

It’s just BEGGING to happen! Not killing your enemy when you get the chance hits the main character almost every time, Ladies and Gentlemen! Fowler WILL escape, possibly almost killing Mizu and warning Skeffington and Routley to make the hunt more difficult. This is the guy who PREDICTED his buddy Shindo's betrayal and still lied to the dude without batting an eye. I'm telling you, he's not going to make a good prisoner.

3a – Mizu making English friends (aka meeting the “Good Whites”)

It is an absolute must. I’ve already written a little bit about it in my Taigen post, so here I just want to add: the plot is going in the direction of Mizu questioning some of her opinions, like self hate and the drive to kill her father, and for her to question all of that she first need to understand that – duh! – not all the whites are bad. Trip to London is just perfect to have that lesson.

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Alright! I’ve got the basics covered, so now it’s time for LESS PROBABLE things, like theories and personal wishes.

3b – Mikio returns

Ever since the infamous interview with the creators, fans have been speculating, who is this mysterious “dead, but MAYBE alive” character. Mikio seems like a reasonable answer, because he was the only person whose death has been blurred. Well… logically, it could ALSO be Violet (first potential father), since we only have Mizu’s word for killing him, which means, he might be alive and kickin’, buuuut… like a lot of people in the fandom, I realllyyyyy want it to be Mikio, because it would be so dramatic and interesting, and there are just so many unanswered questions about him. Check my separate post about Mikio.

3c – Badass female fighter

Until now Mizu fought men, so I’m STARVING to see her having a clash with a female fighter holding a larger weapon than Akemi’s sorry excuse for the knife (my apologies, Akemi – I still admire your courage). And since we KNOW that the creators adore Kill Bill, our chances of seeing this are really high. One of my favorite theories is that we’ll have at least one episode of the sea voyage, and that Mizu will clash with someone based on the famous pirate from the Golden Age of Piracy, Anne Bonny.  

3d – European Mentor Figure

I think it would be really nice if Mizu met someone who would guide her into the European World. I’m envisioning either a ship captain (he could also teach her English), a swordsman or a blacksmith. Each option would be very interesting.

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Finally, the LAST ROW, which I reserve for hardcore fan theories, which could turn the whole plot upside down. Even ONE of them would be enough to make our brains explode and if it’s more of them, we’re going to need therapy after the show ;)

4a – Akemi’s female love interest

And by “female love interest” I don’t necessarily mean Mizu. I’ve been thinking about Akemi a lot and I’ve realized something: she has a habit of manipulating men who are her love interests. Not only the husband she was forced to marry – Taigen as well. She believes she’s in love with him, but she has no problems manipulating him through flattery and sex, ultimately proving to him, that she doesn’t really care about his pride or honor – only about her own agenda. And it makes me wonder – what if it’s going to be true with EVERY man Akemi will like in the future? Each and every one of them will be a threat for her freedom, so Akemi will manipulate them “just in case” (like Madam Kaji taught her). But with a woman she might find balance, equality and – most importantly – the ability to show her true self. I really like the vision of the Empress Akemi ruling Japan with a female lover by her side. One of my favorite theories is that she’s going to have a relationship with a blue-eyed prostitute from Madam Kaji Episode.

4b – Mizu’s (real) dad is Japanese

And her mother is/was white. This theory needs no more explanations, because it existed in the fandom ever since the last episode of season one aired, and we have learned, that “Mama” was just “a maid”. It’s such a great theory, because it questions Mizu’s whole revenge quest.

4c – Mizu’s (real) mum is alive

This one is not that popular in the fandom, because Fowler implied that Mizu’s mum was killed and it is unlikely that he had lied. And I agree with this. But… even though Fowler is not lying, there is a possibility that the information he provides are incorrect. He BELIEVES Mizu’s mum to be dead, but we have no idea, how it had happened or if he actually had seen the act. There are countless of possibilities and if Mizu’s mum is still alive, it might complicate things. A lot. One of my favorite theories is that we’ll meet a new female character in season two, and that person will later be revealed to be Mizu’s real mother.    

4d – One of Mizu’s (potential) fathers is a good person

Although Fowler had said, that Skeffington and Routley were “the worst of them”, I think it would be interesting if one of them would turn out to actually be a good person. Not necessarily from the beginning – he might have done nasty things in the past, and now has regrets, change of heart or whatever else. But I want one of these guys to be good. Why? Because Mizu HATES killing good people, as we have seen in the Kinyuo episode. So, having an oopsie daisy discovery, that one of her targets is now a nice fellow, would kick our poor Blue Eye Samurai’s psyche right between the legs.  And I’ll ear popcorn to that.

Okay, that’s it! All of my expectations in one place.

Some of you are probably surprised I didn’t put any Taizu here, since I’m a dedicated Taizu shipper (or Taimizu – as some prefer to call it). I decided against it, because even though my poor heart is aching for intimate scenes involving Mizu and Taigen, rationally it would make much more sense if they happened in season three not two. Right now… those two sword nerds just have too big of a gap between them. Taigen still hasn’t apologized for being a little shit as a kid (sorry, dude, bringing dumplings is a sorry excuse for an apology) and Mizu hasn’t confessed she’s a woman (honestly, I don’t believe she will, I think someone or something will expose her to Taigen). If they don’t clean their messes before entering a relationship, they’ll just end up like Korra and Mako from “The Legend of Korra”.

Sooo… whether I like it or not, they need some development in season two in order to become couple in season three. And for having a development AT ALL, Taigen… yeah, I’ll just say it again… he NEEDS to go to London, dammit ;)

Do you have your own expectations?

Feel free to create your own bingos. And let me know if you share any of my expectations.

So I'm just posting and speculating for fun. This is a small theory, but I think it would be interesting if each of the four men were from each country in the British Isles.

So we already know that Fowler is from Ireland, but we don't know about Violet's, Skeffington's, and Routley's origins aside from the fact that they're most likely from the British Isles. Usually, you can tell where someone is from by their surnames, not always, but usually; however, I don't think that will help us in this case. The reason why I don't think the mens' surnames will give clues on where they're from is because I don't think they're using their real names.

The reason I think those names are aliases rather than their actual names is due to the timeframe and historical context. There is no way around the late 16th century to early 17th century would an Irish child be named Abijah Fowler; he would have most likely been named after his paternal grandfather if he was the oldest son, and it would be an Irish Gaelic name, along with his surname also being Irish Gaelic.

It also makes sense that the men are not using their birth names as they are participating in the black market.

However, I think I can at least make an educated guess on where each the men could be from.

Violet - I think he's English, I also think he was somewhat of the leader in that group. Violet was referred to as "old Violet," which could mean he's an old friend or he was possibly very elderly, maybe the eldest out of the four men.

It would make sense if he was the eldest, considering in the flashback he seemed very easy to kill. I also want to bring up that Fowler genuinely seemed upset about Violet's death and looked like he was genuinely going to kill Mizu for it. I believe each of the four men came from harsh upbringings, like Fowler, and I think Violet was likely the first to go into that sort of black market lifestyle and took the other three men under his wing. It's likely Violet took Fowler in after he lost his sister and thought him everything he knew.

It's a bit tricky to figure out Skeffington and Routley, especially if the surnames do turn out to just be aliases. So, let's look at the names from a more metaphorical lense instead.

Skeffington - so when I do a quick Google search of the name Skeffington, its meaning has roots in the words 'sheep' and 'farmstead', which you'll find a lot of both in Wales. A bit on the nose, to be honest.

Routley - looking into the meaning of the surname, Routley was a bit more difficult as apparently to some sources, the meaning is lost, but according to ancestry, the surnames can be associated with the term 'cliff', and Scotland makes 60% of cliffs in Britain. RIP Welsh Routley theory, you will be missed

Another thing is that I believe that Skeffington will be the most sadistic, as someone on another post pointed out that Skeffington can also be referred to as Skevington, which is also the name of a torture device know as Skevington's daughter. His last name having ties to the term sheep can also be used to foreshadow his personality as a wolf in steep clothing, someone who's a mindless sheep (a blind follower), or even a sheep in wolves clothing because deep down he's a coward.

As for Routley, I can assume he's probably the youngest out of the four. Also, let's be honest, many of us believe he's either Mizu's father, or if you believe in the European mother theory, then most would believe he's at least her uncle because of the 'pretty eyes' comment. It's very likely that Routley will be the most significant target to Mizu, and he'll play a big part in season 2. Which might mean Mizu be half of

In all seriousness, it could be possible that each for four are from one of each country in the British Isles as during that time frame it could be beneficial for the group for one person to know Welsh, another to know Irish Gaelic, and another to know Scottish Gaelic. I also want to point out that, apparently, the surname Violet comes from the term 'pathway', I guess Violet painted the pathway for the other three men to join him.

just a quick theory on what the symbolism between the four white men in BES is in this photo, and what I think they will be like in season 2.

warning: spoilers for Blue Eye Samurai

What if Skeffington and Routley have families? What if one of them is a bad person turned good person, trying to atone for his sins?

When Mizu first mentions the Four White Devils she envisions them as demonic shadows and she probably doesn't expect any of them to have human emotions.

But we (the audience) already know that at least one of them has a compassionate side. And that's Fowler.

Remember how he mentioned his sister and famine in Ireland? Yes, even someone as evil as him had a loved one at some point of life. He loved his sister to the point of feeding her with his own blood to keep her alive. Actually, if you listen carefully to everything he said in episode seven, you may even reach the conclusion that his current devilish personality is not (entirely) his fault.

Which of course is NO excuse for what he does NOW (just like Taigen's dad drinking is no excuse for Taigen to act like shit - it helps us understand his behavior, but it's no excuse, not until he apologizes properly).

Anyway, whatever his motivation might be, Fowler is clearly a bad person and it makes Mizu's revenge easy in season one (from a moral point of view).

But for season two I’d like to see something different. Fowler called Skeffington and Routley “the absolute worst” and I’m on board with the idea to make them even WORSE psychos than what we’ve already seen… but it doesn’t mean their situation cannot become complicated.

Have you seen Kill Bill? If so, you might remember Vernita – that dark skinned chick the Bride murdered. Her case was really interesting, because she had a family and a KID. That didn’t earn her ANY mercy from the Bride, but from the audience’s point of view getting the bloody business done in front of the little girl was pretty savage.

Go to your room, honey! Mommy and her friend are busy trying to kill each other!

I think it would be interesting to watch in Mizu doing something simiar. And it makes perfect sense, because Fowler suggests that Skeffington and Routley are the discreet kind. You know what discreet criminals do? They blend in. And the best way to do it is to get yourself a proper wife and if you add cute kids to the formula, you’re on the highway to become the sweetheart of the society.

That would… well, maybe not STOP Mizu, but it could become the source of huge mental struggles for her. Because, yeah, destroying her maybe father, COULD result in robbing a completely innocent family of a bread provider, potentially even making them end up in the streets.

We know perfectly well that Mizu doesn’t like hurting innocent people. And she’s already had an opportunity to learn that revenge is not always easy – like in episode four, when Madame Kaji explained to her, that she cannot simply murder a powerful mob boss, because his lackeys will come and do the retaliation in form of a mass murder.

(But hey, if you are Mizu, you can always slaughter the dude’s entire army, so no worries).

So, the situation in which Skeffington or/and Routley would have a family (perhaps even Mizu’s half sibling!) could complicate things A LOT for our murderous protagonist.

And it would be even MORE interesting If one of the White Devils met her after having some sort of atonement arc. Remember: Fowler haven’t seen those dudes in ten years. At least that’s what the plot implies – though he might be in some contact with them, because someone GOT him the guns from England, and he seems convinced that they are both in London. But anyway, there is a chance, he doesn’t know them THAT well anymore.