This episode is all about the Teddy Bomber, and I can't help but wonder if we'll hear the full reason for why he was doing that. These episodes have more room to breath and don't always keep close to the original plot. They shouldn't do that anyways. This is something new, and something new (at worst) should be just homage to the source. Cowboy Bebop is a show that will become a genre onto itself after all.

The episode begins with Big Shot: For the Bounty Hunters. Punch and Judy, the hosts, run through their routine, talking about the Teddy Bomber. After showing a video of one of Teddy Bomber's targets, Judy is flabbergasted, and then Punch takes her line. We then jump to outside a massive cathedral. Spike and Jet are in the middle of a stakeout to find the Bomber. Spike steps out to the bathroom while Jet tells him to keep on task. And then the complications that coming up. Jet notices someone with a badly burned face and a duffel bag. Spike's solitary time is interrupted by another person coming in, with a blade just hidden in his jacket. Jet tries to follow the bomber, getting knocked down by the bomber then delayed by the flower girls. Spike needs to deal with the assassin from the Syndicate that's come after him. “Tank!” starts just as Jet leaves the cathedral and is ambushed by the bomber with a hit to the head.

After the title, Spike keeps his fight in the restroom a secret Jet pulls out the hand he took from the bomber (literally) to run some chemical analysis to figure out what was used to start tracing things. Spike covers up some blood, makes a bad excuse, gets in the Swordfish and just leaves the BeBop. Things pick up again on the night-side of the planet with an older couple entering a bar, being greeted by a drag queen. The couple talk about a singer rumored to make an appearance, while the queen plays a little coy with the information but hints toward an appearance. A mysterious woman comes into the club that a lot of people recognize. Shortly she's revealed to be the owner, Ana's. The bartender sends off a “drop” through the tubes. Ana gets this drop in her office, which she sets in a container and seals. This is just before Spike reveals him, much to Ana's surprise. Inter-cut with Jet reading the manifesto, the pair catch up. Spike is recruiting her for information gathering on the Syndicate. Jet gets the analysis results and has the ship AI (Martin) replay the bombings. Jet tries to contact Spike with what he's learned, but Spike's gone dark while meeting Ana. Before leaving, we learn a little more about Julia when Spike sees a picture of her on Ana's wall. Here, he learns about her and Vicious being married, after Ana braces herself.

We get a nice scenic shot, and unsurprisingly, got over to Vicious and Julia. The Elders have sent a messenger to Vicious to bring him back in line after they deliver their message to him personally. They command him to kill Julia for his brazen theft. He pulls the trigger to reveal the gun is empty. They give him a final warning about loyalty before things change back to Venus.

The pair are nearly at each other's throats with Spike having rejoined Jet. Talking with foremen, Spike's been tracking the potential sources of the explosives. The pair argue, the Foreman gets a good jab in and sends them off to talk with his explosives guy, Thedore. The pair travel over to a jet freighter. We get a short cut for little more time with Vicious who is distraught over what he just had to do. The two argue and Vicious lives up to his name. Then we're back in the freighter, with the pair hunting the explosives. They find where Teddy had been making his bears, a Cup of Noddles to show he was just there before the freighter takes off. The pair rush for the cockpit to find it get destroyed by space debris, just before Teddy makes an appearance, wearing a Teddy Bear mask, with explosives strapped to himself, and completely unintelligible speech. The cowboys can't understand him and then they fight, with Jet stuck on a mine mounted into the floor. They get the detonator and knock out Teddy, but then the mine rears its ugly head again. Spike takes on the mine covering himself, and asks Jet to bring him the noodles before he goes to the BeBop so they can collect the bounty on Teddy.

The episode wraps up with the Syndicate twins bringing a message to Vicious in Ana's. They deliver the news to Vicious about the Cleaner getting killed by Spike at the church. They seem to have a little concern about getting killed. Ana listens in as the twins tell Vicious the news. He shatters the glass he's holding, and the episode ends as the camera zooms out behind Ana.

Contrasting to the original series, the Syndicate never actively hunted Spike before either. This time, cleaners have been called in. Plainly there are being bigger consequences for the one gangster who managed to get away during the first episode. This does make it clear at least something resembling the original “friendly” rivalry of Spike and Vicious exists. At least, Spike being dead is a paramount concern to Vicious.

This is where we finally get to see Big Shot, the ironic show that the crew of the BeBop frequently uses to get a lead on a job. Punch and Judy are there in their outfits, straight out of the anime. How the managed Judy's is a marvel of the modern era. The Elders having their classic look with the masks was a great touch to have for the scene of their accusations. Something to hide and obscure them, like in many other anime's with powerful elders (i.e. Outlaw Star). Punch and Judy aren't on the same page at all. Judy being a little more of a diva. Before she was content to be on TV and looking good doing it.

The club scene was completely original and wonderful for it. I loved the host, Gran, and how she look and just general personage. Then we met Spike's one revealed contact Ana. Her running a bar instead of a corner shop makes a lot more sense. She is a strong character like before, but more a mastermind than a someone running a front. She is used to gathering information and knows a good bit about getting to be in the right place at the right time. Plainly what she's doing in her bar isn't known completely to the forces that be. She is part of that system though with that drop system, or so it seems and what she's said to “Fearless”, now Spike.

The relationship with Julia and Vicious took a massive change. Before the pair were antagonistic toward each other at best. Having them together is something that's going to play out more across the season, possibly the series. Vicious does have more personality than his previous stoicism and Julia is much more than her enigmatic self in the original. Seems like she's been quietly pushing Vicious to do more to break out of the hold of the Syndicate. There was also the enigmatic “him” that Julia said Vicious promised to protect her from. Just it seems like an uncomfortable relationship. Julia might generally be happy, but there is likely an undercurrent we'll see develop as the show goes on.

The changes to the Teddy Bomber were among the best. Before he was just knocked around, caught between Spike and a rival Bounty Hunter Andy. Here, he actually gets to present a full threat without quite the same drama drowning him out. Just what he did to himself wearing that mask. Having a full-face mascot style head is terrible for being understood in. His teddies were accurate as well as him having that Teddy Bear costume to wear. Seeing it more in pieces left more appropriate in a way. The Teddy Bomber did get to keep some of his original aesthetic with the detonator being pulled from the original show. While his motives were clear this time, he still couldn't be heard. That, ultimately, made it a great nod to the original episode. There, Teddy kept trying to convey his anti-capitalism message. Each time, he got interrupted, something he hated. This time, while he got out a manifesto, we just could understand him.

Finally, there's just the relationship between Jet and Spike. Before they were just working together. This has them needing to be more honest than they ever were in the original. Spike's secretive past is going to get hard to contain. Jet does seem like someone who, especially knowing someone, could manage a fair bit of understanding. Still, ex-ISSP and ex-Syndicate is a big jump. Now I wonder if Spike will always use Noodles as an excuse when he's running off to deal with Syndicate. Jet understands, or at least could, more than Spike suspects. But then we wouldn't get nearly as much good drama. There will be a bigger blow-up though if Jet finds out instead of Spike telling him. At least, that's my read of the situation at present. Jet understands the need for some secrets, likely, even though he is more open in this show. We'll just have to see how these, “noodles” cook over the course of the episodes.

While there are changes, this is for the better changes. Vicious and Julia, Teddy (the bomber), the introduction of Ana opposed to Annie, all worked to better build a bigger world. The use a bar is much more telling than a simple corner store (and both make good fronts). Teddy made no sense to anyone in a better way this time. As well as having Spike and Jet's relationship develop more here is to the betterment of the show. This episode also had Spike's past become a bit more clear earlier than it did in the show. Ana got introduced sooner and looks to play a bigger role than before. Just to reiterate, having inspired by a show doesn't tie it to the original. So far, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is doing what you should expect, draw inspiration. Everyone is different and so are the stories. This one pulled together parts of Cowboy Funk with just a little of Ballad of Fallen Angels. It was much to the betterment of the story. The story just ties together better than the episodic nature of the original Cowboy Bebop. It still have plenty of episodes and time to prove itself for sure though.

See you next week, Space Cowboy...