Cowboy Bebop - Episode 5

Cowboy Bebop - Episode 5 : Ballad of Fallen Angels

It is the base planet of the Red Dragons, Mars. Mao Yenrai, one of the heads of the Red Dragons, signs a contract with a fellow syndicate, hopefully ensuring some peace for the clan. Mao watches the helicopter containing the representatives of the other syndicate leaving with happiness in his eyes. Now maybe he can rest easy. Mao's look turns to a look of horror when the helicopter explodes, and he is roughly grabbed and taken to the window by someone behind him. A man with a raven on his shoulder, draws his long sword and presses it to Mao's neck. Mao says that the Red Dragons must go away from the old ways, and then his throat is slit. A blood seeps onto the ground. With his dying words, Mao whispers out to the man with the raven. "If... Spike were here... you would've never done this..." The raven man smiles.

Spike and Jet are looking yet another new hit, on none other than Mao Yenrai himself. Spike mysteriously leaves on his own, and won't tell any of his comrades why. Faye follows him, but Jet tells Spike that he won't back him up if he doesn't tell him what is wrong. Spike says fine, and switches off the radio in his Swordfish. He blasts off to the closest city, with Faye closely behind him.

Spike meets up with an old friend of his, someone named Ana. They talk of old times, and Spike calls her "Anastasia." The woman gets very mad and tells Spike that only two people can call her that, and pours herself a glass a whiskey. Spike takes the glass, and says "This one is for Mao," and drinks it.

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Cowboy Bebop - Episode 5 : Ballad of Fallen Angels #2

Faye finds out where Mao Yenrai is (though he's already dead, remember?), and goes into the theatre to find him. There she is captured, and a strange man, the man with the raven, approaches her. She looks to her side, and sees a bloody, dead body. It is Mao Yenrai's. She turns to the mysterious raven man and demands to know his name. He answers, "Vicious."

Faye contacts Jet and Spike, and says she's captured, and that they have to come rescue her. Spike actually gets up and starts putting together weapons, as if he were going. Jet asks why, since she does not really matter to them. Spike says that it is not about her, but about who's holding her. With a handgun and a few grenades, he prepares to leave. Jet says, "You know its a trap, right?" Spike keeps on going, and without looking over his shoulder says, "Yes."

It is a church, the address where Faye is suppose to be held. Spike enters, and finds his former friend and ally, Vicious. Vicious says that Mao was killed because he had become a beast without fangs, and advises Spike to give up. One of Vicious' men steps forward, with Faye at gunpoint. Instead of hesitating and putting his gun down, Spike simply aims and shoots the man holding Faye in the head. Faye runs away, and a classic, Matrix-style shoot out happens between Spike and Vicious' men. Eventually, only Vicious and Spike are left, and they duel. Spike pushes his gun into Vicious, and Vicious pushes his sword up to Spike's chest. It is a stale mate, and at the exact same time, Spike fires his gun, and Vicious thrusts his sword forward. Vicious grabs Spike by the head, and throws him out the stained glass window in front of them. Spike falls from the church, crashing out of the stain glass window. As he is falling, many stories below, he throws out one last grenade. Vicious sees it coming, but it is too late (Or is it..?). The grenade bounces into the church, and explodes.

Spike wakes up all bandaged up, listening to Faye hum. She sees him up, and walks over to talk to him. Spike whispers "You sing off key," and yet another punching sound can be heard throughout the ship. Jet chuckles out again, "Oh well..."