Cowboy Bebops Alien Homage Episode Explained

Cowboy Bebop’s Alien Homage Episode Explained

Among the handful of other signature Cowboy Bebop themes, sci-fi is integral to the anime. And episode 11 even pays notable homage to 1979’s Alien.

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Cowboy Bebops Alien Homage Episode Explained

Despite only consisting of one season, the original Cowboy Bebop anime accomplishes a great deal – and here’s an explanation for how one episode even pays homage to 1979’s Alien. With an upcoming live-action remake set to hit Netflix on November 19th, the internet is buzzing with franchise-related fanfare and general anticipation. Fans of the original Cowboy Bebop anime are going back through the original series’ 26 episodes to refresh their memories. In doing so, there’s plenty of minute details, nuances, general themes, and even pop culture references to re-examine.

The series follows the crew of bounty hunters who live and travel through space aboard the titular Bebop spaceship. Cowboy Bebop is also true to the former portion of its title, as well; its tone is very much that of a noir-infused Western. Still, as anyone who’s familiar with the franchise knows, it manages to have a simultaneously lighthearted and witty nature too. It’s how those components are blended in with inherent darkness, violence, existentialism, and fun music that gives the show its unique, fan-amassing vibe.

Cowboy Bebop episode 11, “Toys In the Attic,” leans right into this while also referencing another famous sci-fi work. It begins with Spike, Faye, Jet, Ed, and Ein the corgi going about their normal routine aboard the show’s namesake ship. That is, until a mysterious antagonist appears in the form of what seems to be a deadly, semi-intelligent organism that bites and infects people – leaving a glowing purple mark on their bodies. By the Cowboy Bebop episode’s end, there’s still quite a bit left unexplained about this virus-like creature. Spike does, however, discover that it was born from year-old spoiled food (a “Ganymede rock lobster,” to be exact) that he forgot about in a fridge aboard the ship. Many viewers of classic sci-fi films can quickly notice “Toys in the Attic’s” clear nod to Ridley Scott’s acclaimed sci-fi/horror flick Alien as an unseen monster slowly picks off the team and leaves them bedridden while traveling through space. There are other clear, purposeful parallels to the 1979 classic, as well. Like in Alien, Spike attempts to kill the monster with weapons (a flamethrower, no less – like in the film) in vain. Of course, the episode also ends with his character launching the contaminated fridge into space – mirroring Alien’s ending.

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The homage-paying is a clever episode framework, and it’s certainly not lost on most fans of the Cowboy Bebop series, Alien, or sci-fi in general. Interestingly though, there seem to be two notable camps of viewers: one that praises “Toys in the Attic” and one that mainly sees it as a sub-par filler episode. However, the former school of thought seems to ring far truer. As Reddit user Mescal_Caulchester says in a post about “Toys in the Attic,” “There’s so much to like in this episode, from the lessons, and Ed breaking the fourth wall (“What lesson?”) to the Aliens reference’s and general blending of horror and comedy tones seamlessly.”

Episode 11 truly does encapsulate Cowboy Bebop’s general themes and elements. It hits viewers with a fair share of sickness, seemingly near-death experiences, and almost palpable anxiety while also fitting in the goofy antics between Faye and Jet’s relationship and ending the episode with Spike’s quote about how not leaving things in the fridge is an important life lesson. Not only does Cowboy Bebop pay homage to Alien via “Toys in the Attic,” it also enhances and further solidifies its own beloved place in media.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/cowboy-bebop-toys-attic-alien-homage-explained/

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