LogFAQs > #969884039

#89: Ballad Of Fallen Angels
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/6/9/AAAG8cAAD8oR.jpg

Show: Cowboy Bebop
Original airdate (US): September 24, 2001

When angels are forced out of heaven, they become devils. You agree, dont you Spike?

Before Ballad Of Fallen Angels, Cowboy Bebop was already a really fun show. It started off with four excellent stand-alone episodes that introduced Spike, Jet, and Faye, and I kind of had an idea of how this show was going to play out, but Session 5 definitely added a lot more complexity as it revealed Spike's past as a high-ranking member of a powerful crime syndicate, and introduced his rival Vicious, a far more dangerous foe than any of the bounties the crew had faced so far. It also featured the best music I'd heard to date, particularly "Rain", an ominous, poignant ballad that truly punctuated the stakes of Spike's confrontation in the cathedral and is just a badass song in general. And... wow, the fight itself was spectacular, ending in a dramatic stalemate that saw Spike flung out the window seemingly to his doom, while Vicious disappeared to parts unknown. While we didn't get a resolution of the conflict, we learned so much about Spike, and yet were left with even more mysteries. Even Faye, relegated to the role of hostage in the showdown, got her chance to shine, showing a brief glimmer of how much she's starting to care for Spike. The episode was a thrilling introduction to Cowboy Bebop's "myth arc", adding some heavy emotional gravity to the show that would only get heavier as the story progressed. The music and imagery blended to create one of the show's most thrilling sequences, and I still have Rain playing in my head to this day.