Golgo 13 (TV) - 04: Pretty Woman

Title:Golgo 13 (TV)
Episode:04: Pretty Woman
Synopsis
Linda is desperate to escape her life as the concubine of the jealous mafia boss Marty O'Brien. She offers to hire Golgo to kill him, and he accepts the job. What's more, Linda finds herself entranced by this mysterious assasin. Billy, Marty's right hand man, encounters Golgo and has a hunch that this is no ordinary man. Billy uncovers evidence of Linda meeting an unidentified man, and Marty jumps to the wrong conclusion. Duke learns of a mafia faction which would also like to see Marty dead. Billy continues his investigation of Linda, and learns that the strange man he met was almost certainly Golgo 13. "I'm told he never shows anyone his back" Billy says; "I'll be the one to see it--when it's covered in blood!"...
Comments
The first time I watched this episode, I didn't really know what to say at the end. It seemed disappointing, like a depressing "everybody dies" sort of show. The second time, however, it seemed to have improved considerably. I hadn't really caught on to Linda's infatuation with Golgo, and once I had the way the episode ended made a good deal more sense. There's a difficult to put into words quality to the way the story works out--this is the way it should end, or rather must end. For all the pity one feels for Linda and all the grudging admiration one has for the honest and loyal Billy, they violated the cardinal rule that you do not f--- with Golgo. It almost feels like a Greek tragedy, with Golgo substituting for the Gods. I'd been expecting more of a twist to Linda's actions based on the preview at the end of the last episode, but I guess this will do. It's interesting that characters like Linda, Marty and Billy get a good deal more airtime than protagonist Duke Togo does--I hear this is not uncommon in the unconventional Golgo 13 manga.


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