Sometimes a show is so entertaining we can hardly wait for the next episode to land on the viewing queue, and Tokyo Vice is just such a show. Season 2 of this highly stylized HBO series is currently underway—and with only two episodes left to tie up the loose ends.
As a recap, Tokyo Vice is a crime drama created by J.T. Rogers (Oslo) that’s based on the memoir Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan by Jake Adelstein. The book recounts Adelstein’s real-life experience as a Western journalist working at one of Tokyo’s largest newspapers. Adelstein also serves as one of the show’s executive producers.
What’s Tokyo Vice about?
Ansel Elgort portrays Jake in the television version of the book. As an aside, Tokyo Vice was originally optioned as a film starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2013, but that project was scrapped two years later. It’s hard to imagine anyone but Elgort playing this role, but anyway, back to the show …
Season 1 of the HBO show premiered on April 7, 2022, and was well-received by viewers and critics alike. After getting renewed for Season 2 in April 2022, the sophomore season premiered on February 8, 2024. This season consists of ten new hour-long episodes about Jake’s continued efforts to reveal corruption both in the Tokyo Vice police squad and up to the highest reaches of government.
Episode 8, “The Noble Path,” aired on March 21, 2024 and saw Jake, Katagiri (Ken Watanabe), and Samantha (Rachel Keller) racing to uncover the truth about Polina (Ella Rumpf) while Sato (Shô Kasamatsu) remains in critical condition. Jake suspects Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) of committing a slew of crimes in pursuit of power (and an illegal liver transplant).
People Jake thought were safe, like FBI liaison Lynn Oberfeld (Geraldine Hughes), may be involved in the corruption as well, leaving him wondering who he can trust. The episode ends with several characters’ fates hanging in the balance, so episode 9 can’t come fast enough!
When can we watch Season 2 episode 9?
Never fear, the next episode will air right on time. Following the rest of the season’s schedule, episode 9 will air on Thursday, March 28, 2024, but you’ll have to get up early if you want to watch it live. The episode debuts on HBO at 3:00 a.m. ET and will be streaming immediately on HBO Max. Phew.
Speaking of streaming on HBO Max, all eight episodes of Season 1 plus all of Season 2 are currently available on the platform now too. With tightly-woven storylines and compelling characters, not to mention the ridiculously cool cinematography, we can’t think of a better way to take a virtual trip to Tokyo.
(featured image: Max)
