Now, I want to preface this by saying that “worst episode” does not mean “least favorite episode,” although sometimes those do coincide and I end up just wanting to throw the controller at my TV (I’m looking at you, “Black Market“). But with Cowboy Bebop, it seems like there are just episodes that I’m “meh” about. They’re not completely bad, but they simply do not meet my high expectations, which are exceptionally high … and that’s really the show’s fault more than anything else.

Even though Ed is my favorite character, her introductory episode is probably the worst one produced in the 26-session run. The plot is muddled and somehow boring, even if the end does include Faye and Spike avoiding laser blasts from AI-controlled satellites, and I can’t really even see why they were even going after the bounty in the first place. Or shit, why was there even a bounty on a hacker in the first place? All that happened was that a satellite drew pictures on uninhabited ground. Even Spike was dismissive of the whole idea initially. Unlike yesterday’s “Speak Like a Child,” where nothing happening was actually the best thing about the episode, in “Jamming with Edward,” plot just plots and Ed eventually comes aboard as the newest crew member because … reasons. I mean, sure, Faye did promise her a place on the Bebop – and I did enjoy the end sequence where Ed flies the ship with her remote control – but that doesn’t really give me much of a reason to watch it again.

As CinemaSins says: “SKIP!”

Art Credit: PennLive, Online Bookclub