Spoilers for episode 4 of Get Jiro.
Get Jiro has been doing a great job establishing itself over the last two weeks, but episode four is where things really kick into high gear. There’s a lot of plot development and a heaping helping of violence, but the real draw is the unexpected exposition for Cynda that might make you ask the question: what’s really the secret behind the sauce?
In the wake of the Ortolan massacre, a gang war has started between Bob and Rose that results in some of the most visceral imagery Adult Swim has aired since the likes of Metalocalypse. Given how much effort was put into the art and design of this series, it felt significantly more brutal than what the network has aired so far, though having someone shoved in a meat grinder is usually not for the squeamish to begin with. Two threads ultimately play out in this episode: the aftermath of the gang war and Cynda’s backstory.
Cynda gets the most dramatic moments of the series thus far. The episode opens with a flashback to Cynda and her mother making the family’s secret recipe for barbecue sauce. The ingredients have been added to the sauce in the same order for generations, and Cynda’s mother has been cooking barbecue for so long that she can take the meat off the grill with her bare hands without flinching. However, it becomes apparent from the dust cloud on the horizon that something bad’s about to happen. Back in the present, Cynda suspects Jiro for the Ortolan murders due to the immaculate beheadings. However, the AFF (Alcohol, Firearms, and Food) have taken over the case due to the mayor being among the victims. Ultimately, Cynda arrests Jiro anyway, conveniently as the AFF have now made him a prime suspect as well. It’s arranged that Jiro will be sent to a safe house, but not before Cynda stops at wholesome barbecue restaurant Pig-EZ.
Meanwhile, Bob and Rose find themselves locked in a room, forced to work something out and end the war. It doesn’t take too long for the two of them to realize what’s been happening, and that Jiro is to blame. I will say that I didn’t expect for this portion of the plot to progress so quickly, but regardless, the realization leads to Bob and Rose’s rivalry turning to romance. Meanwhile, Cynda also figures out the same thing, but before she can find out why, her discussion with Jiro takes a different turn.
The earlier flashback continues to reveal that an armed, masked group came into her family’s home, murdered them all, and stole almost all of her family’s barbecue sauce, branded Peggy’s. Cromwell found a young Cynda hiding and took her in, giving her the sole bottle of barbecue sauce left behind. Peggy’s was turned into Pig-EZ, the family recipe perverted into a series of sauces with names like “Oink-Oink Ooze” and “Whole Hog Slush”, and a picture of a young Cynda and her mother still in the restaurant as the “founders” to rub salt in the wound. Cynda stops Jiro from adding Pig-EZ sauce to his meat, putting Peggy’s sauce on it instead. “This sauce, this is what injustice looks like,” Cynda tells him. “They slaughtered and stole from us, but guess what? They’ll never get to eat our food the way it’s meant to be eaten.” It’s a stark bit of political commentary that still manages to fit perfectly among the foodie violence and sci-fi setting, and one of the most devastating moments of the series so far.
As the discussion continues, Jiro predicts all but one of the sauce’s ingredients, Cynda and Jiro remain at odds over their attitudes to cleaning up LA, and during the discussion Jiro reveals that he’s also pursuing vengeance. The episode climaxes at the AFF safe house, where Jiro discovers an impending ambush from the feds. After the ensuing shootout and cookery killing spree, Jiro initially tries to escape but is shot after jumping in the path of a bullet meant for Cynda. Cynda lets Jiro go, but not before she reveals the final ingredient of the sauce, indicating that he’s gained her trust.
After three episodes of slow-burn buildup, this is the most explosive episode so far, and it caught me off guard given that we’re not even halfway in. It’s also the most dramatic and emotionally powerful episode to date, with the kind of storytelling I hope Adult Swim attempts more. I’m definitely excited to see where things go from here.
