y Lupin the 3rd: Part III 27
Lupin III Part 3 27
ルパン三世 – Part III Ep. 27

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Jigen flies a small jet with Lupin and Goemon in it. Lupin wants to intercept a civilian airline jet that has a ring known as the Star of Alaska in it. He plans to give it to Fujiko as an engagement ring. Jigen notes the civilian jet is apparently unaware it is heading into Soviet airspace. Two MIGs show up and shoot down the airliner, forcing Jigen to flee. The trio get a fishing boat to try to get to the crash site on the ocean. However, the Soviet navy is all over, observed by an American submarine.

After getting chased off by Zenigata, the trio head to a ski resort. There, Fujiko suns herself despite the snow. Mihaloff, the head of the KGB, and armed escort pay Fujiko a visit. She gives them a fake ring and flees. The KGB operatives catch her, but Lupin arrives to rescue her. Back at his cabin, she explains that CIA double agent George Kurger was tasked to destroy the lab that created a variety of wheat that would grow in Siberia. Instead, he stole the sample to sell on the black market.

The gang head to Alaska since Jigen knew George from the old days. Jigen meets George’s wife Barbara at a major, Alaskan airport. In the lounge, they talk, revealing they had feelings for each other. The CIA (?) attack the lounge and kidnap Barbara. They take Jigen into custody and question him at a firing range. Fujiko shows up, revealing she’s working for the CIA.

Lupin shows up in an armored suit to rescue Jigen. He reveals that Goemon has Barbara under his protection. The two drive out to the rural church where she’s hidden. When Barbara comes out to greet Jigen, a sniper shoots her.

Thoughts/Review

Wow! I did not expect an episode that ends on a cliff-hanger. But when I looked at the notes for the episode, I discovered Lupin the 3rd: Part III 27 does indeed continue the story in the next episode.

Jigen Episode

Although it didn’t seem so at first, Lupin the 3rd: Part III 27 became a Jigen episode. As seems to frequently happen in the Lupin franchise, to give Jigen some kind of story, he has to have a past with a newly introduced character. As typically happens, said character is a former gunman who had a showdown with Jigen in the past. And to spice things up, well, there’s a babe in the mix whom Jigen had feelings for. Pretty convenient.

While I can’t say I hated this plot contrivance, it is pretty weird. From what I gather Jigen and George were interested in Barbara. They had a fight, but apparently not over her. Jigen lost, so Barbara married George. But she had some level of feelings for Jigen, based on their conversation in the airport lounge. Had Jigen won the fight, she would have married him. I found that very odd indeed. I guess she has a thing for gunmen.

However, now that a sniper shoots Barbara (possibly killing her, but we’ll see), I suspect we’ll see Jigen going to get his revenge. It is cliched, but I’m okay with that, assuming that’s how things go.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Let me wrap up my review of Lupin the 3rd: Part III 27 with some final thoughts.

• Why didn’t Soviets go after Lupin’s jet? It would have been on the Soviet’s radar just as much as the airliner was.
• Man, the production team made Fujiko look pretty ugly in the episode. She looks like she’s drugged out. Yet at the same time, they have her in a bikini and high heel shoes, sunning herself on a snow-packed mountain top ski resort. When she fled, I had hoped to see a remark from the warmly dressed KGB folks about Fujiko getting hypothermia. But naturally, the cold doesn’t come up until Lupin saves her and jokes about warming her up.
• I’m not sure what food crisis this cold growing wheat was supposed to solve. In 1985, Ethiopia had a massive famine, but that was mostly caused by a Communist dictator.
• Zenigata gets demoted to a couple of cameos, just to remind us he’s there.

In the end, Lupin the 3rd: Part III 27 is an odd episode, but not without interest. Indeed, the cliffhanger ending took me by surprise.