viewings to understand the political situation and everyone's motives. Once that's understood, it all falls into place and Mariko's sacrifice makes sense. When I first started watching I loved the atmosphere and intrigue, the beautiful costuming, the details, etc., but it was tough to understand what was going on. I felt like I was missing a lot. Re-watching episodes helped. Once I finished the season I decided to read the novel. Now I'm rewatching the series again and it's so much easier to see what's going on. Bottom line is it's a great show but it's not an easy watch. It will definitely hold up to repeated viewings, though. Great series.