Lupin III/Recap/S2/E58

"The Border is the Face of Farewell", with the English title "Gettin' Jigen With It". Released in 2005 by Geneon on Volume 11: From Moscow With Love.

On a snowy night in Moscow, Inspector Zenigata finds himself being kicked out of a ballet theater for not having a ticket, in spite of his protests that Lupin III is inside. The master thief is indeed watching the performance of Swan Lake from the balcony, drooling over both the prima ballerina and the Tear of Aurora, a beautiful diamond in her costume's headdress. As the performance nears its conclusion, Lupin swipes the diamond via a special anti-gravity device, and he and Jigen ascend to the theater rooftop to make their escape. The authorities have already been alerted, though, and while Lupin makes it safely across to an adjoining roof, Jigen is shot in the arm. Telling his friend to go on without him, Jigen staggers back across the roof, hazily hearing a beautiful voice calling to him before passing out.

He awakens in a dressing room of the theater, shoulder heavily bandaged. He grabs his gun from his jacket as Monica, the prima ballerina he and Lupin robbed earlier, enters the room. She was the one who rescued him, but she tells him she doesn't have time to explain why as she helps him dress. With Jigen stowed in her costume truck, Monica heads for her apartment, a checkpoint quickly and deftly handled with an autograph to the officer. After Jigen makes sure that the apartment is secure, Monica explains she needs him to pose as her husband so she can leave the country and defect to the United States.

Meanwhile, Lupin has big worries. Not only is his partner missing, but the Tear of Aurora that he went to so much trouble to steal is a fake. Goemon brings the good news that Jigen hasn't been captured, but with no hints, his compatriots are now at a loss of where to look for him. As they speak, Jigen and Monica leave her apartment for their "honeymoon."

Zenigata has gone to the Russian authorities to explain about Lupin's gang, but the authorities are quick to point out to him that Interpol has no authority in Russia or Eastern Europe and kicks the inspector out. With the information Zenigata has given him, along with suspicions that Monica is planning to leave, the commander orders a dragnet to keep them from getting near the border.

On a train, Jigen and Monica nervously await their passport inspection. Although they appear to pass the inspection, Jigen points out the conductor failed to inspect their luggage as they were advised. The gunman shoves the man out of the door; he and Monica climb onto the roof of the train and grab onto a bridge as they pass beneath. Jigen nearly falls, thanks to his injured shoulder, but Monica manages to pull him to safety. Monica waves off Jigen's thanks for saving him again, and the two set off on foot for the less-guarded Austrian border. Alas, the Russian security forces have caught onto their planned path of travel, but thanks to some spying by Fujiko, so has Lupin's gang. However, Lupin and Goemon are puzzled by one thing: the commander used the word "they," causing the thieves to wonder who Jigen might be traveling with.

That night, the two fugitives take refuge in an abandoned cabin. As the sun rises, Monica tells Jigen about her dreams of moving to America. He cynically tells her America's got lots of problems of its own and her dreams will cost money, but Monica seems unconcerned. The two continue their trek, enjoying a quiet walk through the Czech countryside on their way to the last border crossing. At their next stop, Jigen's bandage comes loose and he attempts to remove it to readjust it; Monica comes in, and in a fluster fixes it before Jigen can unwrap it further.

The next day, Jigen and Monica arrive at the final crossing. Knowing someone has likely figured they will try and cross there, the two steal a motorcycle and sidecar and make a desperate drive at the bridge over ravine at the border crossing. The commander operates the drawbridge mechanism, preventing them from getting over, but Jigen cleverly steers the bike around just so and disconnects the sidecar, using the bridge as a ramp to fling Monica over the border into safety before surrendering. The guards prepare him for execution by firing squad. As the commander gives the order, an explosion nearby triggers a massive avalanche that scatters the guards, giving Lupin an opportunity to pull Jigen under the snow and to safety. Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon fly off in a hot-air balloon safely over Austrian airspace.

Later, at a theme park, Jigen reunites with Monica on a ferris wheel. She thanks Jigen, not only for helping her leave Russia, but also for smuggling the Tear of Aurora out for her. Pulling a gun on him, she demands the diamond, which she hid in his bandages. Jigen sadly asks if he was only a courier to her, but she reluctantly admits that he was right earlier: freedom costs money. But, Jigen came prepared; he figured out the diamond's hiding place and has Lupin stationed in the car above him and Monica, a gun trained on her. Monica sighs and hands over the gun, but much to her surprise, Jigen hands her the diamond, explaining she saved him twice, but he only saved her once and they are now even. Afterward, Lupin rants at Jigen for giving away the diamond; Jigen calls him pathetic for falling for Fujiko again and again, but also admits he envies him. Lupin accuses Jigen of being a secret romantic as Jigen destroys the passport Monica made for him with a gunshot.

This episode features examples of:

 * American Dream: Monica falls into Flavor One, while Jigen is definitely more of a Flavor Two view.
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Lupin claims that this is part of Fujiko's "charm."
 * Decoy Damsel: Monica uses Jigen to smuggle the Tear of Aurora out of the country.
 * Defector From Commie Land: Monica.
 * The Dulcinea Effect: Jigen gets this over Monica, particularly after her clever way of getting through the roadblock.
 * He-Man Woman Hater: The episode plays strongly with Jigen's concepts of women and betrayal. Sadly, he is validated at the end of this one, but there seems to be no bitter feelings as Monica actually showed she cared for him even though she was using him.
 * Implausible Fencing Powers: Goemon cuts the fake diamond in half from Fujiko's hand to make a point about Jigen's loyalty.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: The English episode title; it's especially annoying as this is a pretty serious episode.
 * I Owe You My Life: The reason Jigen gives Monica the diamond in the end; she saved him twice, but he only returned the favor once.
 * No Honor Among Thieves: Fujiko hints Jigen may have run off with the real diamond; Goemon refutes her and promptly points out her own Chronic Backstabbing Disorder.
 * Rescue Romance: Jigen and Monica, though notable that the roles are reversed in that she saves him.
 * Shot At Dawn: Complete with Jigen telling the commander where he can put the blindfold.
 * Unintentional Period Piece: The issue of defecting from Russia, not to mention Jigen and Monica's trek through communist eastern Europe to freedom.
 * Unwanted Rescue: Jigen growls at Lupin that he didn't ask for his help after his friends rescue him from the firing squad.