Tokyo Vice: Was Jake ‘Reckless’ to Hook Up With Yakuza Mistress? Ansel Elgort Weighs In

Hayden Mears
·2 min read
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Season 2 of Tokyo Vice wasted no time ramping up its stakes, and in myriad surprising ways.

Episode 3 of the Max crime drama, which dropped last week, began to explore the complications and ramifications stemming from Jake Edelstein’s (played by Ansel Elgort) dangerous mistake made in the closing minutes of Episode 2.

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We didn’t not see it coming, and the gravity of what it will mean for Jake isn’t lost on us — or him.

We are of course referring to Jake’s hookup with yakuza mistress Misaki (Ayumi Ito), a blunder which placed him in very immediate danger, and it’s now unclear if anyone — even Detective Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) — can save him.

“He’s in bed with Tozawa’s mistress, and it’s a pretty reckless decision,” Elgort observed when speaking with TVLine at SCAD TVFest earlier this month. “Maybe it’s kind of like a loophole. Katagiri didn’t tell him not to sleep with Tozawa’s mistress. So it’s on the table.”

Curbing the rising temperature in these early Season 2 episodes, though, is Jake’s growth from reactive reporter to attentive student.

“The beginning of Season 2 was sort of the end of Season 1, so he’s in that same headspace,” Elgort reflected. “He had just gotten beat up. He had just seen this video where Polina, his friend, is murdered. He’s going to Katagiri because he doesn’t know where else to turn, and he doesn’t know who to trust but he thinks he can trust Katagiri. He just kind of begs for forgiveness and says, ‘However you want to do this is the way we’ll do this.”

Elgort then reiterated how the Jake of Season 2 differs from his younger, less-experienced self.

“Jake is not good at waiting or being patient, but that’s where the growth comes in,” he said. “Episode 2 [delivered] a three-month cut later, and we see a new Jake who has learned a bit of patience. He’s listening to Katagiri. He’s not chasing the yakuza. He’s actually chasing a different story. He’s kind of waiting for Katagiri to give him the go-ahead,” to resume pursuing the yakuza.

But is chasing the yakuza whilst bedding Tozawa’s mistress the most prudent approach? Time will soon tell… —With reporting by Kimberly Roots

What do you think of Tokyo Vice Season 2 so far? Let us know in the comments below!

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