Still in the quarantined part of town, Jin has a sort of class with Ogata Kouan and his medical staff about treating cholera. To his relief, Jin learns that Ogata can get rubber tubes brought up from Nagasaki (where there is a Western medicine school). Jin shows them a hypodermic needle and asks if it can be copied. Ogata believes it can be done. Since he's on a roll, Jin decides to draw a picture of an IV unit (amazing the people with his ink pen as well) and gives it to Ogata to have it made as well. While they're discussing all this, they don't see a determined Saki cross the barrier into the quarantine area.
Then I have a fight with my video feed.
When he finds her nursing an uncooperative patient, Jin tries to order her back home. Saki tells him her mother has disinherited her and she has no home to go to, but even if she did she would not leave. (And again we get that very unnecessary audio of people having diarrhea.)
Saki isn't the only one sticking around to help. Sakimoto Ryoma and some of the local boys are all pitching in to dig holes to bury the contaminated crap in. Well, somebody's gotta do it.
Ogata's craftsmen are quite successful at creating Jin's equipment. He gives a lesson to Ogata and Saki on how to hook someone up to an IV. Little Kiichi is looking bad (thumbs up to the makeup artists on this show) so he gets to be the first guinea pig. Ogata goes to his bosses and begs them to use this new way of treatment in other stricken areas. Meanwhile, Katsu Rintaro is trying to figure out a way to make this epidemic work for him.
Some time later we get the joy of seeing Kiichi and another male patient pissing out the back door. They're cured! (Couldn't they have just said they were cured instead of making us watch them pee?) Tachibana comes to inform his sister and Jin about the government's decision to initiate the new kind of cholera treatment all over the afflicted areas. Everyone is joyous.
Oh no! Jin suddenly doubles over. He's got the cholera! Now Saki must take care of Sensei. Tachibana returns with new medical supplies and suggests to his sister that she go home and get some rest. Before she can answer, Moma T arrives and declares Saki can't go home. She can't leave in the middle of a battle. Saki must stay and win this fight, then all of them (including Jin) can go home. (Oh, Moma T! You're Korean counterpart is just too wimpy compared to you. You deserve better.)
As Jin is puking his guts up he hears a disembodied voice say, "Return to that world." We get a flash of Creepy Baby in a Jar (with its eyes open! Ah!) and modern Tokyo. Is the time portal about to reopen? Jin falls unconscious and has a dream/vision/near death experience. He's back in the present on the roof of his hospital. He sees his girlfriend, Miki, who tells him, "We'll meet again someday."
Saki is standing over Jin's body, begging him to come back. She starts to cry and as a tear lands on Jin's face he awakens.
Time passes and Jin, as well as Edo, recovers. Ogata Kouan asks Jin to help teach at medical school.
Then, since we're near the end of the episode and need a cliffhanger, tragedy ensues. Kiichi's mother is killed by a samurai who just wanted to test the sharpness of his sword. Jin runs to comfort Kiichi, looking like he's strangling the child. (Dude, ease up on the back hug.) Kiichi wonders aloud if it wouldn't have been better if the doctor hadn't saved his life.
Jin and Saki go to his favorite hang-out so he can cry and wonder about life, the universe, and everything. He tells Saki he's from the future but I can't tell if she fully believes him or not. He was so worried about changing the future. But what if all the people he saves today simply die another way tomorrow, like Final Destination. Why is he here? Saki assures Jin that he has at least changed her destiny. She feels more alive than ever. Jin cries some more. (This actor is what I call an Ugly Crier. Some men can cry and still look handsome. Some men can cry and screw their faces up in ugly contortions. The absolute worst are the ones who have snot coming out of their noses. I can't stand that. But I digress.)
After his good cry, Jin returns home (the Tachibana home) and decides to live life the best he can here in Edo. He writes to Ogata Kouan that he will take the teaching position at the school. Elsewhere, Sakimoto goes to Katsu, the man he's supposed to assassinate, and instead begs for Katsu to take him on as a disciple. Lastly, Nokaze continues to gaze into her kaleidoscope. Do you have nothing better to do?
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