Flamethrower: Spits crimson flames from its front burner. Ironically, on the Bebop, this fuel-powered weapon is only used for cooking or lighting cigarettes.
Mouse: A mouse that lives in the Bebop's plumbing. It ran in fear when it had a run-in with the mysterious lifeform. Only appears for a few seconds.
Refrigerator: A largely-unused refrigerator found in the Bebop's storeroom. The run-in with the mysterious lifeform was caused by Spike forgetting that he left a lobster in it.
This episode is particularly noteworthy among the episodes of Cowboy Bebop because it’s the only one that portrays everyday life on the Bebop.
Most episodes begin with the crew of the Bebop discussing a bounty and then the usual action and hijinks and emotions begin to flow from there. Most episodes are centered around chasing after a bounty, but as Jet says in this episode, “It’s not like there’s always a bounty to chase.” Just as people in the real world might take a vacation, the crew of the Bebop has times where they aren’t working. This episode about a day off on the Bebop doesn’t feature a bounty to chase, but it does give us a rare glimpse into the previously-unseen everyday lives and feelings of the Bebop’s crew.
In doing so, it also offers some insights and raises some questions about the characters. For example, while Jet is usually the father figure on the ship, we see a reckless side of him in this session that makes you wonder if it’s his fault that they’re always broke. We get to see Faye with a book in the bathtub, leading us to wonder if she’s an avid reader. And finally, there’s Spike and his knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which makes you wonder if he might come from a Chinese background.
Seeing how the characters act when they aren’t on the job presents them on a new light and gives a true sense of what life on the ship is like, things that we would never see or hear Faye or Jet while they’re on the job.
And then there’s Ed, who, as usual, is sleeping, which tells us that today’s vacation isn’t due to a holiday or special occasion. Therefore, we can see that days off like this are as normal as chasing bounties.
Of course, you can’t tell a story that’s just everyone going about their days, which brings us to the “Mysterious Alien Lifeform,” which causes this laidback day on the Bebop to suddenly turn into an emergency situation. This situation gives us something else that we haven’t seen before - the relationship between Spike and Ed. From the scene where he kindly explains how to use the detector and then when he worries after Ed runs off without listening, we’re able to see a brotherly side that he doesn’t usually show.
In the end, the mystery of the Mysterious Alien Lifeform is never solved. The creature ends up being eaten by Ed and we never see how what happens to the crew afterward, though this is an ending that suits Bebop pretty well and ties into this episode’s ending.
The other big takeaway from this session is about Ed. To me, whenever Ed’s involved, you know that the story isn’t going to get too heavy. The dangerous situation in this episode is resolved by Ed eating the alien, signaling that we shouldn’t worry too much about what happens to the crew because this episode is a comedy.
The opening of this episode gives us some insight into Jet and Faye’s daily lives and the back half shows us the relationship between Spike and Ed. While it seems like both parts of this episode vary wildly in tone and style, they both serve to show us another side of our main characters.