A mysterious gang has been hacking tollbooths on the hyperspace gates to empty the accounts of people using them. The gate company places a hefty bounty on the ringleader, and the Bebop crew (at Faye's suggestion) work separately to bring them in. Unfortunately, none of the people brought in are the ringleaders, nor do they have any knowledge or association with each other. As the crew agree to pool their resources, they find the only connection to be chess pieces, which Edward determines to be storage devices for a virtual chess game. Jet digs deeper and inquires at the gate company and learns that the possible suspect is "Chessmaster Hex", one of the original designers of the gate until he was dismissed for voicing concerns about the safety of the system. Over fifty years later, he's now planning his revenge.
There's an element of film noir in this one, with the notion of a corporation trying to suppress a past mistake. I kinda like the humour stemming from Ed's enthusiasm over the virtual chess game she's playing, especially when it turns out that her opponent is Chessmaster Hex. The chess motif provides an element of intrigue and mystery as the crew dig deeper. It builds up Hex to be a masterful manipulator of the people around him, but also provides a comedic payoff. After all, setting up an elaborate revenge plot to be carried out in fifty years' time does have certain drawbacks.
This one is subdued in terms of action, but that doesn't detract from the episode. The only other complication is that another bounty hunter who lost his savings in the scheme is going after Hex, but is more interested in revenge than the bounty itself. He trails the Bebop to a floating junkyard inhabited by squatters, and tries to confront Hex. It's kind of anticlimactic.
I think the best part of the episode is the payoff. It's truly heartwarming, and once again proves that the Bebop crew aren't always interested in profit. And the final scene is really sad. I did say it made me tear up.
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