Aramintai

Yea, other hostages got away in the old TV series.
Not sure what's gonna happen in the new drama though, there was no other exit in that room.

They were trying to kidnap her. The context was different because she and Blackthorne were trying to help the hostages run away through another passage and she was holding the door to prevent the assassins from entering while they were escaping.
In the new version she just stood in front of the door on purpose to be blown up. I mean, what the hell 🤦‍♂️

In the TV series? She also gets blown off by the explosives at the door. But there she was holding the door from opening while others got away through another passage.
Here's the scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQCyAEk4yxo

I won't disagree that she's just plain suicidal in this drama. She was just looking for a spectacular way to die throughout the whole series.

In the original TV series she died by accident trying to save Blackthorne and it was more believable. And she wasn't as suicidal there either.

Her death will spark an outrage among nobles, since so far everybody pretended to play nice. But now Ishido will lose his reputation as well as substantial chunk of his supporters and will have to release all the hostages. That was the consequence of her death irl and in the book. Irl though she wasn't a puppet played by Tokugawa, she was just caught in the crossfire, so to speak. She refused to commit seppuku due to her faith and was killed by her husband's retainer when Ishida tried to take her hostage.

But here one could say everything was planned by Toranaga, including this. She leaves with his harem - it's a sign for other hostage nobles that they could demand the same. She dies - it would piss off the nobles and will make it a justifiable reason to come and "liberate" the nobles, gaining their support.

Yea, we'll see how they finish this up. But so far I'm liking the old TV series plot more.

Toranaga is the titular shogun, but his presence frequency per episode is that of one of the side characters here.
And I believe having a clear main character most of the times is beneficial for the plot. And the book was smart in telling the story from an outsider's perspective. Because it's easier for readers to get into the story when the protagonist is a blank slate that learns along with them. I've seen feedback about this drama that all of this parade of characters is confusing for a foreign audience who can't tell who's who, because they don't know historical background for this.

They magically turn into swimming pools with clear water. All of them.

I'm still bummed they've cut most of the scenes where Blackthorne was actually learning about Japan and its language. That includes important private moments with Mariko. Most of the focus of this drama clearly is not on the protagonist, but on various side characters. Just big misuse of the main character.
Comparing the two TV series attempts it sure looks to me like the old ones had a better structured plot.

Let's hope the writers didn't get confused by their own plot in the end. I'd hate to see plot holes here as it often happens with time travel/different timelines plots.

I recall her in Snowdrop. She had a nasty complicated character there, but memorable.

Second hand embarrassment was real there 🤦‍♂️😂

Yea, but the outrage over her unjust death we're about to see in the last episode would have still happened.
Nothing he could have done there would have benefited him, he was outplayed. Not sending assassins because everybody would know they were from him, not kidnapping her, not leaving her alone to leave with the rest of the nobles.

She's all over the place, but that's what makes it funny here.

Calling dibs here that FL will change the past in way that it will be her ringing that bell in the end.
But in original timeline? Who knows?

Also, I'm still wondering how her naive 19 self would pass her exams when there's an older self inhabiting her body for several months straight and doing nothing but stalking ML. She really doesn't think of her own future here.

Eh, that taxi driver teaser - they better not insert some sort of serial rapist/killer subplot here. Do not want.
Also, will that be the car that hits her in the future?
And also, ML being involved in her car incident - was that in the original timeline as well? Or was it the consequence of changing the past? If it was in the original timeline - does FL suffer from memory loss or something? It's all very confusing what's been changed through her past manipulation and what was already there. Now it was shown that he called her on purpose on the radio show. He knows her number and knows her personally, but she's no idea who da ef was that.

And lastly, I dunno about these guys but FL is such a red flag 😂. Split personality, stalking, very erratic behavior...I'd stay away if I were them. Don't go for the crazy, as they say.

Ishido was to lose either way in that situation. Perhaps he wanted to kidnap her? It kinda looked like that. Not sure what it would have accomplished. To scare other nobles?

No, I got it. That's why ML also said what he said, that he'll go to hell for that instead of her. It is twisted logic though, because she herself has the intent to end her life and does the mortal blow to herself. She uses this logic to justify her sin, but it still hers. That somebody else would help finish her off is just a point of semantics.

Also, another potential bs - assisting in jigai, female seppuku. Women usually did it alone, nobody helped them with a sword. And they usually slashed their throat or belly, not trying to pierce their heart like FL here. Also, no farewell poems.
And there certainly was some twisted logic here by implying that whoever assisted her with a sword would take on the sin of murder. But mortally slashing yourself is ok. Wtf, lol. Only in this plot, I guess.