Aramintai

Yea, at times it's just too dumb. You can say that's how teenagers behave, but FL is actually 30+, no excuses for being a walking miscommunication generator like she doesn't understand what's going on.
And ML's also rather inconsistent, sometimes he's very bold, sometimes can't even speak normally.

Why the very selective memory loss then?
Also, since she seems to be running around in the future again in the preview it doesn't look like it's just lost memories. She's changing the past. Just like with that photo appearing on ML's table earlier.

What about her younger self acting completely different when she's not in her younger body?

I'm not liking this stalker killer taxi driver sub-plot at all. Just why?

I agree with you, he's plain unlikable. Especially compared to his counterpart in the old TV series.

I already know all there is to know about the plot, so I was there mainly drooling over gorgeous costumes. Though I think they've made them too expensive in this drama, for some characters at least, with many of them having gold embroidery and very expensive textiles. I get the heir's family swimming in gold, but the rest of the samurai families and especially vassal families? I doubt that.
Still, the production quality's through the roof.

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.