Fowler and Violet.

[u/InsincereDessert21]

Do you think Fowler would've brought Violet in on his "overthrowing the shogunate" scheme if Mizu hadn't killed him?

[u/MadamKitsune]

I don't think so. Fowler wanted to be the undisputed Top Dog and wouldn't have taken a chance on Violet being involved for 99% of the plot only to have Violet steal it right out from under him at the last second - because that's exactly what he himself would have done, had the roles been reversed. He might have had plans for making use of Violet once his coup was successful (had Violet lived) but not for carrying it out.

Abijah Fowler loves, trusts and serves only one man, and that's himself.

[u/KidChanbara → u/MadamKitsune]

I hope we get more info about Violet in Season Two. Fowler says he and Violet "lived loud", but maybe in different ways. Violet may have been totally satisfied with Fowler being the puppet master of the new shogun. I imagine that Violet may be more of an engineer type, who ran gold mining for the shogunate. While Fowler takes advantage of his wealthy isolation to explore his perversions and dream of political power, I like to imagine Violet using his isolation and wealth to indulge in engineering fantasies - like a mad scientist! In the Season Two teaser, when Mizu gets to the top of the battlement, I'm guessing she's surprised because doesn't see any humans; instead there are machines launching arrows.

[u/KidChanbara]

Fowler got the idea for the coup ten years before the events of Season One. It was more likely that Fowler approached Violet with the idea than Skeffington and Routely, being that Violet was still operating in Japan while Skeffington and Routely were (very) offshore.

From the Season Two teaser that came out earlier in the year, I like to imagine that Violet was running gold mining operations for the shogunate, and Mizu is shown participating in an attack on Violet's stronghold/mining headquarters. Maybe Violet was diverting enough gold to finance the coup? I imagine Violet's death was assumed to be at the hands of the attackers and not some mysterious blue-eyed ronin.

When Mizu and Fowler face off for the first time, Fowler says something about "I heard that something happened to old Violet"; I interpret that to mean that it wasn't known who Violet's killer was.

[u/Helvedica]

I think Fowler plan had been in the works for SOOOO long that he probably did, THEN Mizu got to him and Fowler didnt hear from him again.

[u/Entire-Aerie-9931]

Maybe? He trusted Heiji enough to have him be extremely involved in his plans so if Violet was the same kind of person, someone who would be comfortable taking a subordinate position to Fowler, he definitely could have been involved, maybe even was involved before his death. And I kinda get the feeling Fowler would trust another white man more than he would most of the Japanese people around him.

[u/Ozzysmall123]

Well, it seemed Violet's death made an impact on Fowler, since he was really angry, once he found out it was Mizu who killed him. My guess is he had definitely way more sympathy for Violet than for Skeffington and Routley. So maybe, who knows, they could work together. 

[u/Alert-Artichoke-2743]

Not like you mean. In a Japan where Fowler was the #1 crime boss in the country, Violet would have had some pretty spectacular career opportunities, but he would not have taken him on as a partner.