– Spoiler Review –
There’s no turning back once the “Descent” has begun, as Star Wars Resistance‘s penultimate episode before the two-part finale ensures secrets are laid bare and the time for shenanigans is over, making for quite the episode.
As we approach the finale, I went back to all the preview material prior to the season’s premiere to see if there ever truly was any mention of there being an First Order spy on the Colossus and, not for a lack of trying, I came up empty. Kaz was definitely sent to spy on the First Order’s activities, and while Poe Dameron does ask Kaz to see who is loyal to the good guys and who isn’t, there’s nothing explicitly stating the Resistance was ever worried about an FO spy, because by the end of this episode, no one we’ve met even fits the bill, no matter how hard I’ve tried to make it stick on Yeager and even Torra Doza. However, I’ll be interested to see what happens with Tam in the finale, because her suspicions about Kaz and her opinion on the FO and their rule not being so bad have been used against her by the new character, FO Agent Tierny; Yes, Tierny is pronounced like “tyranny,” because when have Star Wars bad guy names ever been subtle? Tierny is a great new force to be reckoned with, as she’s not as outwardly threatening as gold-plated, masked stormtroopers, and she exudes a friendly demeanor, one who has fierce convictions regarding the lies she’s spreading, saying stuff like the Resistance is disavowed by the New Republic or that Dameron attacked FO ships unprovoked, as a way to get under Tam’s skin to ascertain everything the mechanic knows about her friends. But are they really friends to Tam? As far as she’s concerned, they might not be, as instead of calming down when about to be arrested in the opening moments of “Descent,” they fight back, but Tam is so convinced this is all a misunderstanding she doesn’t understand why they’d leave her out to dry. And once Tierny reveals Kaz’s secrets, his real background and how he’s a Resistance spy, being kept out of the loop by Yeager and Kaz makes the sting of the news even worse. Inside, Tam is a good person who just wants order around her so she can go about her business, being the best mechanic and fulfilling her dream of being a pilot once again, and since Kaz and the Resistance have only shown her disorder so far, it’s understandable she’d be willing to trust the FO since they’ve brought the order she so desires. I hope the tale of Kel and Eila’s village, the upcoming strike of Starkiller Base, and Kaz and crew coming to rescue her are enough to flip her to the good guys for good, but I’d also be intrigued if Resistance let one of its leads flip to the bad guys due to the actions of the good guys, as that dynamic would be full of storytelling potential in the next season; We’ll just have to wait and see as the two-part finale is nearly here. Agent Tierny, by the way, was brought to life expertly by Sumalee Montano (who has previously voiced Star Wars characters in Knights of the Old Republic and the MMORPG The Old Republic) and I can’t wait to see more of this character, as she reminds me a bit of the excellent Agent Terex (from the Poe Dameron comics), but quite a bit more loyal to the FO cause than he.
Kaz’s ineptitude as a spy has both aided him and hindered him: helped him by making no one ever believe the bumbling fool could be a spy (Neeku keeps thinking it’s a joke when Kaz tells him. Same, Neeku) and hindered him because there are those out there who would never believe him being a spy and it’s being turned against them aka Tam. But the plus side rules out in “Descent,” as all the help he’s given to the Colossus and its people has endured him to them, with Captain Doza trusting Kaz’s crazy plan to sink the station to get to the antenna easier, Yeager willing to sacrifice himself so Kaz can carry on, and Kaz rallying his allies to fight back against the First Order once General Leia’s message reveals the Resistance is far too spread out to offer any assistance. I absolutely loved Kaz’s idea about sinking the station to make it easier to get to the antenna to message the Resistance, with Torra’s excitement despite its danger producing plenty of good laughs, and it led to some cool visuals and an acknowledgement that Captain Doza believes in Kaz’s antics against the FO. Yeager, who hasn’t necessarily been the most supportive to Kaz and his mission, understands how Kaz might not be the best spy, but his trusting and friendly actions have had real consequences across the Colossus, and so when Yeager, Kaz, and CB-23 are cornered by the FO behind the antenna after sending out a message and receiving one, he pushes Kaz (and CB) away so they can continue the work of the Resistance and his capture can give them more time to do so. As Kaz and the remaining allies listen to General Leia inform them she can’t send any help, though at least gives him their next base coordinates (Crait? Some place else?) to come join the Resistance, something changes in Kaz. All episode long he was the only one to voice how urgently they needed to rescue Tam from the FO, but now he realizes it won’t be enough, it won’t keep his friends out of danger forever. In a great change for the character, he accepts his part of the Resistance and knows there’s no more time to chase his dream of being a pilot or to continue to be lazy, stepping up and telling those around him not only will they rescue their friends, they’ll fight off the First Order and take back the entire station! It’s quite the rallying cry to end on and sets up for a rather thrilling season finale, which plays out in two parts across the next two Sundays; as the episode descriptions show, the FO using Starkiller looks to be happening next week.
So far they haven’t capitalized on Synara San’s unique position back amongst her pirate cohorts, but this episode revealed the pirates scorned by their allegiance to the First Order are returning to the Colossus…mayhaps they’ll end up helping Kaz and crew to take back the Colossus, either on purpose or accident just by starting an attack, though until their leader Kragan is taken care of, I doubt the pirates would render any help purposefully, leading us to potentially see Synara rise up to lead them. While there’s no way to be sure, if there’s one thing for certain, we don’t know any of these character’s fates and that leaves us a lot of possibilities for the finale!
Here are a few other things:
- Though if they won’t even kill off Yeager’s droid Bucket, I wouldn’t expect any of the main cast to perish in the coming episodes, but it’s important to note death does not necessarily equal good drama and I’d be okay with everyone surviving. Like I said, Tam on the FO’s side and other such switches and changes could result in great new stories for the next season.
Easily Star Wars Resistance‘s best so far, “Descent” sets up quite the thrilling finale as the show creeps ever closer to overlapping with the sequel trilogy’s events.
+ Tierny and Tam’s complicated situation
+ Kaz rising to the occasion
+ Set up for quite the finale
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
STAR WARS RESISTANCE REVIEWS:
Season One – Ep. 1.1/1.2: “The Recruit” | Ep. 1.3: “The Triple Dark” | Ep. 1.4 “Fuel for the Fire” | Ep. 1.5: “The High Tower” | Ep. 1.6: “The Children From Tehar” | Ep. 1.7: “Signal From Sector Six” | Ep. 1.8: “Synara’s Score” | Ep. 1.9: “The Platform Classic” | Ep. 1.10: “Secrets and Holograms” | Ep. 1.11: “Station Theta-Black” | Ep. 1.12: “Bibo” | Ep. 1.13 “Dangerous Business” | Ep. 1.14: “The Doza Dilemma” | Ep. 1.15: “The First Order Occupation” | Ep. 1.16: “The New Trooper” | Ep. 1.17: “The Core Problem” | Ep. 1.18: “The Disappeared” | Ep. 1.20: “No Escape” – Part One | Ep. 1.21: “No Escape” Part Two