After the incredible heights of episode ten, we follow up with a slower, more somber episode that deals with the fallout of the choices the characters made.
The first and most obvious consequence is Cassian losing Maarva. While not a consequence of his actions during the prison escape, he had chosen his path all the way back in episode one and this is the ultimate result. The look on his face told the entire story, and it was some incredible acting on Diego Luna’s part. What was more interesting is Maarva’s death rippled out through the galaxy and almost every character was affected by it, from Dedra ordering the funeral to go forward to Vel pushing Kleya to do something about Cassian. Of course Cassian was the last to find out about his own mother’s death.
The rest of the episode focused on the immediate consequences of the escape, the nitty-gritty of getting off that planet and lucking out with two sympathetic aliens who hated the Empire. It was a bit weird and a slightly silly scene, but it was very Star Wars and I love that. Sometimes this show feels removed from the universe it is set in because it is so dramatic and well written. It’s nice when it both acknowledges and embraces the Lucas-branded weirdness of Star Wars.
I also wanted to talk about how everyone treats B2EMO. Brasso and the daughters of Ferrix all spoke to him like a grieving child, coaxing him to act and being careful of his feelings. It was incredibly touching to see such care and thoughtfulness go into the treatment of a droid, as though the people of Ferrix were just a bit more aware of what droids are, a sentient race of creatures, and while artificial, they have feelings and emotions just like everyone else.
Moving on to Luthen, his fallout was more direct. His choice to let Kreegyr and his men die affects a lot of other Rebel cells indirectly. More specifically, he had pitched to Saw Gerrera to join up with Kreegyr to attack Spellhous. It was an impossible conversation, especially with someone as paranoid as Saw Gerrera, yet Luthen managed to dance his way through it and not reveal too much about Lonni. That does beg the question: Is one good spy more important than thirty-one soldiers?
I guess it depends on who is asking the question. I doubt we would get the same answer from Mon Mothma. While she is coming to terms with her situation, realizing she has little choice but to accept the fact that she has to give up her daughter to a gangster. At least she was able to talk it out with Vel. In some ways it is like any arranged marriage, but giving your child over to someone you know is corrupt and criminal is something else entirely. Maybe his son is a good kid who won’t mistreat her. That is probably all Mon can do to cope with the decision.
Lastly, we have Syril. We didn’t get to see much of him in this episode, but his obsession with Cassian continues and now he knows Maarva is dead. How much do you wanna bet he makes for Ferrix without a second thought? I honestly never thought we would see Mosk again, but I’m not terribly surprised given how good the show is with continuity and continuing characters. It seems as though everything is coming together, and that can’t be a good thing.
Bits:
The theme music this time was slow and percussive.
Mon Mothma’s daughter Leida is into some kind of Chandrilan religion that features chanting about a braid. Sounds like it fell out of style at some point.
I loved the conversation between Kleya and Luthen about Cassian's mother, all spoken in code involving art dealing. Plus the little bit of Kleya restoring a piece was cool.
Luthen’s escape from the imperial arrestor cruiser was very impressive, not just his calm under pressure, but that his ship had some truly nifty countermeasures. I particularly liked the darts that disintegrated the front dish which disrupted the tractor beam.
Bix looks like she is in rough shape. She must be at the point of collapse. Even then, she is keeping back what she can.
Quotes:
Kleya: “You’re off the rails. You’re lucky he’s not here.”
Vel: “I gave him Aldhani. What have you done lately?”
Kleya: “I don’t have 'lately.' I have 'always.' I have a constant blur of plates spinning and knives on the floor, and needy panicked faces at the window, of which you are but one of many.”
Saw: “For the greater good.”
Luthen: “Call it what you will.”
Saw: “Let’s call it... war.”
This was a very solid episode. While not quite as great as the previous one, it featured some very memorable moments.
3.5 out of 4 Decrepit Quadhoppers.
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
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