Cthulhudrew

That was a really clever twist on the usual formula. I enjoyed the way they did something innovative.

I don't know that I'd say this has so much to do with Eliot's military background per se, but just a general acknowledgement by Eliot (and others) that underlooked professions, "blue collar workers", are just as worthy of respect and acknowledgement as the higher-profile jobs like professors, CEOs, etc. out there. As someone who is probably looked at as more of a white-collar professional nowadays but who has a long history of blue-collar jobs and was brought up to respect merit and achievement based work over nepotism, "fake it till you make it", and other spoils-based systems of recognition, it is one of the things that I love the most about this show.

TBH, I was hoping that Harry would actually be able to (writers would) have them correct this one through the system this time. It would have been a nice switch-up from the usual formula. Plus, I am an academic at heart so I guess I'm biased. This was one of the most enjoyable episodes of the season for me so far. Loved the "blue collars banding together" storyline for Eliot. This season has been weaker than last for me, but I liked this episode.

I wasn't in a marching band, so I didn't think of the oddity of that particular instrument in that formation. I did play a woodwind (alto sax) though, and thought the instruments reminded me of a flute but sounded more like a clarinet. Interesting what our backgrounds lead us to focus on.

Tremendous. Moving. The only criticism I have for this episode and this show is that I'm sad we are only getting two seasons instead of the original five. If its true that this show is getting the lowest ratings of any SW tv show, that is a sad testimony to the state of audience appreciation and rampant desire for endless repetition of the same themes/characters/plots I can think of.

Probably didn't have the cash for the upgrade. He wasn't a very successful smuggler, really. I had a similar thought. If so, it is probably something of a merger into a new hybrid AI, though, as K2S-O seems much more military than B2 does, and obviously has more knowledge of Imperial ways. So not really B2 as we've come to know him here.

I think you may be underestimating just how fearful it might be for people who don't know how to swim. I grew up around a swimming pool and had lessons at an early age and feel perfectly comfortable in the water, but I've known others who are terrified by even shallow pools and refuse to even enter them.

Ha! I thought it was just the sound editing, but whatever it was really grated on me too.

If they're following the Silver Age comics, Superboy and Lex were friends when they were very young. So they could conceivably have known one another since their early to late teens. Add 40 years and you could get late 50s/early 60s. Titus Welliver is 60, so it wouldn't be too out of place. I like the vibe of the group here (I caught the Gar and Rachel pairing, and it looks like we might finally be moving to a Dick/Kori pairing), even if it did seem a little bit of a jump from where we left them. Even Dick seemed to be a bit more lighthearted this episode from his usual Bruce Wayne-ish moping.

Unless we learn that both the Andor and Saw from Rogue One were actually... CLONES!!!!

I definitely did not have Dedra/Karn romance on my BINGO card. This is the first episode that sort of lost me a bit. It felt like things moved a little too quickly between last week and this, at least in regards to the Narkina crew. I'm not sure if it was the fast-paced dialogue, poor plotting, or my bad acoustics (for some reason my soundbar was not coming in clearly), but I couldn't quite follow all of the intrigue on the prison planet.

It definitely felt like our two main characters stepped into someone else's story, if not necessarily a backdoor pilot (for reasons outlined above re: CW shakeups). I'm just glad it's over. Two episodes of a brand new character I wasn't given any reason to really care about (and he never once mentioned his boyfriend at the end?), another couple of characters we're unlikely to see again, some bad acting, and repetitive clunky dialogue (how many times do we need to be told that Todd will destroy the world?) Thankfully, Jonathan Cake is always a joy to watch, and manages to wrest a memorable performance even from badly plotted scenes, so that was a plus. I just wish we hadn't completely sidelined the main story and characters for two episodes for this.

I got definite "Mon Mothma's daughter is having an affair with her mother's older friend" vibes, but I'm not really sure how/if that fits into the show at all. Just my gut reaction to that scene. Is it a month? They said "30 shifts later" but earlier said a shift is 12 hours, so I was thinking it was only a little over 2 weeks. There may be biometrics, but it doesn't necessarily mean every institution shares/has access to those records. I'm just thinking of the difficulties that US Federal Agencies have sharing intel between them, let alone between State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial US Agencies and/or International Agencies. Even among the Empire, when we're talking Interplanetary Agencies that exist hundreds or thousands of light years apart, I could easily see how someone could slip through the cracks. And we already know from just this series that there is interagency squabbling and non-cooperation in the Empire. That is a really cool detail.

This episode has a real late 70s/early 80s feel to it, from the synthesizer soundtrack to the THX1138 style prison.

(And, on a completely unrelated note, Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress was one of Lucas' influences for Star Wars.

In short, yes. The heroes leading the townsfolk to fight back against their oppressors as Wild West trope goes back to at least The Magnificent Seven. (Which was itself a Westernized reimagining of Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai.)

Among the other things about this episode that were wonderful (and mentioned by so many of you above), I loved that we got a new and different location in the Star Wars world with the beach resort city. This show is doing such a great job of making the Star Wars universe alive and vibrant and lived in in ways that not too many other entries in the SW movies and shows have done. (Particularly the prequels, where so many of the sets just felt too pristine and unnatural, and the CGI they used to make them meant there was no weight or substance to the actors' performances.) I didn't even realize her name was Cleya. Now I'm envisioning a Star Wars version of this scene:

You're not the only one. At first I thought that she was supposed to be Princess Leia meeting covertly, but Leia wouldn't condone killing their own (mercenary) agent for no clear and present reason.

Haven't finished watching yet, but one thing that really sticks out to me about this episode: no unnecessary background sound. No music playing except when/where appropriate; no ambient noise piping up to distract. Just natural, open space, and crisp, clean dialogue. It may be just a directorial choice fitting to the setting (one of the most calming, blissful moments I recall was an early winter morning standing atop Mesa Verde in Colorado before anyone else was even up there. No birds, no autos, no people: clear, refreshing silence in open nature). I'd have to go back to see if any other episodes were like this. In any event: I love it. It reminds me a lot of some BBC productions that I've enjoyed. Truly amazing sound-editing to match the incredible cinematography. This is definitely the best of the Star Wars shows, IMO. I also wonder just how much of it is due to people feeling like the Senate is increasingly irrelevant under the Empire. I also thought it was a great touch; another element of the realism and worldbuilding this show has that few other Star Wars shows have had: it feels very lived-in. I'm more curious to know who would win in a "shoot first" contest, Cassian or Han?

I thought I heard Mike call them "the Young All-Stars." I'm really getting tired of all the Starman stuff this season. They're spending entirely too much time on an unlikeable character and ignoring the storylines of some of their mains (notably Wildcat and Hourman). Yolanda, in particular to me, has been somewhat unlikeable since season 1. It's understandable given what she went through, but I'd like to see them really have her character work through her issues of killing Brainwave and especially see her and Courtney's friendship come back. That was a highlight of season 1 and she's constantly broody and standoffish with Courtney ever since. The new JSA already has one incessantly broody member (Rick's seemingly only character trait); they don't need two.

Might not have been the most accurate phrasing, but the way I read it, it was really as much of a test of loyalty and trust as an actual deposit for services rendered. By stressing how priceless it is to him, Luthern was indicating he was taking a chance on Cassian's character not to run off and just hock it for cash. Also, when he reiterated that he was expecting it back even when Cassian hypothesized he might not make it, the subtext was that Luthern was confident in Cassian's abilities to pull this off.

Kameni men must have crazy metabolisms, because Andor sure has a lot of stubble for a freshly shaved dude. I got the sense he's more of a social dilettante than an insider. I can't quite get a handle on their relationship; in that scene both actors exhibited fondness and disdain. I appreciate the ambiguity (it felt real), but I don't yet know if that was the intention of the writing.

I can't get over how much emotiveness they are able to give to B2EMO. One of the best droids in the SW universe to date. He reminds me of a mix between Wall-E and B.O.B. from The Black Hole. (Am I dating myself too much with that last reference?)

Looked/sounded like Solomon Grundy picked up and tossed Sylvester high into the air and he fell down from there. Gotta say, wouldn't be too sorry if this killed the jerk (again). Pat is way too forgiving of the guy and his condescending, aggressive attitude. I'm still liking my "icicle as murder weapon" theory in regards to the Gambler. Guilt could be part of what's driving Cameron's isolationist attitude (out of control rage killing), or else maybe the creepy grandparents did it. Cameron Gellman (Hourman) didn't even try to pretend like he was driving that car, did he? I've been overly attentive about those kind of scenes ever since watching this bit by Peter Weller years ago (warning: some language). CG didn't even move his hands at all on the steering wheel. Denzel Washington award indeed. Is the Dragon King back? Interesting little shot of a shady person watching videocams around Blue Valley there. Hmm.

Wow. I think this was the strongest season yet. Great story, excellent pacing, great performances. I don't really have any complaints other than the focus on the older characters took a bit away from some of the storylines with the younger characters (Kenny, Tory, in particular I think could have used some more time). The cast has gotten a bit bloated, so it's hard to do them all justice, though, and the writers really had to pick their moments. Overall, I think Chozen was really the MVP of this season, with Johnny and Daniel running a close second. Feels very much like a series finale; I think there are places they could still go, but without a clear conflict or villain (other than Kreese, who I'm not sure can make a credible foe any longer, now that he's on the run), I'm not sure where they go from here. Loved it.