REVIEW: Star Wars Resistance "The Children From Tehar"
I'll be honest, when this episode first started, I was concerned. After last week's episode pushed the show forward, I thought the opening scenes from this episode, "The Children From Tehar," would put the show back dragging along like the second and third episodes. Thankfully, at the halfway point of this episode, there is a twist that is revealed that propels the episode forward into something deeper...and...dare I say... darker. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are.
The episode starts out with Kaz being an idiot again, breaking a machine part, again, and causing Tam to get angry at him...again. Seriously, the phrase, we've been through this already, was the least of my thoughts from this setup. Through a series of events, Kaz and Neeku find out there is a $20,000 credit bounty on two missing children, and figure that is how they can pay the piece off, as well as be good people too.
Eventually, they find the children on the station. Yes, you can honestly say how contrived and unlikely that both kids would just so happen to be on the Colossus, but that was something I was willing to overlook. They are able to find the children thanks to the help of some turtle people called the Chelidae, and that's when the episode starts to get interesting.
Kaz and Neeku are invited to speak with Captain Doza, where it turns out that not only is he keeping on eye on Kaz, but that he has a "partnership" with the First Order, who put the bounty on the kids. I'll admit, I'm intrigued with what the show is going to do with Doza, as when the show crosses over with the events of the Force Awakens, he'll have to make the choice of either siding with or against them, which I think will be interesting considering his daughter Torra will be involved.
As it turns out, the First Order wants the kids because they are the last of their people from a village that was slaughtered by Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Obviously, that was a huge name drop that nearly made my jaw drop. Not because it's out of character for Kylo and the First Order, far from it. I was just pleasantly surprised that the show would reference Kylo by name this early on, and would mention something this dark as well. Obviously, they don't show anything, but it canonically happened, and I like that it got that dark for a sequence.
Also, I want to say, there were really good and kind moments from both Kaz and Neeku as well this episode that made me appreciate them more as characters.
Eventually, the First Order comes, led by the gold-plated trooper from the trailers, Commander Pyre. I'll admit, the way they ultimately fooled the troopers to save the kids was both clever, while at the same time, went over a little too easy for me. Still, I hope we see more of Pyre in the future.
Eventually, Kaz reports his findings to a Resistance member named Ello Asty, (who is a very minor character in the sequel trilogy). He tells Kaz that General Leia will find this information on Kylo "interesting," and that he and Poe think Kaz is doing a good job, which was a nice, albeit, a little corny way, to end the episode on.
So, ultimately, despite the rocky start, this turned out to be a very solid episode to me, with a few references and twists I wasn't expecting so soon. I just hope in the future the setups to these moments aren't as tired or cliche as in this episode.
