REVIEW: Star Wars Resistance "Descent"
After weeks of boiling tensions, this week's episode of Resistance finally pushes Kaz and his allies into full conflict with the First Order, with the other members of his team finding out his deepest secret. This episode also sets up the two-part finale of season one. Needless to say, there is a lot to discuss with this episode.
The episode begins right where the the last episode left off, with Kaz and Team Fireball placed under arrest by Pyre and the First Order. Through a distraction from Bucket, Kaz, Yeager, CB-23, and Neeku are able to escape, but Tam surrenders.
I've complained about Tam these last few weeks, and I still stand by those complaints. However, in this instant, I feel bad for her. Not only is she getting accused of being a part of Kaz's operation, but she eventually finds out about Kaz as a spy, so her whole world is essentially turned upside down. I would most likely react the same way if I was her.
Eventually, Kaz and Yeager find their way to the engineering room with Kel and Eila. I got to say, I loved the way Yeager and Kaz worked together this episode, and I like the way Yeager, throughout the course of the season, went from not wanting to get involved with Kaz, to working together and trusting him throughout this ordeal.
Eventually, Tam gets interviewed by an First Order security bureau agent named Tierney. Unlike...pretty much everybody else in the First Order, she treats Tam with respect, which was weird but cool to see. Granted, this could all be a ruse, as she also proves later in the episode she's not an idiot. However, the way she interacts with Tam makes me wonder if the show is pushing Tam to ultimately side with the First Order. It would make sense, given how she feels betrayed by Yeager and Kaz.
Eventually, Kaz comes up with a plan to sink the Colossus so that they can reach the jamming signal on the top of the tower, to give a message to the Resistance. I got to say, I've had my problems with Kaz early on, and he still has his moments of acting like an idiot, but I've really liked how he has developed as a character to this point in the season. He's a lot more confident in himself, and, even though his actions aren't the most efficient, he gets the job done as a spy.
Also, eventually Torra and Captain Doza find out about the plan, and that Kaz is a spy. I like the minor development of Doza throughout the season as well, and I loved Torra's reactions throughout the episode. You can tell she's a teenager having the excitement of her lifetime.
Eventually, Kaz, Yeager, and CB-23 disable the signal, and give a message to the Resistance. During the sequence, Yeager allows himself to get captured to allow the other two to escape, which I thought was a nice moment by him, even if it was predictable. Not only is the message received by the Resistance, but it is also received by Synara and the pirate gang. Ok, WHY IN THE HELL HAVE THEY NOT LEFT THE PLANET YET?
Anyway, Leia sends back a message to Kaz, stating she would love to help, but the Resistance's resources are stretched too thin, which, makes sense, given what happens to the group during episodes 7 and 8. Leia also says Kaz should meet them in their second base. It makes me wonder if she means the base on Crait that's in the Last Jedi, or if it's somewhere new that we could see in the show's second season, or even Episode 9.
At the end, Kaz decides he is going to lead an operation to rescue his friends, and push the First Order off the platform...which means the pirates and Synara are almost certainly going to help.
Overall, this was one of the best episodes of the season, as tension that has been building for months came to a head in an exciting way, and leads the way for the two-part finale. We're entering a brand-new territory for this show, as, at some point, the show, whether it be this season or early next season, will pass the events of the sequel films, and explore a time period that is completely new, which could lead to other characters from the films possibly interacting with the cast of the show, which is an exciting proposition.
