Ep. 4-5-6
To put it simply, it's
way better than the first three episodes. Better structure, sharper dialogue, an interesting historical grounding, and it all flows more smoothly. That said, there's still something slightly
off—can't quite put my finger on it.
First off…
There are definitely some highlights, especially the worldbuilding, which is truly exceptional. The Ghorman sets, the 1940s-style visuals in France, all the small props that give things a real, lived-in feel (like that modern version of Skyrim's lockpicking device), and the costumes overall. I still remember how awful the outfits were in
Boba Fett—cheap, cringe cosplay vibes. Here, at least, they're not insulting us.
There's
acting, and some damn good acting at that. Luthen and Mon Mothma are top-tier, and I really hope Gilroy leans into a "young Stalin" angle with Luthen—that could get interesting. Saw's monologue, although a bit clipped, still lands well. Syril's arc could go somewhere compelling
if they steer it in the right direction. I hope they do. Diego Luna holds his own, too.
But let's be honest: Partagaz
steals the show. "Calibrate your enthusiasm." Okay, just give him the Oscar already. Jokes aside, I genuinely love all the ISB scenes. Lonni is easily the gutsiest character in the series when you really look at it. It's going to be brutal when he gets found out.
Now, all that praise aside, some things still drag the good elements down:
- The Cinta/Vel romance is boring as hell.
- And Cinta's death? Total "meh." Sure, it's just an accident, and I get that it's better than going full heroic cliché—but I couldn't care less about her. Same goes for Vel.
- The whole sequence in episode 3 is limp. It starts off tense, but then it just tries too hard, and you can tell. The weapons heist has no real stakes, NPCs pop in randomly (Lezine shows up for absolutely no reason), etc.
- The scene where Karen—sorry, Vel—lectures the rebel is just cringe.
- The worldbuilding kind of undercuts the plot, and honestly, not much happens across these three episodes. That wasn't an issue during the Aldhani heist back in Season 1. That arc was miles better.
- Sometimes it feels too French. I get the reference and I actually enjoy it, but at some point it becomes a bit heavy-handed. I would've liked a more personal spin.
- Bix killing Dr. Gorst feels too cheap. It's an easy pleasure, overly simplistic. That's surprising coming from Gilroy. It could've been more nuanced, less "bang bang, you're dead, I got my revenge on the evil white torturer." Lame.
That said, we're clearly on an upward trajectory, which is good news. I just hope the climb continues next week and into the finale. It's just that right now, all the "I jizz in my pants" level reviews feel totally out of touch. People need to calm down a bit.
And sure, I get the criticism that this is straying far from your typical
Star Wars—but we need to decide what we really want. You can't expect purebred
Star Wars and then also demand noir-level dialogue on the side. I don't know if Gilroy can pull off that fusion going forward. We'll see. But it's looking like a tough balancing act.