Dave Filoni and his team hit us hard with the start to this back half of Season 1 for Star Wars Rebels. The first episode was filled with temptations to the dark side and overcoming fears, while this second episode was full of swagger, feels and a little Chopper pizazz.
Story/Plot
Aaron: With a title like “Idiot’s Array” you knew this episode was going to feature the infamous card game from a Galaxy Far Far Away. At least I hoped it would. I was not disappointed when the episode opened with Zeb facing off against Lando Calrissian with a hand that could not be beat. This is the first time the card game has been shown in canon on screen, and I was happy to see they paid attention to detail. The hands shown were actually accurate based on the rules that had been established before in the Legends universe. It’s the little details like this that make this geek happy.
I have to admit that I wasn’t that excited when I heard Billy Dee Williams would be showing up in Rebels voicing Lando. I’ve never been a big fan of Lando outside of the movies. He has become a bit of a ridiculous character with his smooth persona almost always being overdone. But I was happy to be proven wrong when the character fit perfectly into this story. Williams did a great job of voicing the character although his age was hard to mask. Lando being on the Ghost brought out some interesting reactions from the crew and provided some very humorous moments.
If you are going to bring Lando into Rebels, this is the perfect kind of story to do it in. A smuggling mission, a repulsive villain, a puffer pig. It all wouldn’t have worked with any other character.
Teresa: Unlike Aaron I have always been a huge Lando fan however I was not sure what to expect when I heard that Billy Dee Williams would be back. This episode however proved to be full of twists and turns and Lando’s smoothness made the episode even more pleasant to watch.
One of the things I enjoyed about this episode is that it gave Hera a chance to shine and show her sass that we see in A New Dawn. I loved her sarcasm, her wit, her charm and the way she and Lando played off each other. Vanessa Marshall did a great job with accentuating the plot with her line delivery.
The story really had a nice start and a well tied up end. There was enough in the middle to tell a good cohesive story and sometimes that is hard to do in 27 minutes. I commend the team behind Star Wars Rebels for giving us a story that really truly felt like it could stand on its own.This episode is currently my favorite from the entire season.
Characters
Aaron: Poor Zeb. He couldn’t catch a break this episode. He lost a card game to Lando, let the pig out of the cage, scared the pig, hit the button to unmask the Ghost, and got caught by the bad guy at the end. He needs a big hero episode soon to make up for all of this.
This episode was all about Hera for me. My favorite appearance by her so far this season. She saw through Lando the whole time. His smooth talk didn’t work on her. While Kanan and Ezra were worried about their egos, she kept her head on straight and focused on the mission. Although she was surprised when Lando turned her over to Azmorigan, she never panicked, and used her wits and skill to get herself right back to the Ghost. And the punch to Lando’s gut was a nice touch.
Teresa: For me this episode was full of fun character moments from everyone. I think it showed a great balance and allowed each character to have some kind of role. In many of the episodes we have seen heavy focus on Ezra, Zeb, Kanan and Chopper and the girls have been left out in the cold. In this episode There was a little something from everyone and they even had time to let new characters like Lando and Azmorigan shine.
Lando was fantastic his charisma, smooth talking and overall handsomeness really shone through. Billy Dee Williams did a great job with his voice and making him relevant to the time frame and today’s audience. Every woman loves a little smuggler every now and then.
Kanan, Ezra and Zeb did a great job of showing jealousy and envy toward Lando which just helped build up Lando’s character.
Sabine while not having a major role, showed some sass which I loved and she also helped in Lando’s development. His ability to woo her was clearly evident and showed that she is still a young and vulnerable teen.
Chopper and Azmorigan were great side characters that helped the story move along and tied it together from the beginning to the end.
Hera, what can I say. She was stunning. I love that she punched Kanan and Lando. The gut shot was one of my favorite scenes. She was not fooled by Lando and showed just how smart she is by getting herself out of a jam. Hera finally got a chance to show the viewers what they have missed in A New Dawn if they have not read it. Her dialogue was spot on and I can not say enough about the tones in which it was delivered.
Outstanding Moments
Aaron: Chopper had some great moments this episode. His banging his head on the table out of frustration when Zeb was playing cards and his reaction when Kanan agrees to put Chopper up as a bet were funny. I also loved how whenever Lando would touch him he would use one of his little arms to lift Lando’s arm away from him. Almost like a “don’t touch me” reaction. But my favorite moment with Chopper was when he was stealing the fuel cell. I was laughing out loud when he couldn’t move it at first and had to back off screen to get enough momentum, his wheels spinning as he barely moved it an inch.
My favorite Hera moment was when she sweet talked Azmorigan and then knocked him out with the food tray. Then she used the same tray to knock out the guard. “That was a very useful tray” she says as she tosses it aside and escapes. Loved it!
Teresa: There were so many standout moments but by far the moments with Hera were my favorites. To start I loved when Hera has her first conversation with Lando and she makes it very clear she and Kanan are a team but also solidifies that this is HER ship and what she says goes. Another moment with Hera is when she knocks out Azmorigan and uses the tray to beat up another guard. Similar to Aaron her line delivery of “That was a very useful tray” had me rolling with laughter mixed with a You go girl! Hera’s well placed punch to Lando’s gut was also to die for.
My favorite Chopper moment is the same as Aaron’s I love the animation in that sequence and how you can tell Chopper is struggling with the fuel cell. It was so darn cute and I was so proud of him in the end.
The puffer pig inflating was another great scene because it caused so many problems in such a short time span. Ezra getting stuck between the ceiling and the pig was also great and good comic relief.
One of the scenes that continues to stick out as I think about the episode is when we first see Lando and the smooth look of his face and eyes. It was at that moment that I thought to myself…Here we go!
Favorite Quotes
Aaron:
- ““Smuggler? Such a small word. I’m more of a galactic entrepreneur.” – Lando
- “Good thing I wasn’t there, you would have bet me.” – Ezra
“Nah, you wouldn’t have covered the pot.” – Zeb - “Kanan, when they shoot at us Hera usually shoots back!” – Zeb
“Yeah, well I’m not Hera.” – Kanan
Teresa:
- ““I was told no questions asked.” – Lando
“That’s fine it just costs more.” – Hera - “Ooo, you’re quite the pilot, that’s the smoothest take off I’ve had in years.” – Lando
“And you’re quite the smooth talking smuggler.” – Hera - “Hey, I told you you’re stuff was good months ago.” – Ezra
“Yea, but you didn’t know why!” – Sabine
What an exciting back half to this season and it is only going to get better! We can’t wait to see what’s next.
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