*Spoilers for episode 5*
It’s another cracker—although again, I’m left feeling kind of bereft knowing that another year will have gone by the next time we see these characters. :sigh: I want more!
As Cassian returns from Ghorman, he and Luthen clash over the acceptable costs of the Rebellion. But Luthen has other things to worry about—he and Kleya need to use a fancy soiree as cover to retrieve a listening device before it’s discovered. When Cassian bows out where Ghorman is concerned, Vel steps in, hoping foremost to use the mission to reunite with Cinta.
We’ll start with Vel and Cinta. After getting just a small amount of Vel and a tiny glimpse of Cinta in the first arc, it’s wonderful to see them featured so prominently here. It’s great to see Vel in the field and how she’s grown since Aldhani, and they’re able to talk through their relationship in a pretty lovely way. Both women get the chance to be honest with each other, and the ways that their relationship intersects with their position as Rebels is interesting—Cinta observes, “We’re worth more to him separately than together.” Both Faye Marsay and Varada Sethu are excellent throughout.
Also excellent? Kleya. Luthen blames her for the listening device crisis, but she is determined to protect their cover by any means necessary. She’s both a natural liar and unflinchingly resolute, enlisting an unlikely (and unwilling) ally to help her get the job done. And since this is all taking place at a fancy party filled with the Coruscant elite, she’s doing it under the nose of Director Krennic. Speaking of which, it’s no surprise that Krennic and Mon Mothma are filled to the brim with polite loathing for one another. Love this exchange:
KRENNIC: “Oh yes, I’ve been a guest at her committee on several occasions.”
MON: “How pleasant, to see you free of the witness stand.”
Get his ass, Mon!
Luthen is involved in this storyline as well, but I find his scenes with Cassian more interesting. We already know that Luthen is focused on the ultimate mission above all else, and Cassian knows it too. After all, this is the man who risked a lot to bring Cassian in on Aldhani, then was prepared to have him killed when he looked like a liability. This is the man who relished the Empire’s crackdown after Aldhani—while Mon argued, “People will suffer,” he thought a little suffering was just what people needed to shake them out of their complacency. Luthen is bringing much the same attitude toward Ghorman, fixated on the idea of bringing such a prominent, wealthy planet to the cause, even as Cassian’s assessment is that they’re trying to run before they can walk.
And Cassian’s concerns aren’t just logistical. It’s never said, but no doubt he remembers Aldhani well. While Luthen remembers the success of that heist, Cassian remembers the people who were killed there. His trip to Ghorman shows him how much the planet has already lost at the hands of the Empire, and he doesn’t want them to lose even more for the sake of a mission that, to him, feels more symbolic than substantive.
Diego Luna is so good. He’s just so damn good! You feel Cassian’s frustration and anger with Luthen, and you feel his continual undercurrent of worry. But at the same time, he also gives us lighter scenes, like putting the moves on Bix by telling her all about the alias he used in Ghorman. “I was Varian Skye,” he tells her. “I was a fashion designer. I was very, very pretty.”
Let’s pour one out for BBY3 Cassian. I loved BBY5 and BBY4 Cassian, and I loved you too. Let’s find out who Cassian is going to be next week!
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