I don't tend to think of Star Wars in comedic terms. Sure, there are funny moments, and characters who have been inserted specifically for comic relief -- not just Jar Jar -- but this is the first episode of any of Rebels or all of The Clone Wars that really had me laughing out loud. Not just once.
We get to meet a young Lando Calrissian (actually voiced by Billy Dee Williams!) and to say that hi-jinks ensue would be an understatement. We get to see sabacc being played for the first time. At least, it's the first time I know of that the game has been shown onscreen anywhere. "Idiot's Array" refers to a sabacc hand. Of course, playing cards with Calrissian can get anyone into trouble, and that's what happens here. The rest of the episode is trying to get out of said trouble.
Lando, as you might expect, spends the episode trying to sweet talk the ladies. The guys, as might also be expected, react poorly to this. I think each of them says something to the effect of "I hate that guy" at least once. And, of course, Lando puts them in a situation where they're forced to defend him and rescue him from, well, himself.
Oh, yeah, and to get Chopper back, which is what started everything off, Zeb losing Chopper to Lando in a game of cards. The big question is whether Chopper wants to stay with Lando or not.
That's all I'm gonna say. Oh, except that we find out a cool thing about Ezra's lightsaber.
"Mine doesn't do that."
Given how undramatic and flat such things tend to be on the screen, it's surprising how often stories include a game of cards to win or lose... everything!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds sort of derivative, like it's aimed at kids who didn't know Solo won the Falcon from Lando in a game of cards (I think?) so they used that story idea for this one. But I hope at least the "Idiot's Array" isn't a winning hand and refers to a hand where you're likely to lose but newbies will think the odds are in their favor, like people in poker who 'draw to an inside straight.'
Briane: Oh, no, "Idiot's Array" was most definitely the winning hand. And it beat a hand which was a sure thing.
DeleteThere was that myth book that revolved around dragon poker. I've always wanted to play dragon poker because of that.
I'd love to see a Lando standalone. I like the way he's written in the novelizations, seeing everything in terms of gambling metaphors.
ReplyDeleteTAS: Evidently, they are casting for that, right now.
DeleteI see that he's appearing in the Han Solo film but I think he deserves his own, too. Perhaps that depends on the success of the Han Solo one.
DeleteTAS: It's a step.
DeleteI love that Billy Dee Williams did the voice of Lando. I bet he had fun.
ReplyDeleteElsie: I don't know about that, but I do know that his voice was pretty much the same as it was 35 years ago.
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