Guess which Tosche Station writer is grounded for forgetting to write this review last week, when “The Platform Classic” actually aired? This girl! But before I go to my room, here are my belated thoughts on this emotional and surprisingly dark episode of Star Wars Resistance.
We’ve known since “Fuel for the Fire” that Yeager has a rich past that he never talks about. I figured we’d find out more later — like, much later, a season or two down the line. Resistance has so many characters and possible plot lines that I assumed it would be a slow burn, much like Rebels was. Heck, when it came to Rebels, we didn’t find out what was really eating Sabine until season 3! So “The Platform Classic” was a deeply satisfying episode in terms of resolving some of the mysteries surrounding a new character who has quickly become one of my favorites (I’m a sucker for grumpy dad figures).
When Resistance was announced, many wrote it off as being “just a kids’ show,” but similar to Lucasfilm’s other animation offerings so far, this show has plenty of rewarding storytelling that also please adults. That’s never been more apparent this season than in “The Platform Classic,” which is perhaps the darkest episode we’ve had so far. Although Marcus revealing his culpability in wiping out his brother’s young family (eek!) will probably soar over younger children’s heads, it’s extremely apparent to older viewers the horror of his actions, and what a dark shadow they’ve left over the Yeager family. Yeager and Marcus discuss their grief, anger, and remorse in complex ways, and that emotional payoff resonated strongly with me, as a Star Wars fan who always wanted to see, for example, Luke and Leia on screen grappling with their feelings in the aftermath of Endor. We don’t often see the results of trauma laid out in the franchise’s visual media, but those stories are just as important as the events that caused the pain in the first place.
So too are the ideas about forgiveness that are explored in the episode. Kids are taught at a young age that forgiveness is a virtue, but we hardly ever talk about the fact that forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply can be incredibly difficult. I love how realistic the resolution of the episode was; Yeager wants to forgive Marcus, and believes he will get there, but their road to full reconciliation is just beginning, and they do have a long way to go. The pathos we feel for both Yeager and Marcus wouldn’t have cut quite so deeply, either, without stunning voice work from Scott Lawrence and Keston John, who both did a phenomenal job, particularly during the brothers’ conversation during the race.
And speaking of the race — what a race! Resistance is, of course, about pilots, and those who love fancy flying have a lot to cheer for in this episode. The show’s animation slick animation style lends itself well to fancy aerial moves, and those are very much on display during “The Platform Classic.” It’s been a few episodes since we’ve gotten to see the racers in action, so the Classic comes at a perfect time.
Finally, there are so many small touches that made this a fun episode. As a person who devours the canon novels, it was nice to see a nod to the New Republic’s disarmament, an event that’s discussed in more detail in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath series and most recently in Daniel Jose Older’s novel, Last Shot. On a less-serious note, Oplock is one of those characters I would punch people to protect. I’d seriously love to see more of him and Neeku broing out in a future episode.
Don’t forget to read Bria’s (on-time, ha) review of ” Secrets and Holograms,” and remember: Forgiveness is good, but Corellian hyperfuel is really, really bad.
