Resistance‘s second episode focuses on Kaz’s covert mission on the Colossus–being a mechanic. He’s not good at it. Actually, he’s pretty terrible at it. (He’s also terrible at keeping his cover by talking about his mission in public.) Which is bad because a ship has come in with a need for a rush job. Tam is unhappy with his abilities as a mechanic, Yeager is disappointed with Kaz’s lack of dedication to his job, the inhabitants of the platform are annoyed by his antics, and Neeku is…well, Neeku.

“The Triple Dark” was frustrating at times, specifically when Kaz’s antics and lack of dedication come off as over the top. You want to shake him and say focus on your cover as a mechanic first and the spying will come naturally after that. However, considering he flew against the First Order already, he must feel the pressure of finding out information quickly before they strike against the Republic especially since he went AWOL from the New Republic Defense Fleet and disappointed his father by joining the “radical” Resistance.

This episode provides character background for Kaz, as we learn about his lucky trophy and why it means so much to him. And he risks destroying it to save the life of an alien who wants to kill him. This is a great moment showing Kaz’s moral compass and ability for self-sacrifice. He’s also smart enough to realize Hallion was working for pirates, and figure out how to stop the attack by hijacking their comms.

Speaking of pirates, we also find out more about life on the Colossus. Pirates led by Kragen are known to attack the platform, using storms called “triple darks” as cover, and the Aces provide the defense. I think this is a wonderful worldbuilding aspect, and adds a surprising amount of depth to a children’s show. Yeah, the racers compete against each other, but they’re also on the same side. It’s nice to see that comradery shine forth when they fly together. It’ll be interesting to learn more about the way the Aces fly together; it seemed that Freya was the squadron leader, even though she’s not the top racer, and Griff Halloran didn’t participate. Does this say something about his loyalties, or was there another reason why he wasn’t present?

Then there’s the ending, where we learn Kragen and his pirates are working for the First Order. The goal? To force Captain Doza to realize the Aces can’t defend against the Colossus, and turn over security–and autonomy–to the First Order. We get our first appearance of Phasma and the reappearance of Vonreg, the TIE pilot from the first episode, as well as a mention of Commander Pyre, the gold stormtrooper who we’ve yet to see. I appreciated these behind-the-scenes machinations, which lend a seriousness to what has so far been a fun children’s show.

The episode ends with Kaz acknowledging there’s more happening on the Colossus than he realizes, and step one to completing his mission is to focus on his cover as a mechanic. Will he learn? We will see.