'Star Wars Resistance' Review: Meet Flix's Family In "From Beneath"
The Colossus sends a shuttle with Kaz (Christopher Sean), Torra (Myrna Velasco), and Flix (Jim Rash) and Orka (Bobby Moynihan) to Flix's stormy homeworld of Drahgor III. After their run from the First Order back in "The Engineer," they're in desperate need of fuel, and Flix's family refinery could be their salvation. If not, the entire Colossus community will be stranded. But Flix must persuade his snarky estranged and identical cousins to relinquish some fuel. He is incensed to discover that their operation is now engaging in deep-core drilling, warning them that their drilling will disturb some beasts. Kaz barters with Flix's cousins to fix their drill deep in the bowels of the planet's core in exchange for fuel. However, they must confront those beasts below.
Flix's Family and Homecoming
Paul F. Thompson as Flanx, Flix's boss-cousin, is on-point smarmy with condescending crossness, like any resentful relative you know. John Ennis as Fleck, and Pete Holmes as Flobb and Fleez provide some entertaining banter.
Spending time with Flix's family gives us some background on the charater who defied his family's wishes, flew the nest, and even pursued cantina singing. An episode focused on Flix's family certainly fits into Resistance's everyone-has-a-livelihood motif about how background or supporting players often have mundane but invaluable backstories. But in execution, it lacks the tokens of emotional poignancy in the last few episodes. There's not much to go off, other than Flix's bantering and Flanx's unceasing denialism, until the end, which wears thin.
The Beasts Below
The scaly lizard-like titan beasts introduced are chilling and well established to not attack without provocation, yet their plight is underdeveloped. The ethical outcome where Flanx wisely reasons to never disturb their habitat because it was protecting its family is both appropriate while underwhelming emotionally in execution. The story doesn't invest in sympathy for the beasts' motivation to defend its habitat–a connection with Flanx's rift with Flix that should feel thematic rather than obligatory.
Flix and Orka
Flix and Orka are a likable comedy relief duo for Star Wars Resistance with rock-solid chemistry. Rash is priceless as a beleaguered Flix, and Moynihan is a jovial presence, yet Flix and Orka aren't given as much space to bounce off each other compared to other episodes where they're supporting players.
Of note, there are two moments that peg Flix and Orka down as a same-sex couple. First, there's Orka's line to Torra, "I love the guy," when she motivates Orka to climb for help. And second, the moment Flix's cousins remark, "He's [Orka] a good find," like relatives would when gossiping over their relative's choice in love.
Some of you know the recent headlines about the producers affirming Flix and Orka's status as a same-sex couple. I'm glad to report Flix and Orka are not a case where the creators "confirmed" queerness without investing said queerness into the work itself, like in the case of Lando Calrissian being confirmed pansexual by writer Jonathan Kasdan but still being hetero-coded in Solo (a romantic interest in feminine-coded robot does not count). The duo's romantic status was confirmed in-universe back in "Dangerous Business" where Orka and Flix go off to visit the latter's mother.
But it's also worth saying that while they're a visible step forward for Star Wars media and the script finds ways to reference their couplehood, I feel Flix's and Orka's representation–and queer representation in Star Wars in general–would benefit from more romantic charge like other canonical romantic couples like Kanan and Hera in Rebels or Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine of The Clone Wars. Of course, this is a complicated topic and benefiting queer rep for Star Wars media and children's animation means adjusting other factors aside from Flix and Orka, and it may or may not be worth waiting out the final episodes of Star Wars Resistance to see what other representations could be in store–if there are any more planted.
Final Thoughts
Penned by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt, "From Beneath" feels a few drafts away from being fully rendered into a re-watchable episode, making for an amusing but average viewing experience. It acts on the consequence of last episode, but the acquirement of fuel and Flix's family bonds don't contribute much insight. Other than that, the new location outside of the Colossus is breathtaking.
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