New female character in the first five seconds? You know the way to my heart, Mr. Nicolosi. And yes, I know what happens a minute later, but the thing is, she’s not the only one and I always appreciate it when they remember that the background characters and extras shouldn’t be all dudes anymore than the main cast should be. So for me personally that was a great start and speaks well of later things.
Speaking of, well. That bombing shouldn’t have surprised me per se (I mean, they did set that up in about the first five seconds) but it was, imo, an effective plot point kill-off in that manner of Rogers and Cunningham from Season 12. It’s not like we were attached to these new characters exactly but I can say for myself that I was already finding them pretty endearing based on their dialogue and it certainly was a jolt to realize, welp. They’re all dead now.
Which brings us to dialogue, an area in which I think this episodes absolutely shone. I really didn’t feel like a single word was wasted--without fail, every line worked to set the scene, establish the new characters, and entertain besides. The dialogue was well-paced and well-delivered. It’s got me really looking forward to seeing how the writing plays out as the season goes on. We’ve yet to hear the established characters speak, of course, so we’ll see how that goes, but as far as the new ones, I have nothing but good to say about the writing.
We are ten months post-Chorus. I appreciate being given a concrete timeframe upfront rather than having to extrapolate later--that’s something later seasons of RvB have been much better about. I’m also very happy that this new arc is connected to Chorus and following up on the events of Chorus while still being a new story. There is so much affection for Chorus and its story and characters among the present fandom (myself included!) that I think that was a very good choice.
The people of Chorus (and possibly the Reds and Blues) are actual insurrectionists now. I could not be happier. (Regardless of what the Reds and Blues are actually doing, I think it’s safe to say they’ll be on the side of Chorus.)
I wasn’t necessarily on board with the Imposter Theory at first, but as of now it’s definitely looking plausible. Lots of people have pointed out since the trailer that the Reds and Blues’ weapons don’t seem right--Sarge not using his trusty shotgun, Tucker carrying a sniper rifle with no sword in sight. The fact that we don’t hear any of them speak, I think, only supports the idea that it’s not really the Reds and Blues we know.
Then there’s the Church-colored soldier disembarking from the Pelican. Personally, I’m not hoping Church is somehow alive (I think it’s time to let him rest). That aside, Epsilon post-season 8 has been actively disinterested in having a physical body, even bragging about the advantages of his incorporeal state, so the appearance of a physical body I think supports the theory that it isn’t him or any Church derived from him.
And at last we come to Dylan Andrews, our intrepid reporter--don’t worry, I’d never forget about our new girl. :) Making her the reporter who ran the “Colorful Space Marines” headline after season 10 was such a good decision. Not only does she have a previous story connection, she has a connection to the Reds and Blues themselves--so much so that she says with some confidence, “I know them.” She’s motivated to find out what’s happening not only as an irresistible story, but as a huge question mark that is at least a little bit personal. She wants not just to know, but to understand.
And thus far, she’s a delight. Her banter with her boss was fantastic, and one of the most entertaining bits of dialogue, though as I said above, I thought all of it was wonderful. I really enjoy the already-emerging relationship between Dylan and her boss Carlos--he’s grumpy, sure, and full of hilarious vinegar about her ambitious lead-hunting, but there’s a clear rapport between them, because Dylan doesn’t hesitate to respond with snark: “Thanks a million, honey bucket.”
Next episode seems highly likely to give us our intrepid journalist meeting everyone’s favorite party Grif down in Blood Gulch, and I can’t wait to see how that goes. (It also offers a not-unreasonable probability of this season passing the Bechdel test in episode 2, and when was the last time that happened?)
In short, I am frankly thrilled with this prologue. These days I try to come in without many expectations, preferring to see what comes and enjoy it for what it is, but this new episode is pretty much my bag in every single way, and I couldn’t be happier. I think we’ve got a fun season ahead of us, and I look forward to it.
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