Review: Red vs Blue “Chorus Lessons”

Andrews on the case.

Spoilers Below:

On Chrous, Jax is shot by an unknown assailant. He mumbles, “Rosebud” dramatically before he passes out.

The cops question Andrews but don’t get anything substantial out of her. Jax is tended to by Dr. Gray, who recognizes who Andrews is. Gray accuses Andrews and the rest of the press of being vultures, by writing stories insinuating that Chorus’ heroes, the Reds and Blues, are responsible for the latest attacks. These accusations have prompted the UNSC to take preemptive military action against Chorus, even if there is no definitive proof about their involvement. She also notes that Jax was shot five minutes after Andrews made the emergency phone call, which means it was all staged. Andrews admits she did set it up, in order to talk to Gray herself. She has previous tried to talk to Kimball, but Kimball has turned down all her requests. While Gray refuses to be a middleman, she gives Andrews the name of the UNSC diplomat currently doing talks with Kimball: Andrew Packard. She also warns Andrews that after her stunt, Jax might not be interested in working with her anymore.

Later, Andrews calls her husband, James Adler, who is also an IDA analyst. He is worried about her but gets upset when she quickly asks for a favor instead. He reveals that she left without saying anything, and wonders if they are still married. While he agrees to find information on Packard, he still wants to have a discussion as soon as she returns. Andrews ends the call frustrated.

The next day, Andrews meets with Kimball by blackmailing Packard. Kimball demands to know why Andrews wants to find the Reds and Blues and warns her that lying won’t help. Andrews admits that she wants to find them in order to learn the truth; the most important thing for a journalist. Kimball confers with Santa, who agrees that Andrews is telling the truth. Kimball, while publicly having said she has no idea where the Reds and Blues are, has been aware of their location all along. A package has been delivered to Kimball for the Reds and Blues, but she is unable to deliver it under the UNSC’s watchful eye. She tells Andrews to deliver the package and more importantly, not to betray her trust.

Andrews allows Jax an opportunity to leave, but he declines. He said that her willingness to shoot him to get a lead was worthy of respect, and was very “Kubrik-esque’. He decides to continue sticking with her for the story— and also because his student loans begin as soon as he returns home.

They go to where the Reds and Blues are camped out, and in a scene mimicking the ending of Star Wars Episode XII, come upon Caboose. Andrews holds out a tape recorder, but Caboose gets startled and ends up falling off the cliff.

Overview:

This episode was largely about Andrews, and how far she is willing to go. Her absolute dedication to her job, to the truth, is what keeps her going. While it can earn her respect (Jax) and clears away any suspicion of ulterior motives (Kimball), it also has its issues. Her willingness to jump into the story and find the truth out as thoroughly and quickly as possible has nearly cost her her job and branded her a fugitive. It also strained her marriage with James, who isn’t sure whether she cares for him sometimes. She is a frightfully determined woman, even willing to risk her own life to get information, but that puts a large burden on her more social relationships as well. Perhaps in future episodes, we might see Andrews have to reconcile her role as a reporter vs her relationships as a person.

All in all, good balance of humor and drama. The Star Wars parody was absolutely hilarious.