Chris Connor reviews the penultimate episode of Star Wars: Ahsoka…
After finally reaching Thrawn and Ezra in its previous chapter, Ahsoka moves towards its endpoint with an action-packed penultimate episode. The opening sees the fallout of Hera’s actions, with the threat of a court martial from Mon Mothma and other senators before C-3PO makes a surprise appearance saying that Leia had sanctioned her mission. Unlike some cameos in recent years, this is far from distracting and well-integrated into the scenario, while we also get some connection to the events of The Mandalorian season 3, referenced by Carson Teva helping set things up for future links between the shows.
From here the episode is splintered between Thrawn anticipating how best to prepare for the new Jedi arrivals and Ahsoka trying to reach Sabine and Ezra. Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s Sabine and Eman Esfandi’s Ezra perfectly embody the spirit of the characters fans came to know and love in Star Wars Rebels with this episode capturing the playful interactions between them and filling in the blanks of the years between the show. If at any point this show has come close to a Rebels season five this is it. Some of the set pieces could be lifted directly from the show and also capture the spirit of the Original Trilogy.
We also get more of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in a recording from his training of Ahoska during the Clone Wars, again giving Christensen a chance to show that the appreciation of his work in the Prequels continues to grow. Much like C-3PO this is well integrated and works to hammer home the importance of their reunion in episode five. Ahsoka herself also features more prominently with Rosario Dawson continuing to impress; the slight shifts in personality since the fifth episode are something for fans to appreciate, with more humour to counterbalance the weight of an adversary like Thrawn.
Lars Mikkelsen’s Thrawn continues to show his tactical prowess and why he is so highly regarded as a villain, and if he is being lined up as the main adversary for Filoni’s film then it is set to be a showdown for the ages. While we may not get the conclusion to Balen Skoll’s arc the fans truly deserve and one befitting of Ray Stevenson’s work in the show, the character has proved one of the most fascinating in recent Star Wars, and we can only hope more of his history and motives are explored in the finale.
Ahsoka sets its self-up for a breathless finale with ‘Dreams and Madness’ and if at times the show has felt uneven with many disparate threads this episode pulls things together in a mostly satisfactory manner. There seems to be much left to resolve so it remains to be seen whether there will be further adventures for Ezra, Sabine and Ahsoka in a second season, or if events will be picked up in Filoni’s film or The Mandalorian’s fourth season. What is for certain is there are more twists and turns to come yet.
Chris Connor
