TL;DR – We move from making introductions to giving a plot a needed kick-forward, but I am not quite there with it yet.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Ahsoka Review –

While Star Wars has arguably made several fumbles in recent years, releasing these first two episodes simultaneously was not one of them. They make an intriguing double act, one introduction, the other plot, one nostalgia, the other vibes. It also meant we didn’t have to suffer through a useless cliffhanger, which I always appreciate.

So to set the scene, at the end of Master and Apprentice, tragedy struck when Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) was stuck down by Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) after the mercenaries working for Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) stole the map that Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) recovered. The bad guys now have the map that could lead them to Admiral Thorn (Lars Mikkelsen), the last remaining Imperial heavyweight left after their defeat by the New Republic. The heroes are on the defence, but can they make up lost time? Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

While the last episode was all about introductions, this week, we jump straight into the plot as Ahsoka has to work out where to go now that the map has been stolen. At the same time, a lot of this episode becomes a bit of a lore dump by necessity. The one thing I liked is how we get more of how this show works on a character level. Ahsoka and Baylan (Ray Stevenson) are reflections of each other. You see this in their powers and how they act. It very much brings the vibe of the road not taken. I liked the purposeful way they move through the force as it echoes around them.

Once you strip away all the more fantastic science fiction elements, the acting still pulls you through this world. While I have seen Ray Stevenson perform bombast with gusto before in films like RRR, I liked his more reserved performance here. It is a solid contrast to many of the other Sith and Dark Jedi performances we have seen in Star Wars. He brings a world to meaning with just one word, ‘truth’. While we are talking about acting, can I also champion Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who is positioned as the glue holding everyone together all while serving looks at every opportunity.

Where I am still not wholly connecting to the show is in its overarching narrative. There is a lot of talk of far-off galaxies and ancient pre-jedi aliens, but when you get to the heart of it, it is a generic narrative. Part of this is that I don’t have an emotional connection to any of the players here, which means just throwing around names of people is not enough to get me engaged with the story. Finally, while the last season of The Mandalorian had hints about how the Imperial remanent was working within the New Republic, this week’s episode was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

In the end, do we recommend Star Wars: Ahsoka – Part One: Toil and Trouble? Well, there is quite a lot about the series I like, and so far, it intrigues me. However, there has yet to be this moment that has completely sold it for me, and if it is there, I hope we get there soon.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Ahsoka
Directed by – Steph Green
Written by – Dave Filoni
Created by – Dave Filoni
Based On – Star Wars by George Lucas
Production/Distribution Companies – Lucasfilm, Golem Creations & Disney+
Starring – Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Diana Lee Inosanto, David Tennant & Eman Esfandi with Peter Jacobson & Paul Darnell and Shelby Young