TL;DR – A blast into the past and a push into the future.

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

Ahsoka Review –

One of the first things I mentioned back in Part One: Master and Apprentice is that I was coming into this series without watching the Rebels or Clone Wars animated shows that were being used as the springboard for both the characters and the narrative. I had wondered if this would be a show where you could follow what is going on if you were not coming in with all that extra homework. Well, today, we get the best litmus test for that.  

So to set the scene, last week’s Fallen Jedi did not end on the best note for everyone. Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) was tempted by Lord Baylan (Ray Stevenson) about the chance to be reunited with her lost friend and didn’t destroy the map. While Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) was thrown from the cliffside into the waters below. Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and the cavalry arrived, but it was not quick enough to stop Morgan Elsbeth’s (Diana Lee Inosanto) Hyperspace sled from jumping off into galaxies unknown. But what is waiting for Ahsoka in the ever after is not what she was expecting … a battle. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

The heart of this episode is a discussion between a Master and his Apprentice, and by discussion, I mean a lightsabre duel on the cusp of life and death. Since the prequel series, Star Wars has been trying to recontextualise Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). There was a tragedy to his character that just didn’t come to fruition in the movies as people hoped. He got his big bad moment in Rogue One, and Obi-Wan tried to explore that master–apprentice dynamic unsuccessfully. However, after many failed attempts, they finally landed it here.

He becomes an enigmatic figure, a gatekeeper like the ferryman from Greek mythology. There are moments when you see those hints of a young Anakin shine through, and then there are those moments where he is a stern master or even a more distant figure. As the fight continues, we see the relationship between Ahsoka (Ariana Greenblatt) and Anakin shift and change as it goes through the years. From what I can tell, I don’t think they are recreating any specific moments from the other series but using them as a tone for the setting. Now, sure, that fog is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but the character beats work, and it felt like it was important and not filler. While they did overuse it, I did like that first glimpse of Vader through the smoke. 

The rest of the narrative was just a framing device to see where all the main characters will be going for the rest of the series. Hera is getting shipped back to Coruscant to defend herself against the Senate. This is the one area that I am the most concerned about because Andor really nailed the tone that you need for this, and I am not sure they will be able to get that tonal shift right. Meanwhile, a more engaged Ahskoa and concerned Huyang (David Tennant) are going full-Jonah and taking a magic whale ride to recuse their friends. You could feel the gears moving under the narrative at times, but I never felt lost, which was appreciated.

I thought this was a standout episode from a production perspective. We have one of the best examples of de-aging technology we have seen. Gone is the slight rubberiness of Tron Legacy, and here we get a lot of nuances of emotion. The supernatural setting probably helped cover some of the inconsistencies, but I was still impressed. While there were a couple of moments that showed that water is still tricky to look right in a digital medium, but nothing so wrong that it takes you out of the episode. However, I did love these moments throughout the episode that took my breath away. This build-up is when Jacen Syndulla (Evan Whitten) mentions that he can hear something in the water. This is a moment that is just a close-up of people listening. But strong performances, combined with just the right foley and a musical score that hints at the Force Theme while still being its own thing, was stunning.

In the end, do we recommend Part Five: Shadow Warrior? Yes, yes, we do. I was captivated by the dual on the astral bridge, the romp through the fog of the past, and catching a ride with some space whales. Sure, there were some clunky narrative and dialogue bits in places, but I didn’t mind. I am looking forward to seeing how they stamped to the end of the season from here.      

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.

Have you seen Ahsoka yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Ahsoka
Directed by – Dave Filoni
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, David Tennant, Evan Whitten, Genevieve O’Reilly, Ariana Greenblatt & Hayden Christensen with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Temuera Morrison & Eisa Davis and Chau Naumova & Brendan Wayne