– Spoiler Review –
This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike (the WGA one is over as of September 27). Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, this show, and those it continues stories from, wouldn’t exist. Consider supporting the strikes here.
Ahsoka Tano and Huyang show up for the party in the other galaxy in Ahsoka’s penultimate episode, “Part VII: Dreams and Madness,” which goes big with the action, returns to some political intrigue, and lets us spend some time with Thrawn and Ezra’s return, but makes it harder to swallow we’re one episode out from closing the season.
I loved Star Wars Rebels overall, but it’s not without its aspects worth critiquing, but at least some of its issues were mitigated by a writer’s room worth of ideas and opinions that helped make it a more fully formed and fleshed out show season after season. One part of my issue with Rebels at times was how it often didn’t deal with revelations for long, look at Thrawn’s first canon appearance and Ezra’s quickly resolved touch with the dark side, or went out of its way to joke off/avoid lingering on the deeper traumas or moments, though after all it is a kid’s show. But now here we are, live action, no writer’s room, longer run time, and a reliance on actors’ performances that can’t really be tweaked by an animation team but offer a chance to really dig in and see what’s there to mine, yet this still feels like it’s written for a Rebels/The Clone Wars episode rather the medium it’s in now. Case in point is the conversation between Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger, with her sort of reconfirming the details she’s explained about what’s happened in his absence while they avoid really revealing the truth of their experiences, to the point it’s a joke later on Sabine thought Ahsoka was dead. There’s nothing quite wrong with that, but this scene in particular, and many around it, felt like they could’ve benefited from even one more line or one little hint of how these experiences have truly affected these characters. While I love Ezra, especially thanks to Eman Esfandi’s performance, and how he’s so confident and bright and happy, this feels like a missed opportunity to let someone like Esfandi drop some hints it wasn’t all Noti-filled fun and how he might’ve worried often he’d never go home, but it looks like Sabine’s here, and later Ahsoka, and we’re just moving on, much like the Rebels season three premiere and his brush with the dark side is mostly forgotten by its end. By pushing on already, it robs the penultimate designation from “Dreams and Madness,” as it feels like there’s so much more to tell, but if this is all we’ll get this episode, I don’t expect the finale to cover all the remaining character beats, though at least it can be assured of hitting plot ones, but will that be enough to make it all memorable? Ahsoka’s struggled with this all season, either waiting too long to dig into a character, ignoring it now, or taking too much time to do so, but hasn’t let the plot slow down enough for any approach to take hold, yet ticking clocks like Thrawn loading strange things into his ship don’t feel urgent until he makes notice of it. I’m sure the finale is going to have some fun, first by maybe finally introducing what Baylan Skoll is looking for on Peridea and putting all our heroes together against Thrawn, but just like the ‘victory’ at the episode’s end for Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka, it’s going to feel hollow without more for and from these characters.
“Dreams and Madness” begins in a galaxy far, far away from Peridea, where Hera Syndulla faces down the Defense Council Committee on Coruscant, once again clashing with Senator Xiono. He might be a commentary on both side-isms and Republican politics, but he’s not written with enough depth to really be more than a point-and-look attempt, though at least he’s written annoyingly enough to make you want to punch him in the face and cheer when he’s beaten down; it’s clear Nelson Lee is having a blast with the role, regardless of how one feels about the character! Once again, he’s on his shit about not believing in Thrawn’s potential return and even goes so far to say “Imperial Remnant” is a loaded term, with Hera rightly telling him the truth, no matter how far-fetched it might sound. Carson Teva tries to back her up, and later even Chopper gets offended, and yet Xiono’s allowed to go off despite Mon Mothma being there, who doesn’t seem to be trying terribly hard to fight against him. Thankfully, after being name dropped in Part IV, Leia Organa covering for Hera and her mission to Seatos comes through, though not as expected, as she sends Threepio (I recognized Anthony Daniel’s grunts of displeasure before he even appeared, but how can you not)! This is a playful way to not have Leia actually in the scene, as Threepio works on two fronts: one, to make this smackdown of Xiono’s bad faith politicking hit even harder since Leia, who we learn leads the Council, doesn’t even care to make an appearance to put him in his place; two, so we can avoid more CGI faces/using budget to do so or, and this is the thought I hope is true, because they are working out who they’ll cast for the role going forward. Regardless, Xiono is put in his place and we can all celebrate Hera isn’t going to be court marshalled, while Mon knows Leia’s action were just a ploy. And then she asks Hera, privately, what she honestly thinks about the potential for Thrawn’s return, hearing exactly what she didn’t want to from the General: it’s time to be afraid, be very afraid, and get ready for it.
Someone who is always training, getting ready for the possibility of something bad to come, is Ahsoka, who we catch up here in the mouth of the purrgil, training within the ship alongside a holorecording of Anakin Skywalker (more Hayden Christensen, hurrah!). She has a whole box of these missives from Anakin, making one wonder when she found them/how long she’s had them, and if she’s ever shared them with Luke Skywalker, though it’s clear she guards her collection closely and I love the potential it sets up for more of Hayden’s return of the character if ever wanted. The one she’s listening to is all about Anakin reminding her to continue training with her forms, even if he doesn’t, as she’ll face more than just droids out there in the war, name-dropping Count Dooku, General Grievous, and Asajj Ventress, her first live action mention! He knows he won’t always be around to protect her and wants to make sure she can protect herself regardless, a lesson she’s never forgotten from him, and after finishing the holo, confers with Huyang how good he was as a Master, regardless of what happened to him. It feels like, after their encounter in the World Between Worlds, she’s been able to let go of what happened and how she wasn’t there and what his choices meant for her, if it portended her future or not, as she’s now at peace with his role in her life.
Huyang reveals he’s sure the purrgil are slowing down, meaning they are nearing their destination, so they get ready in the cockpit for whatever’s next…which is the unwelcomed sight of explosions just outside the purrgil’s mouth. When Ahsoka pilots them outside, they find the pod of purrgil in a field of mines, blocking their way to Peridea. The purrgil begin jumping away, escaping the threat, while Ahsoka manages to navigate their way out, only to become target practice for some fighters from the Eye of Sion, so she dives into the purrgil graveyard to hide. This is our first hint of Thrawn’s tactical mindset in the show, as while he relies on the Great Mothers of Dathomiri Witches to locate Ahoska in the debris, he doesn’t push for pursuit and cautions patience, all part of his larger plan for this encounter. Ahsoka inadvertently helps the Great Mothers locate her when she tries to reach out to Sabine on Peridea through the Force, the two connecting like Luke did with Leia towards the end of The Empire Strikes Back, as it’s like a beacon for them, which forces her out of field once the Eye begins bombarding her hiding place. She manages to get to the planet and begin their search for Sabine and Ezra, fighters in pursuit.
As the Noti move to a new location, Ezra and Sabine try to catch up, with Ezra questioning again some of the stuff she’s told him between now and the end of last episode. The insistence of claiming Endor was the end of the Empire, despite Jakku clearly there, is slightly disappointing, but I quite enjoyed the comment about Emperor Palpatine’s actual fate, but it’s clear neither has been totally honest with one another despite years apart and galaxies between them finally crossed. Sabine’s unwilling to reveal what she did to get here, of Ahsoka’s potential death, and Ezra seems to suggest life, while not always the easiest, as been fulfilling amongst the Noti. Esfandi and Natasha Liu Bordizzo really bounce off one another well, as you can feel the deeper history there and why they might be more willing to ignore the unspoken and just bask in the knowledge they are back together. I’m looking forward to more of these two together, not only because I love seeing them together again after all these years, but because of how well these two actors embody these characters.
Their idyllic travel plans are threatened by Shin Hati and Baylan’s presence, followed by the marauders the two turned to their cause and send after the group. There’s a fun little action scene here as the diminutive and sling-shot wielding (did Ezra teach them that?!) Noti attempt to help fight off the clearly more powerful attackers, even using their mobile homes to take a few out, while Sabine’s doing her best with her blasters. They eventually switch tactics, Ezra corralling the group into a circle, like some type of Western, and telling them to put their shields up, as he and Sabine face down their attackers. Sabine tries to give Ezra back his lightsaber, but he claims it’s hers now and the Force is his ally anyways, he doesn’t need it. I liked how this backs up a recent trend we’ve seen with lightsabers thanks to the Sequel trilogy, specifically with how Rey becomes the owner to the Skywalker saber, even over Kylo Ren when he tried reaching for it at first, and feels like a double-down on these stories not worrying as much about lightsaber ownership theories or ideas. Also, we get to see Ezra, despite chilling with the Noti, hasn’t been idle, as he begins taking out their attackers left and right with just his hands and the Force itself, later even turning the Night Troopers’ weapons against them and holding his own against Shin and her saber. It’s impressive and makes one wonder if he’ll ever pick up a blade again, or build one, and if so, how much defter he’ll be thanks to all his training in the meantime. Despite their best efforts, Thrawn’s allotted backup arrives and stacks the odds against the pair, Shin feeling victorious and eager to end their lives, to prove her place with her Master.
Before Shin began her assault, Baylan basically says goodbye to her. He imparts one more lesson, about having patience for victory, before he sends her to prove herself against Ezra and Sabine, while he pursues whatever it is he’s pursuing here on Peridea. Before he can keep looking, Ahsoka drops out of the sky, literally, though he’s not terribly disappointed to see her again. The two duel after Ahsoka claims she doesn’t really have the time for it, which he agrees (for good reason), and she seems to hold her own even better this time, but doesn’t mind not defeating him when Huyang breaks up the duel and she’s able to steal his ride, setting off to save Sabine and Ezra. Baylan seems only mildly disappointed in the outcome, looking off into the distance with a growing sense of despair before he steels his resolve and continues again on his journey towards whatever power he seeks is pulling him towards it. There’s plenty of great and also eye-rolling theories out there about who/what it could be, from the Bendu to Maul resurrection 6.0, but it seems the answer might’ve been in front of us this whole time. According to script seen on the walls of Great Mother’s keep our villains have been comfortably chilling in, it’s actually writing seen in the video game Jedi: Fallen Order, and relates to the Zeffo, even mentioning one of their harshest rulers, Kujet. Could he actually not be dead, as the game claimed, and here on Peridea? Some disciple of his work? Or is this just a fun little Easter Egg? The last one I doubt, but hey, I’ve certainly been wrong before. Either way, there’s no way we won’t find out before the credits roll on the Ahsoka season one finale, so the time is nigh for theories to die and truths to collide, while I’m curious what will happen to Baylan no matter what he finds.
Sabine and Ezra, looking down the firing squad of Night Troopers at Shin’s command, find themselves saved briefly by Ahsoka’s arrival. They hold their own against the Night Troopers, who clearly aren’t the same Nightsister magick as Marrok since they don’t puff into creepy clouds of smoke when they die, while Ahsoka battles Shin. Thrawn’s watching this all from afar and decides to call off the team and recall the troops, shocking Morgan Elsbeth, especially since he was so disappointed they didn’t actually kill a Jedi like they claimed. As the troopers flee, Ahsoka offers to help Shin, and while she looks to consider it for a moment, she tears away insteae, though it leaves it open for the turmoil inside about being abandoned putting her on the side of our heroes before this is all said and done. Thrawn decided to withdraw the troops since he sees the bigger picture, always, and accepts the losses because they won, in his estimation, since Ahsoka lost something far more valuable: time, hence why Baylan said what he did to Ahsoka before their duel and why Thrawn was fine with taking their time locating her in the debris field. In that time, Thrawn’s forces nearly completed removing the strange cases/sarcophaguses/whatever they may be, so they’re closer than ever to finally leaving Peridea behind. And it seems like a good tactic when facing Ahsoka, especially once he got Morgan’s report with the Inquisitorious’ files on her, revealing to him (or at least reminding him), her Master was General Anakin Skywalker. The look on his face when he reads this information is priceless, and inspires some great humor if you were on Star Wars Twitter back when Thrawn: Alliances came out, as the young Jedi’s abilities, and later his skills inside the dark suit of armor, give Thrawn cause for concern with confronting Ahsoka directly. I hope the two will have a chance to meet before the season comes to a close, but with Thrawn, you never know what he has up his sleeves and he might be totally planning for that already.
Here are a few other things:
- The case against Rosario Dawson and her family was never truly resolved, as it was only due to the court not rescheduling that the charges were dropped, so this is still an outstanding issue if and when the plaintiff decides to reopen things. This disclaimer will come with every episode reminding readers of this, as it’s the very least we can do for trans fans of the Saga.
- My wife was curious why this badass witches were doing Thrawn’s bidding and, you know, I’m right there with her…is it because he represents the easiest way off planet and away from whatever Baylan’s after? Or did they strike some type of deal? Did he save them from something and they owe him a great debt? Hopefully we’ll learn more about them soon, which means more Claudia Black!
- Huyang got a few good lines again this episode and I hope we’ll have more of him in any show going forward.
- It was Eman’s birthday today, September 27, and what better way to celebrate it then showing off some sick skills as Ezra!
- Marvel is celebrating 10 years of Star Wars Rebels with special covers running from January until April of 2024. You can see all of them by the awesome artist Caspar Wijngaard at the link. WILD to think it’s already been 10 years, especially since we didn’t ever believe the story would leave such an impact all these years later.
- Speaking of 10 years, it’s the Manor’s 10th next year, so yeah, we’re (aka I’m) old!
Ahsoka’s “Part VII: Dreams and Madness” falls short of last episode’s highs, and doesn’t quite feel like we’re an episode away from the end, but it’s a joy to watch Ezra’s return and Thrawn’s shrewdness come into play.
+ Sabine and Ezra together again, fighting and chatting
+ Glimpse of Thrawn’s calculating mind
+ Love the Noti getting involved as well
– Feels like these interactions are missing something
– Hasn’t quite resolved enough to feel like the season should be over
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
AHSOKA REVIEWS
Season One: Part I: Master and Apprentice / Part II: Toil and Trouble | Part III: Time to Fly | Part IV: Fallen Jedi | Part V: Shadow Warrior | Part VI: Far, Far Away