Aeron

We spend entire series watching and waiting for the one episode or moment that just wows us, and it sneaks up behind you without being noticed and suddenly there it is. I was steeling myself for one hell of a deus ex machina, a typical Marvel gotcha, and instead I got to watch Mr. Anderson become Neo. ...and I think it really works and has some amazing potential for the MCU going forward.

The storytelling (the writing, the dialog), the music being creepy and glorious at the same time, this is the finest episode of Loki thus far and it lives up to its namesake by setting a new bar for the genre within Marvel.

It took me a moment to get it, but the reason Sylvie remembered Loki is because she ported out of the control room before the shockwave hit. Watch her panic as the McDonald's branch timeline unraveled in front of her, then suddenly go into cold, in-control mode and just leave it all behind like it was nothing (because now it literally is nothing). I wonder if that exception is going to play into future events, even after Loki "corrects" the way things play out at the TVA.

In the time between episode 7 and episode 8 I learned a few things. I learned that there were only eight episodes, instead of nine. I also learned that this wasn't the end of the story. There's a full-blown movie planned involving Thrawn, and the Ahsoka series might also get a second season. So my mind immediately jumped to "what if Thrawn wins?"

That was the missing piece of the puzzle. How could they possibly wrap everything up in a satisfying way if there's only one episode left? They weren't planning to. They weren't setting everything up for the finale, they were setting everything up for the next part of the larger story.

This would have been a disappointing finale. Instead it was a great cliffhanger (apologies to Ezra).

Absolutely no time was wasted in this episode, but nothing was rushed either. Right down to Lars taking three-second breaths between sentences. Every story beat got to take its time while still going from one, click, to, click, another without a pause or slump anywhere in the episode.

I was so happy to watch Ezra build a new lightsaber. And one that pays homage to his late Master. I was listening to someone theorize that Ezra was secretly possessed by an evil that also wanted to leave the planet, or that his dark side inclinations seen in Rebels would resurface, but no. The blue blade of justice it is. Seeing Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka all lined up with their sabers out felt a bit like a return to form for Star Wars as a franchise. Ahsoka duel-weilding, Sabine switching between saber and blasters, and Ezra assisting with Force pulls and pushes made them an excellent team. I just hope we get to see them fighting together again.

"Jedi. Together. Strong."

Because once they get separated, everything starts to fall apart. Ahsoka was able to beat Morgan through sheer (little f) force of will. By the time Sabine and Ezra take out those... WTF are those things?? The Night Troopers were apparently still alive, until the Nightsisters revived them, but the Deathtroopers were... dead already. After they kill the DoubleDeathTroopers:tm: the only way to follow Thrawn is for them to split up as well. Leaving Sabine and Ahsoka trapped on Peridea, while Ezra returned to the known galaxy for a super brief, bittersweet reunion with Hera and Chopper. Thrawn has returned. I hope Mon Mothma took Hera seriously when she said to prepare for the worst.

The fight with Morgan was excellent. She was genuinely dangerous even before her baptism by dark magic and evil sword (ACTUAL SWORDPLAY IN STAR WARS!!). I REALLY hope Ahsoka keeps that Dathomirian blade to make up for losing one of her beautiful, white lightsabers. Alternatively, the fight with all the Night Troopers, especially after they got reincarnated, was Rebels-style comical. Both very different fights, both very enjoyable. Both emblematic of Star Wars.

I really respect how capable Thrawn is. He was always very smart about things, but this time we actually get to see those smarts pay off. 'The chances of the Jedi stopping us now are almost impossible... we should prepare for a ground assault immediately.' Yep. And you were still a hair away from losing everything despite that preparedness. Good thing Thrawn is so smart, because his troopers are so fucking stupid. Staring at things for several seconds before firing like it's the first time they've ever seen a starship or a Jedi. Okay, maybe that one is actually true. But still! I'm glad Enoch is still around, because I want to see more of him... and I want to see him fight. It should have been Enoch instead those Deathtroopers against Sabine and Ezra. But have the fight end in a stalemate so we could have at least gotten a taste of what's to come.

All in all, this was not the episode I thought it would be and I'm glad it wasn't. Because there is so much more to do with this storyline. We didn't see Baylan or Shin until the very end. Neither of them said a word, but their current positions are very clear. Shin rallied the renegades in the wastelands behind her and her good boy, and Baylan found male statues on the Nightsister planet that point to a beacon on a far-off mountaintop. It's a shame about Ray Stevenson, but I really hope they recast Baylan anyways - the clues surrounding his solo journey suggest a story that Filoni has been building up for decades. I needs it!

Ahsoka brought back the mysticism of Star Wars that the franchise has been sorely missing for some time now. The original hook that drew people to Star Wars in the first place, that made it famous in the first place. The light versus the dark - the importance of the Force (to all beings). And using all the lore that has been built up since then to express it. Here's to much, MUCH more of this kind of storytelling in Star Wars.

May the Force be with you, Ray.

Getting Part Three vibes again. A sense of "That's it?" when the episode closes coupled with the realization that pieces have been moved into position and the plot has been set up for some bigger thing that's about to happen.

I was confused and then delighted by Ezra's whole attitude. He's doing a kind of "Jesus in the wilderness" thing and seems to have a very different connection to the Force than he did when we last saw him. The way he moved when he fought looked like something was moving him. Lightsabers? Ain't nobody got time for that.

As short as this episode was, we got see a lot of different class pair-ups at the end. Baylan vs Ahsoka was power vs power; This time their dual ended in a stalemate. Sabine vs Shin was cunning vs fury; This time Shin didn't underestimate Sabine, but Sabine still held her ground. Ezra vs Shin was wisdom vs fury; The first time Ezra had to fight in a long time, and it showed. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is bruised and spongy." And Ahsoka vs Shin was balance vs fury; The thing that shook Shin the most was that Ahsoka wasn't angry at her. Shin comes from a time after the fall of the Jedi Order and I don't think she's ever had to face someone properly trained in the Jedi arts before.

The time spent with everyone else was pithy and just served to put them in their place for the finale. The scene on Coruscant was almost useless (of course Hera would be excused and protected for abusing her powers as a General), but Filoni does know how to force a grin out of me with a very unexpected C-3PO cameo. Apparently 3PO was having a spinal malfunction that day. I did appreciate the Gideon past-tense name drop which cements exactly when Ahsoka takes place against the third season of The Mandalorian (release order = chronological order).

Again, solid content, but nothing special... not yet at least. There's no question that Filoni is just putting runners on the bases to tee things up for a grand slam (baseball metaphor). It's what he always does. By now, even the lay viewer should understand that. Maybe it won't be exactly what I personally dream it could be, but good money says it'll be worthwhile. If you're still not sold on this series, or harboring discontent just because Disney's name is attached to Star Wars now, take advice from the wise, old star whales and fuck off to somewhere else.

It would be foolish to think that this episode would even begin to compete with the theatrical experience of last week's. Thankfully this is still a solid and meaningful episode that keeps a good pace.

Hilariously, after finally focusing on Ahsoka, she introduces the episode and then bows out for another chapter of Star Wars: Sabine Wren. Truthfully, it means so much more for a member of Phoenix Squadron to be there when Thrawn is introduced instead of Ahsoka. Sabine has a much stronger connection to him because of their history from Rebels. Infinitely more so for Ezra Bridger. And live-action Sabine is growing on me. I wonder how much of it is because of the hair.

I expected Thrawn, I did not expect Ezra. Getting both introduced in the same episode, the first act of the second half of this potentially-limited series, signals the speed at which the plot is going to move from now on. Ezra's introduction was quiet and emotional. Thrawn's introduction was Star Wars: Fury Road. Lars' scene chewing coupled with Thrawn's "haunted organ" theme song from Rebels is just... perfect. After this episode, every doubt I had about Thrawn have vanished.

Both live-action actors were the voices of the animated character in Star Wars: Rebels. Both fell right back into their respective roles with ease. Live-action Ezra (Eman Esfandi) It is not the same person as the voice of Ezra from Rebels (Taylor Gray). Completely fooled me by how perfectly Esfandi captured Ezra's inflections and cadence when talking.

The reunions were the focus of the episode, but there was a lot of nice details scattered throughout. There was so much more information about Baylan and Shin than I expected. And it felt like Shin was starting to experience disillusion with her Master's wisdom. She's becoming uneasy by everything that's happening and seems to be really bothered by the idea of witches. The purrgil only travel to Dathomir to die - the ring around the planet is a giant boneyard - so how would a purrgil take anyone back? And most importantly, there are good dogs in every galaxy.

Fun fact: Enoch, the Captain of the Guard, is Amos from The Expanse. I don't think it's stunt-casting, we're gonna see him do something interesting before this is over. Also, one of the Nightsisters is Claudia Black. Counting Dawson and Tennent, this episode has an oddly-large amount of established star power.

It feels like episodes 6 & 7 are the build up for the finale of episodes 8 & 9. Best to just be like Ahsoka during this whole episode and sit back and enjoy the ride there. Filoni is not the kind of person to let the mid-season overshadow the finale... it's potentinally going to be batshit crazy.

"I'm teaching you how to lead, how to survive. And to do that, you're going to have to fight." - Anakin Skywalker

And I was seriously thinking that episode 4 would likely be best episode of the series, save (maybe) for the finale. Now I just don't know what to think. If this is what we get mid-season...

Not only is this episode the aftermath of the very satisfying events from last week, but it sets up what is going to come next, the whole second act of the series.

We are missing Morgan, Baylan, Shin, Sabine, still haven't seen hide nor hair of Ezra or Thrawn, AND just about everyone else is effectively sidelined on a manhunt so we could follow Ahsoka, just Ahsoka, and get the reunion of a lifetime.

The visuals, the dialog, the music, the staging, everything is all so finely-honed and balanced into an episode that is Ahsoka's final lesson from her former Master, Anakin Skywalker.

The Lesson:
"Live, or die."

Ahsoka doesn't even understand why Anakin is saying that to her, or why she has to fight him now. She just keeps defending herself, lamenting the loss she had to endure, the weight of the shame and guilt of feeling responsible for that loss, regretting the path her life took (away from Anakin) and resenting him for turning into a hate-fueled monster. Even though she knows he turned back to the Light in the end, she probably never completely believed or understood it until "Sky Guy" was standing right in front of her again.

She eventually lands hits on her old Master and thinks that he has nothing to teach her. In response, Anakin upheaves the entire World Between Worlds and she falls into the smoke, back in time to the beginning of the Clone Wars, back in time to when she was just a little girl. And her new training begins at the very beginning.

Now Ahsoka is afraid. She reverts to the inexperienced Padawan she was way back then. She doesn't want to follow Anakin towards explosions and battle droids. She doesn't want to watch all those young Clone Troopers die all over again. She doesn't want to be taught on a battlefield. She doesn't want to be a soldier.

"What if I want to stop fighting?" - Ahsoka

"Then you'll die." - Anakin, who Ahsoka watches briefly turn into Darth Vader as he marches into the smoke with the rest of the 501st Battalion.

Now Ahsoka is angry. Angry because of all the loss of life and destruction, and angry because she gave in and became party to it. While she is leading the 332nd Company on Mandalore and killing Death Watch soldiers with ease at the tail end of the Clone War, Anakin seems bemused and slightly impressed, this is his first time witnessing these events. But because she regrets everything that happened, and resents following in Anakin's footsteps as his path grew darker and darker, he scoffs and says she learned nothing.

"Back to the beginning...Live, or die." - Anakin, as he ignites a red lightsaber.

Now Ahsoka is filled with hatred. The saber strikes become more fierce and unrefined. Anakin is now no longer her beloved Master of the Force. Now, he is Darth Vader before the transformation. His eyes are yellow and his face is gaunt. Ahsoka is no longer a match for his raw power and anger and she is thrown back to the present in the World Between Worlds - back to her present self. As Vader approaches, she hears and sees flashes of the monster he would become. Now she is fighting for her life. Even though he is more powerful, she feints and disarms Vader - holding his own lightsaber against his neck. For a split second, Ahsoka's eyes seem yellow from the glow of the blade. Then she steps back, switches the blade off, and tosses the hilt into the abyss.

"I choose to live." - Ahsoka

Darth Vader concedes defeat, backs away, and becomes Anakin Skywalker again.

"There's hope for you yet." - Anakin, with a wry smile.

And with that, Anakin Skywalker disappears and the World Between Worlds melts into water. Ahsoka holds her breath as the water rises over her head and she finds herself floating in the sea below the henge where she is rescued by Carson's pilots and brought aboard the Ghost.

The Visuals:
Everything is so visually perfect and meaningful in this episode. Especially the time jumps. I noticed little things like The Ghost's ramp being uneven with the ground at the henge, Jacen's mock rank insignia along with his father's shoulderpad, how beautiful the lighting is inside Ahsoka's ship when they're in the atmosphere of a planet (and how real the whole ship feels when it's brightly-lit like that), the Purrgil having plates instead of teeth like humpbacked whales. A lot of the detail and finish to this episode are not needed but they are there anyways.

Most of all, the accuracy of everything during the time skips. Especially the costuming for each given time period. It filled me with joy to see Clone Wars-era Anakin in live action. ...With the glaring exception of Padawan Ahsoka deliberately wearing something more modest than she had in the Clone Wars cartoon. But that's an understandable change that can be forgiven. Ariana Greenblatt is 15 years old.

The time skips themselves were portrayed so otherworldly and disconcerting. Almost everything in the foreground was practical (not the TRON walkways, I wish), unlike the cartoon. But at the same time it was all... off, like a bad dream. The fog made it feel like the moment something or someone disappeared from view, that's where the whole universe ended and there's nothing but nothingness beyond it. A rare moment where the faux reality of The Volume turned into a storytelling strength.

Lastly, Ahsoka's outfit at the end of the episode made me chuckle knowingly. Up until now, many have been saying that the reason that one scene with Ahsoka and Sabine at the end of Rebels and the beginning of Ahsoka look different is because time changed the details of the scene and Filoni had to slightly retcon it. Now it seems like the show is actually building to that exact moment just as it was depicted all those years ago. And if it really is... Rebels might actually have already spoiled the end of Ahsoka (season 1)! If you know, you know. Not going to put it past Filoni to carefully massage the plot details to make it happen.

Ahsoka the White has come to us at the turn of the tide.

The Music:
Everything from the Williams cues as Jacen reaches out into the Force to the cyberpunkish percussion swells during the Siege of Mandalore that were heard just moments before the fall of the Galactic Republic is just beautiful and emotionally-charged.

Having Kevin and Deana Kiner do the music for this series has really set a new high bar for live-action Star Wars music. For me, it's even more effective than Ludwig Göransson's work on The Mandalorian.

Music effects what you watch far more than most people realize. While the music for previous live-action Star Wars shows has been good for me all across the board, and while nothing will ever compare to the godlike work of John Williams for the principle films, the Kiners have been doing nothing but minting gold this entire series so far. Far better than what was to be expected for this one series. I really hope Lucasfilm gives them many more projects in the future.

The Rest:
- One of the two X-Wing pilots, besides Carson, that survived the Eye of Scion's jump to hyperspace (the man who had no dialog in the previous episode and the woman) is named Lander.
- Apparently "take evasive action" means "plow straight through them" in the Star Wars galaxy.
- Also apparently "the fleet" means "three ships", none of which were Home One.
- Anakin & Ahsoka saying "What would you prefer?" "I don't know" then immediately saying "Do you want me to be more serious?" "I'd prefer it." really sounded weird. If there was anything wrong about this episode it was clumsy and inaccurate dialog here and there.
- Ahsoka really likes walking on the outside of her ship. I'm pretty sure she'll do it again.
- I know the Purrgil are benevolent and majestic creatures, but seeing all of them in the sky just made me think of the Battle for Zion in The Matrix Revolutions. Hard not to feel a little uneasy at the sight of it all.
- "Jacen's too young to travel between galaxies." - For a brief moment I thought the big Purrgil was going to accidentally drag the Ghost along with it.
- "May the Force be with you." - It's such a simple line, but it doesn't get said enough. And it's way better than saying "Godspeed."
- Another seemingly small gesture that means a lot is spinning the starfield after a jump to hyperspace. One thing David Filoni gets that almost no one else producing Star Wars gets is how to respect the source material. Just like respecting the need for animatronics over CG aliens, it all matters and it all adds up.

This is the second time Filoni has made me sit down and rewatch the same episode of something on the same day because I could not completely process it the first time around. He does not have to try this hard, but he does because he cares about these stories and loves these characters that much. This isn't Star Trek, there doesn't have to be a deep message and a lesson attached to every episode to make it worth watching. It just has to be fun. It just has to be Star Wars. I'm extremely happy (and a little sad) that I live in a time where currently-airing Star Wars is more Trek-like than currently-airing Star Trek. No, I'm grateful - As a fan of Science Fiction who simply wants to be entertained and as someone who was spoiled by an era where Science Fiction was coupled with masterful lessons in the Humanities by a visionary who would have been so disappointed by where the world stands today if he were still alive. Those lessons helped shape me into a much better version of myself as I grew into an adult. I'm grateful I can still get that entertainment and that wisdom combined together from somewhere, and I sincerely hope that the Filoni Era of Star Wars just keeps going for as long as it possibly can.