2x02 Relics of the Old Republic

9.3/10. As good as the last episode was, this one was even better. Again, like the first half of this two-parter, it leaned into the emotional stakes of Kanan's relationship with the clones. I really like his arc here, because it works as a metaphor for a lot of things -- bigotry, prejudice, inability to let go of past wrongs -- but also works at a pure story level. Kanan's journey from disdaining the existence of the clones to being willing to help save them is uplifting because of the emotional throughline in all of this (especially for Clone Wars fans who are invested in Captain Rex), but it's also steeped in the coolness of the individual story. Seeing the old guard and the new guard team up to fight The Empire has the neat-factor, regardless of the larger themes floating around.

I have to admit, I fistpumped a little when Ezra, Kanan, and Zeb leaped from The Phantom, lightsabers abalzin', to take out that imperial walker, save the day, and be the Big Damn Heroes. (I just can't avoid making Firefly references with this show, huh?) Despite hints here and there, this is one of the first times we've seen the Prequel era clash with the Original Trilogy era, and little details like the old Clone Troopers insulting Storm Troopers or laughing at the design of the walkers relative to the old Republic tanks helped to make the intergenerational-nature of the fight click. Seeing Rex and his crew, blood pumping once more to be in the fight, finding novel, arguably reckless ways to combat the walkers was an absolute thrill, and it made the moment when Rex closes his eyes and prepares for death, only to be saved by the Jedi who barely trusts him, all the more meaningful. (And Kevin Kiner's superb score once again heightened all these big moments.)

Again, those are the emotional stakes of the episode. It's a great way to dramatize the thawing relationship between Kanan and the clones by having Rex put his unmitigated trust in Kanan and Ezra to be able to use the force to help them fight the Empire in the dust storm. (It also gives Ezra a chance to replicate Luke's blind-force shot in A New Hope.) In a quiet moment, Kanan sees how encouraging and fatherly Rex is to Ezra and how warmly and admiringly he speaks of fighting under a Jedi, and Kanan slowly begins to understand that the clones, at least some of them, weren't cold-blooded killers, but good and honorable soldiers who were betrayed as much as anyone. That culminates in the dust storm battle, with the clones clearly overjoyed to be "serving" under a Jedi again, and the final fight, where Kanan overcomes his concerns enough to rescue the old team and save the day.

Then there's the tag at the end. Seeing Rex and Ahsoka reunited is a joy to any Clone Wars fan, but it's another reminder, the last one the episode provides, of how close the relationship between the Clones and the Jedis was during The Clone Wars. These were brothers (and sister) in arms, bonded by their shared struggles and shared trust, a word this mini-arc keeps coming back to. The hug between those two soldiers of the same was is endearing and full of feeling, a sign that however these two groups have been wronged, and forced to wrong each other, in the past, they're on the same side.