[7.1/10] So here’s the problem -- I don’t really care about Pabu. That's not necessarily The Bad Batch’s fault. I think the show has dutifully established what this town means to Omega, Hunter, and Wrecker, and what it represents for them as a safe haven. But the other side of the coin is that, given the passage of time between seasons, I’m not sure I could name a single one of the characters who resides there, or recall what exactly their significance is to our heroes. (I vaguely remember Omega being friends with Lyana and Wrecker having a moment of camaraderie with Mayor Shep, but that's about it.) That means it’s more of a generic setting than an important place to me as a viewer. So for me at least, the idea of “Pabu is home” works in theory, but not really in practice, lacking the impact that, say, watching the Empire destroy the Marauder has.
Which is all to say that I get what The Bad Batch is going for here. The Shadow Agent has arrived! He’s brought Stormtroopers to their safe and sacred place! They’re hurting innocent people! Omega has no choice but to go with them to stop the suffering!
But it doesn’t really land for me emotionally. Some of it’s just that the pacing of this one is all over the place There’s a long slow build, and even once the Empire arrives, it’s a bunch of muddy and indifferent action, without much to latch onto as a viewer. I can, in principle, appreciate Wrecker getting incapacitated in the explosion, Hunter getting sidelined trying to grab a transport, and the locals seeing their livelihood destroyed. But without a more personal connection, much of this feels like standard piece-moving and table-setting for the final stretch of the series. I understand why the show needs to do these things, and the violation it’s supposed to feel like, but the stakes don’t really land and neither do the emotions.
There’s a few points worth noting. For one, the fact that the Shadow Agent is able to snipe a stormtrooper from seemingly miles way strongly suggests he’s a clone of Crosshair, which portends interesting things. While I can see the seams a little too plainly, the best thing this episode does to establish Pabu as important is making it the home for Tech’s glasses and Omega/Wrecker’s plush, sacred objects in The Bad Batch’s corner of the universe.
Most of all, I appreciate that on Omega’s journey to maturity, she is now willing to give herself up, put herself in harm’s way, both to save the villagers of Pabu, but also in a bid to rescue the clones who are still trapped on Tantiss. There is a selflessness, a courage, a righteousness to Omega that bears out. The interplay between ehr perspective and Crosshair’s this season ahs been a particular highlight. The way he tells her this isn’t a viable plan, and she responds “It’s all we have” shows not only how Omega’s grown, not only the bravery she displays on a daily basis, but the sense of self-sacrifice she’s picked up from Tech.
The most tension “The Point of No Return” can offer comes in the plan to track Omega’s jaunt to Tantiss. Her giving up her comms to the Shadow Agent as a feint, only for Crosshair’s secondary tracker to miss comes freighted with expectation and disappointment. And Omega’s sigh when she’s on the Shadow Agent’s transport, suggests there’s another layer to the plan, but also perhaps just a sense of exhaustion, of resolve, of that franchise trademark hope within the young clone heading back to the site of her captivity.
I can't say I loved this one. It strikes me as a more functional episode than a purely riveting one. But it does leave me impressed with the show’s main character, and excited to see what happens next, so it must be doing something right.
[7.9/10] A funny thing happens as you get older. Children stop being peers. They stop being those bratty things you have to put up with as a teenager. They’re no longer the little ones you see, but aren’t really responsible for as a young adult.
And somewhere along the line, they start becoming these small people that you need to protect, to look out for, to support, to nurture. You recognize, in a way that's hard when you’re younger, how vulnerable they are, how much they depend on the folks who’ve been through the wringer and know the perils of the world to make sure they’re okay.
Kids are not naive innocents. They have the same vibrance and diversity of thought and feeling and attitude their grown-up counterparts do. But they need help, your help, and that realization is humbling and more than a little scary.
Which is all to say that “Identity Crisis” hits harder when you realize you’re no longer a ten-year-old imagining what it’d be like to be Luke Skywalker hacking and slashing through stormtroopers, and instead, you’re a crusty old grown-up struck by what it’d be like to be the Luke Skywalker who’s been entrusted to look after his nephew and see that he goes down the right path.
I assumed that what lie behind the trooper-protected doors of “The Vault” was something expected: a bunch of jars of pickled Snokes, a few budding attempts at cloning Palpatine, maybe a few more deformed Clone Troopers or something. The last thing I expected was a small collection of imprisoned children, and it draws out the evil of the Empire in a way that few things could.
This is one of the more harrowing episodes of The Bad Batch. I can easily stand blaster fire and dogfights among commandos. I can readily handle life-or-death fights between good guys and bad guys, even if feisty Omega is in the fray. What’s harder to withstand is a toddler, who weeps without his plushy, being torn from his mother. What’s more difficult to stomach is seeing young force-sensitives imprisoned, who only want to return home, and are treated like indifferent property rather than people.
It’s devastating to watch, and The Bad Batch is counting on that. This is (I think?) the first episode of the show that doesn’t feature a single moment of Omega or Clone Force 99. This is all about Emerie Karr stepping into a bigger role and realizing the horrors it would require of her. It is seeing the depths of what she’s participating in, trying to suck it up and do her job, only for her to be moved by the plight of the young souls she’s supposed to treat like chattel.
There is great power in that. “Identity Crisis” has some cool moments for longtime fans. Tarkin’s appearances are always a pip. The back channel negotiations and rivalries of Imperial politics always intrigues. We learn that Omega isn’t necessarily a force-sensitive herself, but rather her genetic material can act as a “binder” for DNA from other force-sensitives, which is a welcome swerve. And The return of Cad Bane and Todo is always a plus. (I should have known Bane was in the offing once I heard Seth Green voice one of the random villagers.)
But for the most part, this is a more stark story, about someone recognizing the abject cruelty they’re a part of, and not being able to turn their heart away from it once they do. The callousness with which Dr. Hemlock encourages Dr. Karr not to become attached to tiny people asking for help and solace, the casual dispassion with how Cad Bane kidnaps a child and practically taunts Emerie for asking too many questions, all reveal a rot in the soul that must have taken hold for someone to be so unconcerned with the welfare of blameless children caught up in the machinery of the Empire.
Not for nothing, there’s a political charge to this story. It is hard to see children ripped from their parents, families ratted out by opportunistic neighbors, and most pointedly, kids in cages, without thinking about the current moment. The Bad Batch is not the first show to suggest a regime is evil by treating young ones this way, but it comes with extra bite in the wake of American policies that are not so different.
The message here is affecting -- that it’s hard for anyone with a heart not to be moved by such terrible things being visited upon little people who don’t deserve it. Dr. Karr wanting to step up, to replace Nala Se, only to see what the Kaminoan saw and realize why she did what she did, makes her change of heart palpable and meaningful.
Because she sees little Jax try desperately to escape and be harshly stopped and punished; she sees little Eva ask plaintively when she gets to go home; she sees a small infant torn from its mother whose tender age is treated like a boon to compliance, not a crime against an innocent, and cannot help but care.
I still love the stories of heroes choosing good with lightsabers and magic powers. I still love badasses leaping through the galaxy and fighting for the good. But the more real acts of evil, and more mundane acts of kindness move me more these days. And all the more, I understand how what could turn your heart, are these tiny beings who need your help, and witnessing an institution that would ignore their suffering, or worse yet, make it the point.
[7.6/10] I appreciate that this one focused both on Crosshair’s recovery from his trauma, particularly when returning to the place where his heart fully moved, and on his tense reconnection with Hunter. Neither is easy.
For the latter, the show does some of its best work. There’s something very understated about Crosshair’s pain at returning to the location where he realized the Empire saw clones as disposable property. The way he’s tense even stepping onto the site comes through clearly to the audience. The way he looks around, the sense memory flooding back, is palpable. And my favorite moment in the episode is where he stacks the stormtrooper helmets on the storage container, a quiet tribute to his fallen comrades for no one but himself. Crosshair is taciturn, unemotional, but you can tell this place had an effect on him, one that he’s still reckoning with, and the show doesn’t flinch from that.
“The Return” doesn’t shy away from the lingering friction between him and Hunter either. In some places, the episode lays it on a bit thick, but there’s a core of truth that bears out. Hunter’s right in his reluctance to trust Crosshair after the way he turned on them and even helped hunt them down. And given that Crosshair went to work for the Empire, it’s not crazy for Hunter to wonder why Crosshair’s not telling them the whole story and harbor his suspicions.
Crosshair is equally justified in feeling like his onetime brother is giving him an unnecessarily hard time. He rightfully points out that, whatever the rest of the Bad Batch may think of him, Crosshair sent them the message about Omega. You can tell both that whatever his protestations, Crosshair still harbors plenty of affection for the young girl (who amusingly points out that she’s technically older than Crosshair), and that he blames his brothers for not acting to save her before she was captured.
Most importantly though, having seen Crosshair;s journey, we know that he’s not keeping details close to the vest because he’s trying to deceive his comrades. He’s holding things back because they hurt to talk about, because he’s as bred soldier who’s not equipped to express basic emotions, let alone complex ones like, “I thought I was being a good soldier, but I committed acts of evil and realized I was being used as a weapon to be used up and then discarded.” Both he and Hunter are sympathetic here in why they’re not on the same page.
Of course, what gets them on the same page is fighting a giant ice worm.
The defense and attack of the Dune-esque oversized wiggler is creditably done. The script sets up the threat subtly, lets it escalate, and gives our heroes goals both immediate and longer term that drive the action. The fights are generally well staged, with the worm looming over our heroes and causing a ruckus even when he’s not in frame. And Crosshair and HUnter having to work together, rebuilding their trust in the process, gives the action a point.
I’ll admit, after decades of watching Star Wars, and years of watching the animated series, I’m just inured to most of the action now unless it’s especially well done. The worm fight is the kind of interstitial battle where you know everyone’s going to make it out unscathed, and it’s just something action-packed to drive Hunter and Crosshair closer. So while I can appreciate the work, it’s easier for me to zone out during these moments.
Still, I like that through the work the pair come to trust each other a little more, and Omega, who’s still learning and growing, recognizes that it’ll take time, but that two people she loves are starting the rocky path to loving one another as brothers again. I’m more in it for the deep psychological examination of trauma and rebuilding of shattered relationships than I am fighting gigantic bugs at this point, but thankfully The Bad Batch has both.
(As an aside, I’d assumed that Crosshair’s shaky hand was a physical ailment or clone degradation he wasn’t allowing himself to treat out of some kind of penance. But now I’m beginning to suspect it’s psychosomatic, and a reflection of his internalized guilt over his past actions. I’m interested to find out!)
To me this was a well done debut. It actually felt like a movie in a lot of places. Especially because of production value.
For the most part Filoni managed to adapt Rebels to life action astoundingly well. I like Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka - even though her take on Ahsoka's snippyness is somehow limited to a constant smirk which kind of makes her seem as though she doesn't take anything seriously. I love seeing Clancy Brown reprising his role, I love Huyang's adaption in terms of a more realistic design and demeanour. (So much better that he is not bent over like an old man!) And I am absolutely surprised how well Bordizzo as Sabine Wren works for me. I am completely sold on her so far.
speaking of the cast Stevenson does an excellent job. He is simultaneously menacing, calm and somehow even amicable. The only person that does not work for me at all is Hera. Which is probably even more due to horrible make-up artistry than bad acting. She looks so fake, not like any of the Twilek so far and her contact lenses are so noticeable, seeing her takes me completely out of it.
There were a few issues in terms of content like the unreasonably huge explosion from those droids or another definitely non-fatal lightsaber stab or even the reason for a map that is much older than Ezra's jump but I can overlook them so far.
I think the episode manages to find a nice balance between serving cartoon veterans and including people who have not watched any Clone Wars or Rebels. In fact I think it must be much more intriguing to not know all the background. In my opinion the episode still gives you enough information to follow and to want to know more.
I know it was to be expected for a show about a former Padawan but I could have done with a less lightsaber- and force centred show. I really really hope that Sabine being Ahsokas apprentice is supposed to be limited to lightsaber training and they will not retcon her to be force sensisitve. I could even go with some light idea of the force but please do not make Sabine force push/pull things and jump like a Jedi.
what strikes me about Band of Brothers is that when I first watched it... I really struggled to know who was who, at least beyond Lewis (Winters), Schwimmer (Sobel) and Livingston (Nix). Took me maybe 2 or 3 (or 5) rewatches before I knew Guarnere, Bull, Liebgott etc etc from the get-go. And isn't that the point? Like, there's a heavy subtext here; it's hard to really have any individuality in a military context, and what better way to communicate that than by inundating the viewer with so many nameless faces, faceless names and random conversations being thrown around the mess hall, the barracks, and the hammocks.
There's more here in the pilot too, it's not just leaders who matter, but it's who you're going to be in a hole with. The focus is on how everyone relates to each other, and Spielberg makes a point not to shy away from American anti-semitism. In short, putting the viewer's attention squarely upon the interpersonal movement of Easy Company so early creates a solid foundation for episodes to come. You don't know for sure who is buddy-buddy with who, but there's a sense of camaraderie that pervades everything despite Sobel. It draws you in, and makes for great television.
Wow, what a deep emotional rollercoaster this episode was! From the outset, it tackled the conflicting perspectives of survivors of the Kaylon War in a truly powerful and amazing way. The smattering of action/showcase scenes - the opening battle scene, the refitted Orville, the Pterodon and the close-up scenes of Malloy in the cockpit which put me in mind of Star Wars pilots in their X-Wings, the surprise Kaylon attack later in the episode - helped to ease the weight of the psychological elements. That last one (the Kaylon attack) was fab for demonstrating just what a strong, top-calibre captain Mercer can be, when he isn't being an obnoxious creep about the whole Kelly love quagmire. It was a clever solution to a situation that would otherwise have been a bit of a Kobayashi Maru moment. Ultimately though, in the context of this episode, all of that was was a sideshow because the psychological aftermath of the war was the real focus. I actually got teary over a few scenes, particularly Claire telling Ty not to use the holodeck (oops, "simulator") to recreate dead people because it hinders the grieving process, but then using it herself to recreate her "happy place" that she shared with Isaac - which was a brilliantly-directed and acted scene. I even almost welled up for Isaac (for the first time ever) when he was clearly gut-punched by the level of hatred and loathing from the rest of the crew, especially Marcus, with whom he was very close. I thought they may do a tearful "I'm so sorry" thing between Marcus and Isaac (obviously no tears from Isaac) at the end, but I'm relieved that they didn't, as it would have been incongruent with Marcus' behaviour. What they did do allowed Marcus to maintain his cool-boy image whilst also visually conveying everything necessary. Perhaps he will apologise directly to Isaac off-screen, perhaps he won't; it matters not for now. A truly awesome start to season 3 in every way, with absolutely no bad jokes/acting from anyone.
For a season with so little episodes this truly is empty and lackluster and it's so overly zoomed in on something so tiny compared to all that preluded this show. It feels just like fanservice; and yes I seen all that came before and it's nice to get all the throwbacks that came with these characters, but this is such a waste of live-action resources. This feels less of substance than one of the boring episodes from the animated series.
With only 8 episodes and then the previous two episodes also already being quite boring, this shouldn't be the new trend. It's like it's on purpose that many shows (also outside Star Wars) are just giving us the slow-treatment every time. Just give us 8 episodes of jam-packaged fast-moving content. We're not stupid. It's like this has been systematically done on purpose to instil some sense of significance in certain characters and moments, but the definition of that is just "boring". Some short moments of displaying lightsabers and some space-pew-pew won't cut it (accidental pun intended?). I'll be fair with a 6, but it would probably be a 5, without my bias and hope for betterment.
The acting is ok, but also not even that great. It's very nonchalant and not enough to justify the character's traditional tranquility. I hope they improve, because this is really not that good. We are already comfortable with higher standards in special effects and visuals in many modern series and movies. You can't sell it with only just that anymore.
7.6/10. Another episode that reminds me of Firefly with the good guys trying to cause a ruckus on the anniversary of the bad guys' big victory. But this episode is mostly focused on giving us a little of Ezra's backstory and a little more insight into his particular damage and abandonment issues with his parents. We learn that his mom and dad ran a pirate radio station, with intimations that it was their tweaking of the Empire that practically made Ezra and orphan since he was seven years old. It's not especially subtle, but having him go back to his childhood home, and look around with both wistfulness and anger (and chekov's holodisk) is a nice way to let the audience know a little more about what his life was like before he started traveling on The Ghost.
It's also a chance for the show to assemble essentially every bad guy it's ever had, from The Inquisitor and Agent Kallus, to the local Minister, Commandante, and his lieutenant, all there to celebrate Empire Day. The walking-talking mcguffin is Cebo, a Rhodian who knew Ezra's parents and whose brains have been scrambled to where he's not quite all there, but has important Imperial plans stored in his mechanically-augmented brain somewhere. The discovery and chase involving him, with our Rebels trying to find and rescue him, and the Empire trying to take him out, leads to a pretty cool car chase action scene, in addition to the Empire Day operation (terrorist attack) that our heroes pull off to disrupt the parade. It all leads to a dramatic cliffhanger, where the good guys are still on the run, but Cebo says he knows what happened to Ezra's parents. Dun dun duuuuuuun!
Overall, it's tough to judge this one as a standalone episode, because it's so clearly setting up the conflict for the second half of the story, but it puts the pieces in place to create intrigue about what happens next, and includes some exciting set pieces and backstory in the interim, so thus far, I'm on board!
8.9/10. I really enjoyed the mini-Ender's Game -esque premise of this one. Having Ezra infiltrate an Empire Cadet Academy, and meet other kids with their own motivations and personalities helped to flesh out the world and add stakes to the individual events of the episode. I particularly liked Leonis, who's doing basically the same thing as Ezra, but for different reasons, specifically to find out what happened to his sister, and the hint that the Inquisitor is using this academy as a way to identify and possibly root out those with force potential is an interesting idea floating in the background.
There were also a lot of nice touches in the third act. Again, I liked Leonis and Ezra working together to both save the third cadet and get the decoder so that Kanan and Hera could take out the kyber crystal (hooray call back to the Clone Wars story reels!). The climax of the episode, where you have Ezra and Leonis trying to spring the other good cadet on the one hand, while Hera and Kanan (whose fatherly/big brotherly concern for leaving Ezra alone on this mission is very sweet) are immersed in a dogfight, worked very well to keep the episode's energy up and included some nice kinetic cinematography and design.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, as it had a nice mix of emotional stakes with the new cadets, intrigue and world-building with the introduction of the cadet academy and its purposes, and very well done action with clear stakes for both Ezra breaking his chums out of the facility and The Ghost fighting Empire forces in space.
(As an aside, the floating platform games the cadets played reminded me of the danger room scenarios a disguised Obi Wan Kenobi made it through with a cadre of bounty hunters back in Clone Wars.)
7.1/10. Another good-not-great one. Zeb as Ezra's surrogate big brother works as a framework for the episode, and while it's a little hoary, the pair's misadventures through trying to get a meiloorun fruit and ending up hijacking a tie-fighter in the process is enjoyable enough. There's some fun set pieces (the original escape in the tie fighter and the villager rescue), and it succeeds as an immediate resolution to Ezra saving Zeb's life and being kind of a butt about it afterwards, albeit a little too tidily. Everything is set up well enough, from their initial bristling at one another to the local villagers to Ezra struggling to use his force-lifting powers. It just feels like a startlingly standard story with a pretty generic arc for the two characters. I enjoyed side bits like Kanan and Hera playing surrogate mom and dad or Sabine having an art moment well enough too, but it just seems kind of insubstantial.
It's obviously too early to make any big judgments, but it's hard not to compare this show to The Clone Wars since I just finished its predecessor series. It's funny, in many ways, Rebels is much better out of the gate that The Clone Wars was. While some of the designs are funky here or there, the animation is crisp and fluid and there's a lot of visual flair thus far. On top of that, the show seems to have preemptively adopted the J.J. Abrams "Is this delightful?" approach to Star Wars. And there's a Whedon-esque vibe to the crew of The Ghost, with playful quippiness and found families intersection with world-ranging threats. But somehow, Rebels just feels less substantial so far. It's charming in its way, and it hits the right beats, but there was a gravity to the events of The Clone Wars that just hasn't reached Rebels yet. I suppose it deserves a lot more time to get there, given how rocky The Clone Wars' could be as a series, especially in its early going.
7.2/10. A solid debut for the first regular episode of the show. I'm always a sucker for a good heist episode, and it only contributes to my Firefly flashbacks with this show to watch the crew of the Ghost pull off boosting a set of imperial weapons under the nose of a traveling attache. Throwing R2-D2 and C-3PO into the mix felt a little pandering, but I understand having to hook casual first time watchers with some familiar faces (though their designs looked a little off to me - probably just fitting them in with the art style of the show.)
I really liked the idea of Zeb's discomfort with the crew of the Ghost selling blasters that had been banned because they were used to wipe out his people. It added some real stakes and character to distinguish this heist from any other "sell weapons to make money" bit the show might do again. But I liked it a lot better when it was stray lines of dialogue that told as much of the story as we needed rather than Hera giving Ezra an exposition dump about the assaults. Similarly, I liked that they were trying to give Zeb an "anger before reason" rationale to dive into the fray to fight Callis, but having Callis use a Lasat weapon and declare that he gave the order to wipe them out was a little too simplistic and mustache-twirlingly evil for my tastes.
There's other interesting bits here or there. Ezra having a Potter-esque "emotion = magic powers" moment is kind of cheesy, but worked well enough. And seeing Bail Organa was a treat. Overall, it's a solid, if somewhat unambitious start to the season in earnest.
[7.5/10] Ahsoka feels right. The vistas of Lothal feel of a piece with their animated rendition. The characters seem like themselves despite shifts in the performer and the medium. Their relationships feel genuine even though much has changed in the five years since we’ve seen them together.
Maybe that shouldn’t be a big surprise with Dave Filoni, impresario of the animated corner of Star Wars, both writing and directing “Master and Apprentice”, the series premiere. He is the title character’s co-creator and caretaker. He is the creator of Star Wars: Rebels, the show that Ahsoka is most clearly indebted to. And he is, for many, the keeper of the flame when it comes to the Galaxy Far Far Away.
But it was my biggest fear for this show. More than the plot, more than the lore, more than the latest chapter in the life of my favorite character in all of Star Wars, my concern was that translating all these characters, and their little corner of the universe, to live action and a different cast and a different era of the franchise would make everything feel wrong. Instead, we’re right at home. The rest is gravy.
And the gravy is good. Because these are not the colorful, if intense, adventures of the Ghost crew fans saw before. This is, or should be, a period of triumph for the onetime Rebels. They won! The Empire is torn asunder! Lothal is led with grace and a touch of wry sarcasm by Governor Azadi, with none other than Clancy Brown reprising the role! Huyang the lightsaber-crafting droid is still around and has most of his original parts!
Nonetheless, our heroes are hung up on old battles and older wounds. Ahsoka Tano is on a quest to track down Grand Admiral Thrawn, who hunted the Spectres in Rebels. Sabine Wren can’t bask in the afterglow of victory as a hero when she’s still mourning Ezra Bridger. And the two warriors have some lingering bad blood with one another after an attempt to become master and apprentice, true to the title, went wrong somewhere along the way.
With that, the first installment of Ahsoka is a surprisingly moody and meditative affair, one that works well for Star Wars. Sure, there's still a couple of crackerjack lightsaber fights to keep the casual fans engaged. But much of this one is focused on familiar characters reflecting on what’s been lost, what’s been broken, and what’s hard to fix. The end of Rebels was triumphant, but came with costs. To linger on those costs, and the new damage that's accumulated in their wake, is a bold choice from Filoni and company.
So is the decision to focus on Sabine here. Don’t get me wrong, Ahsoka has the chance to shine in the first installment of the show that bears her name. Her steady reclamation of a map to Thrawn, badass hack-and-slash on some interfering bounty droids, and freighted reunions with Hera and her former protege all vindicate why fans have latched onto the character. For her part, Rosario Dawson has settled into the role, bringing a certain solemnity that befits a more wizened and confident master, but also that subtle twinkle that Ashley Eckstei brings to the role.
And yet, the first outing for Ahsoka spends more time with Sabine’s perspective. It establishes her as a badass who’d rather rock her speeder with anti-authoritarian style than be honored for her heroics. It shows her grieving a lost comrade whose sacrifice still haunts her. It teases out an emotional distance and rebelliousness between her and her former mentor. And it closes with her using her artist’s eye to solve the puzzle du jour, and defend herself against a fearsome new enemy.
This is her hour, and while Sabine is older, more introverted, all the more wounded than the Mandalorian tagger fans met almost a decade ago, this opening salvo for the series is better for it.
My only qualms are with the threat du jour. Yet another Jedi not only survived the initial Jedi Purge, but has made it to the post-Return of the Jedi era without arousing the suspicions of Palpatine, Vader, Yoda, or Obi-Wan. Ray Stevenson brings a steady and quietly menacing air to Baylan Skoll, the former Jedi turned apparent mercenary, but there's enough rogue force-wielders running around already, thank you very much.
His apprentice holds her own against New Republic forces and Ahsoka’s own former apprentice, but is shrouded in mystery. She goes unidentified, which, in Star Wars land, means she’s secretly someone important (a version of Mara Jade from the “Legends” continuity?) or related to someone important (the child of, oh, let’s say Ventress). And I’m tired of such mystery boxes.
Throw in the fact that Morgan Elsbet, Ahsoka’s source and prisoner, turns out to be a Nightsister, and you have worrying signs that the series’ antagonists will be rehashing old material rather than moving the ball forward. The obvious “We just killed a major character! No for real you guys!” fakeout cliffhanger ending doesn’t inspire much confidence on that front either.
Nonetheless, what kept me invested in Rebels, and frankly all of Star Wars, despite plenty of questionable narrative choices, is the characters. The prospect of Ahsoka trying to train a non force-sensitive Mandalorian in the ways of the Jedi, or at least her brand of them, is a bold and fascinating choice.
But even more fascinating is two people who once believed in one another, having fallen apart, drifting back together over the chance to save someone they both care about. “Master and Apprentice” embraces, rather than shying away from, the sort of lived-in relationships that made the prior series so impactful in the past, and the broken bonds that make these reunions feel fragile, painful, and more than a little bitter in the present.
I am here for Hera the general trying to patch things up between old friends. I am here for Sabine holding onto her rebellious streak but carrying scars from what went wrong, in the Battle of Lothal and in her attempts to learn the ways of the Jedi. And I am here for Ahsoka, once the apprentice without a master, now the master without an apprentice, here to snuff out the embers of the last war and reclaim what was lost within it.
They all feel right. The rest can figure itself out.
Wow… I was not expecting that. Truly a masterclass in all aspects. Maybe the best episode of Bad Batch so far and probably my favourite so far as well.
I think its greatest strength was its subtlety, it doesn’t hit you over the head with anything that it’s trying to say or show. It lets the story do the talking without having to hold your hand. But then it gut punches you in your heart. I think this culminates for me in the scene of Crosshair abandoning all pretence and just huddling up very tightly with Mayday to try and keep warm. That scene really hit me.
It’s funny because without even being able to explain it exactly, from the first few minutes of the episode, it just felt different. Just the vibe and tone. Definitely left me completely in awe and by the end if the episode, a little dumbstruck.
I’m glad that finally, it was the last straw for Crosshair. It’s probably been a long time coming. And although at first when watching this series I was somewhat annoyed by his character, that he was being stupid by not reasoning like the rest of his old squad, even after having the chip removed. Having thought about it, I think his initial reaction is probably the most realistic: because Rebellion is the main theme of Star Wars, it’s easy to take that for granted and forget how difficult rebellion actually is, especially when it’s towards the only thing you’ve ever known and the thing you’ve been loyal to forever (even if it changes names)
Although, I do think it took him a little too long to realise and there were several previous opportunities for him to make the right decision - but then again, if he had, we may not have gotten this beautiful episode so maybe it is in fact just right the way it is.
My little hopeful, fanboy heart yearns for the possibility of Crosshair being rescued by the Bad Batch and redeemed. However, I don’t know if it’s too late for that given his past choices, and it may somewhat tarnish his sacrifice, as well as the ending of this episode which even though terribly tragic, was just so beautifully just and heart-wrenchingly necessary.
This was a very good finale from start to finish (Andrew Bloom's review details this admirably), although I (like many people reviewing on here) was surprised about the lack of cliff-hanger, or direct avenue to a new season, but I actually think that finishing the way it did was the right thing to do, and brings to an end everything that "The Mandalorian" as a show was all about. Grogu is safe, Djarin has been instrumental in bringing about the saviour and reunification of the Mandalorian people, and Moff Gideon has finally been destroyed. All wrapped up, that is, except for two core questions that have underpinned the show since S1E1 - where is Grogu's home planet, and what are his species even called? I am disappointed that the answers remain just as much of mystery now as they were then, and it is the answering of these questions that would be the only reason, in my opinion, to ever do another season of The Mandalorian. I have heard that Thrawn may feature as the primary antagonist in the upcoming "Ahsoka" live-action show that is being released in August 2023, (but I can't find any official confirmation of that yet) as he has been mentioned numerous times by the Imps under Moff Gideon. The Mandalorians could easily (and probably will) feature to some extent in this new show, and maybe even Boba Fett, or some of the protagonists from Rebels and Bad Batch, as Thrawn will definitely be a tough nut to crack. look forward tentatively to Ahsoka, and hope it is is worth the wait...
It's hard not to give it a lower score but honestly just seeing the Praetorian Guards alone made the episode. There were a few things that pissed me off- how obvious the retreat into a trap was. And how in the 20 seconds they used to escape, they didn't use the same 20 seconds to open the front door and not only rescue Din but completely overwhelm the dark troopers. Not only that but the battle leading up to it was pathetic, no matter how good their training, the wouldn't best the Mandalorian's who've been training in Veskar armor in laser gunnery, hand to hand combat, rocket jumping literally their WHOLE LIVES. Plus the giant missiles on their backs and in their wrists...like c'mon. Dark Troopers literally stood no chance. Praetorian Guards on the other hand....maybe they might've taken down over half of the Mandalorians but no way they'd win against that many skilled and armored. Additionally I thought Veskar can literally glance and block lightsaber style weapons....WTF. Honestly the dark troopers, guards, and gideon himself EVEN with the blast doors trap stood no chance. This was heavily forced. They should've just written a more cunning trap versus beating the Mandalorians with pure fighting prowess. Makes me more mad the more I think about it.
This was a good focused episode and comes through with the promise to make this a Mandaloran heavy season. This episode sucked all that is great about Star Wars. It had a DEEP callbacks to the prequels while still staying relevant to the current storyline. But still found a way to please the fans by making the much maligned Jar Jar Binks actor play a Jedi Master who saved Grogu and he was badass. I think thats what some of the best episodes of the show has. Smart callbacks to the past but still an interesting story that stands on its own. I am really loving the Bo-Katan storyline. They introduced her last season and jaded, cynical and angry wanbee ruler who only had eyes on the Dark Saber and ruling her house. When Din took it instead she lost her followers and her way. Now this season she is starting to believe in the Way of the Mandalore and seems to have found a home who people she considered out of touch zealots not too long ago and to their credit they have accepted her. I will be interesting to see how her character grows or if she has some plan to take control? I know there is an Imperial Warlord after her and that dumb mercenary seaweed head from the first episode. I bet we see one of them next episode.
Another cool episode :) It's nice to have Mando back and see more of the Jedi (Ahsoka, Luke, and Grogu).
However, it's still "weird" that they seem to use a puppet for Grogu. The body animation is too unrealistic. This could be much better with CGI.
Mando's friend is badass but she should've indeed kept his armor... :o I hope he isn't dead yet but it doesn't look good at all. Cad Bane is definitely a character that I didn't expect to see again. Might be nice but I'm already mad at him (even though he didn't seem to be the first to pull the gun).
Luke using the force to walk with Grogu was funny :D It's also nice that he's building a school. I just hope that he won't hold on too much on the old ways of the Jedi. Attachment can be a bad thing for a fighter but it doesn't have to be (although Anakin isn't the best example here... :o). Anyway, I didn't like the choice that he offered to Grogu. Would be funny if Grogu doesn't choose Yoda's lightsaber though or if he chooses neither.
Ahsoka saying "So much like your father" to Luke was quite interesting.
I also hope the The Mandalorians will be able to change their way a bit. It could be nice if Mando would return to lead them with the Darksaber.
I can't believe it's been around 8 years since i last watched this show. I still remember so much of it, in rare contrast to other shows where many years have gone by. The show, or rather this starting episode is still as good as i remember.
The portrayal of the gravity of events is really good here, as is the interesting plot of the episode with having to escape from the Cylons by having to jump every 33 minutes, and we see the real dramatic effects from that on the crew, along with the moral dilemma at the end of the episode. But it was mitigated somewhat in that it looked like no one or most humans weren't on board the ship, and why would the Cylons send it back anyway, knowing the humans would likely destroy it, they should have come up with a bette ruse or excuse than the obvious "the cylons left us alone"
The characters are well developed (continuing on from the miniseries) and the dialogue is good.
However, there's a fundamental aspect to this show that is seen here and is going to be explored throughout the show, and it's heavily contraversial with fans. That is, the religious aspect to the show. It's brought up here a bit, and i think it's sloppily executed, just thrown in there, and it feels opposed to the gritty nature of the show, rather than well incorporated. I remember not liking this theme through the entire show, but now, i'll have to see where they go with it. Overall, this reboot has started out successfuly, continuing on from the great miniseries.
[8.0/10] “The Solitary Clone” plays like a throwback to the days of The Clone Wars series. I used to accuse TCW of “video game plotting.” On a regular basis, some combination of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ashoka would fight some goons, then probably some bigger goons, then a few genuinely challenging enemies, before going toe-to-toe with the final boss of the episode. As much as I enjoyed the show, I got tired of that formula in its early seasons.
In a sense “The Solitary Clone” is just that. When infiltrating a planet to rescue a kidnapped superior, Crosshair and none other than the long missing Commander Cody lead the mission. They mow down a series of nigh-useless B1 battle droids, before having to contend with some mildly more challenging droidekas, then they have a legitimately harrowing fight with a few droid commandos of the sort that gave Ahsoka fits at the beginning of The Clone Wars, before taking out a strategy droid and facing down their target’s captor.
The action is exciting, with losses (albeit of barely-named “regs”) that show the costs of the assault, and some genuinely clever tactics at play. In particular, Crosshair’s use of reflective pucks, and the ensuing struggle within a spiral staircase, is some of the most claustrophobic, well-directed action The Bad Batch has offered this season. But the general shape of the way the battle escalates would be familiar to anyone who’s been watching Commander Cody since he appeared in The Clone Wars pilot movie.
But I take that to be the point here. Because even though the rhythms are the same, the context is very different, and I think The Bad Batch wants its viewers, especially the longtime fans, to contemplate that. Watching clone troopers fight through a bunch of battle droids on a Separatist planet where they’ve taken an opposing leader hostage is meat and potatoes, rah-rah stuff. But now the situation is different.
The government the soldiers are fighting for isn’t the Republic; it’s the Empire. The Separatists aren’t aggressors attacking our heroes; they’re an independent system that just wants to remain independent and avoid being gobbled up by the Empire. Many of the faces are the same. The overall progression of the fight is the same. But everything here feels off, to where who to root for, versus who the perspective characters are, isn’t as clear as it once was.
That's a feature, not a bug. Cody is doing what he’s always done. He listens to the orders of his generals. He battles his way through wave after wave of battle droids. He reaches the enemy target and gets them at a disadvantage.
Yet, that's where things are different. Governor Tawni Ames is a reasonable person. Her motives to protect her people from Imperial overreach are sympathetic. She is not a warmonger. In fact, she joined Mina Bonteri, a Separatist Senator, and a group of Republic Senators, in proposing a peace accord that was rejected by Palpatine. Bonteri was part of an episode called “Heroes on Both Sides”, crossing paths with the heroes of The Clone Wars and teaching Ahsoka in particular that the war wasn’t as cut and dry as “good vs. evil”, but that there were well-intentioned Separatists who had their own fair points and legitimate grievances to bear.
Now, Cody gets the same lesson. He recognizes her as someone else who lived through the horrors of that war, and persuades her to let the hostage go without a fight lest their actions this day result in more bloody conflict. In effect, he recognizes that despite his orders, Governor Ames is not a bad guy. He wants a peaceful, diplomatic solution to this, and manages to achieve it by laying down his arms and promising her that if she works with him on this, this can all stop without anyone else having to die for it. With the word of a fellow traveler as a bond, she agrees.
And Crosshair kills her.
You know it’s coming, and it still hurts a little. We know from last season’s finale that Crosshair is a true believer, not even needing the control ship to continue the path that he was set on during the Clone Wars. He has his orders. He follows them. It’s not his to question why. The Empire is the inheritor of the Republic, and thus the institution he owes fealty to. That's it. That's all it ever was. He does what’s asked of him.
But Cody can’t. There’s a grim tone that spills over Dessex as the Empire descends on the once-independent world. The skittering residents seem even more concerned as the stormtroopers show up to take their world by force and make an example out of them. Cody can’t abide it. He can’t abide the Imperial general breaking the promise Cody made to Governor Ames. He can’t abide Crosshair’s cold willingness to execute those orders, and the Governor, without a second thought. He is the latest trooper to cross paths with Crosshair and decide to go AWOL.
The reasons are clear. He tells Crosshair that there’s a difference between clones and droids, and it rings true, despite the comparisons Star Wars animation has drawn between the two over the years. Clones do make real choices, and they have to live with them. Cody still thought he was fighting for the good guys. But the game has changed, and after such a craven display, the familiar becomes foreign, and what you used to do unquestioningly suddenly becomes a moral compromise you can no longer stand. Cody’s the same, but the world’s different, and he has to act on that difference.
So true to the title, Crosshair is once again left alone. Even the other regs won’t sit with him. Anyone he has a bond with, even a passing acquaintance with, seems to have taken a different path. The world is the same to him, and maybe it is. Maybe we were just as wrong for rooting for one side over the other rather than recognizing the abiding message of The Clone Wars and, to some extent, the whole Prequel Trilogy. To the extent there’s anything but, this was a senseless war, and it didn’t matter whom you were cheering for, because the same forces were pulling the strings on both sides, they served to benefit from it, and everyone else, even those fighting for the right reasons, were sullied by it.
That's a hard lesson, especially for what is ostensibly an all-ages program. But it seems to be increasingly the purview of The Bad Batch. This series carries on the legacy of the show that spawned it, through the eyes of one of the heroes turned villains, ordered to kill the heroes turned villains, and finds himself ostracized and isolated for it.
[8.0/10] Wrecker is such a big teddy bear most of the time. Sure, he likes whomping folks and blowing things up, but he mainly scans as an overgrown toddler. It never seems odd when he bonds with Omega, or has a playful big brother vibe with Tech. There’s a kid-like quality to him that belies his build and his power. Those attributes make him seem friendly and even sweet.
That makes it extra scary and extra impactful when his inhibitor chip goes off and suddenly he’s a slasher villain. You see the same power, the same strength, deployed against the people Wrecker cares about, his comrades and his surrogate little sis, without any hesitation or remorse. It’s the most frightening thing The Bad Batch has shown so far, and also one of the most heartbreaking for the same reason -- because the Wrecker we know has no control over this situation.
It’s an appropriately big event to coincide with the appearance of none other than Rex, one of the most important and well-loved characters to emerge from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There’s lots of connections to other Star Wars properties in “Battle Scars”. Wrecker and Omega dine on popcorn you can find at Galaxy’s Edge. The Venator-class destroyer our heroes sneak aboard on Bracca is very much at issue in Fallen Order. It’s hard to find an episode of The Bad Batch that hasn’t had these sorts of tie-ins to elsewhere in the galaxy far far away.
But Rex is the biggest and most momentous because he comes laden with as deep an understanding as anyone of what damage those inhibitor chips can do. His desire to free his brothers from their hold, and his fear about what they’re capable of if the chips aren’t neutralized, is more than justified, as anyone who’s seen The Clone Wars knows.
So he makes for a natural guide when it comes time to pay off Wrecker’s recurring headaches. The show does some of its best work in terms of design and direction, as our heroes spelunk through the Venator ship, fight off squid monsters, and eventually have to defend against one of their own. Rex’s presence adds urgency and gravitas to what’s been an exciting but lighter adventure so far.
The height of this one, though, comes when Wrecker turns on Omega. The show’s right to spend much of the early going on the two of them having fun together, chowing down on popcorn and having their own post-mission tradition. It reinforces the sweetness between them we’ve seen as early as Wrecker making Omega her very own bunk.
So it twists the knife even harder when Wrecker accuses her of treason and comes close to destroying her. Their size disparity becomes real and menacing for the first time. The stand-off intensifies the double-edged tragedy of Order 66, with good people killed by those they trust and people who are just as good forced to become butchers of those close to them against their will.
As scary as Wrecker advancing on young Omega is, there’s an equal and opposite sweetness to her refusing to leave his side when recovering from the inhibitor chip extraction. It comes with a certain sorrow when Wrecker tries to apologize for his actions, feeling as though he’s done something unforgivable, only to be wiped away by a heartwarming gesture from Omega, reinstating their popcorn tradition, a sign that she understands that heartless beast was not the same person who made her a bunk.
In the end, Rex doesn't exactly pass the torch to Hunter, but he does give our new leader figure a benediction. Rex is still fighting the good fight, but Hunter isn’t sure what that means just yet, or if it’s right for his squad. The closing conversation does right by both clones, acknowledging their different ages and experiences, and pointing toward things both certain and unsure for both of them. The combination of their understanding, and the journey of Wrecker from lovable lug to terrifying brute and back, makes “Battle Scars” The Bad Batch’s best outing yet.
I liked it. This felt like a round ending to the series and could perfectly well be the complete prequel to Rogue One when it comes to Andor himself. I am even perfectly fine with the many open endings. They would simply fit the shows mood if they simply stayed as they are.
Speaking of mood the episode took up the same kind of slow atmosphere that was so great in the first arc. Although the procession took a bit too long. But still there was again so much tension. It was great to tie most of the many storylines together so convincingly in the first place. Having them and the characters each with their own motivation meet was so full of suspense because it wasn't clear who was going to come out on top. Especially because there was no plotarmor or any mercy. The escalation was completely ruthless and simply consequent in its delivery. I was really surprised that was actually dragged into the middle of the riot without any obvious escape. I really had thought that the writers would be so bold to ... write her off. Only to be surprised again.
In terms of content this also had some very nice elements, like the Speech.
But however much I love this show for its portrayal of everything when it comes to the empire ( like finally Stormtroopers being treated like the elite they are supposed to be while most of the soldiers present are imperial soldiers!) I am still taken out of it whenever I see humans humans humans.
Yes they do have some... Statutory aliens in closer shots but just way too few and not a single character or supporting character.
[7.4/10] This episode is still good, but very plainly consists largely of setup for the finale, which means everything feels a little inchoate and a little unfinished. Andor has been no stranger to table-setting episodes. But even more so than past outings, given that we pretty much know all the players and the basic situation at this point, there’s not much new to reveal, and it’s more a matter of moving everyone to the right places on the board.
The showpiece scene is Luthen talking down Saw about Anto Kreegyr’s doomed raid. The fact that Guerrera seems a little mad and suspicious here helps make the conversation seem precarious. Luthen is spitting facts -- that Kreegyr going down is better for the Rebellion than warning him off. But Saw is understandably concerned. Is it right to burn an ally, even a loose one? Is Luthen playing everybody for a malign force? Would he do the same to Saw?
Those questions aren’t firmly answered, and Saw’s a little paranoid to begin with. But I like his response a lot. Part of how the Rebellion is able to operate is by letting the Empire think they’re in firm control. It’s the same thing Andor said to him in their first ship journey together. You can steal from them because they’re so arrogant that they think no one would dare. Luthen puts the decision in Saw’s hands, but he makes his point. People who think they’re in control are exploitable. People who are nervous that deceit and betrayal are around every corner are dangerous. Thirty men is a lot, but this is the grim math Luthen conducts, and so is an ISB contact and the continued ability to work in the dark.
It speaks to what I take to be one of the big themes of Andor so far, and one that ties it into Rogue One -- sacrifice. Kreegyr and his men are being sacrificed. Luthen’s soul is burned on the altar of the greater good. Rebel operatives perish in the Aldhani raid. Inmates die in the Narkina 5 prison break. Better to die fighting them than giving than what they want, after all, right?
But Mon Mothma may have to sacrifice her daughter, in a sense, which may be the part that's most heartbreaking. We don’t seem to get much progress on this storyline from the last episode, but just Mon Mohtma and her sister, Vel, commiserating about it helps reveal how hard this is for all involved. Mon seems to loathe the old ways of Chandrilla. To see her daughter adopt them so reflexively, on her own, at the risk of being married off to some Chandrillan gangster’s son at an age where her brain hasn’t fully developed yet, is devastating. And yet, it comes with the ability to keep funding the Rebellion, to keep promoting independence and liberty within a fascist regime and bring down the halls of power from the inside. That too is a sacrifice, one that comes in a different form, but which can have an impact no less piercing.
The other big event here is, of course, Maarva dying. It’s suitably sad, particularly as seen through the lens of poor little B2EMO. The show gives us a nice look at Ferrix customs, and the idea of being made into a brick, with your name engraved and preserved in some local wall, has a generational, preservationist appeal. I like the notion that this is a sad event, but also one that others from the outside see as an opportunity.
So ISB knows that this is about to go down and might be the place to catch Andor. Karn gets the word from his old sergeant (via an amusingly poor connection) and heads there too. Cinta is poised to strike if need be. And a host of others have their grip tightened in the area in case this man who’s caused such a ruckus decides to return to pay his respects at his mom’s funeral.
That leaves Cassian himself. In truth, him getting back home is a mostly perfunctory thing. It’s a little convenient, frankly, that he’s able to make it from some rock cropping on Nakima 5 to a free shuttle ride to Space Miami. But at least we get some cool-looking aliens out of the deal. Diego Luna’s acting when Cassian finds out about Maarva is quite good, and the images we see of him reflecting on a tropical sky are beautiful. Most of this seems like wheel-spinning before the big climax, but it’s solid.
So too is Luthen’s escape from an Imperial patrol in similar pointless but well-done terms. If anything, it seems like Andor’s creative team decided this was all too staid and they needed something action-y to up the fireworks quotient. All of that said, Luthen stalling for time, disintegrating a satellite dish, and laser spinning his way out of dodge is pretty cool, which earns it some leeway.
All of that said, I like the idea that he’s headed to Ferrix, another ingredient in the combustible soup that’s bubbling there in the wake of Maarva’s death. There’s a lot of people out to get Cassian right now, and something tells me Luthen’s going to be the one to save him, albeit maybe in a way that requires another great sacrifice. Onto the finale!
That really was an in-between-episode. Luthen and Saw again very strong and I was completely amazed by Luthens Getaway even though it was a bit overly convenient for him to have these measures that conflict with everything we have seen in star wars anywhere.
But that actually doesn't matter because I still think it's absolutely believable for the simple reason that we have so far only seen either military, mass produced vehicles or even more often crappy, old, almost dismantled spacecraft because that's just what rebels and wannabe rebels can afford. There have not been any extremely expensive customised ones. So I am completely fine with Luthen being able to escape it just could have been introduced or foreshadowed better.
On Andors side I must say the prison episodes now feel a bit disconnected. It was solved too easily and without specific implications. They almost leave a feeling as though Gilroy simply wanted to change genre for a bit. For missing Marva's death being on the luxury planet would have sufficed. And the argument that he at least would have been able to contact her in freedom is naught in my opinion because Andor just would have been too cautious.
[7.5/10] This felt like a straight up The Clone Wars episode. You’ve got Anakin teaching Ahsoka a lesson, with some encouragement from Obi-Wan and help from the likes of Rex, Jesse, and other familiar clone troopers. The other episodes of Tales of the Jedi so far have felt like glimpses of corners of the Star Wars saga we’ve never gotten to see before. But this one feels a little more like gap-filling a nostalgia bait for TCW fans.
But you know what? I am a TCW fan, so it worked on me! While there’s a certain sports movie story shape to this one, I like the central concept of Anakin thinking that traditional Jedi tests are too staid and predictable, and so wanting to shape something more realistic and challenging for his pupil. It’s true to form for Anakin, and his color-outside-the-lines mentality.
Forcing Ahsoka to square off against Clone Troopers with their blasters set on stun serves both purposes. To Anakin’s point, troopers are less predictable than droids. And it also speaks to a certain resilience necessary in battle. Ahsoka is out for long periods of time when stunned, but has to keep getting up and keep fighting, another skill that’s important for actual battles.
What I like most about this one is that it puts the audience in the same position as Ahsoka emotionally. We feel her frustration at this seemingly impossible exercise with the endless rhythm of Anakin’s repeated “Again”s. We feel her pain when she’s stunned and passes out again and again, tumbling like a wounded gazelle each time she gets back to us. This is a deliberately frustrating task, one that requires determination and balance the whole way through.
And yet, there’s a strong emotional turning point. When Ashoka questions the utility of the test, Anakin explains that he wants it to be challenging, because it will make her better, prepare her for what’s really out there, and that he knows she can do it. It’s tough love, the kind that’s hard to watch in places, but one that evinces a sense of faith for Anakin in his padawan. So when we see it work, when we see Ahsoka succeeding now and in the future, while an older Anakin looks on in approval, it’s an affirmation of both student and teacher, and a heartening one at that.
Then comes the gut punch. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming that this training would be important when, as in the end of The Clone Wars seventh season, Ahsoka has to fight off the clones who’s chips have been activated. It’s a dark note to end on. There’s grim poetry to the fact that the friends helping her become better would turn on her, and force her to use those skills she learned in that training session for real. But like so much, it adds to the tragedy and irony of the Prequel Era story, where it’s the very skills Ahsoka’s master taught her that allow her to survive the hell his master hath wrought.
Visually, there’s some neat elements here too. However much Anakin may turn his nose up at the official training session, the balletic grace and impact with which Ashoka moves versus the ball droids is impressive and visually arresting. Watching her slice through big laser light donuts makes for some damn cool visuals too. The repetitious nature of the stuns and blackouts sells the tough consequences of this intense training session. And not for nothing, this could just be the power of suggestion, but I feel like they tweaked Ahsoka’s design slightly to make her look more like Rosario Dawson.
Overall, more so than any of the other shorts, this one seems tailor-made for anyone who misses The Clone Wars. (Hell, we even have a cameo from Caleb Dume for Rebels fans.) That makes it arguably the least adventurous of these outings, but also one that will resonate with anyone who’s been watching the story of Anakin and Ahsoka’s mentorship for years.
[7.2/10] This was easily my least favorite of these so far, but it was still pretty good? So that counts for something.
What I like about it is the melancholic tone we get for much of it. Dooku is turning to the dark side but he’s not glad or gleeful about it. He’s full of sorrow, maybe even remorse, that it’s come to this. Nothing drives that home more than the death of Qui Gon, his padawan learner. The death of his former apprentice comes too soon, and comes in the face of a Jedi Council who refused to heed his warnings.
Some of this business plays like too much of a gesture toward what the audience already knows. We already know from Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars that Dooku was responsible for the business with Sifo Dyas and Kamino, so watching him actively erase the planet from the Jedi archives doesn’t add much. Likewise, him having a conversation with Qui Gon where he tells his former protege that he’s heard Qui Gon signing Obi-Wan’s praises and hopes to meet him someday plays like heavy-handed foreshadowing of their confrontation in Ep. II.
But there’s something about Dooku reacting to the events of The Phantom Menace with sadness and anger that has real power. He loses something real when Qui Gon dies, both a surrogate child and the last lingering thread of his faith in the council. We understand now, in a way that wasn’t as clear before, why he sided with Sidious. The idea of the Jedi as blind puppets of a corrupt Senate, and the need to break some eggs to make a new omlette, is intuitively comprehensible, making Dooku’s perspective more complex. But at the same time, he laments the costs that have led them to this point, Qui Gon especially.
The big problem is Yaddle. On a storytelling level, it’s not great that fighting her is what cements Dooku’s turn to the darkside for one simple reason -- she’s never received any character shading on-screen until now. This isn’t Anakin fighting Obi-Wan or Maul fighting Sidious. We’ve never seen any interactions between Dooku and Yaddle until now. So while Yaddle is meant to represent the good of the council and the side of the Jedi that’s sympathetic to Dooku’s criticisms and could buy into reform, it has no weight because she’s barely a character, and she and Dooku have no shared history, at least none that we’ve seen.
On a more textural level, there’s more that makes the confrontation carry less weight than it might. Bryce Dallas Howard is talented, but her Yaddle voice isn’t great, and seems obviously like a young person trying to sound old in a way that takes you out of the moment. The design’s also odd, looking like Yoda in a cheap wig, which doesn’t help the tone either. And as with Dooku and Yoda’s confrontation in AotC, there’s something silly about watching a grown man fight a muppet, and all the cool lighting and staging and scoring in the world can’t do much to change that.
So overall, I love this as a continuation of a character story, showing the conflict in Dooku, the legitimate principles that brought him into Palpatine’s grasp, and the personal connections and losses that embittered his heart. And I low-key loathe it as a major transition that hinges on a battle with a silly-looking figure who’s been more of an intriguing prop than a full-fledged character to this point. The good stuff is worth the bad though.
[7.8/10] Another one I really liked. The contrast between Dooku and Mace Windu isn’t subtle. Windu follows orders and obeys the rules. Dooku is more interested in getting to the heart of the matter, even if it means using force or going beyond the bounds of the mission. That leads to philsohpical clashes between them, even when Dooku’s methods prove...effective as they investigate the murder of a fellow Jedi.
I’ll admit to being duped here. I fully expected that the shifty senator was the one who ordered Master Ketri killed. The twist, that it was the guards who abused her, and not the senator's idea, plays on our natural suspicions of the clearly anxious senator. But the next turn is even better. As with those who kidnapped Senator Dagonet’s son in the last episode, the guards who were strong-arming Senator Semage had a more righteous cause despite their questionable methods too.
Semage was selling off their planet and their people piece by piece. They wanted to force him to present a plan that represented the people, not just provided a means for him to feather their own nest. And when the Jedi ask why they didn't just bring their concerns to Master Ketri, the guards explain that from their perspective, the Jeui are just lap dogs for the senate, who wouldn't address the real concerns of the people.
This is implied to be the roots of the Separatist movement. The Separatists are pretty much the mustache twirling bad guys of the Prequel Era. (Despite the fact that the planet of the week for this one, Raxus, originally appeared in a Clone Wars episode called “Heroes on Both Sides”.) So it’s interesting to see their origins portrayed so sympathetically. Yes, they resort to murder and blackmail. But they’re also responding to corruption with the only tools at their disposal against an entrenched system.
I was a little taken aback to hear them throw recriminations against the Jedi that they claim to be peacekeepers, but only act to preserve law and order to protect the rich. The criticism is a timely one, and of a piece with the inherent flaws of the Republic and the Jedi Order that were the bread and butter of The Clone Wars series. For the first time, you can understand why Dooku would take up the cause of the Separatists, resent the Jedi for enforcing the status quo rather than protecting the people, and try to effect change in his own way.
Of course, there’s also a touch of the personal. The fact that rule bound, doctrinaire Windu is promoted to the Jedi High Council, while Dooku himself, whose actions actually solved the mystery, requires a good word from his condescending partner to avoid punishment for those actions, doesn’t help his opinion of the council. I don’t know that I ever would have asked for a Dooku origin story, or to trace the causes of hsi turn away from the Jedi, but I find myself compelled and comprehending of it now.
The texture of this one is good too. While the fight between the Jedi and the Raxus guards is pretty standard stuff, the autumnal setting, rich with hues of falling leaves and scenic beauty, gives it something extra. And I could be misremembering, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Jedi Council funeral before. It’s a lovely, somber occasion, with the assembled paying their respects, and beam of light emanating from the coffin to illuminate their way.
Overall, another quality installment from Tales of the Jedi that makes Dooku’s fall and turn away more clear and understandable.
[9.0/10] I loved this. The premise of it is so simple. Two Jedi are sent to rectify one injustice and, instead, discover another. But the consequences are so profound. Master and padawan are sent to rescue the kidnapped son of a senator from the dastardly villains who stole him away. Only, they’re not villainous, and it’s not a handful of bad apples. It’s the whole town, having taken direct action because the supposedly noble senator’s policies have robbed their community of the resources it needs to survive. This is their only, desperate option to make change.
The shift is powerful. The way Dooku comes in, flashing his lightsaber and seemingly ready to impose his will on this backwater berg, only to discover they’re the real victims, is striking. Hell, even the senator’s son ends up sympathetic, despite the fact that he’s the bargaining chip here. And the fact that Senator Dagonet himself shows up, threatening to exact terrible vengeance upon a hurting people, shows that despite his exalted position and the Jedi’s obligations to the senate, the cause of these supposed malcontents opposing him is a righteous one, and he’s not worthy of a Jedi’s honor or protection.
You don’t want to make too much out of one incident, but it’s a microcosm of the psychology that will lead Dooku and Qui Gon down very different, yet still related, paths. Dooku sees the rot within the Republic’s government, and is ready to root it out by any means necessary. He’s ready to use terrible force (and Force) against the corrupt and the shameless like Dagonet. Here, his anger is righteous too. His force choke, while terrifying, is pointed in the right direction. You can see how this noble starting point -- a belief that his loyalty lies with the people, not with a corruptible government -- could make him sympathetic, yet also lead him down a dark road.
You can see the observe of that for Qui Gon. He doesn’t want his master to suffer the consequences of murdering a senator. So he goes off to free the son who’s the source of this trouble whose presence convinces Dooku to relent. He too is ready to act to preserve life, less angry, more young and innocent than Dooku is now. But he too will, at some point, decide that observing rules and protocols for their own sake is a fool's game when kidnapping a senator's son can be both legally wrong and morally right under the circumstances. The spark this experience ignites in both of them as consequences that run through the most important parts of the Star Wars saga.
I appreciate the simplicity of the fable, the moody tone of it, and the ethical weight that hangs over everyone. The art styles continues to be improved from The Clone Wars days, with my only complaint that a semi-realistic rendition of a young Liam Neeson seems a little mismatched spending so much time standing next to a more stylized version of young Christopher Lee.
Overall though, this was fantastic, having the standalone beauty and purpose behind its story of one of the Visions shorts, while also presenting important shifts in character that ripple through the broader story told across the franchise.
[7.7/10] A lovely little short. I appreciate how rather than plotty and full of dialogue, this one is more moody, lyrical, even spiritual. The story of how Ashoka was first identified as force-sensitive should be something more slow-spun and meaningful, rather than just a rote recognition of her abilities. “Life and Death” fits that bill.
It gives us not only baby Ahsoka (who’s pretty darn cute), but also a glimpse of her family pre-Jedi. Her father is over the moon at the birth of his daughter, more technologically minded and skeptical of ancient beliefs. Her mother is a loving caretaker, more connected to the old ways and a badass who can hold off a saber toothed tiger. She’s raised in a loving, communal village excited for her arrival and ready to muster when she’s in danger. And there is a wizened spiritual leader, Gantika, who looks after their community, connects with the deeper spirits of it, and is the first to recognize Ahsoka’s unique potential.
The upshot of all this is warm and beautiful, but also an important reminder and heretofore unknown element of the character -- something was lost when she had to leave this beautiful family and community behind. When we hear tell of Ahsoka’s past, it’s small bits. But even if she was young, we the viewer understand that had she never been discovered as force-sensitive, she could still have lived a wonderful life with the support of a caring family and wholesome townspeople to look after her.
Or maybe she would have been eaten by a big cat. At ifst, I took “Life and Death” to be mainly a mood piece -- Star Wars by way of Terrence Mallick with its bucolic, peaceful setting and laconic exploration of childhood. But there’s a story here, of a hunting ritual to teach the one-year old Togruta the meaning of life and death early, that goes awry when a predator tries to teach a lesson of its own.
Despite the fact that we know Ahsoka survivesthe encounter, there's real tension when the tiger strikes and Pav-ti has to hold it off. The same goes when the tiger absconds with the child, and the locals have to assemble to seek her out as night falls, in the hopes that they’re not already too late. The fact that it’s not a show of force which retrieves the tyke, but rather Ahsoka herself instinctively using her Jedi mind powers, is in keeping with the spirit of the franchise. What’s more, it’s in keeping with the tone of the short: a whiff of danger matched by something spiritual and a little transcendent from a child who intuitively understands the force that connects all living things in this galaxy.
It’s a lesson she internalizes from her mother, whether she knows it or not. Ahsoka is born. She is told and shown by her mother the importance of understanding the value of and respect for life, while also facing death.. She lives that lesson more closely than any parent might like. And in the end, her life is fated to dramatically change.
I appreciate the approach from Dave Fiolini and company in filling in this piece of the character’s story. There’s little that’s flashy here. (If anything, the tiger looks a little off, designer wise. But what it lacks in spectacle, it makes up for in a reverent, wholesome vibe that moves the soul as much as it moves the plot.
This was a really interesting albeit slow episode with many intriguing threads. I really liked that Andor went back to Ferrix. I had almost expected that with these three-episode-arcs he wouldn't and we wouldn't see those characters and the established city anymore.
At times what is presented just doesn't feel like star wars very much. It just seems too earthly or too much like other fictional worlds which are a lot more Sci-Fi and a lot less fantastic. It was a step up that they finally included a few more aliens but still too few to make the world seem really alien.
I liked the depiction of everything happening inside the ISB although the leader is a bit too friendly and understanding for my taste (and understanding of how to acquire a high position within the empire).
I have one big question though: Was that female informant or spy supposed to be Leia? She looked a lot like Carrie Fisher back in the day to me but would be way too old since Leia should be around 15 at that time. And while we are at the topic of (possible) cameos: Yularen's character was a bit off when compared to his appearances in Clone Wars and Rebels.
I am however really excited were all this leads especially whats going to happen to Andor himself.
I think it's important to preface this review with the following points. A. I know nothing about Lord of the Rings other what was presented in the movies and that Morgoth is the overarching villain of the entire 3 ages, with Sauron being a Lucifer like fallen figure, from the most beautiful angel into a cunning deceiver. B. I do not care about what lore is being contradicted and have decided to view this as fan fiction, and therefore review based on what I like and don't like.
That aside. I really enjoyed the first two episodes of this new series from Amazon. I was a little apprehensive as the trailers had not wowed me, and Peter Jackson's original trilogy comes with so much love, even 20 years on. It's not perfect, nor does it start as strong as other new recent fantasy arrival, House of the Dragon, but there's a lot of groundwork laid here that can become a great series later on. Most of this felt like Lord of the Rings and not a cheap imitation, which was good. And while both episode is generally enjoyable, there was an easy 10 minutes to cut off both episode - that would have made it tighter.
There's enough mystery, especially in the second episode, mainly around 3 specific characters, so there's a hook there. Despite my 8 rating for both episodes it's not a guaranteed win and a few poor episodes after this could see this falling into Wheel of Time territory, but a good enough start and I'll be here next week.
