Ryan Shoots First: Ahsoka (Ep8) “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord”

What a season. If you have read any of my reviews of the past episodes you know how much a spiritual experience this season has been. A return to form for Star Wars as a whole. For the first time really since Disney’s purchase it feels like there is a vision and they know where this is all heading. They’re taking chances, making big swings but staying true to the soul and paying off just enough fan service and rewards for fans of the series. It was just pitch-perfect and the finale was no different.

As the “Avenger level” threat of Thrawn looms our heroes make one final play to stop him from making his way back to the Galaxy. This episode has everything, a nice slow start that I was happy to see. I get the instinct to dive right into action and go all out for the run time but the quiet emotional beats and the patience has been on display all season long and I enjoyed seeing it here. The calm before the storm is essential to making the storm feel more epic and this show gets that. But once we get into it we see all 3 Jedi together and I was trying to think, this is probably the first time in canon that 3 Jedi have been together in decades. It was so great seeing all three with their sabers in full on Jedi mode. Sabine as well in all the chaos of the finale gets some great moments of growth for her character. We find out why Ahsoka ended her training and she finally seems to find the balance of who she is as a Mandalorian and a Padawan. 

One thing Dave knows very well is cliffhangers. Whether it was Ahsoka leaving the order in The Clone Wars or us not knowing for like 2 years if she survived her fight with Vader in Rebels. He likes to leave us guessing and this finale leaves all kinds of questions going forward. And that is now what we set our sights to. I assume a second season of Ahsoka is coming and we now know Ahsoka is caught up with Mando. And looming somewhere out there is the “Filoni-verse” movie that will tie all of this together in what I assume is everyone V. Thrawn. Star Wars always has hype but it is usually just around the mere essence of something being Star Wars. I love the sequel trilogy but no one was really eager to go to the movies to see “What will happen to Rey and Kylo?” Even with the prequels we all knew where the story was heading but we just loved the journey. I would add there have not been anticipated levels of hype for the actual story like this since Boba Fett flew off with Han in Carbonite at the end of Empire. Safe to say fans will be rabid to find out what happens next in this story. 

I am so happy to feel this way about Star Wars, as I have said in almost every review I have liked everything and I genuinely love Star Wars, of all my nerd stuff it is my main but this show has me feeling a way about it I haven’t felt in a long time and for that, I am eternally thankful to Dave and his team. I am not new on this train and I’ve been on it since George sold to Disney saying “give Dave the reigns” he studied at the feet of the master and gets this stuff probably better than anyone on the planet right now. I think they are easing him into it but this show was a massive step towards that future and I can’t wait to see what it brings. Things are looking up in a Galaxy far far away.

Observations

• Man that shot of the Chimera to open it up
• Oh no careful what you wish for Liz
• I love how Fantasy all this is, the evil warlord and his witch, as the heroes storm the castle. 
• New toy!
• Crazy this is the first time in Live-action we’ve seen someone assemble a saber
• Aww it looks like Kanans, how did Huyang not know that?
• I’m glad they are starting this one slow and I’m glad Ahsoka came to that realization about Anakin having her back.
• Is that an Inferno Squadron helmet?
• Haha Huyang (Tenant) has perfect comedic timing
• Let’s go 3 jedi!!
• Ohhh zombie troopers, very cool to see this
• Dang Liz you gave them eveything and they were like “see ya!”
• What a fight for round 2 between these 2
• Woah that was a heck of a visual with Sabine and the Dark Death Trooper shot to the face
• This episode had some great music hits
• Awesome moment for Ezra to trust Sabine there
• Hell yea, Sabine finally not switching between blaster and Saber and realizing her style is both was great. 
• Oh you know he’s putting on that armor, that’s like Ezras go-to move
• Thrawn wins
• Morai!
• Dang Shin and Baylen were barely in this and they stole it with those final shots
• MORTIS!!! Man, this sucks so bad we won’t see Ray carry this story forward. Shame
• C’mon Ezra why would you keep the armor on?
• Yea yea I love seeing ghost Anakin but I really thought Kanan would be there too.