Part Five: Shadow Warrior

The last episode and this one, fixed my issues with the series thus far in one swooping motion.

The characters are finally feeling more like themselves, the direction is improved (thanks Filoni), the fight scenes and scenes of which I will not name (keeping it spoiler free) with a certain character from the past, in a certain world, we're beautifully handled and done.

Ahsoka in particular finally achieving that character growth I've been waiting for was such a great moment. Hera the last two episodes has been much more like herself. Hearing Kanan get mentioned finally was great, took long enough! The musical undertones during each heavy moment was masterfully crafted and honoured the original musics style with new purpose.

This show has had its issues but I think that's the Disney plus curse of these basically being stretched out films.

I have a feeling it's gonna be one of those shows that's better in a binge.

This episode was a pure 10/10 for me, especially as a huge CW/Rebels fan. Seeing Dave Filoni's creation come so far is such a joy to behold.

This episode was fantastic and while it wasn't perfect, it was what Star Wars has always been about at its best. There are some decisions in here made by certain characters that make a whole lot of sense at times but this is nit picking.

The characterisations in this episode was phenomenal and without spoiling anything, Hayden Christensen REALLY shines. He has quite the job to combine so many different portrayals of Anakin through various forms of media and he nails it. He really shows his acting ability here.

Ahsoka, all of her in this episode is really well done and Star Wars continues to find some fantastic actors in the 'Mandoverse'. There are some really hard hitting moments throughout this episode and it all works. Ahsoka as a character arrives with impact.

The pacing of this episode is excellent and I really want to pay homage to the use of lighting and music in this episode, absolutely top notch. But the symbolism in colour is what nails it all. The colours as a through line are just brilliant.

And then the back end of the episode sets us up cinematically for basically this show's third act now. Really, that last few minutes that HEAVILY links into Rebels was beautiful and would have been stunning to watch at a cinema.

A visual tour de force with most of the actors bringing their A game and good management of budget when it comes to tv shows.

Main flow of the story was the mediocre B story yanking us away from the resolution of the previous episode. Time that could have been better spent focusing on the A story or having the B story show us what was going on with the antagonists.

Pacing is this shows problem and this episode is no exception. Simple things that can be conveyed in minutes take up hours. It does not help us savor the moment, it does not bring us new insights or information its remembrance for the sake of remembrance.

One of the best hours of Star Wars ever for those who have been on the entire ride. The relationship between Skyguy and Snips is stregthened.

Filoni has taken the soul of Star Wars to new heights. I recently read that Filoni said that Star Wars should ultimately be uplifting. This episode followed that mantra.

Ahsoka through the first four episode was a brooding, lost soul, but after her experiences in this episode, she is again the optimistic free spirit we all have grown to love.

The force is strong in this one and I can't wait to see where this story will take us!

Filoni is indeed the torch bearer of the future of Star Wars.

I'm not a big fan of the show to be truly honest with you: I find it sluggish, boring, not very imaginative and also to be honest treacherous as a non force wielder called Sabine Wren who isn't even able to pull a small cup of coffee through the force is somehow allowed to carry a lightsaber and be called a padawan.

But that episode however is reaching the heights. It's thrilling, it's fan service, it's full of nostalgia and what a blast to retrieve Hayden as Anakin.

The big highlight is Hayden starring as Anakin/Darth Vader. He's breathing power and wisdom throughout the episode, the epitome of the struggle between the light and the dark side. Having him back on the show is the boost it needed so badly to bring some excitement back.

Too bad it lasted only one episode as I feel with the return of Sabine we're going back to mediocrity.