Is that really Anakin? Ahsoka Episode 3 and 4 Review (spoilers)

Since the combined runtime of these episodes is about 80 minutes with recaps and credits included, I think it’s barely about an hour of actual show. Let’s consider episode 3 and 4 one long episode.

Episode 3 was really the set up, so there’s not a whole lot to say. Asoka going out fighting in space was a little silly, especially when she’s floating in front of the cockpit. Cute, but a little too, I don’t know, bugs bunnyish. But maybe that was the point. We also started to see Sabine and Ahsoka start to work together which, spoiler alert, is a pretty big let down since they are eventually separated.

Episode 4 was I think one of the best Star Wars TV episodes since the live action shows began. There were some twists, we didn’t see coming and others that we saw coming but were satisfied with our predictions coming to fruition. There was some great lightsaber action, some clever fake-outs and some nice new takes on old, old SW themes.

Baylan and Ahsoka: I don’t know anything about sword fighting techniques, so my subjective reaction could be irrelevant, but some of the stashes and stances looked silly. Their dialogue was also vague and kind of pointless.

“Why do you want Thrawn to return and start another war?”

“To build you have to destroy.”

Not so profound. Given Baylan’s character, I would expect more specific motives and expectations, and possibly more of a nuanced attempt to win Ahsoka over to his cause.

Bad foreshadowing: Huyang imploring Ahsoka and Sabine stick together, was such a bad bit of telegraphed foreshadowing. We knew they were obviously going to get separated and it would be a big problem. So, why bother with that?

Marrok I hardly knew ye: Are the inquisitors the Nazgul of the Star Wars universe? Just some worn down spirits held in stasis by dark side armor? This is the second inquisitor Ahsoka inflicted death by spontaneous combustion upon, like Eowyn with the Witch King in the Battle of Pelennor. Considering all the hype that was built up around this mysterious inquisitor, it was a funny curveball that, Surprise! Surprise! He was no one, of consequence. Although, the look on Shin’s face when he died, was one of shock and maybe even sadness. Was this dark side wight her boyfriend?

Sabine: Clever little moment in her fight with Shin, where we think she’s trying to muster the force, but she’s really just prepping her Mandalorian gauntlet armor to disarm Shin. I definitely like that she is essentially training to be a non-force using Jedi. Very interesting concept. Or maybe be super in tune with the force like Chirruk from Rogue One, or Thrawn.

“What? Thrawn? WTF are you talking about?”

“Ahhh! You’ll see…”

La Famille Syndulla: Hera leading a bunch of New Republic pilots into the wake of a super hyperspace ring seemed pointless, except that we got to hear little Jacen say “Mom, I’ve got a bad feeling.” This was a cute moment. He’s destined to be a Jedi, but now he’s a little kid and he loves his mommy and it’s a tender, well portrayed moment.

Villians are the heroes: As I said above, this was a fantastic episode, yet I still think there was a huge missed opportunity in the “certain point of view” department. We viewers want to see Thrawn and Ezra again, so we don’t want Ahsoka to win and destroy the map. It would’ve been reallyt interesting to make Baylan and Shin’s job of protecting the map the focus of the narrative, to a point that we are really rooting for them to stop Ahsoka. Paul Kemp does this beautifully in the “Lords of the Sith” book. Cham Syndulla is portrayed as such a douche, that we absolutely want Vader and Palpatine to crush the rebellion on Ryloth.

The World Between Worlds: After a fight with Baylan inside the galactic transit dome, Ahsoka falls off a cliff, and has somehow teleported into the ‘world between worlds,’ where she wakes up to be greeted by a former master, Anakin. The first question we have is: “Is this really Anakin?” Given the fact that dark side theme music began to play as the episode drew to a close, I have to say, “no.” More on that in a moment.

Now, the world between worlds is a philosophical problem for me. I think it absolves the storytellers of having to stick to what has come before. If you didn’t see the Rebels show, the ‘world between the worlds’ is a place that exists outside of space and time and can connect you to anywhere or anytime. It opens up infinite possibilities that make us not have to rely on past events and provides storytellers with the ability to subvert any tragedy they want by creating alternate timelines, or even alternate universes. It takes this galaxy that’s so small that no one can hide from the Empire, and it opens up infinite storytelling possibilities that might never have to be tied into anything else. So, a little concerned about where, or when they might take this.

Anakin and Ahsoka: My critique of the world between the worlds notwithstanding, to see Ahsoka and Anakin together in live action is definitely a bit of a dream come true I think for all prequel and Clone Wars fans.

But again, is that really Anakin? Well, since there are an infinite number of force users who could tap into the ‘World between Worlds’ from anywhere and from anytime in the known universe and beyond…and given the episode’s closing music …

…no way.