Summary
Warning: This review contains spoilers for theAhsokafinale.
Although it’s hardly a definitive conclusion to the series, theAhsokafinale is an eye-popping display of sharply directedStar Warsaction. Titled “Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” (in a fun play onThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), theAhsokafinale sees the titular ronin joining forces with Sabine and Ezra to stop Grand Admiral Thrawn from returning to the main galaxy. While it doesn’t provide a conclusive ending to the story at hand and leaves the show on a cliffhanger, there’s so much cool stuff in this episode – Force leaps, sword-wielding witches, zombie Stormtroopers – that it’s hard to complain.
The first four episodes ofAhsokawere strangely dull and disjointed, and got the series off to a rocky start. But after that, it started to pick up. Fromthe Clone Wars flashbackto Thrawn’s terrifying entrance,Ahsokahas delivered some of the bestStar Warsin recent memory. “Part Eight” is far from a sufficient ending, but it’s not really trying to be an ending. It’s not likeAhsoka’s final episode attempts to conclude its story and bungles the ending; it postpones the ending for a future storyline. “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” fits the bill for the general consensus of the series: flawed storytelling punctuated by flawless action sequences.
The actual resolution of the story – or lack thereof – may not be 100% satisfying, but the climactic battle provides all the action thatStar Warsfans could ask for. Sinceworking onThe Mandalorian, director Rick Famuyiwa has gotten very adept at creating mind-blowing action sequences that deftly convey the scale of the villains’ threat and the glory of the heroes’ victory. The battle begins with a wonderful western-inspired scene in which Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra ride up to Thrawn’s location on horseback, weaving in and out of cannon fire from the giant Star Destroyer looming overhead, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this episode’s action.
The horseback chase is followed by a high-octane Stormtrooper massacre, which would be an awesome, intense set-piece in its own right. While it was interesting to see Ezra’s Force-based combat last week, it’s a joy to see him with a lightsaber back in his hand. This massacre ends on a triumphant money shot of Ahsoka, blades akimbo, slicing and dicing the last two Night Troopers standing. Then, it suddenly turns into a haunted house movie when all the undead Night Troopers reanimate and chase Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra up a winding staircase in a gloomy castle.
This sets the stage for a riveting rematch between Ahsoka and Morgan Elsbeth. While Ezra Force-leaps onto Thrawn’s Star Destroyer, Sabine stays behind to fend off the Night Troopers and give Ahsoka enough room to properly defeat Elsbeth. Much like their initial duel inThe Mandalorian, this rematch has the beauty and elegance of a Kurosawa samurai standoff – except this time, Elsbeth has been imbued with witchy powers and armed with the magical Blade of Talzin.
As with the last seven episodes, theAhsokafinale has stunning visual effects seamlessly blended into the live-action photography. The VFX shots are sharp and seamless, with realistic lighting and engaging camera movements.Dave Filoni has a long history working in animation, so he’s well-versed in telling stories with computer-generated images. He also makes great use of the classic scene transitions, and even incorporates the scene transitions into the blocking. As Sabine and Ezra follow Ahsoka off-screen, a diagonal wipe follows Ezra out of the frame to reveal Thrawn in all his grandeur.
“The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” isn’t a disappointing ending, per se, but it is somewhat anticlimactic as it leaves a lot of storylines unresolved. It’s still unclearwhat Baylan Skoll was up tothis whole time (although there is a really cool shot of Skoll literally standing on the shoulders of a giant) and Shin Hati still hasn’t been swayed to the light side. For a series that went out of its way to present as a limited series as opposed to a season 1, this felt an awful lot like a season 1 finale teeing up a more exciting season 2. Of course, if that is the case, season 1 has gotten the show off to a promising start and season 2 is certainly a welcome prospect.
That’s not to say that the finale is entirely lacking in closure. There is some closure in that Ahsoka and Sabine managed to get Ezra back home to his own galaxy, but now they’re stranded in the wrong galaxy. This episode essentially flips the ending ofRebelson its head; Ezra is once again left to face Thrawn while his friends are stuck in another galaxy – it’s just that they’ve switched galaxies. There’s also some closure with Ahsoka reconciling her mixed feelings aboutAnakin’s many mistakesby remembering his best quality: no matter what, he always had her back – even when no one else did. This inspires her to stick by Sabine, and Anakin’s ghost watches proudly from afar (Filoni couldn’t have ended the season on a higher note than ghostly Hayden Christensen observing his resourceful apprentice with a warm smile).
Ahsoka
Cast
“Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” - Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra race to stop Grand Admiral Thrawn from returning to the main galaxy.
