SPOILER Ahsoka - Part 7, Dreams & Madness

Hera's brown pants ... hehe...

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Keep the hope ALIVE... BRO next week's director is dope... haha

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Madness, I say Madness...

 

I liked it! Not quite like the last two but it was damn good

 

Solid episode, though plot development feels anemic considering there's one episode left and the Baylan Skol plot thread didn't see too much more development. Thrawn's return to the known galaxy is something I expect to see remain loose as it becomes the driving plot through to the "Mandoverse" finale, Baylan's I'm assuming will wrap up this season and there's not much room left to fit it into.

We'll see how the season finale goes!

Also, Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger continues to be an absolute delight. He has the character nailed and watching him in action was fantastic.

 

jeez, deleted my post and had to rewrite it... not undo worked... hope to remember everything...



This one maybe was the most predictable but still a solid one.

There is not much room to explain more things. This was about to show Thrawn's (in this episode, simple) military skills (where not bored in this planet to look for Ezra all these years? planet seems small thinking about this).

Not much story evolve (some Republic here and there) but still a great visuals and directing parts (sorry to compare but am really happy SW shows are really competent and they don't have nothing in common with Marvel shows).

Ezra casting is so great and love how they represent him with the Force.

Agreed. I had that sensation too. Last 2 episodes set a hig bar.
On the other hand I think they used the little they had to make a very competent visual show. That's something

Maybe is a good thing feeling not grandiose sometimes, cause in the galaxy happens a lot of events at the same time and this is easy to think where were those during this or that. Definetly sending Ezra and Thrawn in this planet during OT events was a really cool and smart choice. At least all makes sense in the whole thing.

Yeah, that's my fear too. He has an unpredictalbe and interesting story and would love to know more about him.
Am sure Filoni has in mind his whole story and how it ends. Really hope if there is a season 2 they will do something about it and not change too much what they had in mind.

Or, on the other hand, I have other thoughts watching this episode. I think Ahsoka, leaving him alive, gave Baylan his real vision and purpose. Something is calling to him. Maybe the true Jedi he has inside. Maybe at the end will help Ahsoka and company to leave the planet and he will die (my thoughts). If he dies in the last episode like a hero, maybe could be the best tribute to Ray and his character.
I love so much his character and what he represents. Will be very sad but if they give him a proper end next week could be a worthy end.


Finale will be a rollercoaster. I think will give us a couple of deaths: Shin, Baylan, Nighsisters, Morgan... All the rest have to leave the planet and there are only 2 ways: Morgan's hyperdrive and Purgils that escaped (very clever my Purgil friends).
But also they will give us wanting more because a lot of things will not have a resolution. Although they surprise us with a long episode with a lot of stuff. Nighttroopers, Nightsisters dark magic, next destination when they leave the planet, Baylan's fate, Empire remnant, Republic in the making, First Order.

The question is, they will do a season 2 or all will end in Filoni's movie?

My thoughts and hopes there will be 2 or 3 seasons maximum.

 

I did like it a lot. My only complaint for the whole show is the run time and how the episodes are cut at the end, which is kinda anticlimactic.
One episode left makes me a bit nervous and I am starting to dislike this trend and maybe, last episode will prove me wrong, but I guess not.
I feel like we are getting teasers from a wholesome content instead of a solid show, like Marvel did with Loki, Falcon and Moonknight for example.
Like with Mandalorian, checkboxes with the plot progressing further in a cryptic and piece by piece way, but nothing more.
Andor was a spectacle that made me satisfied in the end, while wanting and looking forward to Season 2.
But here I am afraid, we will leave on cliffhanger with more questions than answers:
– What is the story about the Nightsisters on Peridea (do they just want to leave the wasteland or?)
– What is Baylan looking for that calls to him (I hope at least this story thread gets answered)?
– Will the hero trio plus Huyang get stranded there at the end while Thrawn arrives in the known galaxy on cliffhanger? Or it will just end again after the last scene that feels like middle of something?
– Is there enough time to wrap up everything in 40ish minute episode next week?

I was pretty much let down by the last 3 SW shows and while Ahsoka is better than I expected and I really enjoy it a lot, I don't feel like I enjoy what Lucasfilm is doing with all these plots, mysteries and such combined with difficult and expensive production that will keep us waiting for every new seasons 2+ years like with the movie.
Lucasfilm is great at doing openers, second seasons to fluff up everything with third offering and I start to hate these hook ups, to keep me running back to a show after years waiting for sequel and not getting my answers/getting them sidelined, or having the pay offs feel rushed and impactless (Mando S3, Episode 9)... like the whole Gideon cloning basically leading to nowhere, for the clones to be revealed in seconds, quickly explained and destroyed with Gideon showing up for last two episodes with plot twist as the overarching villain, to run out of steam and be disposed off.

I really hope and wish for the last episode, to give us the answer or reveal about what Baylan is looking for. Ray Stevenson kills it. He's probably the only really satisfying character with interesting plot and motivation. Thrawn, Ezra, Sabine and Ahsoka, that's pretty much a rethread that we know about since the end of Rebels and they want to stop Thrawn again, while all of them want to escape at the same time and return home, with Thrawn's motivations will be probably revelaed after his return, as he goes step by step. But Baylan has these Ozymandias vibes and fooled pretty much everyone while playing it low key.
If Season 2 was involving Baylan and establishing him as Ahsoka series main villain, while teasing Thrawn for the movie, I wonder what they'll do with Stevenson's tragic passing as recasting him is out of the question in my opinion. Same with Leia playing huge part in Episode 9 at first, just to be revived for few scraped uncanny dialogues.
It sucks for the story, but I think it's best to honor the great dead actors by leaving them be, unless you wanna go brutal like with Tarkin in Rogue One, but I am afraid of overusing this technology and I don't know how I feel about that morally, I am maybe more of a fan of recasting than emulating someone.
While it's cool to physically see young Luke, it's not Mark Hamill as he would play him.

Will leave my final verdict after the series finishes next week, but with all the criticisms, LFL has stepped up the game, Filoni really knows what he's doing and this series is solid and I really enjoy it. I just wish I've got a little bit more in a runtime and execution, like Andor does, for paying Disney+ subscription and not feel like I am getting even less than in the golden age of TV.
And yeah, I hate weekly releases on streaming services, unless it runs on TV concurrently!

 

Huge fan of The Watchmen great analogy!

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Weekly releases force us to contemplate, analyze, and discuss... the Netflix model has spoiled filmmaking, binging has turned fans into Jabba the Hutts, gluttonous, obese, gorgers...

I love Ezra and Sabine's friendship wondering if it will go any where...

I want want more of Shin Hati's arc.

 

Chapter 7 - Dreams & Madness
(Running commentary)​

Mon Mothma hasn’t aged much in 15 years between Andor s1 & Ahsoka.
C3PO on behalf of Leia <3 Lovely and elegant resolution of the Hera problem.

I wonder if the Anakin holo-recording was there to remind the general audience who Ahsoka’s master was before Thrawn will use that against her? Just a quick reminder, like?

Entering a space battle out of the mouth of a Star Whale must be one of the epic’est battle initiations ever!

Clever! Marrok was introduced earlier to set up the fact that Elsbeth possesses the Inquisitorius records.
Thrawn’s voice is indeed a bit “pulled-back” from the almost caricature of the Rebels. I like it!


“The Emperor died?”
“That’s what they say.”
=Clever after-the-fact setup of Palply's return in TRoS.

Ezra & Sabine has good chemistry. I completely buy that they’re old friends.


The Great Mothers scrying the presence of other Force users is a powerful craft. I wonder if they can do that with equal ease off of Paridea? A serious threat to any hiding Jedi and the like.

The Noti and their tech is all adorable! And what a cool throwback to old Westerns the “circle the wagons” trick is!
Short, subdued Wilhelm Scream from Ezra when Shin Force pushes him away. Funny.

“I hope I survive long enough…” That could very well be foreshadowing of Huyang’s death…

Great episode! A partial resolution and simultaneous set-up of the climactic final episode! Great drama, great action, great presences all around, and the Noti are the absolute best. Thrawn works great, and I love how Elsbeth clearly fears him just as much as Hera & Mothma & al. does!

Congrats to Geeta Patel for her rock solid SW directing debut! Awesome!



So, with only one episode remaining, where do we stand? Well, all the Paridea heroes are united and ready for a showdown, and the same goes for the baddies. I wonder, though, if Thrawn really will leave Shin Hati & Baylan Skoll behind and just make for the home galaxy expecting the heroes to be stranded on Paridea? I mean, he's super smart and must realize that if Ahsoka could hitch a ride with the Star Whales to Paridea once, the heroes can probably also find a way to make the return journey, and I can't see Thrawn overlook that...

Nope, I have absolutely no idea how this is all going to work out next episode! I think (and sort of hope due to the real life realities) that Baylan Skoll will go down next episode -- as cool as he is, it doesn't feel like there's much milage left to go with him. Shin Hati, however, will go on and I'm certain she will either see the light and turn good (=less likely as that wouldn't be particularly well earned nor would it be all that useful for SW going forward as there are already lots and lots of heroes to juggle), or she'll leave Thrawn's service and go rogue (=most likely I think), or the Great Witches will bewitch her some, making her perhaps a witch-acolyte or a warrior-slave or something. I do believe she'll stay around to cause more trouble later on.

 

I thought it was a fun, classic Rebels episode. I thought the village battle was badass. I mean, what more do want out of Star Wars? Lightsaber duels? Check. Space battle/dogfight? Check. Humor/ C3PO?! Check. Politics? Check.

 

I need a bonus episode called The Lost Tapes and just be all of Anakin's training holograms while current Ahsoka trains while getting inspired.

More name drops and references please!

 

Not quite the follow up to last week's incredible episode that I was hoping for, but far from a bad hour of TV.

Things I took note of:

- Baylan and Shin remain very interesting. It's clear that Baylan is being drawn to some dark power... but it also seems that perhaps he sees himself as the beginning of a new Jedi, with Shin being the beginning of a new Sith? Baylan's speech to her during their separation was a highlight for me.

- Ezra's actor just nails the character, much like Sabine's did. I like how he still comically interacts with other characters (such as consistently dealing with the Noti trying to join the fight).The "force karate" stuff was really cool!

- At one point during the chase scene I realized how similar it was to a wagon train raid... then without missing a beat, Ezra calls for everyone to circle up. Star Wars nails their genre homages, without being too obnoxiously overt about it.

- Glad the purgill seemed to get away

- The Hera stuff at the beginning was pretty cool. Good to see C-3PO. I'm glad we didn't get a digitally recreated young Carrie, but I do wonder if this "fill in the blanks" method will be how legacy characters are dealt with going forward. I don't hate it, but I think that if it's overused, it'll get to be a bit silly.

- Thrawn calling for a retreat is odd. He seems to really want to preserve his Nighttroopers, especially given the rumors that they're not even alive anymore anyway. Like, I get he successfully stalled for time, but he could've arguably finished off Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka right there.

- Shin getting away may be my biggest criticism of the episode. Ezra demands that she surrender her weapon, and instead she just kinda saunters off. Combined with Ahsoka just kinda yeeting her own self away from the fight with Baylan, it seemed like this episode wanted some lightsaber fights, but wasn't really sure how to resolve them while also keeping all key characters alive. I'm not saying the fights were a bad thing (I'll take as many as I can get), but rather that their resolution and methods of escape were about as uninspired as we've ever gotten in Star Wars.

 

Like my mom always used to tell me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say . . . then go on the internet and shout it at total strangers.”

Actually, I got nothing worth saying about this episode. Just wanted to participate

 

I wonder what the title refers to?

It has a very H.P. Lovecraft feel to it, with both "Dreams" and "Madness" being major components of his stories of cosmic horror... and I suppose both the idea of witches and tentacled space whales fit well into that mythos, though I'm not sure that's necessarily what they were going for.

Dreams could of course refer both to subconscious thought while asleep, or (more likely, in this case) a desire and vision for the future. It seems a little perverse to call Thrawn's plan to return a "dream", but perhaps Ezra's desire is? Maybe Baylan's perhaps good-intention but ill fated quest? What other goals do our characters have that could be "dreams"?

Madness... I mean, I also think it's a bit inaccurate to refer to Thrawn's plan as "madness". He's not really portrayed as the classic "mad genius", someone like Dr. Frankenstein or Norman Osborne. And I'd be skeptical that this refers to the Nightsisters... and even though Baylan's quest seems ill fated, it was hardly the focus of this episode.

Dreams and madness... not quite opposites like "Dark and Light" ("Nightmares" would've been the more suitable word, if that was the case). But we do see Baylan and Shin splitting ways. Maybe this is more what it refers to? But again, not really what I'd consider the crux of the episode, enough to determine its name.

 

Interesting. What do you mean, that you think things aren't what they seem? You think there may be something up with Ezra?