SPOILER Ep. 8 The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord

I always appreciate corrections. Thanks!

For you, sure! For me, it doesn't even crack the top five. The best thing it does is translate Ahsoka from animated to live action. This is a VERY impressive thing, and I remember geeking out about it to my dad, but various shows have walked that path enough for it to be a little antiquated now for me. That doesn't mean it's not important or shouldn't be praised, but that's not the only laurel the episode or series should rest on IMO. Other episodes of other shows are either way more cinematic, recontextualize things in better ways, or are just better done. To me. Because at the end of the day, it's all subjective.

 

FWIW, while I loved Shadow Warrior, Ahsoka's live action debut in Mando 2's The Jedi was arguably The Best Episode of SW TV ever made.

Others were more Cinematic? The episode didn't offer us sweeping vistas but it has some INCREDIBLE shots -- Ahsoka holding Baby Grogu in front of a full moon ranks as one of the most visually dramatic scenes in Star Wars. The overall mood of the film was perfect; very Kurosawa-esque.

Others Contextualized things better? I'm not sure there could've been a better way for the audience to learn The Child's name than through Ahsoka. One of the things I loved about Season 2 is that from Episode 3 on, each one became a natural stepping stone to the next leading up to the season's kick-butt climax.

Others were better done? The direction, the acting, the musical score, the sound effects, the fight choreography, it all made for a near-perfect episode in my book.

As you said -- and I agree -- at the end of the day, it's all subjective. But I just HAD to stick up for my favorite.

 

REcontextualized things better. Not contextualized, but REcontextualized. BOBF Ep 5 with Luke and Mando was far better at both, though. It gave us context and insight into Luke's relationship with Ahsoka, deepened the relationship between Grogu and Mando, and Mando and Ahsoka, and then recontextualized and repurposed an old Naboo starfighter into a bounty hunting ship - one of the single best things I think any of the shows have done. (For me, this is because it's a metaphor for the entirety of the prequels as a whole, and hope for the sequels as well. The idea that we can take something that was forgotten and maybe not very liked and repurpose it into something that can find use in the now and be given new life...that resonates with me more than just seeing a fan-favorite character onscreen.)

If you're looking for Kurosawa, be it mood or homage, that's easy to find in Star Wars, and I'm not just talking about ANH. They had a whole episode dedicated to Seven Samurai in TCW. "Shadow Warrior" as a title (also used in TCW) is a reference to Kagemusha, a Kurosawa film that Lucas was an Executive Producer on. The Mandalorian Season 1 had several episodes and instances of Kurosawa-esque narration and mood...as did Season2 and Season 3. (Particularly in Season 3, I'd argue that The Apostate is very much in that vein.)
In terms of Cinematics, yes, I will still hold that other episodes do better, at least to me. The shots in "Shadow Warrior" were far more stunning to me, as was the cinematography. The switch between Ahsoka falling into the smoke and clone troopers coming out as Young Ahsoka stumbles out, to me, is by far better than anything that "The Jedi" has to offer.
"Fallen Jedi," from the very start of the episode, is shot in a way that's completely different from previous episodes. "The Eye" in Andor is beautifully shot and melds tension and graphics to make a glorious heist.
Ahsoka herself, by the time of the show, is called a Ronin, very much like several characters (probably played by Toshiro Mifune) in Kurosawa's films. In that respect, she's as much of a Kurosawa hero as Mando is. (Although Jidaigeki genre is full of Ronin, so it's not specific to him.)

And that's fine. It worked for you on a level it doesn't hold up to nowadays for me.

And as much as I disagree on favorites, I wouldn't have it any other way!