With just one episode remaining, “Dreams and Madness” really brought the Ahsoka series into sharp focus. The back-half of the season has been excellent, and this episode continues the development of the overarching story of the timeline while honing in on the characters’ specific stories as well. Let’s get to it.
1. Government tensions
The episode begins with tying off the Hera storyline, preserving her status as a general for the New Republic, while also helping viewers understand the structure of the Republic and the politics behind it with relative ease. This is helped by a C-3PO cameo. Threepio, sent by Senator Leia Organa, is the perfect delivery system for important information both in-story and for the viewer. Despite being a ‘mere droid,’ there’s a shorthand when Threepio or R2D2 show up that everyone recognizes.
This plot point – Leia sticking her neck out for Hera – also continues to draw a line to the sequel trilogy. This is the type of stuff that would make Leia form the Resistance, and it also shows why folks like Hera, perhaps, would have left with her, because she engenders that sort of loyalty. Leia is able to take the hits when they’re important, and if Hera thinks this is important, so does Leia.
We get another appearance of Senator Xiono, the dipshit who is drawn almost cowardly by the writers and who, we know because of Star Wars Resistance, will have a son that will be important to the Resistance later in life. Who wouldn’t want to rebel from such a terrible father?
Also, we got an Asaaj Ventress reference! Hell yeah!
2. A look inside Thrawn’s mind
I really love how Dave Filoni + co handled Thrawn in this episode, and I love that there was a little ambiguity given to one of the most straightforward characters in Star Wars. We see Thrawn very concerned, visibly so, when he learns that Ahsoka was trained by Anakin Skywalker. It is the first time, either in animation or in live action, that we’ve seen Thrawn truly surprised by something. Lars Mikkelsen handles the scene perfectly, and we see Thrawn have to course correct his mind in real time.
But this episode casts more doubt with Thrawn when we see his plan to kill Ezra and Sabine fall apart. Now, maybe this is because Baylan Skoll abandons his post, but we, again, see Thrawn course correct and realize “this is fine.” Now, are we seeing the notoriously nimble mind of Thrawn do calculations and realize that this isn’t such a big deal, or are we seeing someone slipping after years of inaction? It could be a little bit of both, but what is so brilliant about these scenes are that we are questioning Thrawn without actually seeing him mess anything up.
Mikkelsen is doing such a great job of portraying Thrawn as this cold, calculating, never wrong strategist, and with just a few small bits of bad luck going his way, we see that he’s not perfect and can be defeated. The biggest knock against the Thrawn of the novels is that, at times, he seems unbeatable. And not unbeatable in a Rocky way, where there’s a chance but it looks remote. No, there are parts of Thrawn books where it seems like he could’ve taken on the Death Star with a toothpick and some dental floss and had a resounding victory. This hasn’t diminished the character at all, but has added a layer of vulnerability that works wonders.
3. Land of Dreams and Madness
The episode’s title comes from something that Baylan says in the prior episode about Peridea, the planet that they are currently on. Baylan believes that the planet holds something more important and powerful than anything Thrawn can promise them, and so he leaves Shin, warning her to, essentially, not to choke on her aspirations. Baylan is one of the most interesting characters in live-action Star Wars TV, and it is a true shame that Ray Stevenson won’t be able to keep playing this character, because Stevenson has been a revelation here. The loss of a TV character is infinitely less significant than a human life, and so while I’d love to see more Baylan, that isn’t in the top one hundred reasons why Stevenson’s death is a shame.
Continued belowThere have been theories that Baylan is looking for passage into the World Between Worlds, and that he feels that Peridea is a way in. He has spoken about his loss of faith before, but he’s sure enough of Peridea being important that he is willing to allow himself to be stranded in a different galaxy for the chance to succeed at his plan.
And while he fights Ahsoka to stop her from foiling Shin’s plan to kill Sabine and Ezra, he doesn’t seem all that upset when she gets away. Again, he’s not a Sith. He’s something different. Of all the characters we’ve seen in this show, I hope that his story gets explored somehow.
The reunion of the three incomplete Jedi was a beautiful moment, and felt very different than the Sabine/Ezra reunion. When we saw Sabine find Ezra, we knew the potential disaster hiding in that happiness. But since Ahsoka found them, and since she’s mastered Purrgil space travel, there’s a path back for them now.
The part of the Ezra/Sabine story that I enjoyed most was seeing Ezra deny his lightsaber and use only the Force to fight the Troopers. This is likely a ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ decision, because without a lightsaber to train with, Ezra must have learned other ways to fight. However, it also shows a purity in him that is unparalleled across the Jedi we’ve met thus far. Although we’ve only spent a little time with Ezra so far, he is proving, like Sabine, to be a character that demands more screen time here. I’ve spoken about how Ahsoka is maybe not the perfect name for this series, as she’s been one of the least interesting characters thus far. Again, it really should’ve just been called Rebels.
5. Endgame
I’m very relieved that the penultimate episode of the season featured the reunion between Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka, because that means that next episode (should) see them leave the planet, and set up something of a story for whatever is next. Is that a second season? Is that the Filoni-directed film? I’m not sure, but I was afraid that the season was going to end with the reunion and a neat pin put in this story without hanging anything out there for what is next.
I say that because it seems like this film has to be, minimum, three years away, if not more, and there doesn’t seem to be that much to do to set that up. What we’ve been told is that it is Thrawn-centered, and would bring together the characters from the other Disney+ shows together. We know there’s another season of The Mandalorian in the works, and Skeleton Crew is set to arrive either late this year or early next, as well as rumors of another Book of Boba Fett season bubbling up now and then. To be clear, I’m not saying that we need five more seasons of Ahsoka before that film or anything of the sort. I just want there to be some sort of pathway towards the new film laid out by the last episode.
But beyond all the Thrawn and Rebels stuff, I’m most interested in how Baylan’s story wraps up. I can’t wait to see what his master plan is for Peridea.
See you next week for the finale!
