Author: Charles Murphy

REVIEW: ‘Loki’ Season 2, Episode 1

In the wake of the widely panned Secret Invasion and the shuffling of Echo into 2024 and Ironheart into who knows when, Marvel Studios’ hopes for streaming success in 2023 rest squarely on the shoulders of the second season of Loki. While it’s foolish to judge an entire series by its first episode, if “Ouroboros” is any indication of what to expect this season from the creative team of writer Eric Martin and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who previously teamed up with Marvel Studios on Moon Knight, Marvel may be able to rest easy.

“Ouroboros” comes out of the gate swinging. Opening in the moments immediately after the Season 1 cliffhanger, the episode quickly dismisses the most prevalent fan theory about where Loki ended up when Sylvie kicked him through the time door. Whereas the belief was that Loki was transported to an alternate TVA, the first quarter of the episode establishes that he has in fact been transported to the same TVA in the past…and what an interesting past it was. By grotesquely “time slipping”, Loki learns that He Who Remains once openly ruled the TVA before installing the Time Keepers and slipping away to the Citadel at the End of Time. Taken in concert with the recent revelations that all TVA employees are Variants who were ripped from their lives, the very foundations upon which they believed the TVA stood are now entirely reframed as the implications of He Who Remains’ actions become crystal clear. These people’s minds have been wiped repeatedly in the service of the TVA and anything and everything they think they know about themselves is just a fraction of their actual lives.

Once the episode moves forward under those implications, finding a solution to Loki’s time slipping becomes the central focus of the episode. Finding a solution to that problem leads Mobius and Loki to one of the second season’s key new members in Ke Hey Quan’s Ouroboros. The march to find OB, the TVA’s resident tech guru, not only allows for an exploration of some of the unseen nooks and crannies of the TVA but also time for the series’ marquee characters, Loki and Mobius, to shine. Much of the success of Season 1 came from the chemistry between the two and even under the direction of a new creative team, the pair continues to cook. Tom Hiddleston continues to be so wonderfully charismatic and catalytic as Loki which means that it’s nearly impossible for him to share an awkward scene with anyone and so as funny as his scenes with Owen Wilson continue to be, his split-time scenes with Quan’s OB are equally brilliant. By working together, Loki and OB come up with a solution to Loki’s issue but in attempting to solve that issue, the larger mystery of Season 2 is revealed.

Owen Wilson as Mobius in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

In pursuit of curing Loki’s time slipping, OB discovers that the Time Loom, an object which he explains is used to refine raw time into physical timelines, has been overloaded as time broke free following the death of He Who Remains. The second half of the episode ends up being some of the MCU’s best hardcore sci-fi to date as it attempts to address the madness erupting in the multiverse. The back half is full of imaginative set designs and mumbo jumbo jargon (a dial on the ceiling keeps track of the chronons being emitted per hour) that allow for the audience to have some footing in what’s actually taking place. Sci-fi, time travel and mulitversality have never been for everyone but the writing team, lead by Martin, did an admirable job of making it palatable and as relatable as possible under the circumstances.

While “Ouroboros” solves Loki’s time slipping issue and resolves the Season 1 cliffhanger, it ends on one itself. In the absence of Ravonna Rennslayer, the headless TVA is now subject to the whims of an interesting group of folks led by General (Paradox), Judge Gamble and another fellow with all the energy of Ray Winstone’s Dreykov. Just as Loki is pulled back from the time stream, several brigades of Hunters are seen taking off through a series of time doors into the newly created branches in search of Sylvie. While her location is unveiled in the show’s post-credit scene, the actions of these Hunters and are sure to have some pretty heady consequences for the show and set up one of two ongoing plot points for the season.

Though in many ways it feels like more of the same (great writing, great characters and timey-wimey mysteries), the opening episode of Season 2 also gives the MCU something brand new. While Loki’s glorious purpose, established over a decade ago in the MCU’s timeline, seems like old news to the audience, it’s important to remember that this Loki Variant was plucked from 2012 where he only very recently attempted to kill the Avengers and sought to rule all of humanity. “Ouroboros” give this Loki room to grow into a new glorious purpose: becoming the hero of all time. From the moment he first appears on screen, Hiddleston plays the part with a distinct desperation we’ve never really seen. Even in the Season 1 finale, there was some hesitancy to become the hero but now, having been Lokied by another Loki, this Loki now seems fully committed to an all-new, all-different path. And maybe, just maybe, the sun will shine on Loki and his brother again at the end of it. If you thought there wasn’t room for more Loki in your life, “Ouroboros” did its level best to make you think twice and set up one hell of a first two-thirds of a season of streaming TV at its best. In an increasingly entropic MCU, Season 2 of Loki seeks to return order and remind us all what’s always been so great about this shared universe.

October 6, 2023
Scott Derrickson’s ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Would Have Been a “Genuine Horror Film”

It’s no secret that the Doctor Strange sequel that made its way into theaters in 2022 was miles away from the film that was originally pitched by the director of the first film, Scott Derrickson. When Derrickson and Marvel Studios parted ways, the rumor mill churned out the idea that departure stemmed from the director being told his pitch was “too creepy.” That rumor was squashed by Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, and never really made much sense anyway since the studio went on to work with Sam Raimi, who inserted plenty of creepy stuff into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That doesn’t mean, however, that Derrickson, who has directed horror movies such as The Black Phone, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister, didn’t have creepy ideas in mind for the sequel.

In an interview with The Playlist, Derrickson opened up about the reasons he and Marvel Studios chose to part ways and his pitch for the film. “All I can say is that what we said publicly is exactly the truth,” said Derrickson. “We had real creative differences. You know, the movie I wanted to make and how I wanted to make it was different than–it was just increasingly obvious that we were pulling against each other. And that’s how you make a really bad movie, I think. When the producer or the studio and the filmmaker are making different movies, you end up with a monstrosity and, you know, that’s why I had to bounce.”

As for what the movie Derrickson wanted to make entailed, the director told The Playlist that is was an “extreme departure from the first film” and “a genuine horror film of sorts.” Concept art for Derrickson’s version of the sequel included designs for Nightmare, a Fear Lord who has served as one of Strange’s longest-lasting antagonists in the comics. So what becomes of all those concepts and ideas? As it turns out, Derrickson explains “there’s no bad blood” over his departure, backing up his previous comments about being open to returning to work with the studio. While it seems unlikely his pitch would line up with what Doctor Strange 3 seems to be about, it’s possible it might find life in whatever comes next for the MCU following the Multiverse Saga.

Source: The Playlist

October 5, 2023
A Second Season of ‘Ahsoka’ Looks to Be in the Works

While the eighth and final episode of Ahsoka left no doubt that there are more adventures in store for the former Jedi, the lack of an immediate announcement of a second season left fans wondering where those adventures would unfold. With creator Dave Filoni also tapped to bring the New Republic era of stories to the big screen, it’s reasonable to wonder if the cliffhangers from “The Jedi, The Witch and The Warlord” were meant to be resolved in the “Heir to the Empire” film and if Ahsoka would be a one and done. While it’s possible much of what went on in Ahsoka might be addressed in the film, it now seems a second season is a very realistic possibility as well.

According to Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro, though nothing is “locked yet”, due at least in part to the lengthy WGA strike, a second season of Ahsoka seems pretty likely and is “in the conversation” about what project is up next for the main cast of characters. If that’s the case, it seems more foundation needs to be laid before Filoni’s film, which is said to be the capstone of the Mando-verse projects, hits theaters.

Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series Skeleton Crew is thought to be the next New Republic-era story headed to Disney Plus though there seems to be some uncertainty when that will stream despite it having previously been announced as a late-2023 drop. Beyond that, it’s believed that a fourth season of The Mandalorian is ready to head into production as soon as possible after the resolution of the SAG strike. If filming were to get underway in 2023, it’s possible it would be ready for release in the Spring of 2025. While it hasn’t been officially announced yet, it seems as though Lucasfilm is angling for Filoni’s film to hit theaters in 2026 so it’s possible that a second season of Ahsoka might have some space carved out for it in 2025 or early 2026.

All episodes of Ahsoka are streaming now on Disney Plus.

Source: Deadline

October 5, 2023
REVIEW: The Season Finale of ‘Ahsoka’

With a dense eighth and final episode directed by Rick Famuyiwa, the first season of Ahsoka has come and gone; however, much like seasons of its animated prequel series, Star Wars Rebels, just as much as–if not more than–was left in limbo for the next adventure as was resolved. In many ways, “The Jedi, The Witch and The Warlord” feels much like the second acts in each of the Star Wars trilogies (Attack of the Clones, The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi). Tough choices are made, heroes are separated and there’s a strong sense the bad guys won though a glimmer of hope remains. And so perhaps, given creator Dave Filoni’s deep understanding of the style, structure and rhythm of Star Wars, Ahsoka will eventually be seen as the second act of the New Republic era of stories that Filoni and Jon Favreau have been crafting for Disney Plus and which will eventually culminate in an as yet undated theatrical release. However, as is true about nearly every Star Wars project, its place in the even larger narrative is incredibly relevant as well.

Taken as a complete series, Ahsoka seems to fill three roles. It serves–potentially equally but certainly simultaneously–as a sequel to Star Wars Rebels, the second act of the New Republic era of stories and a prequel to the sequel trilogy or, at the very least, the Rise of the First Order. Set around 11 ABY, Ahsoka takes place roughly 10 years after the events of Star Wars Rebels and, coincidentally, roughly 10 years before the establishment of The First Order which makes the series–and perhaps the character–the fulcrum on which the fate of the galaxy pivots. Given its equidistance (and there’s no way any of that is coincidental) between the before and the after, it was requisite that it service both the before and the after and the finale did just that. Thus the Talzin Sword, the Mortis gods, Morai and any other Rebels callbacks were just as front and center as Thrawn’s next step in becoming heir to the Empire, the open-endedness of what awaits Ahsoka, Sabine, Baylan and Shin on Peridea and any other foreshadowing of the next story in the New Republic timeline. So just as The Empire Strikes Back is the second act of the original trilogy and the original trilogy is the second act of the Skywalker Saga, Ahsoka finds itself as the second act of a second act because as begun by George Lucas and continued by Filoni, Star Wars stories will always fit a role in a familiar pattern.

(L-R): Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Huyang (David Tennant) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved

Despite falling into that pattern and feeling very much like the Star Wars fans around Filoni’s age grew up with, Ahsoka also feels like something brand new and all its own. The finale continued Filoni’s career-long crusade to expand the nature of the Force. Sabine finally tapped into the Force (is it stronger there than in the “home” galaxy?), Thrawn and the Great Mothers set a course for Dathomir (what exactly is in that cargo hold?) and Baylan’s last scene teased a potentially monumental deep dive into the origins of the Force through a further exploration of The Ones (is Peridiea where they left The Mother when they went to Mortis?). It also left Sabine, Ahsoka, Baylan and Shin in a galaxy far, far away from THE galaxy far, far away allowing for the potential for stories (past, present and future) to be set there. In that way, and taken as a whole, Ahsoka feels expansive both within the framework created by Lucas and outside of that same framework where it seems Filoni is becoming more comfortable carving his own path. And just as it seems the right path for Ahsoka–as the appearance of Morai indicate–to explore Peridea and all its strange unknonws, it seems the right path for Filoni, as well.

As the finale of an eight-episode season, “The Jedi, The Witch and The Warlord” did plenty to resolve what was unquestionably the biggest question: will Ezra get home? He did and got to wear his favorite disguise in doing so; however, given Ezra’s eturn went hand-in-hand with the inevitable return of the Heir to the Empire and where the galaxy is bound to end up in a decade, his happy reunion with Hera and Chopper will certainly be short-lived. But Ahsoka’s role in the larger narrative, while still to be fully realized, is clearly greater than one season’s worth of stories but if the first season is any measure of what to expect from more, fans should be excited. If, in fact, Ahsoka is the fulcrum upon which the fate of the galaxy pivots, the finale just tipped the scales: up is headed down and down is headed up and balance will be elusive if not impossible for everyone along for the ride…including you.

October 4, 2023
‘The Marvel’s Looks Set to Be Marvel Studios Shortest Film to Date

In recent years, fans have developed an interesting obsession with the runtimes of Marvel Studios projects. Whether it’s an episode of one a streaming project or the length of a film, conversations about runtimes have, at times, overshadowed conversations about what happened DURING that runtime. The general consensus seems to be that no matter how long the episode or film in question actually is, it would have been better had it been longer. With that in mind, those obsessed with runtime will have plenty to talk about now.

According to newly shared information by Cryptic HD, who continues to be a bulletproof source for runtime information on Disney’s projects, The Marvels, which releases on November 10th, is set to be the shortest MCU film to date.

https://twitter.com/Cryptic4KQual/status/1709284522292818381?t=vamnLl9aMyTyH5Atn936YA&s=19

As the post makes clear, the 105 minute runtime is still only an estimate; however, it’s unlikely that the actual runtime of The Marvels will differ significantly enough from the estimate to surpass the 112 minute runtimes of either The Incredible Hulk or Thor: The Dark World which currently share the honor of being the shortest cinematic entries in the MCU.

Given The Marvels may be the last Marvel Studios project to hit theaters for quite some time as a the now-resolved WGA strike and ongoing SAG strike have delayed productions, fans will have to make the most of the 1 hour and 45 minutes of action it provides.

October 3, 2023
REVIEW: ‘Loki’ Season 2, Episodes 1-4

Though it’s undoubtedly at least partially revisionist, Marvel Studios has a history of success that seems strongly weighted by the Infinity Saga. The internet is full of talking heads who will tell you that following Avengers: Endgame, the MCU just hasn’t been the same and that the quality of the projects, both theatrical and streaming, has fallen off drastically. 2023 has added fuel to the fire with projects such as Ant-Man: Quantumania and Secret Invasion failing to impress the majority of fans–and even fewer critics–leading to an even louder refrain of “The MCU is dead” than ever before. Leave it to the ultimate agent of chaos and the most entropic entry in the Multiverse Saga to date to restore order to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The God of Mischief has heard your concerns and Season 2 of Loki answers them authoritatively.

Picking up directly where Season 1 left off, Loki quickly reframes what fans thought happened in the prior season’s cliffhanger and puts Loki up against the clock. As the MCU builds towards an adaptation of Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars, the first episode–and then again the first four–certainly have the feel of the Time Runs Out prelude Hickman weaved through his Avengers and New Avengers titles. While Season 2 of Loki is certainly no adaptation of those–indeed it seems not to be an adaptation of any particular comic run or set of stories but rather an original idea from the production/writing team of Michael Waldron and Eric Martin–the first four episodes are fast-paced, intense and make it very clear that time is running out for all time. Getting down to brass tacks, the premise of Season 2 is this: the death of He Who Remains has created a multiverse that the TVA simply is not prepared to manage.

(L-R): Ke Huy Quan as O.B., Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Owen Wilson as Mobius in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.

Starting with but certainly not limited to that premise, it’s amazing just how often these first four episodes of Season 2 of Loki work as an allegory for the criticisms faced by Marvel Studios. As He Who Remains’ death allowed the timeline to break free and grow into something far too large and chaotic for the TVA to handle, so has the Multiverse Saga opened the doors to criticism about Kevin Feige and co. potentially adopting a quantity over quality approach with, at one point, 8 projects planned in a calendar year. The technological MacGuffin of the first four episodes, a Multiplier that allows the Temporal Loom to be able to collar and manage the new timelines, provides the impetus for Loki and Mobius to take a trip through time and allows for the introduction of Jonathan Majors‘ Victor Timely. As the buddy cop duo sets off to find a Variant of the man who built the TVA to restore it to its rightful status as a timespace behemoth, so has Bob Iger returned from retirement with a renewed focus on curating and managing projects and characters amid jeers that there’s simply too much content for fans to consume. And as an all-new, all-different Loki is mocked, reminded that he’s a villain, not a hero, and told to stick to what he’s always done, so too do the critics hammer away at Marvel Studios for breaking away from the “Marvel formula.” Much as the future of Marvel Studios seems up for grabs, the first four episodes of Loki’s second season end with a truly shocking cliffhanger that will leave fans suspended in uncertainty…but not before a return to form and a reminder of what these streaming series should be.

Like its predecessor, Season 2 of Loki allows Tom Hiddleston all the room in the Multiverse to explore the nooks and crannies of the title character. Hiddleston has filled the godly shoes for well over a decade now and as easy as it might be to question what else there might be left to do with Loki, the first four episodes–and Hiddleston’s continued brilliance in the role–provide plenty of answers. Keeping in mind that this particular Variant of Loki, Variant L1130, was created when he escaped with the Tesseract in the aftermath of the 2012 Battle of New York during a botched effort by the Avengers during their time heist, allows the audience to truly see the realtime (sort of, since it technically takes place out of time) evolution of the character. Not far removed from seeking to subjugate all of humanity, Loki now seeks glorious purpose in keeping them free and, as such, Hiddleston finds space for an empathic Loki who recognizes the true beauty and power of humanity–a truly heroic version of the character, though thanks to some fun plot devices is able to get back to some fun magical mischief.

(L-R): Owen Wilson as Mobius and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.

However, Season 2 is not simply the Tom Hiddleston show. So much of what made Season 1 work so well was the chemistry between Hiddleston and his co-stars, specifically Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino and, thankfully, a new creative team did nothing to change that. The Loki-Mobius dynamic is just as strong as always and the fractured relationship between Loki and Sylvie allows for an even deeper exploration of both characters. The brilliant addition of Ke Huy Quan as TVA tech guru Ouroboros will rightfully draw plenty of praise as Quan is an absolute joy in his surprisingly extended role; however, don’t underestimate Rafael Cassl’s saucy X-5/Brad Wolfe who ebbs and flows throughout the first four episodes as an agent of chaos in his own right. Majors‘ brings a definite strangeness to Victor Timely, who isn’t exactly what you think he might be and returners Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Tara Strong all get more to do to the benefit of the project as a whole.

As is always the case with pre-release screenings of Marvel Studios projects, critics and press have not seen the whole series which makes a true analysis of Season 2 of Loki impossible. Simply put, no matter how entertaining the first four episodes are, if the last two drop the ball, the project won’t be seen as a success and that’s not something Marvel Studios can afford at the moment. However, what can be said is that for four episodes, Marvel Studios leaned on one of their strongest and most veteran talents to put together what is unquestionably their best effort–theatrical or cinematic–not only of 2023 but of the entire Multiverse Saga. A combination of strong creative work behind the scenes by writer Eric Martin and the directing duo of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson and an enormously talented cast make Loki a fun sci-fi mystery that will fill the Void-sized void you may have been feeling.

October 3, 2023
‘Ahsoka’ Season Finale Runtime Revealed

Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, Ahsoka, has by and large been one of the studio’s most consistently strong efforts. Led by a stellar cast including star Rosario Dawson and Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, the series has served as both a continuation of Star Wars Rebels and an effective next chapter in the New Republic era of stories being spun by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. Now, with the series finale just two days away, a new report from a reliable source has emerged and gives fans an idea of how long the eighth and final part of the series will run.

Cryptic HD QUALITY, who has reliably reported on runtimes for episodes of Marvel Studios and Star Wars series in the past, has shared that the finale of Ahsoka is set to run 46 minutes and 25 seconds with 42 minutes and 43 seconds of that before the credits roll.

https://twitter.com/Cryptic4KQual/status/1708086543263338523

Even before the show debuted on Disney Plus, rumors swirled that the series finale would put the heroes in a tough spot and end on an Empire Strikes Back-esque cliffhanger. Part 7 certainly laid the groundwork for such an ending by reuniting the Ahsoka, Ezra and Sabine just in time to take on Grand Admiral Thrawn and Morgan Elsbeth while separating Skoll from his apprentice Shin Hati. It’s likely that most of those 42 minutes will be spent on some pretty intense action scenes before setting up the next chapter in the Mando-verse.

The final episode of Ahsoka streams Tuesday, October 3rd, at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.

October 1, 2023
Marvel Studios Sets a New Release Date for ‘Echo’

Few Marvel Studios projects have been subject to the type of pre-trailer doom and gloom as Echo. After debuting in Hawkeye, Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, is taking her own adventure that will lead her back home to explore her Native American heritage and footage shown exclusively at 2022’s D23 looked promising; however, rumors of a troubled production continued to spread and release date shuffles did nothing to quell them. Once it came to light that Disney planned to release the entire show at once–and that it has been cut back to 5 episodes–hysteria about the quality of the show reached an all-time high. One final release date shift due to the ongoing strikes in Hollywood seemed like a final kick while the show was down but now fans can scratch a new date onto their calendars…for now.

According to a listing at the US Copyright Catalog, Echo is now set for release on January 10, 2024. That date is consistent with a previous report from THR that indicated the series has been bumped out of 2023.

Vincent D’Onfrio is set to appear as Kingpin in Echo, which will also feature a pair of Cox as Charlie Cox is also on board as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. The official synopsis for the series can be read in full below.

Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) aka Kingpin. In the first episode we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles.

Source: US Copyright Office

September 30, 2023
Mutant Movement! Marvel Studios Looking to Begin Development on Their ‘X-Men’ Reboot

With the Writers Guild of America strike coming to an end, Marvel Studios wasted no time in getting the big wheel of development up and running again. According to Deadline, Kevin Feige and crew are set to begin meeting with writers this Fall in search of pitches for their reboot of the X-Men!

According to the report, facing a major backlog of projects–both theatrical and streaming–Marvel Studios is set to take their time in finding the scribe for the project with a decision not expected until sometime in 2024. In days of old, that would mean the project might look to start filming in 2026 but with so much uncertainty around productions as the SAG strike continues and studio space at a premium, there’s been no certainty when the film might go into production much less make its way into theaters.

It is widely rumored that Deadpool 3 and Avengers: Secret Wars will close permanently close the doors to the Fox X-Men franchise, allowing the MCU mutants to be the only game in town. A 2021 report from The Illuminerdi indicated that, in an attempt to set its reboot apart from those Fox films, Marvel Studios was looking to develop the project as The Mutants. Though the idea was roundly dismissed online, documents showing that title did circulate and it is a title that was tossed around by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for the X-Men comic back in the early 1960s.

While Hugh Jackman is set to suit up as Wolverine for an MCU adventure, the shared cinematic universe has already seen its first mutant in Kamala Khan and a Marvel Studios-produced revival of the popular X-Men: The Animated Series is set to debut in 2024. All signs point to a BIG future for mutants within the MCU!

Source: Deadline

September 29, 2023
REVIEW: Reunion and Separation in the Midst of “Dreams and Madness”

For every way that Ahsoka has felt very, very Star Wars-y, there continues to be the personal touch that creator Dave Filoni has always put on his work for Lucasfilm. And so, while Episode 7, “Dreams and Madness” has plenty of lightsaber fights, space scenes, a touching reunion between friends and even a cameo from everyone’s favorite protocol droid, it once again gives us something new to think about hope we see come to fruition at some point.

There’s no questioning that Baylan Skoll, played magnificently by the late Ray Stevenson, has quickly ascended the hierarchy of very impressive characters created and curated by Filoni. In case you missed the declaration, he’s no Jedi but as we’ve learned through his relationship with his apprentice, Shin Hati, and their ongoing mission in the service of Morgan Elsbeth, he’s no Sith either. Skoll is rather a pretty damn enlightened Force user who saw the Jedi order for what it was: a wonderful idea that fell to pieces as the galaxy changed around it. Skoll wants something “more” and he has eaten a lot of shit from some pretty evil people in order to get to the far reaches of ANOTHER galaxy to find it and now, with whatever it is he seeks just outside of his reach, he imparts one last piece of wisdom to Shin and abruptly bails on Elsbeth and Grand Admiral Thrawn. For as long as we’ve seen the Master/Apprentice relationship in Star Wars (and if you’ve watched Filoni’s animated series, that’s a lot), we’ve NEVER seen something remotely similar to what Skoll just pulled here…and it is fascinating. Is he displeased with Shin? Has he taught her everything he thinks he can? Whatever this man wants on Peridea, it was worth losing everything to find.

Balancing out the separation of Baylan and Hati is the reunion of Ahsoka with her apprentice, Sabine, and, of course, with Ezra. While it takes all of the episode’s run time to get there, Ahsoka’s warm embrace of Ezra feels incredibly authentic and wonderfully earned. It’s hard to remember sometimes that much of Star Wars has always centered around wonderful friendships and this warm and fuzzy moment reminds us just how important to their survival these friendships have been. Sooner or later, however, Ahsoka and Sabine are going to have to come clean with Ezra…

Speaking of coming clean, with–as Thrawn points out–time working against the trio of heroes how long will it be before one of more of Ezra’s secrets will come to light. As fans of Rebels may remember, Ezra has quite an interesting history with Dathomiri folks and owes a debt to the Nightsisters. His being on their ancestral home of Peridea simply cannot be a coincidence. It’s possible, no matter how terrifying, that he and Baylan could be on a collision course and Ezra’s bill may just come due.

September 28, 2023