We are now in the final three weeks of Star Wars Rebels.
The latest two episodes, Jedi Night and Dume, came out last night, and it was some of the
best storytelling the show has done in its four seasons.
So let’s talk about it.
Last December Hera led an X-wing squadron in an attack against Lothal’s TIE Defender
factory.
The mission ended in death, disaster, and Hera’s capture.
It’s no surprise that this episode is all about rescuing her.
Kanan requests that Ezra take command of the rescue because his feelings could get in the
way.
It’s a nice moment that shows how much Ezra has grown.
He’s not just Kanan’s apprentice anymore.
He commands trust and respect from those around him.
We’ll come back to that in the next episode.
But for now, the Rebels build some gliders so they can fly into Lothal undetected.
Sabine makes note that the Empire is ready to counter sophisticated technology, which
I think could be taken as a jab at the Empire’s future failure against the Ewoks.
Thrawn had a really great presence this episode.
He is involved in the questioning of Hera, and he deduces that she had a brother that
died young, which is interesting, and I’ll touch on that in the next episode as well.
Thrawn leaves Pryce in charge of the questioning, and she serves as the real villain.
If you read the Thrawn book last year, this is like a perfect continuation for her.
She was ruthless in that book, and it served her well, so she continues to up the ante
when she gets more power.
Thrawn is called to make his case for the TIE Defender budget, because Krennic wants
more funds for the Death Star.
I like how Tarkin complained about the Death Star, but we know he is more than willing
to take control of it once it’s complete.
I wonder if he would have done the same to Thrawn had the TIE Defender been allowed
to continue.
Kanan, Ezra and Sabine are able to sneak into the base and split up.
Kanan saves Hera and her calicori, but not before Hera is injected with truth serum.
High Hera was entertaining.
Both episodes put Hera in mental states that we just haven’t gotten from her before,
and it was good to see.
Their banter during their escape was fun and funny and touching, and just the right amount
of frustrating where you know they’re gonna say what they want to eventually.
But the Empire is hot on their heels the whole time.
Rukh was actually pretty great.
He was keeping up with Kanan, and then he straight up bests him in combat, and probably
would have killed him if the Force weren’t involved.
I’ve been pretty impressed with how Rebels has handled his character.
He is like the opposite of the Death Troopers, who showed up again in this episode and again
did nothing.
I love the idea of the Death Trooper.
I felt like they were deadly enough in Rogue One.
But every time they show up in Rebels they might as well be normal stormtroopers.
This time they were all taken out by a blind Jedi and a drunk, recently tortured escapee.
I wish Death Troopers should make us afraid for the characters, but they might as well
be a joke in the show.
Anyway, griping aside, Hera and Kanan head to the fuel depot for a pickup from Ezra and
Sabine.
Hera sobers up and tells Kanan that she loves him, and everything is going pretty well,
so you just know something awful is about to happen.
Governor Pryce so desperately wants a victory that she opens fire on the fuel depot, and
it all starts to explode.
Kanan uses the Force to keep the explosion at bay and save his friends before being consumed
in one of the most visually stunning moments from the show.
It was gorgeous and powerful.
Having Kanan’s eyes come back right at the end was chilling.
I’ve been calling for Kanan’s death since the first episode of this show.
I’ve considered it to be inevitable.
We just can’t have Jedi running around while Luke is part of the Rebellion and in desperate
need of a teacher.
We still need to make sure Ezra exits the story of the Rebel Alliance in a satisfying
way, but let’s focus on Kanan.
I kind of get the impression he knew this was going to happen.
We don’t know exactly what was happening with his interactions with the loth-wolves,
but he was acting a little different the whole episode.
Giving Ezra words of comfort.
Making sure to give Sabine and Ezra a goodbye as they parted ways.
He even guides Hera specifically to the fuel depot.
Maybe I was just reading into it because I was expecting it myself, I just think he got
a glimpse of his destiny and he was ready.
Rey’s words to Leia about Luke fit pretty well here, actually.
He seemed to have a sense of peace and purpose.
As a padawan he struggled to find his place in the Clone Wars.
After Order 66 he was a Jedi without an identity.
He became a drunk, and he was lost until he met Hera.
We know how important Hera will continue to be to the Rebellion and the liberation of
the galaxy.
So I think it was the will of the Force that she be saved, but I also think he would have
saved her without a thought, no matter what the Force wanted.
I feel like I’ll be unpacking the character arc of Caleb Dume for a while.
But I don’t want to keep you all day, so let’s move onto the second episode, Dume.
The destruction of the fuel depot means that TIE Defender production is at a complete standstill.
Pryce’s tunnel vision inadvertently meant the Rebel mission to Lothal was a success
after all, which is why I think Kanan knew where to go and what would happen when he
got there.
Like I mentioned before, the Thrawn book sets up Pryce’s failure here so well.
She will do pretty much anything to achieve her goals and hide her own inadequacies, and
Thrawn knows this.
So his scene with her was great.
He was so perfectly menacing.
I cannot wait for Thrawn Alliances this summer.
Thrawn on screen is fun, but Thrawn in a book is where he belongs.
He can take the gloves off.
And I hope we see how he deals with Pryce right at the beginning of that book.
Seeing the Rebels react to Kanan’s death was tough.
It was harder for me to watch that than his actual death.
Seeing Zeb hug Ezra made me emotional.
These are the two characters that have been at each other's throats since the show began,
albeit in a brotherly way.
Any time they show affection for each other, I can’t stand it.
And then Chopper had to go hold Hera’s hand.
That whole scene was heartbreaking.
Hera was in another new mental state for most of this episode, and it was painful to watch.
I feel like we’re pretty much used to seeing Kanan or Ezra or pretty much any other character
struggle.
But not Hera.
I don’t like seeing her broken.
It’s like when you’re young and you see your parents cry for the first time.
It’s unsettling.
I’m glad the aired this episode alongside Jedi Night.
Because it was kind of a bridge to what comes next.
Everyone gets a chance to mourn in their own way, and prepare themselves for the future.
Hera added Kanan to her calicori as a part of her family.
Ezra went on a spirit journey with the loth-wolves.
And Sabine and Zeb beat up Rukh.
To jump back to the mention of Hera’s dead brother, I don’t know that revelation was
important, other than as a reminder to the purpose of the calicori.
That it is a symbol of family, and that Kanan’s inclusion on it is very significant.
I was really into Sabine and Zeb’s story.
Killing off Kanan immediately raised the stakes of the show.
I was concerned that Zeb was going to be killed be Rukh.
The heroes are no longer invincible.
That’s a good thing.
And their story was dark.
They were acting like terrorists.
Their fight with Rukh was good, and I’m glad it wasn’t easy for them to pin him
down.
I thought we were going to go really dark with Zeb, but then Sabine stopped him, and
suggested they paint on him instead.
Okay, yeah, I know, just because Kanan died doesn’t mean we’re not on Disney XD, but
still.
Is paint the strongest message, Sabine?
Do you really think you’re even now?
Ezra and the wolves was a little less straightforward.
We still don’t really know how they work, what they’re about, what they want, or anything
like that.
One of the wolves claims that he is Dume, and the subtitles confirm it’s Kanan’s
former last name.
I think the wolves were very aggressively encouraging Ezra to honor Kanan’s memory
by taking charge.
He is ready to grow beyond what his master taught him.
The wolves suggest Ezra make his way to the Jedi temple, and I think it’s a safe bet
that next week the Rebels will break in and Ezra will head into all that Mortis-related
stuff.
These episodes, especially Jedi Night, were a strong start to what remains of Star Wars
Rebels.
I really hope the final five episodes will be just as compelling.
But what did you guys think of Jedi Night and Dume?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Leave me your predictions for the future, and tune in next Tuesday for the second to
last Rebels review.
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As always, thanks for watching and may the Force be with you!