Yes, mild spoilers, for this episode, parts of the Clones Wars, and arguably some of SW KOTOR.
This was arguably the best episode of the series up to this point. There were numerous payoffs for those of us who have watched Rebels up to this point, the Clone Wars, and played Knights of the Old Republic II. I'm sure I'm not the only one who geeked out when he heard Maul say "Passions give you strength, and through strength you gain power... you must break your chains."
Like the Clone Wars, this series was okay at the start and as only gotten better. This season has had some truly inspired moments – such as the breathtaking visuals in 213 Legends of the Lasat (kudos to the animators for creating something so unspeakably beautiful) – and better and better writing/character development than last season. Though, I still find Chopper kind of annoying and Sabine underused. On the upside, Zeb gets the award for the "most improved" character this season, and the addition of Rex is much appreciated (sorry, Fives, what is dead may never die). Delving into Jedi and Sith temples/mythos this season has been another highlight.
Many of us wished Darth Maul had received more screen time (and enjoyed his/Savage's arc in The Clone Wars) – this was one of his best appearances. He has always exhibited extraordinary fighting skills, but now we saw an intellect and machinations on par with other Sith lords. Maul dominated his brother; in this episode, we see his ability to lead and manipulate Ezra. And it's compelling. And it's just sneaky enough to almost be believed. Kudos to this writers.
Ahsoka and Skywalker. Maybe I should have led with this. Maybe I shouldn't comment/spoil this too much. We do finally see these two meet face to face for the first time since the end of the fifth season of Clone Wars. I have mixed, though generally positive, feelings about this confrontation. Yet, I do wonder about the vision of future Ahsoka in the Clones Wars 315 Overlords (the Mortis arc), so maybe there is more to come.
The Inquisitors. I'm on the fence. Is it better to leave them mysterious? Perhaps. But, if there were a time to reveal what they were, it would have been this episode. Also, I feel like they wasted an opportunity with Eighth Brother to reveal him to be a character we knew from earlier (perhaps a corrupted Jedi, perhaps Darth Binks...kidding). Old Master was clearly Maul. That wasn't a reveal, at all. Some mysteries are better left as mysteries, but we just found out that the Grand Inquisitor was a Jedi temple guard, so would've been nice to get a sense of the others' origins.
Ezra's darkness. This has been hinted at before, and it paid off quite well in this episode. So, speaking of the Inquisitors' origins, they may be setting Ezra up to become the final inquisitor and one last showdown between master and apprentice to truly wipe out the Jedi order. That would be ballsy, and amazing, though I have a hard time seeing Disney corrupt their young, blue-eyed protagonist whom they so clearly want their young audience to identify with.
I hope the creators continue generating such strong content and sustain story lines concerning the Jedi/Sith/Force mythos, as those have been the most engaging this season. The Mortis arc was a highlight of The Clone Wars, and I hope this show also explores the mysteries of the Force in its third season.
And, yeah, I think we all know that was Darth Traya's voice.
This was arguably the best episode of the series up to this point. There were numerous payoffs for those of us who have watched Rebels up to this point, the Clone Wars, and played Knights of the Old Republic II. I'm sure I'm not the only one who geeked out when he heard Maul say "Passions give you strength, and through strength you gain power... you must break your chains."
Like the Clone Wars, this series was okay at the start and as only gotten better. This season has had some truly inspired moments – such as the breathtaking visuals in 213 Legends of the Lasat (kudos to the animators for creating something so unspeakably beautiful) – and better and better writing/character development than last season. Though, I still find Chopper kind of annoying and Sabine underused. On the upside, Zeb gets the award for the "most improved" character this season, and the addition of Rex is much appreciated (sorry, Fives, what is dead may never die). Delving into Jedi and Sith temples/mythos this season has been another highlight.
Many of us wished Darth Maul had received more screen time (and enjoyed his/Savage's arc in The Clone Wars) – this was one of his best appearances. He has always exhibited extraordinary fighting skills, but now we saw an intellect and machinations on par with other Sith lords. Maul dominated his brother; in this episode, we see his ability to lead and manipulate Ezra. And it's compelling. And it's just sneaky enough to almost be believed. Kudos to this writers.
Ahsoka and Skywalker. Maybe I should have led with this. Maybe I shouldn't comment/spoil this too much. We do finally see these two meet face to face for the first time since the end of the fifth season of Clone Wars. I have mixed, though generally positive, feelings about this confrontation. Yet, I do wonder about the vision of future Ahsoka in the Clones Wars 315 Overlords (the Mortis arc), so maybe there is more to come.
The Inquisitors. I'm on the fence. Is it better to leave them mysterious? Perhaps. But, if there were a time to reveal what they were, it would have been this episode. Also, I feel like they wasted an opportunity with Eighth Brother to reveal him to be a character we knew from earlier (perhaps a corrupted Jedi, perhaps Darth Binks...kidding). Old Master was clearly Maul. That wasn't a reveal, at all. Some mysteries are better left as mysteries, but we just found out that the Grand Inquisitor was a Jedi temple guard, so would've been nice to get a sense of the others' origins.
Ezra's darkness. This has been hinted at before, and it paid off quite well in this episode. So, speaking of the Inquisitors' origins, they may be setting Ezra up to become the final inquisitor and one last showdown between master and apprentice to truly wipe out the Jedi order. That would be ballsy, and amazing, though I have a hard time seeing Disney corrupt their young, blue-eyed protagonist whom they so clearly want their young audience to identify with.
I hope the creators continue generating such strong content and sustain story lines concerning the Jedi/Sith/Force mythos, as those have been the most engaging this season. The Mortis arc was a highlight of The Clone Wars, and I hope this show also explores the mysteries of the Force in its third season.
And, yeah, I think we all know that was Darth Traya's voice.