‘Ahsoka’ Episode 5 Review – The Show With No Ceiling

There comes a point with any piece of media where it must meet, or at least be judged by its expectations. It may be early on in a season or in the first act of a movie when it clearly disappoints and has no intention to make things up from there. Or, it could be at the very last second, where a decision is made for a path taken that tears the whole thing down from the bottom up. Ahsoka’s decisive moment seems to have fallen in between; it’s savoring the final stretch and comfortably cruising towards what seems to be an inevitable cliffhanger. Yet, it has also already answered just about every question fans had to ask it, and has delivered on possibilities previously thought unimaginable. Episode 5 is the point, and Ahsoka flies well over its expectations.

Titled “Shadow Warrior”, the episode sees Dave Filoni back in the director’s seat to helm his own writing, pulling the series’ most important episode yet back to his chest and executing it with extreme precision. It’d be a shame to spoil this episode, but know this: considering the utter amount of Star Wars lore, references, and traditional style on display here, from the story to the visuals and all the way down to the sounds, this is a miraculous achievement.

The prospect of following up the specifically stylistic and standard-setting episode 4 seemed like a real challenge, but Filoni may have actually managed to eclipse it. His work with the “World Between Worlds” (first introduced in Rebels by, you guessed it, Dave Filoni) is an aesthetic marvel. The definition of the universe as we know it fades away and physics bends to emotions and themes. It’s very operatic, and builds to the point of eruption (that of pure Star Wars daydreams); it not only works, but demands. This episode alone has multiple all-time action sequences; some of the best the franchise has seen in a long while.

Episode 5 packs a punch on the page, too. Filoni paces the callbacks and catastrophe throughout, spending time to dwell on it all in between. Hera’s position as commander is being challenged, and she must choose between her standing and her friends. Jacen is starting to see the galaxy in a different way, Sabine is still missing (and everybody feels it), and there’s so much going on behind the scenes that nobody even wants to think about, let alone talk it out.

The episode plays so well as an extension of all the drama thus far. It reminds you why all of it, every little detail, is relevant, as well as how willing it is to take as much time as you’re willing to give it. I’m not sure how many times one has said the phrase “Dave Filoni understands Star Wars”, but by the end of these reviews, the record may be broken. Regardless of his directing when he does, his screenplay for this series is just very, very good, and offers undeniable reasons week in and week out to be given kudos. When you look back and see how much he’s done for the franchise, you realize how truly lost it’d be without him.

To anyone remotely in the loop regarding Star Wars that hasn’t yet seen Ahsoka, what are you waiting for? It’s a methodical adventure of galactic proportions, both inward and outward. There’s as much here on purpose and the soul as there is lightsabers and droids. Not only is it great Star Wars, but it’s great television. 8 episodes seemed like plenty at the start, but with only 3 left to go, Ahsoka may have fans beating down the Disney+ doors for so much as a peek at season 2. It’s that good.

Ahsoka is now available to stream on Disney+ with new episodes debuting every Tuesday.