![]() When we left Ahsoka last episode, she’d just awakened and addressed her old master in what appeared to be the World Between Worlds, once described by Darth Sidious as a “mystical realm connects all of time and space, creating a conduit between the living and the dead.” It’s easy to surmise why Filoni went back to the World Between Worlds well, after introducing the concept in Rebels: It’s the perfect framework for his primary mission as a Star Wars storyteller. We know she’s not going to get rescued until she learns what she needs to learn, and the back-and-forth structure stands in the way of extra “training” that might have helped sell her metamorphosis two-thirds of the way through the episode. The episode could have benefited from a little less exploration of the seas of Seatos and a little more plumbing of Ahsoka’s emotional depths. The former scenes aren’t bad-in fact, they contain a few of my favorite lines from the episode-but because our focus is firmly on Ahsoka, they can’t help but feel a little like unwelcome interruptions that tear us away from the main event. Much of “Shadow Warrior” is split between the search for Ahsoka on Seatos (conducted by Hera, Jacen, Captain Teva, and the droids), and an extended encounter with Anakin-or Anakin’s spirit, or Ahsoka’s projection of Anakin-wherever Ahsoka’s consciousness is. There’s a lot of TV out there. We want to help: Every week, we’ll tell you the best and most urgent shows to stream so you can stay on top of the ever-expanding heap of Peak TV. “Shadow Warrior” isn’t all style, no substance, but it favors the former enough to make it merely an immensely entertaining episode, if not the unalloyed moment of triumph that some fans (and, perhaps, writer/director Dave Filoni) foresaw. Thus far, neither of those developments feels fully earned. First, it forces Ahsoka out of her funk, and second, it puts her back on the Pathway to Peridea, after last week’s climax left the titular protagonist stranded a galaxy away from her goal. ![]() (Yes, the NFL season just started.) “Shadow Warrior” accomplishes two important storytelling tasks. Last week’s strong installment set up a potential touchdown on Tuesday night, and though “Shadow Warrior” doesn’t drop the well-placed pass from “Fallen Jedi,” it doesn’t get the greatest yardage after the catch. But a massive screen and sound system aren’t just the best ways to absorb Episode 5’s aesthetic delights they’re also the best ways to distract yourself from its narrative unevenness. Visual inventiveness, a mystical sense of wonder, and prequel nostalgia make a potent trio. Visually and aurally, “Shadow Warrior” is so classically cinematic it makes me wish once again that there were still such things as Star Wars movies. ![]() Visions of the World Between Worlds, including lightsaber duels, de-aged Hayden Christensen, and flashbacks to the Clone Wars. This place has everything: Picturesque landscapes. ![]() Sabine, Baylan, Shin, and Morgan may have gone intergalactic last week, but the OG Star Wars galaxy’s hottest setting is Seatos. It’s the best-looking and best-sounding episode of this series so far, and it may be the most sumptuous episode of any of the Mandoverse’s Volume-produced series. It’s easy to see, and not hard to hear, why Disney deemed Ahsoka Episode 5, “Shadow Warrior,” worthy of screening in select theaters.
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