After nineteen episodes of buildup, it is finally time for the final showdown, in this twice-as-long, emotional, action-packed finale where every kind of things happened all at once: Twilight of the Apprentice. As this review would also be twice as long, there will be heavy spoilers here.
As Yoda has told them to, Ezra, Kanan, and Ahsoka went to Malachor V, a place seeped with the Dark, with what happened during Knights of the Old Republic II. I haven't actually played that game, though.
My first impressions: Oh wow. Those monoliths are just surreal, and the lighting is perfect.
Then, there was the Sith Temple, hidden underground. Once more I shall say: surreal setting and perfect lighting.
Here, it's interesting that they should search for forbidden knowledge, as Ahsoka had put it out; I thought the Jedi are better--but the Force has its own ways.
With the appearance of a new Inquisitor, they launched into a quick fight where Ezra was thrown deeper underground.
There, he met... Darth Maul. Cleverly covered up at first, and now old and frail, with a matching and believable voice. Wow, he survived yet again. This raises the question, how did he end up here instead of being executed by Sidious near the end of The Clone Wars? Needless to say, I got a bad feeling about him, for a darksider like Maul won't be swayed easily.
So it seems all Inquisitors are brash, approaching groups of enemies alone. Chopper arrived in the scene in time, and hijacked the Inquisitor's own TIE fighter and fired at him, leading to his capture. Gotta say, pretty amusing scene where Chopper did it right (again) this time.
Meanwhile, Ezra and Maul has reached the Temple gate. Here, it gets tense: Ezra must risk all he had learned as a Jedi to think with the enemy's mind, as Maul said. Channeling his emotions, they worked together to open the door. Fascinating mechanism, and they even managed to make the scene have a sense of urgency, for if Ezra gives way, they would be crushed under the gate.
Will this be the start of the Dark Side seeping in to Ezra? Maul fed his desire for revenge, and recited parts of the Sith Code. Nice tie-in to the universe.
And, it seems, Ezra's young nature made him put his trust in Maul, who presented himself. Not a Darth anymore, now.
Anyway, it seems Ezra could trust anyone easily, when he told Maul to boost him to the platform on the other side of the abyss to get the holocron.
Naturally, the place will collapse, and it did make us think whether Maul will only grab the holocron--but he saved Ezra at the edge.
The two went out to find a two versus three duel with the Inquisitors. Ahsoka and Kanan, perhaps for the wiser, did not trust Maul, however he charged the Inquisitors anyway, resulting in a triple duel. Now this never happened before, the fluidity of the movements combined with sheer amount of action.
The Inquisitors fled, leaving the group to decide on a truce with Maul, and they headed to the top of the pyramid to install the holocron. The way up was indeed interesting, Tomb Raider-ish, with old mechanisms which architecture were finely thought out: ominous.
Ezra got a chance to privately talk to Kanan on the way up, and it became apparent that trust is a major problem: Ezra just wanted to be trusted. Thus, he proceeded with Maul
And so, they met the Inquisitors again. Again, they battled. We have no shortage of lightsaber duels in this episode.
One scene that really stuck was when Maul choked the Sister, and ordered Ezra to cut her down. Conflicted as he was, Maul struck her down himself. More Dark seeps in Ezra, then.
Also, it seems Rebels is still shy on the graphic scenes. Perhaps it is still targeted for younger audiences.
Maul reinforced Kanan and Ahsoka, which were pinned down on the other side of the pyramid, killing the big Brother in a flurry and damaged the new Brother's lightsaber, which broke when he tried to helicopter out of the place. The helicopter-lightsaber was, in itself, already ridiculous, though.
So this is it--the three Inquisitors out of the way for A New Hope. Shame that new guy died in one episode, but perhaps it's for the best so that it won't be too repetitive for the next season.
But didn't our three heroes fall further at the beginning?
Then, Maul said that Ezra was his apprentice.
Then, he blinded Kanan. Talk about consequenses--this is permanent. And graphic.
His true nature revealed once more, he said that Ezra is on his way to activate the temple, which was actually a superweapon. Ah yes, Malachor was devastated by a weapon that it became a Wound in the Force. Perhaps this is the same contraption.
In the meantime, Ezra has put the holocron in another ominous obelisk, activating it (which sounds like Ventress from the Clone Wars), which reveals itself as a weapon.
It seems Kanan could rely on the Force, grabbing a Jedi mask, sensing Maul's attacks. This duel became even more interesting, for Kanan could only feel through the Force, but still blocks every attack and hurling Maul from the floor. The same demise as in The Phantom Menace.
I am not kidding when I told you that this episode has so many stuff going on. With Maul down, Lord Vader himself arrived--in style. Best villain entrance, ever. Ezra didn't stand a chance.
...But Ahsoka did. Vader said Anakin is gone, and now she would avenge him, for she wasn't bound to the Jedi code. Ahsoka saying "I'm not a Jedi" was pretty bold, definitely a memorable scene of the episode.
The long-awaited lightsaber fight came, and it did not disappoint, where the apprentice fights her old master.
Now, Kanan arrived at the scene, his blindness apparent to Ezra. Apparently only master and apprentice could retrieve the holocron--which was questionable, as neither were Sith, and Kanan won't dare think of the Dark. Or... he's just as frustrated.
Then, predictably, the place must collapse.
The climax was... emotional. That describes it perfectly.
Ahsoka slashes open Vader's mask, revealing Anakin's face...his old face, and his old voice, which Ahsoka tried to redeem. The wall of darkness still stood high, though, Vader still consumed by anger, and a showdown was inevitable.
In the end, a reunion. All of them have changed. Kanan really lost his eyes, Ahsoka lost, and Ezra is shaken, to be sure.
Also: that sunset.
Maul survived, the tough bastard. Perhaps he would rise to be the main villain on the next season, alongside Vader?
Speaking of whom, Vader walks away from the rubble, not victorious. His pride was almost never injured in the movies, and this might signify something... perhaps Ahsoka has broken through to Anakin Skywalker?
Ahsoka, too, might be alive, if that is not her Force Ghost. We shall see, as Vader is alive, after all.
Which brings us to the end of the episode, with Ezra opening the holocron. Perhaps, is there now darkness dwelling in him?
Oh my, such an ending where everything happened at once, setting the stage for season three of Star Wars Rebels. Enough said, as this had already been one long article. Until this autumn, perhaps, when we would see what shall happen with these people.
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Star Wars Rebels is a series by Disney Lucasfilms.
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