Ahsoka episode 6 review – “Far, Far Away”

Let’s rant talk about the sixth episode of Disney+’s series Ahsoka, shall we?

Where to begin with Ahsoka‘s newest episode – “Far, Far Away”?

The sixth episode of the eight-part Ahsoka series is a really interesting mix of both good and bad elements. Good surprises, awkward reunions, a lot of plot convenience, and a whole new and interesting galaxy with new alien races and apparently samurai fighters – “Far, Far Away” both pleased and annoyed me at certain parts.

With only two more episodes dangling like a carrot, the show’s direction has noticeably shifted in the last few episodes, leaving some fans super excited while others are currently scratching their heads.

In the last episode, “Shadow Warrior”, we were given a huge dose of The Clone Wars nostalgia and were beyond happy to find Hayden Christensen’s Anakin training Ahsoka a little more in the World Between Worlds – which still remains completely unexplained in the show itself, something that can be very confusing for those who hadn’t watched Star Wars Rebels prior to digging into Ahsoka. The last thing we saw before “Shadow Warrior” came to a close was Ahsoka and Huyang sitting in their ship, inside a Space Whale’s (yes, Purrgil, I know), which then jumped galaxies with the pair tagging along Pinocchio-style.

Ahsoka episode 6 was enjoyable for reasons but left a really bitter after-taste for others. Let’s talk about that. Here come episode 6 spoilers below – you have been warned!

Ahsoka episode 6 review – “Far, Far Away”

The “good”

Let’s start by talking about the good parts.

“Far, Far Away” gave us a ticket to a brand-new galaxy, filled with untold tales and wonders, and a lot of good scenes between Lord Baylan and his apprentice Shin

Hottie

Hati. Though our actual glimpse into this mysterious new location was pretty brief, it’s surprisingly very similar to our own – except we don’t have creatures that look like the offspring of an Ewok’s short-lived (no pun intended) romance with a turtle.

Episode 6 gave us a couple of big entrances. Grand Admiral Thrawn, the notorious villain we knew from Star Wars: Rebels and the well-written and entertaining Heir to the Empire trilogy books, arrives in an epic Star Destroyer and demands all of our attention from the moment he enters our screens. Lars Mikkelsen, who also voiced Thrawn in Rebels, perfectly embodies this character. The blue face and red eyes made this iconic and genius villain stand out and, of course, Mikkelsen absolutely nails his demeanor, even his walk.

The late Ray Stevenson gifted us with amazing scenes between Lord Baylan and Shin, where we see their dynamic and take a brief look into this fallen Jedi’s past. He does seem… very emotional about Order 66 still, even though he says he’s “parted ways with the Jedi” a long time ago. Something about his demeanor tells me we may see Baylan return to the Light side before the season is over – maybe he’ll be taken down by his own apprentice for it? A change of heart wouldn’t be over-reaching for me. Though, Sith and Dark Side Force users are often very manipulative and able to string people in on their cause – it could be a case of him rolling really high on charisma just to toy with our emotions.

The “…meh”

And, well… this one kind of borders between good and bad, though I place it a bit more on the “bad” side of the spectrum. Ezra Bridger, now with a beard that actually looks really good if I may be honest, makes a comeback in this same episode. He’s excited about reuniting with Sabine, but some of us might have mixed feelings about her and this entire forced reunion.

In the most uneventful, unsurprising, and uncreative way imaginable, Sabine somehow ends up in the right place, at the right time, and with the right alien species that just happen to know Ezra Bridger’s full name and live with him. Yes. Sabine set out to look for Ezra on a brand new planet in a brand new galaxy with a Howler (a wolf/hyena/warg/apparently-puppy hybrid) and some equipment, lost both Howler and said equipment while fighting some random Samurai-looking attackers, and somehow ended up going in just the right direction to find (and berate) the Howler, then some cute turtle-looking aliens who immediately took her to go see Ezra.

Yeah. No.

Not to mention Ezra’s excitement to see Sabine while she’s basically telling him “Don’t worry about how I got here, let’s just enjoy this moment while I try to think of ways to go home because I haven’t yet and I know you want to go home so now I have to come up with another plan that will be meticulously plot-convenient again”. Honesty, Sabine. Honesty goes a long way, and I can already tell there’s going to be some big annoying drama that will be bigger than it ever needs to be regarding how she got there and how they’d need to hop back on Thrawn’s Star Destroyer to leave.

Also, really? You’re going to reintroduce Ezra in the most non-exciting way when he’s been all she’s been talking about for the last five episodes? While watching the episode and before getting to the reunion scene, I had entertained myself with the idea of Captain Enoch, Thrawn’s main stormtrooper, actually being Ezra under that badass golden mask. But, no. And that really bummed me out, and that feeling was only exacerbated by how anti-climatic that whole moment was.

The bad

I hate Sabine. There, I said it.

When the series started, I thought she was cool. Just the right amount of edgy, the right amount of rebellious behavior. Now? Pass.

I think her entire vocabulary consists of “Where’s Ezra?” and variations of that question. Her entire existence in the show has been diminished to someone who’s constantly looking for her long-lost friend – no redeeming qualities, no character development as of right now (and we only have two episodes left), that constant “is she Force sensitive now??” mind game this show is jamming down our throats – I loathe it all. It makes me sad because I enjoyed her in Rebels, but it’s like her character progress either got stuck after Rebels ended or she was just very lazily written to be a constant sore thumb in the series. I am also not very pleased with Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s acting, either.

I was chatting with a friend who shares a similar disappointment in her character, and laughed (then cried) at the possibility of a ridiculous scene where Sabine uses the Force to grab her helmet out of Huyang’s hand, does a barrel roll and it conveniently and perfectly falls in place on her head, looks at the camera and says “I’m not a Jedi… I’m a Jedialorian.” Ridiculous, right? But, at this point, I do not put it past Filoni, whom I have a very deep love-and-hate relationship with right now.

The ugly

If you thought my huge dislike for Sabine was the peak of this article, think again.

I’m sorry, are we watching Ahsoka or Finding Ezra? I get it, Disney, you own the rights to Star Wars but don’t turn it into a fishy tale of looking for someone whose name isn’t on the title of the show or isn’t the big bad we knew she’d be out looking for.

I feel a bit disappointed that episode 5 was really the only episode entirely about Ahsoka so far. Where’s the backstory? Where are the details on what she’s been doing this whole time after she left the Order and after Rebels? Why is she more of a secondary character in her own show? Why does Disney insist on doing that with fans – luring us in with “epic series” about some of the franchise’s favorite characters like Boba Fett and now Ahsoka, only to make them background characters in what’s supposed to be their own tales?

Sure, go look for Thrawn. That’s great. But where are these little details that not only make Ahsoka more relatable and understood to those who have never watched The Clone Wars or Rebels and the explanations of what she’s been doing this whole time she’s been off-screen?

This episode’s equal parts annoyed and entertained me, but I hate to say that the bad parts are heavier than the good ones.

I’m very, very nervous about the last two episodes remaining on this first season. I honestly can’t say what I expect will happen, but I have a bad feeling about this.