Ahsoka episode 7 review – “Dreams and Madness”

In Ahsoka episode 7, we witness a whirlwind of lightsaber battles, surprising alliances, and a galaxy of chaos – but something feels kind of incomplete.

You’d think that with only two episodes left in the first season, things would start wrapping up. But it feels like we’ve just unraveled a whole new spool of yarn instead of starting to tie up loose ends.

The last episode, “Far, Far Away”, left us off with Ezra and Sabine having a weird reunion filled with awkward dialogue and bad writing, while Grand Admiral Thrawn decides that everyone is expandable when it comes to him and his crew leaving Peridea and heading back home – including Lord Baylan and his apprentice, Shin Hati. Ahsoka barely makes an appearance in her own show as she and Huyang are onboard the Purrgil Express, heading straight into Thrawn’s home away from home.

With episode 5, “Shadow Warrior”, still being the series’ best episode to date, being followed by an episode that I like less and less the more I watch, the need to have an episode that started to make more sense and explain things was pretty dire. But, instead, we get a few more questions and that bad feeling in your stomach that this won’t get any kind of resolution in this season and the hope that the eighth and final episode is at least as long as a movie in order to have enough time to see some things be resolved.

Well, before I get way too into my normal complaining routine, let me place my obligatory SPOILER WARNING words here. I’ll be talking about the episode and series in its entirety below.

Ahsoka episode 7 review

Ahsoka and Huyang are still traveling a-la Pinocchio, still channeling Elsa and going into the unknown as they’re still inside a Space Whale and Ahsoka fine-tunes her saber skills with convenient holographic training sessions and messages of encouragement from her former Master, Anakin Skywalker.

Ahsoka and Anakin’s tangled past adds a layer of depth to her character, but for what? We haven’t spent nearly as much time with Ahsoka to be able to truly tell what changed in her besides her attuning to the Force seeming stronger. Though it makes for cool scenes and gives Ahsoka an air of extra confidence, it doesn’t really do much to move the plot forward, leaving me wondering if we’re actually going get the resolutions we crave in the season finale.

Thrawn is inching closer to victory, something he has Sabine Wren to thank for. Thrawn is the only beacon of hope in this episode – Mikkelsen sure knows how to properly portray the menacing genius he’s voiced over in Star Wars Rebels. His anticipation of Ahsoka’s moves and manipulation of situations are concise and strategic, and the revelation of Ahsoka being Anakin’s old Padawan seemed like a curveball at first – but, knowing Thrawn, he will most definitely find the right buttons to push in order to use this fact against Ahsoka herself.

Though I say we didn’t get many answers, we did get a nod to where Ahsoka falls in the Star Wars timeline. When Hera is being questioned by the Republic Council, the Battle of Mandalore is mentioned. That’s none other than the battle that takes place in The Mandalorian‘s third season, with Bo Katan Kryze leading the charge. That officially puts Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and The Mandalorian taking place at the same time – the perfect spot for Filoni’s mystery Star Wars movie that will tie up all the loose ends in each of those three series.

Episode 7 also gives us some good lightsaber duels, with Ahsoka and Baylan squaring off for a second time. The action this time is pretty flashy but feels overshadowed by Thrawn and his impending plans for their galaxy. Not only does it distract the audience from it – it does a great job of distracting the characters from just how much time has passed. As Thrawn perfectly puts it himself, “Ahsoka Tano has lost the one thing she could not afford to lose today: time.”

He is such a good villain and I am so pleased with his portrayal so far! Cannot say those words enough.

Ezra and Sabine are going somewhere they shouldn’t be going as it isn’t Thrawn’s ship, which makes me even angrier at Sabine. Does she not understand what she’s done and the possible consequences? She has basically handed Thrawn the galaxy in order to come to the rescue a long-lost friend, and while listening to him rejoice in the thought that he’s going home, knowing pretty damn well that there’s a really big chance that he won’t. Sabine has given us all an example of what kind of friend to not be.

Ezra refusing the lightsaber and blasters felt… a bit forced and a little too much. Sure, he’s been with a peaceful race all these years, but it’s a little silly to fight all these Nighttroopers and Shin hati without a weapon. Though he manages to survive it all with an open-hand monk style of Force pushing and shoving, we can all thank plot armor (and the fact those troopers conveniently shoot so terribly) for him and Sabine still being alive.

Despite the awesome fights and displays of mastery over the Force, there’s a ticking clock behind the scenes as Thrawn’s master plan is going just the way he wanted it – unnoticed. In a series of very predictable scenes, we see Ahsoka rushing in to rescue Ezra and Sabine as Lord Baylan leaves his cause to follow his true calling, which remains to be seen.  As Ahsoka reunites with Sabine and Ezra, Thrawn silently and, rightfully so, celebrates his victory in the shadows, leaving me with a big smile on my face and all of us biting our nails as we wait for the season finale.

In the final moments, Ezra again talks about the joy of returning home – which makes me think two things. One, he could very well die in the finale. Two, he and Sabine will have an epic fallout like no other, and it’s possible they’ll even part ways in the end. The finale looms over us, with a mountain of questions and problems to resolve, and promising an epic conclusion to this season.

May the Force be with us as we buckle up for the final leap to hyperspace in the grand conclusion of Ahsoka debut season. Catch all 7 episodes streaming on Disney+, and tune in next Tuesday night for what could be an infuriating or exciting conclusion.

Ahsoka is streaming now on Disney+.