Ahsoka season 1 finale recap and review: The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord

The Ahsoka finale was an annoying but still miraculously entertaining mixed bag of Jedi tricks, where the bag is old and has revealing holes in it.

Alright, we need to talk about that Ahsoka finale. I mean, we saw it, we lived it, and now, I have some things to say. Buckle up, this is going to be a hyperspace jump of emotions.

The penultimate episode of the season, “Dreams and Madness“, left us with Lord Baylan kind of just leaving his mercenary duties behind, as well as his apprentice Shin, to look for specific things that were never fully explained, Sabine, Ezra, and Ahsoka are all reunited and it feels so good, and Thrawn is looking to have the last laugh in this scenario. After that episode only added more questions instead of answering the ones the last 7 episodes threw at us, I was truly concerned with the season finale.

Overall, my attitude towards the show as a whole is that it’s better than Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett, hands down. It still sits behind The Mandalorian and Andor, I wasn’t as angry as I thought I would be at certain things the finale pulled (I still gave an exasperated sigh and rolled my eyes a bit), but I didn’t find myself pleased with the episode, either. Some things were very cringey, others were pretty neat, but the entire outcome was very predictable.

Well, without further ado, let’s talk about the episode what it did for the Star Wars show and how it served as the finale.

Obvious SPOILER WARNING if you continue reading – I will talk about the entire show to the fullest extend.

Ahsoka episode 8 review – “The Jedi, The Witch, and the Warlord”

We see you nudging Narnia, Filoni, and it’s kind of cute.

The episode opens with Morgan Elsbeth telling Thrawn the cargo transfer is complete, and then they start making plans to interlock his Star Destroyer onto the Eye of Sion so he can go home and bring back the Empire to the galaxy. Lars Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Thrawn is possibly my favorite thing about this whole episode. His demeanor and every facial expression from “I’m winning” to “I am not impressed” were so good and true to Thrawn’s essence. He also gives Morgan a quick “don’t underestimate the Jedi” pep-talk before watching a sweet Nightsister ritual.

Morgan Elsbeth was the perfect character to keep developing. She was smart, she had so much useful knowledge, she had great ties to the Empire and could have revived the entire Nightsister cult back in Dathomir… But, no. They instead decided that the best thing to do with a solid character would be to toss them aside when they get cooler so the characters with plot armor can continue to “subvert our expectations”. Morgan was introduced in The Mandalorian in such a badass way that it felt like a huge disservice to her character to have her killed off in this finale. We see her get her reward for literally being the smartest and most useful character in this show – her official transformation into a NIghtsister, and the Sword of Talzin, a flaming green ichor sword summoned from the ether by the Nightsister matriarch Mother Talzin in The Clone Wars.

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We see Huyang and Ezra hanging out as Ezra builds his own lightsaber and are visited by Sabine. Huyang’s existence is basically to poke Sabine’s feelings where it hurts, and I love it. It’s the kind of droid tough love we all need but can’t get as he’s not real (spoiler alert). Huyang reveals that Ahsoka believed that if Sabine were to unlock her true potential as a Jedi (gag) right after the purge of Mandalore, she’d “become too dangerous”. So Sabine is on the Sith radar now? Interesting.

Speaking of Sabine, I’m still not a big fan of this portrayal of her. I understand they need to make an edgy character with the possibility of making them relatable, but Sabine’s character development happened off camera, I suppose, in between episodes 7 and 8. Just like the conversation that was teased so much in the last two episodes – the one where Sabine tells Ezra that this is all her fault and the cost of coming to look for him was pretty cheap: just, you know, the rest of the galaxy. Oh, and that there’s no legit way home other than hopping on Thrawn’s Star Destroyer in order to go home with him.

The conversation was be teased in a way that hinted at it being some sort of drama material, but we were all spared the details as this also happened off camera and is apparently not a big deal – Ezra briefly makes a comment about Thrawn’s Star Destroyer being ready to go or something, heavily implying he knows everything leading up to where they are and that he needs to get on that destroyer to leave.

I forgot how much I like TIE fighter noises.

We get to see more of Thrawn’s pure genius with his planning and staying a few steps ahead of Ahsoka and company – and it showcases how calculating he is in real-time as he makes crucial and strategic decisions on the fly, seemingly. It shows him what makes him such a good and scary villain – cold and it’s-all-just-business attitude meets war strategist mastermind. He also doesn’t take any real credit for praise or loyalty – it’s all for the Empire. As Ahsoka and friends “try the front door”, they’re met with heavy fire and I guess the fact Sabine can now “help out” with Force abilities. I am so shocked.

The fight between Ahsoka, Sabine, Ezra and the Night Troopers was beautiful. Not going to lie, I got really giddy seeing a green saber, a blue saber, and two white sabers spiraling around in the same room. And that finishing move Ahsoka and Ezra pulled off? *chef’s kiss* The Great Mothers’ necromancy ritual was also a huge treat as majicks are finally starting to be showcased and re-introduced. Zombie Stormtoopers – add that to the list of things I always wanted and didn’t know. This entire fight sequence was phenomenal. Diana Lee Inosanto, the queen behind Morgan Elsbeth, is an amazing martial artist and stunt woman herself, and seeing her twirl the Sword of Talzin around with such grace and skill was great. Morgan Elsbeth gives Ahsoka a run for her money while Ezra and Sabine are overpowered by some insanely strong Night Troopers and then the very predictable and annoying thing happens – Sabine has to save herself from certain death a-la-zombie crush, so she now must develop Force abilities. Jedilorian indeed.

I won’t harp on just how stupid this plot decision is because I’ve spent seven previous reviews doing so, but seeing Sabine Force pushing Ezra onto the Star Destroyer brought no further feelings from me as I was, at this point, immune to any and all “plot twists”. I will say that I was pretty happy seeing Sabine didn’t leave Ahsoka behind. That would have solidified her as a horrible person and the worst Apprentice in history. It does show that she’s trying to change her ways and be a better apprentice, taking it all seriously, and I suppose it’s just one of those plot points I’m going to have to bitterly swallow down. Also, was Ezra just ready to leave Ahsoka and Sabine behind willingly in order to go home? He knew they weren’t going to make it onto the destroyer in time.

Thrawn’s last speech to Ahsoka was… perfect. Thrawn is a force. Thrawn is no fool, and he has proven it. “Today, victory is mine. Long live the Empire.” He legitimately dropped the mic with that last line and books it out of this galaxy and back into his with the three Great Mothers and his army of clones and cargo (which is more than likely corpses to be reanimated by the Great Mothers), and Ezra. Sabine, Huyang, and Ahsoka are left behind on this weird galaxy, as are Shin and Lord Baylan – two of which had no real participation in this episode at all other than 3 seconds on screen at the end of the episode. Is Shin working with the nomads now? What are they going to do about Lord Baylan? Will he be recast? Will he be written off, or communicate with others off-screen?

Ezra’s reunion with Hera was also just as cringey as his reunion with Sabine – and no mention of where Ahsoka and Sabine are either. Hopefully Ezra can help set this New Republic straight as get Hera her credibility back. As Thrawn and his friends approach Dathomir, the smile on his face reveals it all – he’s definitely got a nasty plan ready for this galaxy, and I’m hoping it won’t take us long to see it.

And then… we see Force Ghost Anakin. At first, I felt like it was out of place, but it really wasn’t in the end. He’s there to watch Ahsoka and kind of finish her training while he can, guiding her through this new path to self-discovery for both herself and Sabine. I’m honestly not sure where their character arcs will go at this point, though there are some pretty obvious answers. But I am hoping there is a second season of Ahsoka coming because I’d love some answers and am here to watch Thrawn slay alongside the Nightsisters. Their inclusion in the show has been great and a huge nod to us Clone Wars fans.

The first season of Ashoka was a fun ride through the galaxy, but it’s safe to say I’m hoping the navigator plots a clearer course for next season, if that gets announced. And with Ahsoka being officially over, you can fill that hole in your heart by tuning into Disney Plus every Thursday night starting this week for Loki‘s second season.

What did you think of Ahsoka‘s season finale? How would you rank it among the Star Wars shows on Disney Plus?