'Ahsoka' Episode 7: "Dreams and Madness" Recap & Review
the series’ penultimate episode is a fun-enough romp, but mistimed with only the finale left
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Wasting no time, the penultimate episode of Ahsoka jumps right into the conflicts. The series catches up with General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), in the midst of her security hearing in front of the New Republic Defence Council, last seen in the series’ third episode, ‘Time to Fly’. Her integrity as a General is being questioned by Senator Hamato Xiono, (Nelson Lee) and Hera’s situation is looking dire, until an unexpected appearance from a fan-favourite saves the day. C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) arrives at the court hearing, initally being prohibited entry until he is recognized by Chancellor Mon Mothma, (Genevieve O’Reilly) who motions to let him in. C-3PO comes bearing a data transcript on behalf of Sentaor Leia Organa, which proves Hera’s actions in previous episodes were sanctioned by Senator Organa, hence ending Syndulla’s intended court-martial. Hera thanks Threepio for the help, before then being pulled aside by Chancellor Mothma, who asks Hera how real the threat of Thrawn’s imminent return truly is, as the ceremonius moment takes a stark turn. Hera responds, “We have to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best,” as the title card hits.
Picking up after the title card, Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) practises her lightsaber skills, with a holographic recording from her late master, Anakin Skywalker Hayden Christensen). Her training session is cut short, after she and Huyang (David Tennant) feel an abrupt distrubance on the exterior of the Purrgil whale encasing their shuttle. They maneuver their shuttle outside of the Purrgil’s mouth, to reveal that the pack of whales has arrived outside Peridea, but caught in a minefield. The pack of Purrgil quickly leave the dangerous minefield, leaving Ahsoka and Huyang to navigate the cluster of mines, and incoming attack from the Seventh Fleet Starfighters. The two take cover in the nearby orbital ring of Purgill remains, but Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) remains vigilant in his hunt, employing the Dark Magick of The Great Mothers, the Nightsister Witches introduced in the last episode, to help locate Tano’s whereabouts, and engage a second attack.
On the surface of Peridea, Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) sit inside a shell-like hover transport, travelling with the rest of the Noti species in identical vehicles. The two briefly discuss all of the major events within the Star Wars world that happened while Bridger was stranded in Peridea, namely, many of the events of the Original Trilogy. Their catch-up conversation is interrupted when Sabine feels Ahsoka reaching out to her through the force, which is a major moment, given Sabine’s continual inability to tap into the force throughout the series thus far. The two are then ambushed by Shin Hati and a group of bandits.
Ahsoka, now knowing Sabine’s location, prepares a jump out of her shuttle onto the fields of Peridea. As she lands on the ground, Lord Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) awaits her, sitting atop a Howler creature. The two then engage in their rematch, set to the stark backdrop of Peridea’s gray skies, with the music in tandem helping this scene to have an accentuated samurai feel. The two trade blows, with Baylan eventually gaining an advantage, grabbing Ahsoka’s hand as she was about to strike him down, causing her lightsaber to turn off, as he exclaims victory for himself. This is quickly changed, as Huyang flies in with the shuttle, spraying fire down on the duel, giving Ahsoka an opening to escape on Baylan’s Howler creature, as he is left defeated, looking ominously into the titular land of ‘dreams and madness’.
Bridger and Wren, conflict ahead of them, briefly squabble on who should use the lightsaber that Sabine is in possession of, which was formerly Ezra’s. Ezra insists that Sabine should use it, and that it is her lightsaber now, and that the force is the only combat tool he needs. The two defeat the bandits, before then engaging in combat with Shin Hati, (Ivanna Sakhno) who they quickly gain a 2-1 advantage over Hati, who then gains reinforcements in the form of 2 gunships worth of Night Troopers, dispatched by Thrawn, leaving Bridger and Wren outnumbered. Their short stalemate meets a quick end when Ahsoka rides in on the howler, force-pushing a few Night Troopers in the process. The Jedi trio ward off the Imperial attack, forcing Thrawn to order a surrender. The Night Troopers scuttle off to their gunships, which head back to The Chimera, Thrawn’s Star Destroyer.
However, Shin Hati is left standing, still in the vicinity of the Jedi trio. Ahsoka reaches her hand out to Shin, claiming that, “she can help,” sensing the inner conflict within Shin. Shin stops for a moment with a contemplative gaze, before running off into the distance. The Jedi trio then share a happy reunion, with Huyang landing the shuttle right by them shortly after, leading Ezra to proclaim “I think I’m finally going home,” as the penultimate episode comes to a semi-optimistic close.
Episode 7 is a fun-enough romp with hallmark moments, but with only one episode left, Ahsoka still leaves a lot to be desired. This episode never really feels as if it is a penultimate episode. Though there are some stakes, their impact isn’t exactly felt. All the fights are fun and breezy, but in being so, lose their weight and feel effectively meaningless. Though Thrawn is now supposed to be the big, bad, series-altering threat, he often just feels like an exposition machine instead of a threatening character. His continual failures make him lose credibility as a threat, and his indifference makes it even more questionable to watch. The episode is also almost jarringly quick. Baylan Skoll just abandons his apprentice without an iota of foreshadowing or explanation, and with only the finale left in sight, there’s a lot left to be desired in terms of learning his true motivation after back-to-back episodes of acting cryptically. The cameo from C-3PO is a fun moment for any Star Wars fan, but also serves a greater purpose, to save Hera’s career, and establishes the much-needed presence of Leia Organa in this New Republic era of Star Wars storytelling, and does so without involving the inhumane “deepfake” technologies to replicate the likeness of the late Carrie Fisher. Eman Esfandi continues to be a highlight as Ezra Bridger, exuding all of the comedic timing and action prowess of his animated counterpart, while also feeling like a changed, lived-in character, who is a treat to watch. Nonetheless, with only the finale in sight, Ahsoka has a lot of ground to cover if the show is to manage a successful “landing", which may leave some fans worried, with many Disney+ franchise shows being notorious for uprooting any narrative momentum and falling apart in short, CGI-crazy finales which prioritize empty, meaningless spectacle as means to a quick and cheap ending.