Rebels: "Dume" (Ep. 4.11)

-- "Kanan's gone."

Death is tough. I think there are not enough representations of it in media intended for children. And I get why: Parents don't want to deal with it and the questions it causes and having to try and explain what it means and... well, I'm sure you get the idea. It's a difficult topic and, even in fiction, it can be hard to process. And not just for children.

However, seeing how fictional characters handle death can be a good learning experience for kids. We get a wide range of examples here in Rebels.

Hera is busy blaming herself.

Ezra is lost and in despair.

Sabine and Zeb want revenge.

And the loth-wolves... Well, they want something, too.

We also get to see a little more of what Rukh can do in this episode as Sabine and Zeb end up going toe-to-toe with him.

Oh, and Thrawn? You'd expect him to be happy about the death of Kanan, right? Well, Thrawn will always surprise you.

This last arc is just something you need to watch.

"Expect them to strike out recklessly, and when they do, eliminate them."

"The Empire and us? We're not even yet."

Rebels: "Double Agent Droid" (Ep. 3.19)

-- You are mistaking my attention to detail for an attack on your obviously fragile ego.

One might be tempted to think that I've been inspired to get back into Rebels because of the recent release of The Rise of Skywalker. One would be wrong. Actually, it was the ending to The Mandalorian which has put the fire back into me to finish Rebels. Sorry not sorry for the spoiler but the first live action appearance of the Darksaber! Well, I have to know how it ends up where it ends up because, right now, Sabine has it.
This episode has nothing to do with any of that.

No, this episode is a spy mission gone awry. On the surface, it's a chance for us to get to know more about AP-5 and Wedge... except that that doesn't really happen. AP-5 is the same as he always is. Well, except for something that happens at the end of the episode, a something that is probably the most bizarre thing I've ever seen in Star Wars. That doesn't sound quite right. Star Wars, once accepted as a world setting isn't bizarre at all. I can't think of anything from any of the movies or animated shows that I would call bizarre -- okay, a case can be made for the Holiday Special being bizarre, but I haven't seen that since it first aired, so I'm not making that case -- but this was bizarre. So bizarre that my wife looked up from whatever it was she was doing that had nothing to do with watching Rebels to say, "What the fuck is going on?" I may need to watch it again.

The appearance of Wedge in the episode, which I was initially excited about, was a letdown. His entire presence seemed to hinge on a joke that he was on the mission with the two droids because no one else wanted to be. Mostly, he just hung out in the background and didn't speak. Zero character development. It was definitely a missed opportunity to give us some background on a beloved character.

In the end, though, this episode was just a stepping stone for me to get further along in the series so that I can find out what the heck is going on with the Darksaber.
Probably, you can expect a lot more Rebels reviews in the near future.

"The odds are with us."

Rebels: "Warhead" (Ep. 3.14)

-- "Like I said, bored... to... death!"

Mmm... What a classic opening for this episode. Right out of Empire. Infiltrators rather than probots, and, boy, are they tough! Sort of a cross between IG-88 and Grievous' bodyguard droids. Not something you want to meet in an alley, dark or not.

Our Rebel group has taken off for some kind of training thing and left Zeb in charge of the base. To be fair, they left Chopper with him to keep him company. If you can call it that, because they left him with... um... that other droid that Chopper befriended in that one episode. The Imperial droid that switched sides and now works as an organization and efficiency expert... and drives Zeb crazy. [All of the quotes below are from him, most of them directed at Zeb.]

That's the backdrop to the base being infiltrated... because Zeb brought the Infiltrator right into the base. Shenanigans ensue.
It's a very entertaining episode.
And it possibly contains an important plot point toward the end involving Thrawn. I guess we'll see how that plays out.

Mostly, the episode was one of those character study kind of things. Or relationship studies. It was about Zeb, but it was also about AP-5 (that other droid; I looked it up). Chopper was the third wheel, so to speak, but he played his own part. Not an essential episode (maybe?) but a fun one.

"Did they seriously leave you in charge of this entire facility?"

"Is that because you never learned to count? I can teach you."

"No, no, no. This is all wrong. Rations in the munitions section."

"That gives me an idea."
"Really? You can have those?"

Rebels: "The Wynkahthu Job" (Ep. 3.09)

-- "Come on; when have I asked you to trust me and it hasn't worked out?"

Oh, look! It's Hondo!

That's me in prepping this post before I've watched the episode. But, now, I have to go watch the episode because, look!, it's Hondo!

We always love a good Hondo episode.

I mean, an episode with Hondo is always good! Well, except for that one. But "that one" was clearly an aberration before they'd figured out what kind of character he was going to be.

And, no, that is not a use of the royal "we;" it's just an acknowledgement that everyone loves Hondo.

That should be a show: Everyone Loves Hondo. Or, maybe, Hondo's the Boss. Mad Hondo? Hmm... I think I like this game.

Completely aside from Hondo, this episode had the best moment of all of the Rebels episodes so far, possibly the best Star Wars moment ever. Okay, so that might be going a little too far, but both my son and I burst out laughing. It was great moment. And, no, I'm not going to tell you what happened, because you need to see it for yourself. And if you don't know what moment I'm talking about... well, there's no hope for you.

This is a very fun episode. It's a light heist sort of thing. The looting sort of heist with mild danger. No heavy themes or plot, just some fun theft. Or the desire for theft. But, hey, it's thefting from the Empire, so it's all good, right? Right!

And that's all I'm going to say. You should just watch the episode. Even if you have never seen another episode of Rebels or The Clone Wars. Sure, some of it will be lost on you, but I think it's fun enough that you won't care.

"I know that the two of you have had your past... conflagrations."

"I don't care what you have to offer; I'm not allowing... that on my ship."

"You are like family! Short... fragrant... family."

"I can pull your limbs off later."

Rebels: "The Honorable Ones" (Ep. 2.17)

-- "Keep it running in case things..."

"In case things go as they usually do?"

We return to Geonosis... to find it... dead. Lifeless. No bugs. No nothing.

Interesting...

Unfortunately, we don't get to find out why in this episode, but my guess is that Palpatine had them wiped out so that the information about the Death Star wouldn't leak out. They did design the thing, after all.

This episode is more of an Enemy Mine kind of thing with Zeb and Agent Kallus, Zeb's nemesis. Yeah, so what if I haven't been mentioning Kallus; you should be watching, then you'd know who he is. It's also not on me if you haven't seen Enemy Mine or know the reference. Where have you been?

Anyway...

Zeb and Kallus get stranded together on one of Genosis' moons and have to depend on each other if either of them are going to survive. Now, you know the reference. It's a good episode. They have to fight ice chickens. Maybe the two even learn some things about each other.

Mostly, though, I'm just hoping that this serves as the introduction to an arc where we get to find out what happened to the Genosians.

Rebels: "Legends of the Lasat" (Ep. 2.14)

-- I want them alive.

Hondo's back!

Maybe that's all that needs to be said about this episode. That's all I need to know to want to watch an episode, after all.

Plus, this episode has the best music of any Rebels or Clone Wars episode so far.

Hondo rescues or finds or something -- it's really unclear, considering it's Hondo -- a couple of Lasat and, well, being Hondo, he decides to play the two sides against each other so that he can get paid twice. You know, being Hondo.

And that's all I'm going to say. It's fun. You should watch it.

"Well, this must look incriminating."

"Wait, I'm the child? I wanted to be the warrior!"

"A maze?! You never said anything about a maze. You prophecy types always pull something like this."

Rebels: "Blood Sisters" (Ep. 2.08)

"It was mostly just an accident."

I've mentioned before the lack of attention given to the female characters and who they are and where they came from. We got origin-type material for Ezra and Kanan and, even, Zeb fairly early on, but, until now, there's been very little background provided about Sabine or Hera. Not that there's a lot in this episode, but it's something.

So what do we know now?

Sabine used to be a bounty hunter.

I don't know; she seems a little young to have used to have been a bounty hunter, but I suppose that explains the Mandalorian armor.

She used to have a partner. And they... split up, not on the best of terms.

Which, of course, makes their reunion less than pleasant.

I wish I could say that there was some kind of moral dilemma in all of this -- I'm going to be spoilery here -- some kind of dealing with past emotional trauma or... something..., but there's not. The Empire conveniently shows up and puts the two "friends" back together again. In some ways, it's a "Han Solo scenario," but it doesn't quite go that far.

Anyway...

It's a fine episode. Lots of action. But it's another reminder that Rebels fails to tackle the difficult questions.

Rebels: "The Lost Commanders" (Ep. 2.03)

"There are questions, questions that need answering."

With those words Ahsoka is off to delve into the mystery of the Sith Lord she encountered last episode because, yeah, she doesn't know that Vader is Anakin. That conveniently takes her out of the picture for the moment, leaving our own little rebel band to go off on their own mission.

So... Ever wonder what happened to the clone troopers after the end of the Clone Wars? Did they end up on street corners holding bean cans while begging for handouts? I can't answer that question for you, not in a general sense, but we do get to find out what became of Captain Rex. Turns out he's on my least favorite planet in the galaxy. Oh! and hey! Gregor survived! Well, more or less. You remember him, right? The best part of my leasy favorite Clone Wars story arc ever.

The problem with all of this? Kanan was there when the clones turned on the Jedi. He watched his Master gunned down by clones she had served with for years, and he ran as they turned to do the same to him. They are both his betrayers and his reminder of his own guilt. Should be some interesting stuff if the clones stay around long enough, though there may be more betrayal in the offering.

Personally, I hope Rex stays around, and I hope we find out what happened to Cody, too, though I suspect nothing good if he's not with Rex.

Oh, and Zeb gets used as bait. Like worm bait.

Rebels: "Idiot's Array" (Ep. 1.10)

"Smuggler's such a small word. I'm more of a galactic entrepreneur."

I don't tend to think of Star Wars in comedic terms. Sure, there are funny moments, and characters who have been inserted specifically for comic relief -- not just Jar Jar -- but this is the first episode of any of Rebels or all of The Clone Wars that really had me laughing out loud. Not just once.

We get to meet a young Lando Calrissian (actually voiced by Billy Dee Williams!) and to say that hi-jinks ensue would be an understatement. We get to see sabacc being played for the first time. At least, it's the first time I know of that the game has been shown onscreen anywhere. "Idiot's Array" refers to a sabacc hand. Of course, playing cards with Calrissian can get anyone into trouble, and that's what happens here. The rest of the episode is trying to get out of said trouble.

Lando, as you might expect, spends the episode trying to sweet talk the ladies. The guys, as might also be expected, react poorly to this. I think each of them says something to the effect of "I hate that guy" at least once. And, of course, Lando puts them in a situation where they're forced to defend him and rescue him from, well, himself.

Oh, yeah, and to get Chopper back, which is what started everything off, Zeb losing Chopper to Lando in a game of cards. The big question is whether Chopper wants to stay with Lando or not.

That's all I'm gonna say. Oh, except that we find out a cool thing about Ezra's lightsaber.

"Mine doesn't do that."

Rebels: "Out of Darkness" (Ep. 1.6)

"Stay calm; it's all part  of the plan."

I was going to say, at some point you have to start revealing the back stories of the supporting characters, then I realized they've revealed the major points already on the male characters. Sure, it's only episode six, but they gave us the stories for each of the male characters by the end of the second episode.

1. Ezra: The protagonist. Orphan boy with special powers. Fantasy cliche hero. Same model as Luke, actually. And Anakin. And Harry Potter. You get the picture, I'm sure.

2. Kanan Jarrus: Jedi on the run from the Empire and trying to do it harm at the same time. Sure, we don't know everything about him, but that's really enough to place him in the spectrum of things. He's the mentor character. Flawed, but the best available.

3. Zeb: The strong man. One of the last survivors of his race. The Chewbacca replacement, down to the part where his race was exploited and killed by the Empire.

We get all of that in the first two episodes with nothing about the women other than that Hera owns The Ghost and is the pilot, and Sabine wears some pieces of Mandalorian armor.

We get to find out a tiny bit about Sabine in this episode. She was a loyal Imperial in the Academy on Mandalore, blindingly following orders... until something bad happened. Now, she has trust issues and hates it that Kanan and Hera keep her in the dark about things. The whole episode is an exploration of trust between Hera and Sabine.

There is some fighting of monsters, too.

And the repeated referring to someone called Fulcrum.

But, overall, this episode was back down into the "kids' cartoon" realm for me as the fight with the monsters had a very video game feel with even the characters referring to the combat as "wave one" and "wave two" and so on. So I'm back to waiting to see where the show goes after the brief moment of hoping that it was rising about merely being a cartoon for kids.

Rebels: "Fighter Flight" (Ep. 1.3)

"You did all this for fruit?"

The title of the episode is possibly the most amusing thing about it. Well, that gives the wrong impression, I suppose, if you don't find the title amusing or if it leads you to believe that the episode isn't amusing. It is, albeit a bit silly. The episode, not the title. But, then, I'm really beginning to believe that the target audience for this series is the 7-10 age group. Or somewhere around there.

Ezra and Zeb don't get along. They don't get along in much the way that siblings don't get along. They probably like each other but bicker and fight all the time, both of them continually claiming anything that happens was the other one's fault. My problem with this dynamic is Zeb. While Ezra is just a kid and his behavior may be appropriate, Zeb is supposed to be some kind of honor guard or something for his (nearly extinct) people. But, you know, whatever. Maybe Zeb is actually very representative of his race's behavior.

At any rate, the scuffle at the beginning of "Fighter Flight" gets Zeb and Ezra kicked off the ship to run an impossible errand, to retrieve some sort of fruit for Hera that doesn't grow on the planet they're on. Not that they know that. But they manage to find it anyway... in the hands of the Empire. Of course.

Hi-jinks ensue.

Hi-jinks which include stealing a TIE fighter.

I think TIE fighters must be set up to be the easiest things in the galaxy to fly because, really, Zeb figures it out pretty quickly, and he's not really a pilot. What I'm saying is that, all things considered, it seems that anyone can steal a TIE fighter and fly away in it.

Anyway... It's an amusing episode, but there's not much to it other than that it's amusing. It lacks the kind of philosophical tone that nearly every episode of Clone Wars had. Still, I'm not that far into the series, so I'm not making any final judgements yet.

Rebels: "Droids in Distress" (Ep. 1.2)

"Your formal Jedi training starts tomorrow."

"Droids in Distress" actually opens with the distress of Ezra, distress over not being taught to use the Force by his would be mentor Kanan Jarrus, but it quickly moves to the distress of the entire crew of the Ghost as they lament over needing a job or not being able to keep the ship running. [I was strongly reminded of Firefly during this whole exchange.]

The droid part doesn't start until they actually begin their job, which is when we... Well, let's just say I was surprised to run into R2-D2 and C-3PO, basically, right off the bat for the series. They are the droids who are in distress. Okay, C-3PO is the droid who is in distress, but what's new? Of course, C-3PO believes that R2 is also in distress but, as we find out, R2 is really on a secret mission. Also sound familiar?

The episode gives us some the background for Zeb, one of the remaining of the Lasat. We get to find out why. I'll be interested to find out how this particular thread develops. It seems to me to be more along the lines of what Lucas originally had intended for the wookies before Chewbacca happened to them.

There's also what we'll call a cameo appearance by Bail Organa, somewhat like the way he shows up at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Organa was one of the movers behind the Rebellion, so I'm curious as to how often he's going to show up. I think my vote is for "more often," as long as he doesn't become some kind of deus ex machina device.