Reviews Of Blah: Star Wars Rebels S04E12 "Wolves and a Door" & S04E13 "A world between worlds"

Synopsis

Ezra and the Ghost crew learn the Empire has plans for the Jedi Temple on Lothal. While the other rebels engage the Imperial forces outside the Jedi temple, Ezra gains access inside and experiences a revelation.

What I thought

After the traumatic events of the previous double-episode, we're back with another two that are so closely aligned that to watch them in two parts is almost cruel. Thankfully, most of us get to see them back-to-back, as they really should be. If you thought Rebels could not ever be a touch on The Clone Wars, then think again, as it came mighty close here.

Leading straight on from last week, Ezra leads the gang via the Lothal style of public transportation, the Loth Wolves, who take the gang, via a force dimensional jump of sorts, to near where the Empire is busy in a quarry working on getting into the jedi temple. Yes, previously this temple was above ground but the Empire has been very busy digging deeper and trying to get in. They've hit a wall though. Literally. It's a wall with a mural on it that anyone who has seen The Clones Wars will recognize for it depicts the Mortis Gods. Sabine and Ezra sneak in disguise into the quarry to investigate the mural in a rather frank fashion. Security checks in the Empire are still not really up to much quality although I guess they don't suspect intruders. Via Chopper, they listen in to a transmission between the overseer of the quarry investigation, Minister Veris Hydan and ... THE EMPEROR! OMG. Yes, he's here and it's awesome. Ok, he's via hologram but just hearing and seeing him in conversation with the minister is brilliant and absorbing. And, what a joy it is to actually discover more about these background characters in terms of the minister, whom we've seen numerous times in Star Wars lurking around the Emperor, but never knowing what they actually do. Of course, in Rogue One, Vader had one of those robed men in his castle who actually spoke a few words, but this is the most we've ever seen of them and it's a great payoff for a long overdue years of wondering. It seems, as one might expect, they work for the Emperor and take on a somewhat Sith Religious Investigator role for he's there to find out more about the Jedi Temple on behalf of the Emperor who wants to unlock it's secrets which he knows will help him control the past and future.

Whilst Ezra checks out the mural closer, finally someone notices Sabine's stormtrooper disguise as she's randomly standing around in a secure location. Ezra meanwhile, remembering the hand stone tablet he got from the Loth Wolves, presses in force wise on the Daughter's hands on the painting, which activates the painting, bringing it to life! This is an absolutely amazing sequence of events, watching parts of a painting light up, move and play out a scene. The loth wolves in the painting run away, which Ezra follows further along the wall until they form a circle which is the entrance to the portal. Guards finally notice all this fireworks and lights, alerting the minister, whom tries to stop Ezra but it's too late, as Ezra enters the portal.

Sabine is brought before the Minister. This is an extra opportunity to learn more about him. In a rather Thrawn like similarity, his office is full of various paintings. Because Sabine likes art and does graffiti, the Minister keeps her about to discuss the main painting. This is a little odd. She's hardly a renowned Turner Prize winner, but given he can't work out anything more about the painting, I guess he's desperate to please his Emperor. She reveals the hands are the key, something I'd have thought he'd have worked out by now.

Inside the portal we have a sort of stargate like look and feel as numerous shaped gateways are joined together by paths that are spread in all sorts of directions against the vast openness of black space. There's a lot of voices occasionally in the background, most of which we will recognize from the Star Wars universe. Drawn to the attention of a bird on top of one of the portal gates, Ezra sees Ahsoka Tano's battle with Vader from Series 2 appear. With Vader on the attack, Ezra reaches in to pull Ahsoka out of the battle! WTF? Yes, Ahsoka is back! In this world between world, it seems the past and future is sort of available on some level to those within the portal. In some ways it's made to look easy to do what you want in here, but I somewhat doubt it's anything like on-demand access to Time Travel. For starters, access was restricted to within the Temple, and via an instructional tablet. Also, why did Ezra see Ahsoka's battle out of a million and 1 other things he could have witnessed and been interested in from the past or future? He later does see Kanan's last stand from last week in another portal but is talked out of saving Kanan by Ahsoka. She knows that wouldn't be right, and would have condemned them all to death as Kanan couldn't save them last week without sacrificing himself. Quite how Ahsoka works this all out so quickly, with little information, I'll put aside for now. Taught a lesson, to let his master "go", there's a new threat as the Emperor appears behind one of the portal windows and starts firing force fire/lightning at them, trying it seems to capture them and thus help him link to the portal properly. Both escape via separate portals, barely, from the Emperor, with Ahsoka ending up back where she was on Malachor, and Ezra popping out in the quarry. Quite convenient that they both took the right portals, or is this just the will of the force guiding them?

With Chopper, Zeb and Hera causing all sorts of chaos for the Imperial forces and rescuing Sabine along the way, they help Ezra seal the portal (by way of force holding the Son's hand on the painting) and then leg it out of the quarry as everything starts to demolish itself, leading to the temple eventually disappearing and just barren land remaining.

Although it seems this was guidance by the loth wolves to save the temple from the Empire, it was also somewhat somehow contrived by Kanan as a last lesson for Ezra. Exactly how Ahsoka played into proceedings, either by the will of the loth wolves, Kanan or just the force, I don't know. Also, the Empire must have been working on this temple for many months, if not years, but at 11th hour the wolves let Ezra know?

Sure, there's a few questions generated but this is a magnificent episode that is absolutely gorgeously rendered, not least by the animated painting, which is simply the best thing I've seen in a cartoon ever. We also get the Emperor, who steals every scene he's in, and learn more about his minions and what he's getting up to now that he's leaving running the actual Empire to his subordinates.

Rating - 9/10 - Things don't get much better than this, although a little more context would have helped me just a tad.

What I liked

The Emperor - he's a showstopper!
Minster Veris Hydan - learning about him and these servants of the Emperor was totally engaging.
Death Troopers! They even spoke in code for once.
Painting design and movement is best thing ever in a cartoon.
The internal workings of the portal just create so many questions!
Ahsoka Tano - need I say more?

What I didn't like

Unsure what the "point" was here. It's said that it was Kanan's last lesson, but it really was to shut down the portal I guess? Did Kanan have any input into Ashoka in this? There's a little something here missing that I can't put my finger on.