3x16 Through Imperial Eyes

[8.3/10] I am a sucker for spy-based cat and mouse games, and I am also a sucker for the great performances of David Oyelowo. It is still such a boon that this show has the talents of an Oscar-caliber performer like Oyelowo on a near-weekly basis, and giving an episode over to him made for some great line deliveries.

But it was also just a well-written episode. Kallus and Thrawn working (somewhat unknowingly) against one another made for a great game of chess. Ezra, as usual, throws a monkey wrench into otherwise finely-tuned plans, and true to form, the droids cause trouble and help in equal measure. The fact that Thrawn knows there’s a mole in the Empire, with all the officers suspecting one another created two levels of paranoia: one among the various Imperial Officers wondering who among them was a traitor and one among the audience, wondering if Kallus would be found out.

The episode did a nice job at teasing both sides of this. The opening segment seems to suggest that Kallus is on the verge of being found out and absolutely has to get out, creating a heightened atmosphere from the minute Ezra shows up. The bulk of the episode shows that Kallus is sharp and good and what he does and that there’s a reason he wasn’t caught. The way he manages to nab List’s command cylinder and set him on a wild goose chase, only to then evade Thrawn and set up a patsy, all show a wiliness that not only created thrills in the moment, but which illustrated the wits and capabilities of the character.

It turns into a nice episode for Thrawn too, when he sees through the ruse. Kallus’s plan is nigh-perfect (though as usual for Star Wars, involves some luck). The opportunity to pin the whole thing on List with the Governor to vouch for him seeming to stop the “traitor” appears to conveniently wipe away the suspicion from him, and his reassurance to Ezra that he can “do more good here” adds to his character development, in that he wants to keep aiding the rebels and not just bail for his own safety. But it’s too perfect, and Thrawn’s logic and ability to put things together not only helps show his intelligence and analytic abilities, but creates an interesting dynamic where Thrawn outright knows Kallus is the mole and intends to use that fact to his advantage.

On top of that, bringing Admiral Yularen into the fold is a minor thrill for fans of The Clone Wars, and his connection to Kallus portends interesting things when the rest of this mole business comes spilling out into the open.

Overall, it’s a superb episode that uses its characters well, and sets up tension and mystery in its plot.