4x12 Wolves and a Door

[8.5/10] So many times, I feel like I enjoy the prelude as much, if not more, than the actual payoff. The process of Ezra, Sabine, Hera, Zeb, and Chopper figuring out how to put the plan hinted at by the “DUME” wolf into action proved and enjoyable, exciting, and spiritual one, in ways that the prior episode didn’t.

That’s due, in part, to the emergence of a lot of elements from prior works that come back in big ways. Hearing Ian McDiarmid go full Palpatine again was a shock and a treat, as his guttural growls to his minister instantly told the audience that this was something big. At the same time, it heightened the moment for The Clone Wars fans to see images of the trio from Mortis, the Brother, Sister, and Father, on the walls of the Jedi temple, giving the sense that this was leading to one of Star Wars’ more mystical, spiritual journeys rather than its adventure-laden ones.

But what I appreciated is that this episode was as much about solving the puzzle as it was about connecting the spiritual dots. For a semi-heady episode, this one doesn’t skimp on the tension or action, as Ezra and Sabine have to masquerade as sand troopers, hide, and face down Minister Hydan (Malcolm McDowell!) before they can use the stone tablet to interact with the images on the temple. That helps give the episode a story and not just make it a mystical indulgence.

But the mystical parts are pretty damn cool! For one thing, while I haven’t loved the lothwolves this season, something about the Ghost crew riding them through a grass vortex in the middle of the planet to get them to the temple was a lovingly-animated, awe-filled moment that helped nail that sense of greater forces at work. In the same way, the 2D animation of the temple drawings was an art shift for the show that was (a.) very beautiful and (b.) gave the same sense that something different and a little unknowable was happening here.

I also liked that it required coordination and teamwork from Ezra and Sabine. Sabine’s artistic talents actually came in handy, as she was required to interpret the images on the temple to help guide Ezra! (Maybe someday doing critical analysis on television shows will allow me to help some enterprizing Jedi open up a sacred site.) And only with that guidance could Ezra open the portal to whatever comes next.

Overall, “Wolves and a Door” did an excellent job of not only creating a puzzle and having our heroes find believable but impressive ways to solve it, but also adding tension through their need to sneak around and avoid enemies, and imbue the half-hour with a larger sense of purpose and connection to Star Wars’ spiritual side.