REVIEW: Star Wars Rebels "Homecoming"
Oh, Star Wars Rebels, you are still a good show, but man, sometimes you dissapoint me. I get it, you're a kids show, but not every episode has to end with a happy ending. Heck, there were episodes last season did didn't end cheery. I say this because this week's episode, featuring The Clone Wars character Cham Syndullia, Hera's father, started out really strong but ended horribly predictable. I didn't hate this episode but was dissapointed in some ways.
Like I said, the episode starts out strong. There is a ship carrier that is over the planet Ryloth that the rebellion wants for its fighters. Therefore, Hera has to contact Cham whom she hasn't spoken to in years. The initial drama between the two is compelling. Hera is mad at Cham because he didn't spend much time with her growing up because he was trying to free Ryloth. In return, Cham is mad at Hera because Hera left and joined the rebellion, which he considers a worthless cause.
When they fight and argue, it is interesting. Hera at one point when it is just the two of them uses her accent, which was strange but fascinating. Anway, Cham wants to actually blow up the carrier to inspire hope for his people. Again, you can see both sides of the issue here, and it should lead to a good dynamic.
What is also interesting is that, unlike Hera, Cham is viewed as a war hero to Kanan. This is because of when he fought besides Mace Windu in the Clone Wars, who was his master, Depa Billaba's master. I did get a kick about when they met and he esstentially fangirled and mixed up the names of the group. I also feel that he wants to be buddy buddy with him because he has feelings for Hera, but that's my theory.
Anyway, when the team sneak aboard the carrier, Cham and his two soliders, one of whom was a child during the Clone Wars show, betray the Ghost crew and plan to blow up the ship anyway. Again, that's a brilliant dynamic. I loved when it was a three-way fight betweent the Ghost crew, Cham's group, and the Empire. I would have loved it if the entire rest of the episode is Ghost crew trying to slip past Cham.
For awhile, that was what the episode was doing too. There was a brilliant action sequence with Kanan and Ezra using the force to take out stormtroopers and get through blast doors. Sabine also uses her wits to outsmart Cham's soliders. Cham meanwhile, knocks out the hyperdrive so the carrier can't escape, and confronts his daughter on the bridge.
So, up to the point, I was really digging the feel and tone of the episode. It would have been a great lesson of doing what you think is right, no matter the costs. It wouldn't have been a chipper moment, but, I think the episode would have been more memorable that way.
But then, of course, they do the ultimate cliches. Hera talks to her father, and he has a change of heart. They all decide to unrealistically change their minds and join forces to fight the Empire. They learn the importance of working together and trusting each other. Look, I know that those aren't bad messages. It's not like its handled horribly in the episode, but man, you could have had a dynamic that we hardly ever see, at least not fully through an entire episode.
Well, anyway, there is a cool turrent action scene and before escaping with the carrier, Cham gets to blow up the crusier that was orbiting the planet. I guess he got his wish after all, to blow shit up. In the end, the rebellion gets their character and Hera and Cham's relationship is patched.
Now, I imagine that I am in the minority with this viewpoint, but I don't care. It's my job to say exactly how I feel about an episode, and that is how I feel. The acting and action are great. But, man, they really, to me, were building to a strong ending that you don't normally see in a kids show, but no, they took the tired and cliche route. Again, it's not horrible or bad for kids, it's just something that I've seen a thousand times now.
