WHALES. IN. SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!
By Eric Goldman
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Have to keep my review short this week due to travel, but that’s not too difficult, given this wasn’t a standout episode. There were some lovely images and moments in “The Call”, but it also felt like a pretty slight installment.
So yeah, space whales. Who can… go into hyperspace?! That final reveal was pretty out there, though fun in its craziness. And I did like the idea that the Purrgills actually helped inspire earlier generations to figure out hyperspace travel, simply because in Star Wars, such amazing technology is just an accepted fact, so it’s interesting to think about truly ancient times for these people.
But a lot of this episode felt a bit thin. Hera being the one to be the most unaccepting and cynical about the Purrgills was an interesting idea – a counterpart to her usual warm, accepting nature. But then she was off-screen for much of the episode, making her eventual acceptance of them not feel as earned as it could.
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
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Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
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Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “The Call” Images
There were some definitive visual standout moments though. Kanan, Ezra and Sabine’s space jump (along with Chopper!) was thrilling and a cool, different type of action beat than we see in Star Wars. And Ezra slicing the wing off a TIE Fighter – seeing them colored yellow was a fun touch – was pretty damn impressive.
Some bullet points:
-So easy yet funny to have Ezra say “I have a good feeling about this.”
-That was a particularly notable example of a Wilhelm scream when that one bad guy fell off the bridge.
-I loved the painted Stormtrooper helmet Sabine gave Kanan. It reminded me of the painted helmet displays they’ve had at various conventions.
-The villains in this episode were particularly dull and unintimidating. Though at least Kanan had a funny line about it with “I can’t believe we’re gonna lose to this guy!”
“The Call” evoked a couple of the more middle of the road episodes of The Clone Wars, where we might see a new species or planet, but nothing of great consequence occurred. Ezra’s spiritual moment, connecting with the Purrgills – and the visual of both of their eyes getting all starry and trippy – was evocative, in and of itself, but didn’t have the impact of Zeb’s own spiritual journey in last week’s episode.
