Warning: This review contains spoilers for the Star Wars Rebels episode “Always Two There Are.” Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episode yet.

Kanan killed the Inquisitor at the end of Season 1 of Star Wars Rebels, but guess what? He wasn’t the only spinning lightsaber-possessing baddie in town. He was the Grand Inquisitor, the leader of an order that includes at least two more individuals and we met them in “Always Two There Are.” The Seventh Sister (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Fifth Brother (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez) were introduced and immediately showed how threatening they are. Seeing them in action and realizing they were followers of the guy Kanan killed makes you understand that Kanan got lucky—the Inquisitors are beyond his skill level.

It’s not a simple thing to introduce new villains in the Star Wars universe, and I think bringing in villains who are similar to someone we’ve met before is even more difficult. However, the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother were clearly different from the Grand Inquisitor—and different from each other. In a single episode, it was obvious that the Seventh Sister was the more calculated and patient of the two. She’s willing to play the long game, and she has a mean streak; she didn’t hesitate to turn to torture and work Ezra into a bigger plan. The Fifth Brother though? He was more about brute force, taking care of business, and moving on. The Sister had an edge on him, but they made each other stronger.

Gellar’s performance was so creepy that it got under my skin. I was worried I would hear too much of Buffy in there and be taken out of the episode, but that wasn’t the case at all. (I should have known better.) She gave her lines a sharp, sort of biting aspect that made them especially intimidating. Her delivery combined with the character’s personality and fighting style made me fear her more than I ever feared the Grand Inquisitor.

Besides introducing fresh foes for the rebels to worry about, the episode provided a nice team-up mission for Ezra, Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper. First of all: How dare that probe droid mess with Chopper? I never want to see Chopper be injured or scared ever again. My heart can’t take it. After recovering from his suffering, Chopper was a huge help to the mission and I liked seeing Zeb rise up and take point. Zeb is underutilized overall—he’s a brawler and always helpful in a fight, but we needed to see more his brains.

Ezra held up well under torture, too. Better than I expected. He’s always been scrappy, but now—instead of merely putting up a brave face—I think he actually possesses courage. He certainly showed it while facing off against the Seventh Sister. I appreciate how in this instance and in general, Ezra and the others recognized they couldn’t win and that it was an acceptable and smart decision to run.

How about the dynamic between Kanan and Rex, though? They’re understandably at odds because of the whole Order 66 business, and that starting place has made their relationship shaky. We saw that they’re begrudgingly getting along and mostly doing so because of Ezra, because Rex wants to train Ezra as if he were a soldier. Kanan, however, wants to continue with Jedi training. I’m torn. On one hand, it’s not bad for Ezra to be well-rounded—it’s a positive thing for the boy to have another mentor and for that mentor to be so different from Kanan. A little discipline and soldierly attitude wouldn’t hurt. However, straying too far into soldier territory was one of the downfalls of the Jedi Order. The Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers.

Whether it’s right or wrong to train Ezra as a soldier—which I imagine is a thing we’ll keep touching upon over the season—it made for some hilarious needling. The fact that Ezra was willing to assign himself on a mission in order to get away from Kanan and Rex’s bickering was a sign about how much they argue and how long it’s been going on.

Other quick observations:

• It was fascinating to see Agent Kallus’ opinion of the Inquisitors—he called them mystics.
• The expression on Kanan’s face when he realized there were more Inquisitors was so telling. I can’t believe animation captured something that nuanced.
• Props to Zeb for sticking to the mission and grabbing supplies from the medical station even with all the excitement.
• Rex’s comment about brawn to Zeb while playing Dejarik was a lovely nod to Chewbacca playing the droids in
  A New Hope and tied into Zeb’s actions later in the episode seamlessly. Bravo.

Favorite quotes:

• “There are many hunting you now, all intent on killing you and your master.” – Seventh Sister
• “I don’t want to die this way; I’m the last of my kind.” – Zeb, while stuck in a vent

Did you like “Always Two There Are?” Head to the comments and let me know your thoughts on the episode or come talk to me on Twitter. I’m especially curious to hear what you think about the Seventh Sister!

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Images: Disney