One of the the moments I had in mind while watching this episode is a conversation between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s ghost in From a Certain Point of View - “Master and Apprentice”, where they’re talking about Anakin:
“Anakin became a Jedi Knight. He served valiantly in the Clone Wars. His fall to darkness was more his choice than anyone else’s failure. Yes, I bear some responsibility–and perhaps you do, too–but Anakin had the training and wisdom to choose a better path. He did not.”
This episode of TCW could not have better illustrated this had it actively been trying to. Anakin has the wisdom, because we see him pass it on to Rex. He’s done so before, like with Ahsoka in the Onderon arc, where he tells her to remember that purpose comes before feelings, but this arc straight up has Padme pointing out that Anakin does this kind of thing, that Rex quite possibly learned it from him, so maybe you should support him on this.
Which is actually another beautiful moment of characterization, that Padme is coming from a place where she knows what feelings do to Anakin. She knows that he murdered the Tuskens after his mother died, including the women and children, that it was against what a Jedi should be, that feelings shouldn’t overwhelm what you know is the right thing to do.
But she believes in Anakin’s good heart, too. She believes in passion and that Anakin’s feelings couldn’t lead him down that road again. So, she encourages him to lean into those feelings Rex has:
Anakin: “I’m worried he’s letting his personal feelings drive him too much on this mission.”
Padme: “I wonder where he learned that. You’ve known Rex a long time. When you throw caution to the wind and take chances, where is he?”
Right beside me.”
Padme: “Then maybe that’s where you should be for him, Ani. Trust his instincts like he trusts yours.”
Anakin: “I’m just trying to look out for him.”
Padme trusting Anakin’s instincts and his good heart is a straight line to Obi-Wan telling her in Revenge of the Sith that Anakin has turned to the dark side and killed younglings, but she denies it.
Padme, despite the evidence she saw on Tatooine, Anakin’s terrible confession of what he’d done there, cannot believe that Anakin would fall into the dark.
That his feelings couldn’t possibly lead him there.
It’s similar with Obi-Wan, though, he has stronger evidence to believe that Anakin wouldn’t turn, because the point isn’t just to trust your instincts, it’s to balance them with what you need to be prepared for the possibility of. Hope for the best, keep trying, but you have to face that it might not be what you want. It might be a trick, it might just not go your way, you might do what you can and it just won’t work, that’s not giving up, it’s understanding the truth and not falling to pieces when things go wrong.
Obi-Wan believes in Anakin because of moments like the above. It’s not that Anakin is saying Rex is wrong, because Anakin says that he may very well be right, that’s not the point. The point is that Anakin understands having to tell someone that you have to accept the possibility.
He’s come so far from that young man who couldn’t accept even the idea of Ahsoka’s death on Geonosis, where Luminara wasn’t saying she didn’t care, but that she was prepared if the worst did happen, she wouldn’t lose her shit if it did.
Anakin has grown. He has matured. Yes, he stumbles here and there, but this is why Obi-Wan thinks Anakin has never let him down. Because he keeps getting back up, he keeps learning and growing.
Hell, even the very last thing that Obi-Wan and Anakin talk about is another moment of wonderfulness from Anakin, that he’s grown and matured enough to apologize for his bratty behavior earlier!
Anakin: “Master. I’ve disappointed you. I haven’t been very appreciative of your training. I’ve been arrogant, and I apologize.”
How can this person, the one who struggles with the dark, sure, but they all do, it’s a lifelong challenge to overcome the dark, that’s how the Force works, how can this person who keeps getting up and growing and maturing, possibly truly fall?
How can the person who tells Rex, “I hate to say it, but you have to prepare yourself for the possibility that Echo is dead, and this is all a Separatist trick.” truly fall?
And Obi-Wan doesn’t see it because he loves Anakin so much, Padme doesn’t see it because she loves Anakin so much and believes that his feelings are fine, so she encourages them and, hell, maybe in a vaccuum she would have been right, that Anakin wouldn’t have gone off the deep end because of the fears that ate into his heart, that he would have eventually reached a real place of balance, because he stopped listening to the person who was trying to poison him (Palpatine) and started listening to the people who were trying to help him (Obi-Wan, the Jedi) and gotten a grip on himself.
But ultimately it shows why they believe in Anakin, because he does have the wisdom to know better. HE KNOWS BETTER. HE ABSOLUTELY KNOWS BETTER. He tells Rex that he has to face the possibility, he tells Ahsoka that she has to keep her focus, he knows better.
And he still made the wrong choice, on his own and despite knowing better. This episode just really nails all that down into place.
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