the dumping ground

the way hayden's long legs move through his footwork when he's fighting is honestly a joy to watch again, such deliberate and graceful placement of his feet, synced with the smooth movement of his blade, and the way he pushes the attack but he can make it look like a dance with his partner. it's fascinating to watch his style grow more brutal and aggressive when he shifts into vader, so similar yet different, his whole body acting the part, radiating menace not just his yellow eyes and kubrick stare. the whole physicality of anakin, how lanky and strong he is, how graceful and quick, is what really sold me on the episode tbh that and his fucking voice. they did a fine job with his face, it didn't look much altered, but it was the way hayden played the role, how he stood, walked, fought, just his posture and the mere tilt of his head, all these intangible anakin things that were all perfectly familiar and right. there was a genuine thrill to hearing him deliver new lines with his characteristic mix of softness and intensity, hearing how gentle and inviting he can be in one moment, how snarling and mad in the next, it was all such a treat. like however you interpret the time he spent with ahsoka helping her reflect and gather resolve, i think his scenes do mesh in well with how anakin is portrayed elsewhere, that pretty, gentle, terrifying, angry man. ahsoka saw him, remembered him, imagined him, well, for better and worse, and it was just right.