Star Wars: Rebels - Season 3 (2016) Cre: Dave Filoni

After enjoying season 2 a lot more than I had expected to, I was actually quite optimistic about watching the third, and penultimate, season. The show's quality seemed to have picked up a fair bit, which gave me a lot of hope for this one.

I must confess, I was a little dismayed to see that the season was over twenty episodes long - that, in my mind, is too long for any single season of a show, except perhaps your weekly episodic shows, but this isn't one of those. However, I still chipped my way through it, episode by episode.

The season definitely improved as it progressed, with the weakest episodes towards the beginning and the strongest towards the end. There was a string of big events that made for exciting viewing, especially in the final few episodes, which provided conclusions to a lot of arcs, including one of the most interesting and exciting prequel and Clone Wars era storylines.

I was happy to see some serious narrative choices made, including character deaths, and solid twists, which kept the show both interesting and exciting. It also showcased one of the best villains in modern Star Wars, and did a good job of making them feel like a serious threat to the protagonists.

I really loved how the season ended, even if it was slightly less of a cliffhanger than has been seen previously. I thought the climax of the season was executed strongly, and certainly got me anticipating the fourth and final season.

Overall, while I do believe this season was a bit hit or miss, I still enjoyed it quite a bit on the whole. It was definitely too long a season, but that's an issue that lies more with producers than writers. I will definitely be watching the final season with a keen interest. It'll be good to have finally got through this show, after putting it off for so long.