B? Really? IMHO this was the best episode yet, only slightly marred by the premature reveal. Alara exiting the simulation would have been sufficient and much better.

The show managed to successfully steer the audience towards the “alien influence” idea for most of the episode and the acting, especially by Halston Sage…

Penny Johnson Herald with a goatee? Now that’s a great idea!

Or he just used the fake name with her as well when they met

The answer you look for is magic™

It will be interesting to see what happens to Thrawn. I do hope that he is shipped off to the Unknown Regions as a punishment for not stopping the titular Rebels and thus survives the fall of the Empire. Then the Thrawn trilogy can still become canon :-)