Star Wars The Clone Wars
Hey, remember when the prequel trilogy came out and they made that big hullabaloo about the new fully computer generated "Star Wars" character? Then it came out and he was annoying garbage. The prequels ended and you thought, "Well, at least, I won't have to think about Jar Jar Binks again, or at least not have him be the focus of any sort of future 'Star Wars' plot." Um...
"Bombad Jedi," Season One, Episode 8
"Heroes are made by the times."
Narrator: "The Clone War threatens the unity of the Republic! As battles rage across the galaxy, more worlds succumb to the seductive lure of the Separatists and leave the Republic. On a vital mission of pease, Senator Padmé Amidala journeys to the Outer Rim world of Rodia, desperate to ensure its loyalty remains to the Republic..."
Padmé, Jar Jar and C-3PO head to Rodia to try to convince it to stay with the Republic. Padmé was requested specifically since she has a close, familial connection with Onaconda Farr. Padmé quickly finds out that she has been betrayed by her "Uncle Ono" to Nute Gunray. As she's taken into custody, it becomes clear her only chance may be... Jar Jar Binks?
 |
| Betrayal! |
Here's the thing. I feel kind of bad for Jar Jar Binks. He gets shit on a lot. And for the most part, it's deserved. (I will say that the actor that portrays him deserves no shit or hate and if you have ever thrown any his way, fuck you.) I appreciate that "The Clone Wars" is trying to redeem Jar Jar to a point, but... this isn't the way to do it.
This episode suffers from tonal shifts that don't ever really gel. One one hand, we have Padmé, betrayed by someone she considered family, and then there is the Jar Jar Binks "comedy" half hour. The two aspects of the episode never really come together.
I will say the the stuff with Padmé and Farr, I do really enjoy. Padmé is first and foremost a diplomat and she is very good at her job. Her impassioned speech to Farr works really, really well and doesn't feel nearly as stiff as her monologues in the prequels. This episode really shows you why star systems are so willing to join the Separatists rather than stay within the Republic. Yes, the Separatists are partially to blame for the shortage of food and supplies, especially in these Outer Rim worlds, and then they are swooping in to offer assistance, but it's difficult to see that aspect of it when your people are starving. Yes, the Republic may come through, after endless debate and vote pushes, but how many people would have died before that happens?
So, yeah. We've got serious shit going down and Nute Gunray is going to kill Padmé and then we have Jar Jar. Destroying the ship on accident. Disguising himself as a Jedi to "rescue" Padmé and alerting the droids to him at every turn. Also, who is believing that Jar Jar is a Jedi? Seriously. I'm not sure what this episode is trying to accomplish with Jar Jar here? Prove he's a lovable klutz full of empathy? We know that. Show that he can actually rescue someone with a proven plan not completely by accident? Welp. That is definitely not what happens here. Overall this is a very odd episode and even with the decent stuff it still doesn't really work.
Oh and Padmé gets captured within the first ten minutes. In case you were wondering or that wasn't clear.
Grade: C
"Cloak of Darkness," Season One, Episode 9
"Ignore your instincts at your peril."
Narrator: "Viceroy Gunray captured! Senator Padmé Amidala has scored a victory against the Separatist Alliance on the remote world of Rodia, securing the arrest of the diabolical Confederate leader, Nute Gunray. The Jedi Council has dispatched Master Luminara Unduli and Anakin Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka to escort the Viceroy to Coruscant under heavy guard. Once there, he will face trial for his many war crimes..."
Darth Sidious is not pleased with the capture of Viceroy Gunray. Count Dooku has already tasked his apprentice, Asajj Ventress, with either retrieving Gunray or eliminating him. It won't be an easy task with Ahsoka, Luminara, a contingent of clones and Senate Commandos guarding him. When Ventress launches her attack, will Ahsoka's rebelliousness learned from her Master, lose the Republic Gunray?
This episode is basically wall to wall action. There is a bit of set up at the beginning, but other than that it is balls to the wall and I'm all the way here for it.
This is the first episode of "The Clone Wars" where you really get an idea of how badass Ventress really is. She more than holds her own against Luminara and Ahsoka, in fact, Luminara, a Master admits that she can't take Ventress on her own. That is pretty fucking cool. The action sequences in this episode are top notch. I love seeing Ahsoka interacting with other Jedi besides Anakin and seeing them balk at her methods due to her unconventional training from Anakin. The look on Luminara's face when Ahsoka launches into her bad cop routine? Priceless.
I talk a lot about the visuals in "The Clone Wars," but it's because they are fucking cool. From the droid fighters implanting themselves in the walls of the transport and basically shitting out droids to the fiery backdrop of Ahsoka, Ventress and Unduli's lightsaber battle, they are consistently breathtaking.
This episode continues to flesh out Ahsoka and you can see her beginning to become the badass, fan favorite that she is today. Let's not downplay that she has went up against and held her own solo against two of the Separatists heavy hitters.
The only real marks against this episode is that Captain Argyus' betrayal is pretty much telegraphed from the jump. He gives off sleazy vibes from the moment that he comes on screen. You know he's going to be part of the reason that Gunray gets away in the end. Ventress killing him you can see coming from a mile away, but I wasn't mad about it.
Grade: B+
Next up, the hunt for Gunray continues and then Obi-Wan and Anakin have an encounter with pirates that leads to... sigh... Jar Jar entering the fray.
What did you all think of these episodes? Do you we have any Jar Jar superfans around? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment