Star Wars The Clone Wars
The Battle for Geonosis Part 2 continues on these three episodes of "The Clone Wars." Obi-Wan and Ki Adi are recovered and more Jedi and Padawan's are showing up to clash with Anakin and Ahsoka. Let's get right to it.
"Weapons Factory," Season Two, Episode 6
"No gift is more precious than trust."
Narrator: "The final surge. Having learned of warlord Poggle the Lesser's plot to rebuild a Separatist droid foundry on Geonosis, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, prepare to assault this heavily-fortified installation. Their mission: destroy the factory at all costs. Anticipating stiff resistance, Republic commanders send Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan, Barriss Off, to reinforce the attack. But time runs short for our intrepid heroes as the dreaded droid mill nears completion..."
The last part of the Republic's plan to re-take Geonosis from the Separatists is underway. It hinges on Padawan's Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee navigating a complex system of underground tunnels to sneak into the factory and set charges, while the Clones and their Masters serve as a distraction. While Luminara has faith in Barriss, who has the tunnel system memorized, Anakin doesn't seem to have the same faith in Ahsoka. Will the somewhat divided Jedi be able to get this done?
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| Who's briefing is this? |
This episode is kind of all over the place. It's a continuation of the last season. It also sets up a few conflicts that don't really go anywhere. From the jump, there is this thread that Anakin doesn't trust Ahsoka. He takes over her mission briefing and does some classic mansplaining. He tries to stop her from going into the tunnels with Barriss and the idea here is that he doesn't think that Ahsoka can handle herself. It's the diametric opposite of the relationship between Luminara and Barriss. Luminara trusts Barriss implicitly and when she says she can do this, she doesn't doubt. At the end of the episode, there is this... revelation, I guess... that the real issue is that Anakin doesn't want to let Ahsoka go. That makes a lot of sense, especially when you look at Anakin and his record of personal attachments, but I don't think the episode does a great job of showing us this. We get told it by Luminara at the end, but I don't know if she hadn't that I would have gotten from the episode beats, which isn't great.
The other potential for conflict is Barriss and Ahsoka. You would think they would butt heads being somewhat different in their personalities, but I like that the show doesn't go that route with these two female characters. It's nice that they just work well together. Trust each other and because of that trust end up getting out of a sticky situation.
The episode is carried by the action which as is par for the course for "The Clone Wars" is pretty strong and solid all around. I particularly loved the scene where Anakin and Luminara were going hand over hand under the bridge planting charges as they go. The demolition of the weapons factory was pretty spectacular. All in all, this episode is fine, but the stars are the next two.
Grade: B
"Legacy of Terror," Season Two, Episode 7
"Sometimes, accepting help is harder than offering it."
Narrator: "Victory on Geonosis! After a massive planetary siege, the Separatist forces on Geonosis have finally fallen. Key weapons factories have been destroyed, but at a heavy cost to Republic troops. Now, as Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and Obi-Wan Kenobi begin a clean-up of the planet they launch an intense campaign to find Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser and bring him to justice."
As clean-up continues, Luminara believes she has a lead on Poggle the Lesser and despite a sandstorm and multiple warnings from her compatriots goes after him. When contact with her is lost, Anakin, Obi-Wan and a squadron of Clones head after her and are confronted with some mysteries of Geonosis that could ensure none of them leave the planet...
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| Scurry |
Just in time for Spoopy Season, "The Clone Wars" is serving some scary movie realness. Have you wondered what a zombie movie would look like in the context of "The Clone Wars?" Well, this is the episode for you.
This episode really snuck up on me. Honestly, I was kind of ready to leave Geonosis behind and when Luminara got kidnapped in the first five minutes, I was kind of over it. But, once the Clones and the Jedi reach where they lost contact with Luminara, the tone of the episode shifts and things change for the better.
First off, Luminara gets a chance to be a badass. She briefly busts free from the Geonosians that are holding her and kicks some ass. We don't see a lot of hand to hand with the Jedi that doesn't involve light sabers and Luminara holds her own. She even has her hands bound while it's happening. It's kind of brief, but it made me happy because I really enjoy Luminara.
The Geonosians are the perfect aliens to be zombies. They are already creepy af when they aren't basically undead, but as undead, they are even worse. The episode has some classic horror movie beats. There are creatures lurking in the darkness. The two Clones going for help only to be ambushed and killed. It's really, really fun. I know those Clones died, but it's still really fun. The explanation for the zombies makes a lot of sense. These creepy worms being controlled by the queen. And brain worms are inherently gross. Like the worms in "Ice" from "The X-Files" and these are no different.
This episode has some great comedy too. The whole exchange between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Luminara in regards to one of those bugs into Luminara. It was really laugh out loud, especially Anakin's admission he did want to see what would happen even though he was protesting to Obi-Wan.
Grade: A-
"Brain Invaders," Season Two, Episode 8
"Attachment is not compassion."
Narrator: "Victory on Geonosis! After a massive assault, the Republic has finally recaptured the Separatist planet and shut down its droid factories of doom. An investigation by Luminara Unduli led to the discovery of Queen Karina the Great, whose hive-mind could reanimate dead Geonosian soldiers. During the destruction of the Queen's temple, the Jedi apprehended her advisor Poggle the Lesser, and now prepare to deliver the villain to Coruscant for trial..."
The Geonosian hive mind isn't finished yet. While their Masters are escorting Poggle, Barriss and Ahsoka are tasked to making a medical supply run to Ord Cestus. Little do the Padawan's know, a majority of the Clone squadron that are with them have been infected. When Ahsoka becomes the last person uninfected, can she ward off everyone else and keep them alive?
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| Glass?! |
You didn't think they were just going to leave those worms for one episode. Oh no. Why do that when they can use them to do an homage to the classic sci-fi /horror film, "Alien."
I'm honestly not sure if this episode was meant to play that way but it definitely does. A spaceship setting. There are scenes with the worms popping out of the infected's mouth that are very reminiscent of the second mouth the Xenomorphs have. Ahsoka is our Ellen Ripley. She is the las uninfected standing and this is another fantastic showcase for Ahsoka. It's so great watching her morph into a fan favorite.
I talk a lot about the action in these little recaps, but it's because it is so fantastic and this episode isn't really any different. The fight choreography is exceptional. I love when cool stuff happens with the Force and I was obsessed with the moment where Barriss shattered the window and Ahsoka deflected it. The shards flying around her was just so cool. There is always a way to stop things like this and in this case it is extreme cold, which adds a whole 'nother level to things. It makes Ahsoka and Barriss' final confrontation that much more harrowing and the scene where Kit Fisto discovers Barriss in Ahsoka's arms that much more heartwarming.
It's not just on the Padawan's ship where there's action. Anakin beats the hell out of Poggle to get the information about cold being the worms weakness and Luminara and Obi-Wan are weirdly copacetic. Like, they have to know Anakin was doing some shady, non-Jedi-like shit here, right? They had to have sensed it. It was very odd. I feel like they should have been more concerned, but that is a very minor gripe in an episode that works so well otherwise.
Grade: A
Next time, General Grievous captures a Jedi, gets captured himself, escapes and Ahsoka loses her lightsaber.
What did you all think of these episodes? Did "The Clone Wars" do horror well or do you have some notes? Let me know in the comments.
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