Star Wars: The Clone Wars
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is really hitting its stride and just keeps getting better and better. In these episodes, we are introduced to a really cool and perilous location and we check in with a character from the OG trilogy. Let's go.
"The Citadel," Season Three, Episode 18
"Adaptation is the key to survival."
Narrator: "Captured! Returning from a perilous assignment in the Outer Rim, Jedi Master Even Piell's cruiser has fallen under attack and been boarded. Seeking vital information he carries about secret hyperspace lanes called the Nexus Route, Separatist forces have taken him alive. Now the Jedi are preparing a stealth mission into the heart of Separatist space in an effort to rescue Master Piell from the deadly prison known as the Citadel..."
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker meet with Plo Koon to form a plan to rescue Master Piell from the Citadel. Anakin informs Ahsoka she will not be accompanying them on the mission but it's like master, like student, when she comes along anyway. The team makes it into the Citadel and rescues Master Piell, but it turns out that Piell only has half the information. The other half is entrusted to his Captain Wilhuff Tarkin.
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| Don't glare at me. |
Anakin cannot stop treating Ahsoka like a child. It sometimes surprises me that he is so thick headed to really believe that she won't just defy him like he did (and does) Obi-Wan, over and over and over again. I hate to give Anakin any sort of credit, but it does make sense that he would be so overprotective of his Padawan, particularly after what happened on Mortis. And was anyone really buying that Plo Koon sent Ahsoka with them, even after Anakin explicitly told her to stay behind?
I really love that the plan to get past the life form scanners to make it to the Citadel is freezing the Jedi and Clones in carbonite. I'm a sucker for callbacks and this is a great one because you don't really see it coming. I can't imagine anyone thinking that carbonite, of all things, was going to make an appearance in "The Clone Wars." The introduction of R2-D2's re-programmed droid soldiers is hilarious. I love that they have the blue paint accents and that R2 is gloating to 3PO about it. I'm not sure I would trust them to get them on to the Citadel though.
One place "The Clone Wars" always excels is in it's visuals and this episode is no different. The Citadel is just as imposing as you'd think a Jedi prison would be. I love the yellow backdrop of the sun and the purple lightning arcing around the Jedi and Clones as they climb to the entrance. The series can always be counted on for killer action sequences and this episode is no slouch in that department. Commando droids are some of my favorite droids and I love how they get up close and personal and engage in hand to hand combat.
Just when you thought that the carbonite was going to be the only callback to the original trilogy, we are find out that Piell's captain who contains the rest of the information about the hyperspace lanes is Wilhuff Tarkin or Grand Moff Tarkin as he will soon come to be known. Quelle surprise!
Grade: A-
"Counterattack," Season Three, Episode 19
"Anything that can go wrong will."
Narrator: "Escape froma Separatist prison! Carrying information about secret routes into the heart of the Republic and Separatist home-worlds, Jedi Master Even Piell was captured and imprisoned in a fortress known as the Citadel. Leading an elite strike team, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker rescue Master Piell and his officers. Now the Jedi have split up to evade Separatist forces as they attempt to escape the Citadel..."
The Jedi and the Clones may have rescued Piell and Tarkin but they aren't out of the woods yet. The Citadel's warden, Osi Sobeck, is coming after them with all he has. Obi-Wan takes Piell and some troopers while Ahsoka and Anakin stick with Tarkin in an attempt to evade their attackers. The prison is full of peril and ARC trooper Echo falls victim to one of its traps. After their shuttle craft is destroyed, they have no choice but to call the Jedi Temple in a last ditch effort for rescue.
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| Bosom buddies. |
Have you ever wondered what Grand Moff Tarkin was like before we meet him in "A New Hope?" I can't say that I have ever really thought about it, but we get a taste of it in these episodes. It shouldn't come as a huge shocker that he's basically the same asshole he was in that movie except he's younger and working for the "good guys" in "The Clone Wars." Tarkin is still the same condescending douchebag asshole he was in "A New Hope" and he isn't impressed by the Jedi or their role in the conflict unfolding around the galaxy. Tarkin doesn't believe that the Jedi should be on the front lines of this fight since they are peacekeepers and he doesn't think they have what it takes to do what must be done to end the war. Anakin is swayed by Tarkin's opinions and starts to admire the guy. Maybe a little too quickly.
Anakin refuses to come right out and accuse Ahsoka of lying when she clearly doesn't know the plan that Anakin and Obi-Wan devised with Plo Koon before leaving for the Citadel. Ahsoka is able to blow a hole in the wall and destroy some droid soldiers and is pretty self-satisfied but she shouldn't be, since that is basically showing that she is lying to Anakin. But, I'm not going to lie, I love when Ahsoka gets to be smug around Anakin. It's a balm to my soul.
We haven't talked much about this arcs primary antagonist, Osi Sobeck, who is the warden of the Citadel. He spends a lot of this episode groveling to a hologram of Count Dooku or avoiding his transmissions, which never feels like a good idea. Sobeck is pretty one-dimensional. His design kind of reminds me of the dug, Sebulba from "The Phantom Menace." There's a lot of monologuing and sending droids to do his dirty work. He does kill a Clone Trooper in cold blood to show he's not fucking around but that just seems like a writer's shortcut to character development. See, he's badass.
This is your regular reminder that the Clone Wars goes hard. A clone is chopped in half by the security doors on the Citadel and Echo gets blowed up. The last image we see in the episode is his charred helmet.
Grade: B+
"Citadel Rescue," Season Three, Episode 20
"Without honor, victory is hollow."
Narrator: "Trapped behind enemy lines! Carrying secret information vital to the Republic's war effort, Jedi Master Even Piell and Captain Tarkin were taken prisoner by the Separatists. An elite strike team led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker landed on the planet Lola Sayu and infiltrated the prison. The team rescued Master Piell and Tarkin, but they were pursued by the prison's evil commandant, Osi Sobeck. During the escape, their ship was destroyed. Now we find them on the run, desperate to escape the trap that is the Citadel..."
The team communicates with the Jedi Temple and are told the only rendezvous point is on a small island in the middle of a lava lake. The Jedi and their troops head there but are mercilessly pursued by Sobeck and his forces. After Master Piell is killed in battle, he imparts his half of the hyperspace lane information to Ahsoka and tells her to only give the information to the Jedi Council. Will they live long enough to do that?
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| Plo Koon is a liar. |
Typically, the last episode in these three episode mini arcs are the weakest. It's usually just a big battle and feels a lot the third act in any MCU movie. This episode sort of bucks that trend. It packs in some nice emotional beats along with the action, of which there is plenty.
The big emotional centerpiece of the episode is the death of Jedi Master Even Piell. One of the things that I enjoy the most about "The Clone Wars" is that there are actual consequences. Not everyone makes it out of things alive and it is pretty realistic for a show that is set in outer space. You almost think that Piell is going to make it. He's gotten this far and they are so close to being rescued, but alas, it is not to be. After Piell is killed and entrusts his half of the hyperspace lane secret to Ahsoka, there is a really nice contemplative, quiet scene where Anakin and Obi-Wan use the Force to consign Piell's body to the lava. It's a great moment and the episode would have felt wrong if they hadn't done this. So, I have to give it up to the writers for including it. It doesn't slow the episode down either which is really commendable.
The rest of the episode is pretty much all action and we get another beautifully rendered outer space battle to add to all the other beautifully rendered outer space battles "The Clone Wars" has given us. Ahsoka stabs Sobeck in the back with her lightsaber before he has a chance to kill Tarkin. Tarkin is impressed but Ahsoka seems very bothered by the fact she had to kill Sobeck and by Tarkin's praise.
We see more signs of division between the Chancellor and the Jedi in this episode. Ahsoka will only give her portion of the hyperspace information to the Jedi Council while Tarkin will only give his to Palpatine. Anakin brings up Tarkin's feelings about Jedi and the war to Obi-Wan and mentions how he agrees. Obi-Wan reminds his former Padawan that peace must always be at the forefront of those fighting a war and that the Jedi being peacekeepers is a strength. It's clear that Obi-Wan is troubled by his former student's admiration of Tarkin.
Grade: B+
Next up, we close out season three with Ahsoka protecting younglings from Trandoshans and a surprise appearance by a familiar furry face.
Three more great episodes from "The Clone Wars." What did you all think? Let me know in the comments.
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