A Long Time Ago, During the Clone Wars: "Revival," "Eminence," "Shades of Reason" & "The Lawless"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

We've been waiting and waiting and finally we are getting what we've been waiting for. It's the return of Darth Maul and Savage Oppress. And we return to Mandalore, just in time for the third season premiere of "The Mandalorian" next week. Let's get to it.

"Revival," Season Five, Episode 1

"Strength of character can defeat strength in numbers."

Narrator: "Death and destruction! Darth Maul and Savage Oppress spread chaos as they descend on the Outer Rim. After rescuing his brother from despair, Savage and Maul murder and pillage at every turn. Fueled by rage and vengeance, they search for meaning in their new alliance as reports of their brutal attacks spread across the galaxy..."

Darth Maul and Savage Oppress are spreading terror throughout the galaxy. Maul has a plan. He explains the rule of two to his brother and after a brief struggle, Savage becomes Maul's apprentice. Obi-Wan Kenobi and fellow Jedi, Adi Gallia, are on the brothers' trail and it leads them to Florrum. The brothers are trying to get Hondo Ohnaka's pirates to follow them and Hondo and the Jedi team up to try to stop them.

Double lightsabers.

I haven't been in love with season five of "The Clone Wars" so far, but the show finally rights the ship by doing what it should have been doing this whole time which is focusing on the story of Darth Maul and Savage Oppress. The return of Darth Maul is maybe one of the biggest things that "The Clone Wars" has ever introduced and the fact that they just sort of abandoned it for these lackluster stories that we've been having to put up with this season so far. This episode really shifts everything. You feel it. This is something new. This is something important. And it's about damn time.

It's great to learn more about Darth Maul. We don't know very much about him. So, "The Clone Wars" get to fill in the blanks. Maul has a plan and though it's not completely revealed in this episode, you believe that it's important and that the Jedi should be nervous. I like that this episode zigs when you think that it's going to zag. When Maul and Savage fight, you think that Maul might have to kill his brother, but he doesn't. Savage yields and Maul names him his apprentice. 

I certainly didn't expect the brothers to meet up with Hondo Ohnaka's pirate band. You would think that the juxtaposition of the two would be too different. That the tonal shifts would be too much and it would be too much of a joke, but it actually works really well. The brothers tell the pirates that they are crime lords and use the safe full of credits that they stole at the beginning of the episode to entice them to betray Hodo.

Of course, Hondo doesn't take this well and happily partners with Obi-Wan and Adi when they show up on Florrum. The remainder of the episode is an action packed duel between the Jedi and the brothers. I praised the music in my last "Superman: The Animated Series" post and I have to give it up for the music in this episode during the fight. It's epic and it fits what is going on. "The Clone Wars" proves that it isn't afraid to go there with the Sith killing Adi Gallia.

"The Clone Wars" continues to show people that Obi-Wan Kenobi is a bad ass. He is goofy sometimes but the show never lets you forget that Obi-Wan doesn't fuck around, particularly when you've made him upset. Obi-Wan almost defeats the brothers all on his own, cutting off Savage's arm in the process. They get away, but Obi-Wan can't let this go even after Palpatine tells him that the Republic can't get involved since the brothers are no longer working with the Separatists. It's clear Palpatine is pleased by this and that Obi-Wan will not let this go.

Grade: A-

"Eminence," Season Five, Episode 14

"One vision can have many interpretations."

Narrator: "Evil alliance! Darth Maul and Savage Oppress escape Obi-Wan Kenobi's assault once again. With their plan to build a crime organization in peril, the brothers' fate is about to changed forever as they drift barely alive, through unknown space..."

The brothers are saved from certain death in space by Pre Vizsla and Death Watch. They nurse them back to health. After talking to Darth Maul, Pre Vizsla determines that he and the Sith have the same goal so they team up. The brothers and Death Watch decide to work on making Maul's plan of making himself the leader of the consolidated crime syndicates so that they can use them to place Vizsla in power on Mandalore. It's clear that both sides are just waiting to betray the other.

A deadly team.

In "Revival," the Jedi talk about how they are concerned that with The Clone Wars raging, the various crime syndicates are able to operate with little impunity because the Republic is more concerned with fighting the Clone Wars then stopping them. So, now we have Darth Maul, Savage Oppress and the Death Watch deciding to take advantage of that and use them for their own purposes. 

It makes complete sense that Death Watch and the brothers would team up. They both hate Obi-Wan Kenobi and of course, they are planning on stabbing each other in the back. It's just a countdown to who is going to do it first. Did everyone but me know that Pre Vizsla was voiced by Jon Favreau? Maybe I learned that way back in his first appearance, but if I did I completely forgot. And good for Favreau because his voice is basically unrecognizable as Vizsla. I have to give it up for Bo-Katan as well. It's clear that she knew that Maul would lash out at her, so she puts herself in peril, just to learn more about Darth Maul for the Death Watch.

If you're not familiar with the various crime syndicates in the "Star Wars" universe, then this is the episode for you. Each of the major ones makes an appearance: The Black Sun, the Pykes and the Hutts. Everyone knows about the Hutts. If you read a lot of the past canon, then you're probably aware of the Black Sun and the Pykes were antagonists in "The Book of Boba Fett." 

The episode is basically Maul and the Death Watch recruiting the various crime syndicates starting with the Black Sun. The leadership of the Black Sun are initially not willing to align with Maul and the Death Watch. That is until Savage Oppress ignites his double bladed lightsaber and tosses it down the table decapitating all of them in one throw. That is amazing. Maybe one of the coolest lightsaber moments of the entire season. The Pykes hear this and decide to just join Darth Maul. Smart move, guys.

The last act of the episode is Maul, Savage and Death Watch confronting the Hutts. It's not a shock that the Hutts won't give in right away employing bounty hunters to attack Maul, Oppress and the Death Watch. I think it's important to have this sequence to kind of show that this team isn't unstoppable. There is a moment where it looks like the Hutts will actually win this battle, but they are eventually taken down. The darksaber is really cool and I really love seeing it in use. It's so different than other lightsabers. And it really adds to the fight.

The episode ends with the Hutts joining because of course they will. They are cowards. They will be looking for the right moment to get out from under Maul's thumb, but they aren't stupid. Now that they have the syndicates, Maul is ready to employ his plan to use the syndicates to sow discontent in Mandalore and make Vizsla the hero. 

Grade: A-

"Shades of Reason," Season Five, Episode 15

"Alliances can stall true intentions."

Narrator: "Villainy swells! With an army of the galaxy's most vicious criminals, Darth Maul and Savage Oppress conspire with Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch to topple Duchess Satine, ruler of Mandalore. While the conspirators prepare to attack the Mandalorian capitol Sundari from a base on Zanbar, the fate of 2,000 other neutral systems is under threat as Darth Maul moves closer to establishing a vast criminal empire..."

The brothers and Death Watch put their plan into action. Maul sends the various crime syndicate thugs to different points on Mandalore to terrorize the citizenry. Duchess Satine's security forces are no match for them and each time there is an attack Death Watch commandos "save" the people. It's not long before the citizens of Mandalore have turned against Duchess Satine and Pre Vizsla has been installed as the new ruler of Mandalore. Once his goal has been achieved, Vizsla turns against Maul, but Maul challenges Vizsla to single combat for leadership of the Death Watch.

Off with his head!

This is a pretty solid plan that Maul has come up with. It goes off without a hitch. It maybe goes off too smoothly? I really enjoy these episodes, but it kind of brings up past issues I've had with the culture of Mandalore and Duchess Satine's leadership in general. I am all for neutrality and I think it is completely valid for planets to remain neutral during these conflicts even thought it seems like the show doesn't actually think so. 

Satine's leadership has never been stellar and it is real bad in this episode. She doesn't really alter anything when the syndicates start attacking. I don't know what she could have done, but like, doing nothing seems like a poor choice for a leader. When Vizsla usurps her and tosses her in jail, she's in a cell right next to her former prime minister, Almec. When Maul and Oppress break out of their cells, she immediately tells them that Almec is just as corrupt as them after they basically tell her they are trying to install a puppet government loyal to them. It just seems really dumb. I will say that the citizenry of Mandalore turn against Satine extremely quickly. I get that they needed to make this happen within 23 minutes, so I'll give it a pass. But, would you want to rule a people that change their minds so quickly?

That being said, the Death Watch puts on a good show. And it stands to reason there is probably a large portion of the Mandalorian citizenry that doesn't agree with Satine's pacifist ways and would welcome a return to the more warrior based culture of Mandalore's past. And Death Watch is stopping the syndicate members. They are saving people. And it doesn't seem that Death Watch wants to harm the citizens which helps things along.

The betrayal finally happens with Vizsla throwing Maul and Savage into jail. I will say it's pretty cool when Savage uses the Force to shatter the glass walls of the prison cell they are being held in. I am happy that they are really showing Maul's intelligence here. "The Clone Wars" is really making him a fully realized character and his plan to challenge Vizsla is really smart.

This leads us to the duel between them which is the best part of the episode. It's one of the most brutal fights we've seen so far on "The Clone Wars." Vizsla and Maul throw everything they have at each other and the battle isn't as one sided as you would think it would be. Vizsla uses his flame thrower at Maul and fires chainsaw blades at him, which I am not sure I remember seeing a Mandalorian do before. In the end, Maul takes Vizsla down, breaking his arm and beheading him with the Darksaber. Not all of the Death Watch will follow Maul though, Bo-Katan and a faction of Death Watch escape. Almec is installed and he tells the people of Mandalore that Satine killed Pre Vizsla.

Grade: A-

"The Lawless," Season Five, Episode 16

"Morality separates heroes from villains."

Narrator: "Neutral star systems in peril! Darth Maul and Savage Oppress command the planet Mandalore through the puppet prime minister, Almec, while they expand their criminal enterprise. With the Death Watch removed from power, and the Jedi unaware of the villainous plot, nothing stands in the way of Darth Maul's vision for a vast criminal empire. We now find Duchess Satine imprisoned, as her few remaining loyal subjects make a desperate attempt to rescue her..."

Satine's nephew, Korrie, rescue Satine with help from Bo-Katan and her fellow Death Watch commandos. Satine is captured again but not before she's able to get a message to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The Jedi Council tell Obi-Wan Kenobi that he can't interfere, but Obi-Wan ignores them and sneaks on to Mandalore. Meanwhile, Darth Sidious decides to make his presence known to his former apprentice. Can Obi-Wan save Satine and remove Darth Maul from power?

Accessing the devastation...

Things are not great in Mandalore. The Death Watch commandos that are loyal to Darth Maul are now wearing red Mandalorian armor. Bo-Katan's forces are barely able to stay one step ahead of them. This is the beginning of the redemption of Bo-Katan. You can tell that she and Satine have a past so later when Satine tells Obi-Wan to find her sister, it's pretty clear that the sister in question is Bo-Katan. Satine is able to get a call out to the Jedi Council, but the Jedi Council refuses to get involved. That is the double edged sword of neutrality. By deciding to not get involved, you have to deal with problems on your own as they come. Luckily, Satine and Obi-Wan Kenobi have a past so Obi-Wan defies the council and sneaks on to Mandalore.

These have been some serious episodes and this one is really no different. But it's kind of nice that they find small ways to inject humor here and there. Obi-Wan's rickety ship that barely makes it on to Mandalore is a great gag. Parts falling off of it, the gangplank barely going down. It's a fun light moment and the episode needs it. 

Obi-Wan and Satine are captured and Maul taunts Obi-Wan by torturing Satine in front of him. What's interesting about this scene is how Obi-Wan responds. I do think that some fans think that the dark side is stronger than the light side, but Obi-Wan's explanation about why he's stronger makes a lot of sense. We all feel feelings of attachment, greed, anger and it's extremely easy to give in to those feelings. But resisting them and taking a different path is ultimately what makes the Jedi stronger than the Sith. Like, we kind of all know that and it makes sense, but it's nice to have Obi-Wan kind of spell it out. It doesn't do Satine any good as she is killed by Maul in front of Obi-Wan. 

The highlight of this episode is really the arrival of Darth Sidious and his showdown between Darth Maul and Savage Oppress. It's a nice reminder that there is a reason that Sidious is the Sith Lord. He easily takes down Maul and Savage and he doesn't even break a sweat. It's like he's just toying with them really. There are some great moments, but I think my favorite part is when they brothers knock Sidious off the balance, but as he falls Sidious pulls Maul and Savage down along with him. Sidious kills Savage and reminds Maul of the rule of two. He lets Maul know that he has a new apprentice. He's not going to kill Maul because he has use for him. But he will torture him with Force lightning.

One of the reasons I like this arc so much is that the ending doesn't tie things up with a bow. We've got Maul at the mercy of Sidious. And Mandalore in the midst of civil war with Bo-Katan telling Obi-Wan to let the Republic know what is happening on Mandalore. I like the uncertainty and as we head towards the end of this series and the war itself that feeling is only going to grow.

Grade: A

Next, there is a bombing at the Jedi temple and when the suspect is killed in his cell, suspicions fall on Ahsoka.

What did you all think of these episodes? Did you love them as much as I did? Did you have issues? Let me know in the comments.