A Long Time Ago, During the Clone Wars: "The Disappeared" Parts 1 & 2 & "The Lost Ones"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

There are some wacky decisions made here. We get a couple of not great episodes and then we get one that answers some questions that have been asked since "Attack of the Clones." Let's get to it.

"The Disappeared" Part 1, Season Six, Episode 8

"Without darkness there cannot be light."

Narrator: "Mystery on Bardotta! An oasis of peace during the Clone Wars, the galaxy-wide conflict now threatens the ancient ways of the Bardottan people. With their spiritual leaders mysteriously vanishing, the foundations of order in its system are near collapse. In desperation, the Queen of Bardotta has called up on the Republic Senate with a puzzling request to help save her people from certain doubt..."

The Bardottan Queen requests the help of Representative Jar Jar Binks. Its an odd request since the Bardottans have a connection to the Force, but an antagonistic relationship with the Jedi. Chancellor Palpatine agrees to send Jar Jar along with Jedi Master Mace Windu. When the Bardottan Queen Julia mysteriously disappears it might be up to Jar Jar to rescue her? Can he do it without help from Mace?

Obi-Wan is happy he's not going with Binks.

Some of the production decisions that were made during season six of "The Clone Wars" surprise me. I know that there were some issues and some episodes didn't get produced even though there were scripts. But, they definitely knew that the series at the time was going to be winding down. Knowing that, why would you include a two-part episode that focuses on Jar Jar Binks? It's a really baffling decision to me. I could almost understand one, but two? Really?

I think the Bardottan people are interesting in general. I'm always interested in Force users that are not Jedi and are not Sith. I like that the Bardottan's don't use the Force actively. That they are more passive Force users. Yoda mentions that the Bardottan's conflict with the Jedi comes from them inducting Force sensitive children into their order. The Bardottan's thought the Jedi were kidnappers. And, they kind of are. I think this is an interesting plot thread and its not one that is touched on very often and I kind of wish there had been a little bit more here.

I'm a fan of Mace Windu getting more of a spotlight in "The Clone Wars." I mean, better late than never, but he doesn't acquit himself very well in this episode. He doesn't seem concerned at all about assuaging the fears or distrust that the Bardottan's have when it comes to the Jedi. He blatantly ignores their requests, he tries to use Jedi mind tricks on them. That makes no sense to me since the Bardottan's do have a Force connection so it seems strange that he wouldn't think that they might be immune. I'm not sure if the show is really trying to highlight the arrogance of the Jedi, but it feels almost comical at this point. 

I sometimes feel bad going after Jar Jar. It feels like low hanging fruit. And I definitely feel bad for Ahmed Best and the hate that he got. I definitely don't blame him for any of this and I'm really glad he's kind of getting a moment now with Jedi Kelleran Beq. The issue wit Jar Jar is a writing issue. He has zero growth. He has no depth. Aside from his new position, he's basically the same character that he was in "The Phantom Menace." You know what you're getting with Jar Jar. It's bad jokes and bumbling into actually coming out on top. It's so predictable and its not great. And making me try to think about Jar Jar having sex is not the way to engender growth.

That's basically what happens in the climax of this episode. The mystical cult is kind of oddly defined here. They are removing the Force essence from the Dagoyan Masters and sticking it into a ball. There's a monster. And when Mace Windu shows up, he spends as much time defeating cultists as he does trying to keep Jar Jar from getting killed. And yet, Queen Julia still seems to trust Jar Jar implicitly. I did get Indiana Jones vibes from this climax and it turns out the temple was designed after the one in "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" which isn't a great reference.

Grade: C-

"The Disappeared" Part 2, Season Six, Episode 9

"Wisdom is born in fools as well as wise men."

Narrator: "Lost! Queen Julia of the planet Bardotta has been abducted. If Representative Jar Jar Binks and Jedi Master Mace Windu cannot find the missing Queen in three rotations, a sinister prophecy will be fulfilled. The bloodthirsty Frangawl cult will take over the Bardottan government and its planetary system will be overwhelmed by chaos, death and destruction."

Mace Windu and Jar Jar follow Queen Julia's trail to the moon Zardossa Stix that is full of cultists who try to stop them at every turn. The cultists are trying to transfer the Force energy that they've collected to the Great Mother. When Mace and Jar Jar finally track them down, they are confronted by the Great Mother herself, who is Mother Talzin. Can they stop the Nightsister witch and save the Bardottan's?

The glowing ball.

In a way this episode is better than the last because it is mainly one action sequence after the next and if there is one thing that "The Clone Wars" excels at is action sequences. The ones in this episode are solid and make for an entertaining episode even though the plot in this episode is as thin as a shoestring.

Jar Jar continues to be the worst thing about these episodes. It's just more of the same. Getting in the way of Mace as he's trying to fight and making annoying noises when they are riding the animals. They try to make it seem as if Mace ends up relating to Jar Jar and respecting him at the end of the episode but I don't buy it.

The action is good, but it can be a bit repetitive. I particularly enjoyed the battle with the Stone Guardians outside the Temple. They were of course activated by Jar Jar's bumbling but I think that goes without saying. It's cool overall though and I love seeing Mace Windu really excel and show why he is one of the coolest Jedi Masters out there.

The reveal of Mother Talzin is kind of a let down and feels sort of shoehorned in. Its almost like they remembered that she was still out there and then decided to shoehorn into these sort of nothing episodes to try and make them feel like something. It's super perfunctory overall and it just sort of ends. The final battle is super anticlimactic. It just sort of ends.

I don't have a lot to say about this episode because there's not a ton going on. So I think it's best that we just move on.

Grade: C+

"The Lost Ones," Season Six, Episode 10

"What is lost is often found."

Narrator: "A long awaited truth! A distress signal has been received at the Jedi Temple and Master Plo Koon has been dispatched to investigate its origin. The signal is from a ship thought to be lost and was last known to be in the possession of a Jedi Master who was killed long ago..."

Plo Koon investigates the downed craft and learns that it belonged to Jedi Master Syfo-Dias. The Council goes to see Jocasta Nu who says that Syfo-Dias died on a secret mission to Felucia authorized by then Chancellor Valorum. Syfo-Dias is also the Jedi that supposedly commissioned the clone army behind the backs of everyone. The Council tasks Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to investigate and try to find out what happened to Syfo-Dias.

We stan Jocasta Nu in this house.

Jedi Master Syfo-Dias has been one of the biggest mysteries of the prequel era. He's first mentioned in "Attack of the Clones" when Obi-Wan is tracking Jango Fett to Kamino and learns of the commissioning of the Clone Army. He's sort of pushed to the back burner but that all changes with this episode and its nice that we finally get some answers in this episode.

I really like the pacing of this episode. It moves at a brisk clip but it doesn't ever feel rushed which is a delicate balance to strike and its one "The Clone Wars" tries for but doesn't always achieve. There is some necessary backstory that needs to be dropped in to this episode. At the time this season was released it had been about 12 years since "Attack of the Clones" was released and I think the episode does a great job of reminding us who Syfo-Dias was with just a few lines from Obi-Wan. There doesn't need to be a long winded explanation and episode writer, Christian Taylor, recognizes that. 

This episode is constructed vaguely like a mythology episode of "The X-Files" and I mean that as a compliment. There are a ton of layers here and mysteries upon mysteries and for every answer that the Jedi uncover, they are left with more questions. I like that. I like how the Jedi are becoming more and more aware of the long running conspiracy against them when it is basically too late for them to do anything about it. I like that they don't reveal too much about Syfo-Dias. I think he's a character that works best because he is mysterious. But we get enough information to sense who he is and enough backstory to understand why the Jedi didn't bat too much of an eye when they learned about the Clone Army he supposedly was responsible for. He had foresaw a Great Conflict and the Jedi Council had found his views "too extreme." No one is surprised.

Yoda gets involved in this episode. That's how you know things are serious. Yoda is getting his hands dirty. He goes to see former Chancellor Valorum and learns that Valorum was working with Syfo-Dias to prevent an underground war with the Pyke syndicate and was initially was going to send Syfo-Dias to negotiate with them before the Council sent him to Felucia. Yoda believed another Jedi was with Syfo-Dias but it was actually Valorum's chief aide, Silman.

It's great to have Obi-Wan and Anakin back in "The Clone Wars." They've basically been absent since season six started so it's great to have them back again and facing off against the Pykes and Count Dooku. The Pykes are one of the cooler crime syndicates in the "Star Wars" canon and its kind of nice to be reminded of that after their sort of lame showing in "The Book of Boba Fett" last year. I love an unhinged character and Silman is definitely that. The interactions between Silman and Obi-Wan and Anakin are a highlight of the episode but poor Silman is killed by Count Dooku before he can spill the beans.

Count Dooku is a badass and its nice to be reminded of that since recently it feels like when we see him he's being smacked around by Darth Sidious. He pretty easily takes down the Pykes and handily keeps the Jedi at bay. Obi-Wan and Anakin get confirmation here that Dooku is Darth Tyranus which is a pretty big deal. He also claims that Syfo-Dias was going to join him which rattles the council who decide to keep Dooku's involvement in the creation of the Clone army a secret. Yoda is more sure than ever that the Jedi are currently playing the Sith's game but feels like they need to keep playing it for now.

These types of episodes are what I was hoping for when I first watched the sixth season of "The Clone Wars" It was definitely a breath of fresh air after the two episodes that preceded it.

Grade: A-

Next up, Yoda is tested when he starts hearing voices that lead him across the galaxy in a three episode arc that ends season six.

What do you all think? Am I too hard on Jar Jar? Were you satisfied with the Syfo-Dias revelations? Let me know in the comments.