Full Series For Discussion of Old TCW episodes...

Nightsisters
- So this is the episode when Ventress cease to be a one-dimensional villain character and get some good character development
- Witches with green magic stuff which I guess is still connected to the Force, it's just different from what we usually see with the Force users such as Jedi and Sith
- What's wrong with Talzin's voice, why is there an echo? Is she already dead or something?
- Ventress new character model is interesting, I guess?
- So I guess it makes sense the Nightsisters lasted as long as they did against Dooku because they're the best warriors and Dooku's senses were messed up but wouldn't he see how lacking their techniques were like he did with Savage?
- Dooku in pajamas, that is all.
- I think it's the first time we see Serenno in the series, am I right?
8/10

Monster
- I was wondering whether Dathomir was a matriarchy.
- Whelp, that Maul name-drop came out of nowhere and also a subtle foreshadowing.
- Loved Feral and Savage's brotherhood, too bad it ended badly.
- This episode shows even if Ventress is no longer Dooku's assassin, she's definitively not a good guy by any meaning of the word. She's definitively still obsessed with revenge, I guess the dark side still got its grip on her and it's not that easy to get rid of it.
- I know it was a magic blade but he killed those two Jedi way too easily.
- Also, there is a Jedi temple on Devaron.
- Dooku wanting Savage as his Sith apprentice to overthrow Sidious by teaching him the way of the darkside. Betrayal is the way of the Sith.
8/10

Witches of the Mist
- Maul name-drops are piling up, I wonder what that means
- Obi-wan confirmed that Dathomir is a matriarchy.
- Toydaria, huh? haven't heard of it in a while, at least he didn't go down without a fight.
- Savage training was easily my favorite part of his episode and it seems to be setting up the fact that anyone can really use the Force or is it because Savage's strength comes from being infused with Nightsister magic?
- Anakin/Obi-Wan team up with Obi-wan's new character model, I love those two.
- The slave who ends up turning against both his master plot, classic but effective. Though his powers were a little over the top in my taste, reminded me of Starkiller for a moment.
- The twist! Guess what it is.
8/10

Next the Mortis arc. I am ready. I'll try to find clues for what happened in Rebels season 2 finale.

 

Overlords
- Distress signal dating from 2000 years ago, before thee formation of the current Republic. Also some religious significance, I presume. And do we sent to investigate? The usual Obi-Wan/Anakin/Ahsoka and Rex is there but he's sidelined for the whole arc and only appears at the beginning and the end when everything is over.
- If I have to fid one word to describe everyone's reaction to what's happening around them it will be confusion or overwhelmed.
- Hello, mysterious glowing woman who talks in riddles.
- Symbolism everywhere! Yin Yang symbols everywhere!
- Gargoyle and griffin, I half-expected to see a Pegasus appearing out of nowhere.
- Shmi and Qui-Gon voiced by Pernilla August and Liam Neeson. I'm fainting from awesomeness.
- So they're basically personification of the Force, right? Are they like gods or are they just illusions?
- That moment when Father hold Anakin's blade is exactly what I expected from a powerful Force wielder.
- Visions everywhere! Son considers Padme to be a poisoner, why? Ahsoka has a vision foreshadowing her choice in season 5 and Obi-Wan has an apparition of Qui-Gon.
- "On.Your.Knees" with a creepy voice. Yep, more proof to Anakin being the Chosen One. Anakin is supposed to replace the Father to control both his children but Anakin still has a choice to say no which Father accepts but not without warning him.
- Of course they wouldn't hint at the future without a good imperial march in the background
- That tower looks like the Temple of the Whills in RO and Vader's castle.
Loved it. 10/10

Altar of Mortis
- Son kidnaps Ahsoka and Anakin is going to the rescue no matter to the consequences to the Universe.
- So we still don't know in what mythological animal Father can transform into, we just know he has wings which doesn't help much.
- So Son bites Ahsoka and she become all dark and evil with Sithy yellow eyes and dark veins. I wonder if it is a representation of her darker side she suppressed like her fearing Anakin doesn't trust her and just criticize her
- Anakin/Ahsoka fight has some moments which parallels to their fight in Rebels. Then Obi-Wan joins them.
- Liked Daughter vs Son even if it was a little short.
- The entrance and the stairs to the altar reminded me of Filoni Topps cards where you see Ahsoka going up white stairs. The altar looked exactly like where the Sith holocron was in Rebels. That's not accidental, that I'm sure.
- So Ahsoka dies because she outlived her usefulness but Daughter is here to resurrect her just in time. I think it's one of the only case I accept resurrection considering all the weird stuff that is going on Mortis so that was acceptable. And I assume this is where Ahsoka possesses some part of the Daughter in her and that is why we don't see her body disappearing, unless Father is the only one who can do that.
- Anakin hugging Ahsoka was cute.
- Balance is broken which means war will escalate in their galaxy and they also have to stop Son to leave this place.
- Interesting how Son is horrified he stabbed Daughter when he was going to kill Father a few seconds ago.
- I see some obvious LotR influences.
10/10

Ghosts of Mortis
- Father wants to kill his Son if he can't reason with him but then when he had the chance to do that, he doesn't.
- Ahsoka with goggles, that's different and she seems to be an expert with ships, must be because Anakin taught her I assume.
- The well of the darkside look suspiciously like Mustafar but I guess this is intentional since everything that happens is a metaphor to what happens in the 6 movies.
- Son shows Anakin what he will become and in doing so broke the rules of time so this knowledge has to be erased by Father for RotS to happen.
- Well, Obi-Wan isn't so shaken to see Anakin has joined the son.
- Reminder:both Anakin and Obi-wan said he will never join the Son willingly, guess what happened as soon as the future was shown to him? I guess that would be difficult to process all this information at once but still.
- Qui-Gon talking to Anakin.
- The end battle which looked like a version of what happened in RotJ.
- Father's body disappears but Son's doesn't. Is it because he's the personification of the darkisde so by his nature he can't know it?
- Balance has been restored and Anakin will do the same for the galaxy. There is no doubt for me after this arc that Anakin is truly the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force.
- That explosion at the end looked like the explosion of the Sith temple in Rebels, another clue?
- So everything was a dream? Or was it?
10/10

This is definitively the best arc of this entire show and one of the best Lucas story in Star wars, yes movies included. I fear we'll never have this level of storytelling, mysticism in SW stories again. Kevin Kiner was the best, I loved literally everything about it, I may have some nitpicks but they're pretty significant compared to the the positive sides which expanded a lot on a lot of themes of the GFFA but the good thing is there's still questions about what it all meant? was it all real? And that, to me, was what made it a complete success at every level.

 

Finally finished season 3 with some great episodes featuring Ahsoka being childish and Ahsoka being more mature, though I understand she wants to prove herself and Anakin IS overprotective. I liked the idea of carbon freezing which could have been seen as fan service but using droids so they don't get caught was actually a good reason. Also that planet looked a lot like Concord Dawn except it was more messed up with lava and stuff. The concept of the Citadel able to imprison Jedi is a genius idea so they spent most of the episode doing stealth which made it different from full 20 minutes action episodes. This as also the first appearance of captain Tarkin but since it was implied in episode IV that he knew Jedi and Vader, I guess it makes sense though Ahsoka really doesn't seem to like him. As for Echo's death, we didn't see any corpse therefore the rule still applies here and I wasn't surprised that specific character died because everything was going too smoothly for my taste though I didn't understand why he chose to tell the information to Ahsoka, I guess because there was no one else with them. I was surprised it was Ahsoka who killed the villain, I thought it would have been Tarkin.

Now the Trandoshans arc, I thought it was a great idea to forcefully separate Anakin and Ahsoka to show how much growth she had as Anakin's student (Ahsoka's speech at the end was a highlight) and I loved the exploration of the culture of Trandoshan hunters. This arc also continue to show that despite the fact that Jedi have magical powers, they're not invincible even if you could argue that they were younglings so they're weaker than other Jedi which is basically what they stated in the episodes. There were multiple shots of convorees and I was always wondering why especially after the Rebels season 2 finale but I may read too much into it. And another OT character though I wasn't angry with Ahsoka being able to understand him, I don't know why Han should be the only one being able to do that. One good thing, I was able to remember the names of most of the characters and I really saw a major improvement of the animation in those two episodes.

Now on to season 4. Yay!

 

Water War, Gungan Attack, Prisoners
- Love to have 3 whole episodes just underwater, leads to interesting situation and battles especially with Jedi vs non-Jedi
- Sharks are still horrifying though, what with all the blackish blood and the ending when he exploded with the head? Nope.
- Kitt Fisto's smile is still creepy.
- Gungans! Jar Jar!
- Jellyfish monster and the ships that attacked Kamino in season 3 are back.
- Prince Lee-Char is an okay character, not that special though. His role is to inspire hope to his people
- I liked the small bit of backstory on the Quarren and Mon Calamari.
- Another OT character but at least he wasn't shoehorned into it
- Lightsabers work fine underwater.
- Ahsoka's speech on fear is basically repeating what Filoni said word for word
- The "blessing of the water king", is this some kind of fish god or something?

 

Shadow Warrior
- Padme, Anakin, Jar-Jar? This is a dream
- So mind control through an object huh?
- Jar-Jar does really look like boss Lyonie, I thought he was a goner when he got stabbed, glad I was wrong.
- Tarpals is awesome.
- Anakin vs Dooku again. They don't meet THAT much honestly.
- Minister Rish Loo was okay though most of his screen time was about him escaping before getting killed.
8/10

Mercy Mission
- R2/C-3PO episode
- I love Wolffe being so done with the Aleena who he doesn't understand the language and 3PO by the end of the episode.
- Earthquakes are a problem even in the GFFA.
- My favorite part was when R2 and 3PO (accidentally?) end up underground and meet strange Force creatures but they're not Force wielders according to Filoni. I definitively think they are precursors to Bendu.
- A riddle. As usual I never understand them nor how they solved it.
- I love Orphne and those talking trees with white eyes but I guess it's best to let this be another mystery of the Force.
- In the end everything is end that ends well for Aleen and its people
10/10

Nomad Droids
- Oh my, this was quite the adventure for R2 and 3PO where they end up on a world with small people and a reference to Gulliver's Travels where 3PO accidentally killed the leader by pushing R2 and establish democracy where everybody argue as they innocently leave in their Y-wing. Not a very positive depiction of democracy.
- Next they end up on a world where a giant "God" can summons thunder only to be revealed that it was little droids on a hidden ship who lead through an hologram . Classic. Obviously, it doesn't end well for the little droids when their lies are discovered bu the inhabitants.
- R2 and 3PO are running out of battery and they just sit there alone, only to be found by pirates who bring them to their ship where they watch droids fight against each other for their own amusement.
- Finally, they end up on a separatist ship where they are mistaken for pirate droids and sent to the incinerator.
- Of course they end up back to the Republic with Adi Gallia, Plo Koon and Wolffe in particular who acts with utter disbelief at seeing them.
- Seeing 3PO in a Y-wing with R2 doing all the piloting was something different from usual.
- This episode really makes me feel bad for droids.
10/10

Now time to revisit the Umbara arc.

 

Nomad Droids was a really fun episode. 3PO accidentally killing that leader still makes me laugh. I'm going to have to go watch it again now.

 

The idea behind the competition/trial Ventress put the Nightbrothers through (I believe it was in "Monster") was to demonstrate that Savage was Force sensitive. That was the point behind Ventress turning off the lights so they had to fight in the dark. "Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them." It showed that Savage had instincts driven by the Force.

Savage's strength was enhanced by the Nightsister magic, though, yes.

 

I guess it shouldn't be that surprising considering who his brother is.

I forgot to mention in Shadow Warrior that the ship Anakin and Padme looks a lot like the one in Phantom Menace, there's even the same soundtrack when they go underwater. And Gievous' capture didn't really bother me, they had to exchange prisoners with Anakin because if they don't then there would be no more Clone Wars and we know that with RotS in the horizon, that is not possible.

 

Darkness on Umbara, The General, Plan of Dissent and Carnage of Krell

- Lots of actions but sometimes it's so hard to see that it's confusing.
- Krell is an interesting take on a Jedi general who does not like clone, though we learn at the end he chose no side and just seems to know about the rise of the empire for strange reason, vision maybe? Then he says he wants to become Dooku's new apprentice, I guess he doesn't know about the true mastermind behind him yet. I knew something was up when he replaced Anakin, then his constant disregard of the clone's lives and his evil stares though he didn't go full evil until the last episode, for suspense I guess.
- The focus was the clones, and the choice to follow orders or to do the right thing and facing the consequences. It was a big arc for Rex especially who ends up questioning their purpose after the end of the war. A classic war story.
- Spotted an obvious ANH reference. I guess Anakin told them what he did in episode 1, makes sense since he's closer to the clones than most Jedi.
- I liked the division between those who thought Krell was crazy (Fives, Jesse) and those who agreed with him (dogma, get it?), I really thought Rex was gonna pull the trigger at the end but I guess not.
- "Live to fight another day" indeed. You will be missed Hardcase, I liked you.
- Waxer? the same one than during the Ryloth arc back in season 1? No
- Creepy tentacle creature that ate clones, ugh
- The umbaran technology is interesting, looked like acid at some point. At least it's different from the Republic and and Separatist technology. They don't seem to breath without their helmet.

Overall 8/10 even if it was only about clones, I liked it especially for Rex's character development.

 

Kidnapped, Slaves of the Republic and Escape from Kadavo
- So the show finally decides to tackle the issue of slavery in the GFFA, and Anakin's anger towards slavers. I suppose if Ahsoka wasn't there, he would have killed him without any remorse.
- Anakin never told Ahsoka about his past but then constantly mentions his mother and that he was a slave, ok.
- It was supposed to be a comic at first, yeah I think I prefer the 3D version especially for the villains' designs and Ahsoka's slave outfit, the one in the comic was a little bit much imo.
- "Unhand me brigand!"
- Those convorees are everywhere, again.
- Ahsoka keeps saying "my people", are all Togruta from Kiros?
- Wow, Obi-Wan taking a lot of beatings in this one
- I suppose the Queen fell in love with Anakin even if he rejected her, I liked their conversation about who's lying though.
- RotJ reference, boy does Anakin gets electrocuted a lot in this series.
- What would have they done without R2, I wonder?
- I guess Anakin wanted to congratulate Ahsoka because they are her people?
- Try to guess who killed the villain, you'll be surprised. "I'm no Jedi."
- Plo-Koon save the day. I think we see more of him than any other Jedi.
- Loved the teamwork between Ahsoka and Anakin to deactivate the bombs

Overall, a good arc that deals with an interesting issue, especially considering Anakin's past and the animation gets better every day. 8/10
I completely forgot to mention last time that Rex got a new character model, about time if you ask me.

 

slavers arc was nice.
but Ahsoka's outfit was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in these series.
(her usual clothes are also quite disturbing. why she never wears a uniform?)

 

A Friend In Need
- More like a "crush" in need.
- Lux Bonteri is back probably to show another aspect of Ahsoka's personality. Though it didn't seem like Lux's feelings were mutual, he was mostly thinking about his revenge against Dooku for his mother's death
- I loved the clearly Japanese influenced world of Carlac with the cherry trees.
- Lol at Lux pointing a gun into Ahsoka's face.
- R2 leading a droid rebellion, it hurt so much when I saw Death Watch using them as target practice, show them what you can do
- Yeah it's the return of Death Watch but we learn Vizsla has a grudge against Dooku and fought against him at some point. I would like to see that story.
- Ahsoka vs Mandalorians, her beheading at least 4 of them in one strike was re badass. Then Ahsoka vs Vizsla was good if a little short, he's good with a sword against a Jedi even if she's a padawan learner.
- Are they hinting at something more between them for the future? She tried to convince him to join the Republic so they can change things together. I mean her feelings are natural for a teenager but I'm glad they didn't go in that direction for that character.
- Only flaw is how small Padme and Satine's parts were.
7/10

Deception, Friends and Enemies, The Box, Crisis on Naboo
- Moralo Eval, very subtle.
- So the Chancellor is in "danger", and Obi-Wan has to fake his own death to know more about this plot and without warning Anakin who was clearly distressed until he finally learns the truth and he's understandably quite angry to learn it was Obi-Wan's decision to keep him in the dark. Yoda even lampshades that they are leaning toward a dark path by doing this, and when things escalate he decide to tell everyone the truth. That's messed up an surely added to Anakin's distrust of the Jedi council all thanks to Palpatine who made sure to point out how important his feelings are.
- Cad Bane is back! Boba Fett and Bossk who looks different from his season 2 appearance. Honestly I'l feel better if the rumored Boba Fett standalone is actually a Bounty hunter ensemble starring Boba Fett, this series made a good job to show that with Aurra Sing Back in season 2.
- I'm sure Dooku knew "Rako Hardeen" was actually Obi-Wan when he learned who the bounty hunter "killed", and he tested him why ordering him to kill Moralo Eval, I'm actually surprised he survived this arc after all.
- Some moments, I really felt Obi-wan enjoyed being a villain though he never killed anyone, he even tried to save everyone in the box thanks to his immense knowledge.
- Speaking of the Box, it was an interesting concept I think, especially with only bounty hunters +1 Jedi but they didn't know that.
- Embo! Did I ever mention that I love this character, because I'll say it again every time he comes back.
- We didn't see Nal Hutta since the Ziro the Hutt episode, wee see Gamorreans, a Nikto interrogator.
- It's also the first time we see a Jedi burial aside cremation I mean, nice.
- We also finally learn when Naboo officially joined the Galactic Republic thanks to the Festival of Light (847 years I think?)
- Yeah Anakin was darker in this episode and even if Ahsoka was there she didn't try to stop him, probably because she empathize with what he's going through and that she's worried for him maybe?
- Liked the small interaction between Ahsoka and Padme (2-3 lines), thank god for Forces of Destiny for more of it.
- Oh and another Dooku vs Anakin episode, I guess he didn't find it weird that Palpatine just stood there looking at them with his evil smile.
- "As long as I live, no harm will ever come to you, Your Excellency." and "One shudders to think where the galaxy would be without the Jedi." Foreshadowing much?

8/10 for Obi-Wan being undercover, bounty hunters, Naboo's backstory and lots of foreshadowing at the end.

 

I like when The Clone Wars unexpectedly swerves the focus in the middle of a story arch. Crisis on Naboo did a great job flipping the entire point of the four episodes from Obi-Wan to Anakin the Sith Rule of Two.

 

Finally finished season 4
Massacre, Bounty, Brothers, Revenge
- The first two episodes focus on Ventress trying to find her place in the galaxy and she finds it for a short while before Dooku sent Grievous eliminate the Nighsisters. She really can't take a break.
- Zombies! They're gone as soon as Grievous killed Old Daka.
- Short lightsaber duel with Grievous vs Ventress, not bad for someone who doesn't use the Force even if he cheated a little. He was ore vicious than usual in this one.
- Voodoo, creepy. Actually, everything about the Nightsisters's magic is creepy.
- As she's escaping we're led to believe Talzin died as well and now Ventress doesn't know what to do.
- New character model for Ventress who's approached by very familiar bounty hunters an a new one who can control the green thing she possesses. They force her to go on a job without revealing her name
- Now Boba Fett is a boss but Ventress doesn't take him seriously
- First appearance of Dengar voiced by Simon Pegg.
- So their mission is to deliver a box to some Lord which I forgot the name. I suppose what's inside the box will be the reveal of the episode.
- While on the subtram, they're quickly attacked by Kage Warriors which I confounded with ninjas which are the perceived villains of the episode.
- One by one, the bounty hunters end up falling off the subtram beside Ventress who waited a long time before finally using her red lightsaber.
- "Over my dead body" *dies*.
- Now the reveal, the cargo inside the bow is not a thing but a girl who was ripped from her family to be married with this Lord. Funnily I thought the leader of the Kage Warriors was her lover when he said "I want what's mine" but he's actually her brother.
- After some convincing, Ventress decided to side with the girl, putted Boba in his place who ended up in the box in Pluma's place, got her money from the Lord and Krismo for helping him and his sister and let the other bounty hunters have their share of the credits before leaving them having finally found that she has a future. I liked her final words before the credits.
- Forgot to mention Tatooine, the most visited world of the GFFA.
- Now we're following Savage Opress who's following clues thanks to his amulet which glows when he find something that could help him get closer to his brother. And instead of the usual yellow, now it's red. Not really a good sign.
- Yoda, Dooku Ventress and Anakin all sense a disturbance, "something sinister". I think it's also the first time Ahsoka calls him by his name and their conversation is reminiscent of her conversation with Ezra asking her if she know who or what the Sith Lord was in Rebels.
- Savage ends up on Lotho Minor, what looks like a garbage planet, with fire monster or something. The amulet stop working end he met a snake creature who guides him, killed some natives and ends up in an abandoned place where he come to the conclusion that Talzin betrayed him. Speaking of Talzin, she's still very much alive, making some preparations whatever that meant. Finally it's the snake who ends up betraying him by opening a trapdoor, falling underground.
- Quickly we see a spider like creature in the shadows, and the amulet is working again and while he's fighting it he learns the truth.
- The twist teased last season, Darth Maul SURVIVED but with spider legs! Though he doesn't seem alright, mumbling gibberish and a mention to the Son in the Mortis arc about chains.
- Yea, savage killed the snake believing Maul's situation was his fault.
- Maul mentions Jedi multiple time but Savage doesn't understand and the episode ends with Yoda announcing to Obi-wan the news of Dart Maul survival. What about Palpatine? I would like to know what he thinks.
- Savage and Maul take the ship back to Dathomir where Talzin informs Savage of Dooku's machination against the Nightsister clan while Maul hides in the ship, still insane. Thanks to her powers, she leads Maul to some place and repair his mind and body and restoring his memories by taking away some king of black smoke thing from his head.
- Maul wants revenge against Kenobi and kills innocent people to lead Obi-Wan to him, alone, which Mace doesn't agree with but Yoda says something about an unexpected ally, next scene we see Savage has a great bounty on him which Ventress decides to take care of him, I wonder who the surprising ally could be...
- Man Obi-Wan really took a lot of beatings this season. Interesting talk about anger causing an imbalance in Obi-Wan, I think that's the meaning behind the word "balance".
- Guess who the surprising ally is, because yes it is. Loved their back and forth while fighting, and Obi-Wan briefly wielding a red lightsaber. Too bad it ended way too quickly.

There we go, even if I didn't like Maul's return there were many things to like in this arc, especially concerning Ventress's character development since the beginning when she was just Dooku's assassin and where she ended up now, THAT was really unexpected to me. Now she's a more neutral character, taking character but still not a straight up good guy yet. In a way her arc kinda mirror Ahsoka's on the good guy's side. 9/10 for the boldness of Maul's return and Ventress's character development.
Now on to season 5, there was a lot of build up especially with Savage/Maul's alliance so we'll see what's next. I think I'll start tomorrow.

 

I'm currently beginning to make my way through TCW series for my second time. It's probably my favorite thing ever, next to the films of course.
So much going on in this series, but as a fan of mid-century pulp sci-fi/fantasy paperback cover art, I want to share some shots from the series that capture that essence, and even, at times, surpass and transcend it.

Cat And Mouse and Hidden Enemy.


A remarkable opening salvo for the series, when viewed in proper order.
Interesting new battle technology. A tragically war-torn planet. Seeing Bail do his thing. The brilliant ingenuity of the Jedi in their prime. The concept of a Clone spy. And of course, a quintessential example of Anakin being Anakin: Thinking quick on his feet, going above and beyond the call of duty, getting out of a tight jam and thwarting the enemy, all while defying orders just a tad.


I love the futuristic crystalline cities on Christopsis.
So much astounding work goes into the world building here, as much as in the films.

I also loved the double meaning of the title Hidden Enemy, getting our first encounter with the wiley General Loathsom as well as Yularen, and that inviso-ship was a awesome, somewhat similar in design to The Discovery from 2001: ASO.

and, nice poster!

 

Cat and Mouse is actually the first ep we see Yularen in, while Hidden Enemy is the second ep. So I'm not sure if the double meaning of 'Hidden Enemy' can apply.

 

A War on Two Fronts, Front Runners, The Soft War, Tipping Points
- I don't know how many time I heard the word "terrorist" used on both sides in this arc, though it's an interesting discussion and some not so subtle link to what happened in real life.
- We found Ahsoka in the role of an advisor even if it was clear she wanted to do more but couldn't without the council's approval and Lux in his homeworld of Onderon, his mother was the senator before she died. Once again this episode deals with Ahsoka's feelings for Lux, now adding Steela Guerrera, Saw's sister the mix. I was worried with all the jealousy from both girls that we were going to have one of the most horrible story in fiction, a love triangle. Thankfully, it seems that by the end Ahsoka accepted Lux and Steela's relationship. Crisis averted. Though I liked seeing Anakin was the only one knowing what she was going through( probably his own experience with Padme) and trying his best to help her.
- Speaking of Saw, he was the muscle always one to go and fight the enemy though in the end it comes at a cost for him to Lux's politician thinking and Steela was the balance between them
- Jedi robes, finally.
- A benevolent king who chose neutrality over an *** king who chose to side with the separatist, would have like to see a more complicated situation
- First appearance of General Kalani, I like him. Too bad we didn't see more of him in the series.
- What happened to Okalin? He was here the first two episode then he just disappeared never to be seen again.
- Hondo! Need I say more?
- Yep I knew from the moment they kissed, someone was going to die.

7/10

 

Clone Cadets

Brilliant concept for an episode. And I love how they handled Shaak-Ti, from the design to the voice acting, everything. A joy to watch.


Supply Lines

Great to see Toydaria and Ryloth. Excellent use of Jar Jar.

And what's not to love about Master Di?



Ambush

Almost every shot in this episode was a visual treat. Cool to see the sky change shades throughout the course of the day. And wonderful touch there with Yoda imparting his wisdom upon the clones, and seeing them as individuals.

 

The Gathering, A Test of Strength, Bound for Rescue, A Necessary Bond
- I loved everything about The Gathering and the younglings even if their trials were a little cliché but I guess that was the point of the whole thing. Plus a Wookie Jedi chich seems to be a rare thing considering Huyang's reaction.
- It has to be the first time I heard the word kyber crystal on screen, a lot of things about it choosing its owner thing reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, even professor Huyang and his knowledge of lightsabers for a thousand of generation reminded me of Ollivander's wand shop.
- Once again we found Ahsoka in the role of mentor for the younglings, not that I dislike her or anything but they couldn't find anyone else to help them build their own lightsabers. Though she was captured a lot in this arc.
- I'm so glad R2 was here, loved his small bit of interaction with Huyang. Get aggressive R2!
- Interesting how Katooni was only able to build her lightsaber when Hondo was watching and then a little bit of bonding between the two and the look at the end of the episode. I like to think she survived order 66.
- Grievous vs Ahsoka 2.0 didn't bother me, it showed an evolution from their last fight and at least it was different from another Obi-Wan vs Grievous confrontation which also happened in these episodes.
- Of course the Slave I has to be here for some reason and it seem like Hondo's pirates repainted it to make it look like the OT version.
- And what looks like a space circus, but it was fun.
- We need a spinoff of Yoda harvesting his crystal asap.

8/10 for finally seeing the process to harvest a crystal and build a lightsaber and Hondo being just Hondo.

 

Secret Weapons, A Sunny Day in the Void, Missing in Action, Point of No Return
- I know this is an unpopular arc deemed unnecessary by some people but I usually love droid centric episodes, even if I don't understand what they're saying.
- Once again, R2 is the true hero of the saga saving the Republic from a terrible fate. They wouldn't be able to survive without him.
- I liked the discussion of programing vs training even if I don't think colonel Gascon is really the best example of "training", though he seems to go through a lot of emotion in these episodes from joy, anger, despair in face of nothingness and the droids just standing there not understanding what's wrong with him. I liked his relationship with WAC and by the end of the arc he seems to have much more respect for droids.
- Droids don't expect to be betrayed by other droids, that's true and that's why it works so well.
- Gregor having amnesia is believable I guess but since we didn't see any body, his survival is very likely.
- Clone commandos which is not their first appearance, and Gascon mentioning Malachor. Another proof that Filoni loves to put EU Easter egg whenever he can.
- Beezee I really hoped for all the droids to survive this mission.
- Tera Sinube and Luminara cameos. Nearly forgot Tarkin too.
- R2 vs super tactical droid
- Rhydonium, I suppose we'll see more of that in future stories.
- That has to be the biggest explosions of the series so far and it was so awesome
- Anakin's attachment to R2 is a delight.

9/10 if only the boldness of making an arc just about droids which I love and makes it one of the best arc. Next, Maul.

 

Revival, Eminence, Shades of Reason, The Lawless

- Well, this Maul is different from the movies, he actually know how to manipulate and be patient. Sidious taught him well.
- Death Watch, it's been a while and Bo-Katan's increasing importance. I didn't expect the revelation of her lineage and I'm neutral toward it. It does help for some character development for her instead of just another random Death Watch member.
- Black Sun, another EU element but what are they doing on Mustafar?
- I found the crime syndicates allying with Maul would have been way too easy if the Hutt didn't try to resist them. Though I liked that they used them to paint Death Watch as the heroes in the eyes of Mandalorians.
- Interesting, people thought Maul and Savage were Jedi only because they have lightsabers.
- Hondo standing his ground against Maul's threats.
- I have to talk about Satine and what happened to her in this arc. Some would argue she was fridged like other female characters, but I don't know how she could have resisted Maul, her situation was hopeless for her and with her relationship with Obi-Wan discovered by Maul, her death was clearly inevitable by this point but she stood by her ideals until the end. Though it's Interesting Obi-Wan tried to appeal to his humanity, Obi-Wan's reaction to her death was a big contrast to Anakin's reaction at the thought of loosing Padme.
- Two big fights, arguably the best of the series or at least the second one. Maul vs Vizsla was very extended, he's pretty good for a non Force user and he didn't go down without a fight suing all his gadgets to fight Maul, he even hit him at one point but the beheading was tough, definitively not just a "kid show" though I'm sure kids are able to handle much more than we believe. I guess i depends on the children's personality and their parents. And now Maul has the darksaber, is the new leader of Death Watch with some recolors on their armors and appointed the corrupted Almec as the prime minister and that lead to our second fight. Finally Sidious reacts to Maul's increasing little criminal empire and taking care of things personally. The way he came and just strangled the two Mandalorians as if they were nothing to him got me excited for what will happen. Maul vs Savage vs Sidious was the best choreographed battle ever, Sidious was clearly enjoying himself here, just toying with them both and tossing them around and then he kills Savage and he returns to his initial appearance before Talzin infused him with her magic. Maul's reaction was interesting because there were moments where he seemed to actually care for Savage more than just an apprentice during this arc, like when he lost an arm and just supporting him as they were leaving, and then he just lays there pleading for mercy as Sidious put him in his place but "There is no mercy". I really wonder what's his plans for Maul, we'll see.
- Adi Gallia was the Jedi red shirt, I'm honestly surprised Anakin didn't join Obi-Wan though he let him borrow what looks like the Twilight to me, I guess Anakin tinkered too much with it.
- I guess now Mandalore is in a state of civil war, I really want to see the Siege of Mandalore now.
- Forgot to mention the cadets Ahsoka taught while she was on Mandalore are back trying to help Satine though they didn't go far unfortunately. No, I don't think she's Korkie's actual mother, she's his aunt. Period.

9/10 for the epic lightsaber duels, Sidious being awesome, Satine's role despite her death and Bo-Katan's character development. Next, the fugitive arc. Maybe it's time to reassess my opinion of this arc since I somewhat like Ahsoka's arc and the master/apprentice, brother/sister relationship she has with Anakin so far even if I still have some annoyances here and there.

 

Like S5 Maul's arc. esp Eminence & Shades of Reason, coz I love the Pykes and Lom is my true love.
I was lost after watching this scene:

 

Sabotage, The Jedi Who Knew Too Much, To Catch a Jedi, The Wrong Jedi

- Arc start with some good banter between Anakin and Ahsoka, also new Jedi starfighter which looks like the ones in RotS and that we're getting closer to it.
- Russo, I love him. Actually I love all the playing detective part of the first episode.
- They were told about what happened with Krell and Anakin talking about Jedi who will disappoint. Foreshadowing much?
- I loved to see protest against the war on Coruscant, I mean they showed a lot of it in previous season but not so much on Coruscant so it was nice to see.
- I wanted to applaud the animation team and Kevin Kiner and his orchestra for giving us one of the best visuals and emotional episodes of this series, I could definitively see this arc as a movie.
- Tarkin is back as an admiral and Bariss who was gone since season 2 is now back too having some cryptic lines about changes when a Jedi is suspected of being behind the bombing
- New character model for Yoda, it started with Revival actually but he was more prominent in this specific arc.
- I still believe Ahsoka thinking Anakin was the one who put the keycard before her cell to be naive, and I find it interesting she berated Letta for running when she does exactly that but I guess there wouldn't be any story if she remained in her cell right?
- Who killed Letta Turmond? Sidious? Barriss?
- I guess this is a controversial episode considering how many people points to these episodes to show us how messed up the Jedi order is, personally I don't blame the Jedi order for her decision even if I found Windu telling her this was her great trial literally came out of nowhere which I think was more the writers trying to do something even if it didn't make any sense.I mean didn't they say in the first episode the reason they choose Anakin and Ahsoka to investigate is because they would be impartial?
- Anakin was much more darker in these episodes, especially toward Ventress and barriss in the end and some not very Jedi-ish lines such as "If you're lying, you're DEAD".
- The chase scene was one of the highlight, not too short but not too long either and ending on some very dramatic dialogue between Anakin and Ahsoka and a litteral leap of faith.
- I understand Barriss's motivation but killing people is not really the best way to make a point or giving you credibility, on the contrary.
- Jedi temple guards and yellow lightsabers, I guess GL was ok with it just for this. Too bad we don't see much of them doing anything beyond turning them on.
- Ventress and her deal with Ahsoka, why would they listen to Ahsoka speaking on her behalf? Why did she think this would work?
- Senators can be lawyers too now? Alright.
- New voice actor for Palpatine, I was getting used to Ian Abercrombie, RIP. Though I think Tim Curry did a decent job as Chancellor Palpatine.
- Level 1312 and 1315, I suppose Coruscant's lower levels would have been important to GL's live action show. There was even a cancelled game named "Star Wars 1313"
- I think it was a good choice to separate the Ahsoka/Jedi council inside the temple and Ahsoka/Anakin's conversation outside though I still think "How can I trust myself" to be odd, I suppose when she says "I know" it means like Obi-Wan she know he has feelings for Padme and she can relate to him, I don't think she knows about their secret marriage though.
- That last shot with Ahsoka going down the steps and and the scenery of the sun rising just to fade to black with Ahsoka's theme in the background and in the credits is top notch. And we hear the same music cue again during Ahsoka vs Vader in Rebels.

10/10 Yeah I still have some nitpicks but there is no doubt those were phenomenal episodes not only visually and the facial expressions but in the soundtrack and it shows how far they went from when they started. Ahsoka and Ventress are still not one of my favorite characters but I have found a new appreciation on their respective arcs. Next I'll start season 6, maybe today or tomorrow we'll see.

 

The Unknown, Conspiracy, Fugitive, Orders
- Brain tumors exist in the GFFA. I assume most real condition also exist but they should be more easily treatable than here considering their technology.
- So, order 66 or protocol 66 is activating a chip in the clone's brain that made them kill Jedi. We don't see much of the clones in the movies beyond Cody who seemed amicable before Sidious contacted him. At that time it seemed like he executed the order willingly, I didn't expect any chips so I suppose it's a retcon though it makes sense if you want to believe clones were just pawns in Palpatine's plans. What caused Tup's chip to malfunction is never explained though.
- Sifo-Dyas, now that's a name I haven't heard since...And Kaminoans aren't so much in the dark about things or very nice people, though it doesn't seems they care that much about the Jedi.
- Fives and AZI-3 was the highlight of this arc. Especially him trying to act "normal".
- Shaak-Ti just stays on Kamino the whole time then? Nala Se who insisted to terminate Tup first to analyze him was disturbing though.
- The Grand Republic Medical Facility, is that the same place where Anakin was rebuilt? I'm not sure.
- I suspect whatever Nala Se injected him with at the beginning of the last episode is what caused Five's condition to deteriorate.
- Trench? Wasn't he supposed to be dead or something? I guess not since nobody mentions it or seems to care that much.
- Jedi twins, that's new. I guess because both were Force sensitive?
- Anakin seems to be doing alright so far if this arc happens after Ahsoka left the order. Doesn't believe Fives when Fives tells him about the chancellor.
- judging by the mark with Rebels, Rex listened to what Fives said but WHEN did he put it out? The Siege of Mandalore or even before that ?
- RIP Fives killed by one of his own brothers. He also echoed what Tup said about "the mission" before he died.

7/10 because they finally address order 66 and showing the true nature of the Kaminoans and AZI-3 of course because I love that droid though it was a while since we last saw Shaak-Ti too.

 

The stunning Malevolence arc!
Tons of eerily beautiful space action and more 'follow the mission or save lives' conundrums.