Full Series Grade Episode 6.03: Fugitive

Fugitive was a solid continuation to Fives' investigation in Conspiracy. While not quite as compelling as the previous episode, and at times having a tendency to drag, it was still very interesting to see the character interactions take place.

Of particular note were the interactions between Jedi Master Shaak Ti and Kaminoan doctor Nala Se. Here we really begin to see some friction between the Jedi and the Kaminoans over what to do with Fives and the tumor found in Tup's biopsy. I admired Shaak Ti's vigilance and her insistence on putting the interests of the Republic above what she has begun to suspect as conscious interference on the part of the Kaminoans. With the Jedi's role as warriors during the galactic conflict, it's easy to forget that the Jedi were, prior to the war, first and foremost diplomats and negotiators. Here we get to see this side of Shaak Ti as she navigates the diplomatic minefield that is the Jedi's relationship with the Kaminoans regarding the clones, whom the Kaminoans view as "property." Shaak Ti is forced to speak their language and refer to Fives as "property" in order to ensure that Nala Se understands her perfectly. As difficult as it could be for we the audience to hear beloved clone defender Shaak Ti mouth these words, it is understandable, given the situation.

The episode focused even more on the developing relationship between Fives and medical droid AZI-3. There were some amusing moments, such as when Fives tosses the droid into the water to engage its "survival mode", even though I didn't care for AZI-3's attempt at "acting normal". I also enjoyed the fact that Fives was able to so thoroughly outclass the security clones, showing that he is an elite ARC trooper with training and experience above and beyond the "shinies" on Kamino. However, to obtain a disguise for himself, he is forced into wearing "shiny" armor, bringing his story back full circle to when he was a cadet. It was also nice to see a full-body model of Jango Fett in the Genetics Room. The inhibitor chip being apparently made of cells is pretty neat, and really not all that surprising in an advanced civilization such as the Galactic Republic; tissue engineering and synthetic biology must have reached exceptionally advanced stages in the GFFA. It was cool to see AZI-3 perform his robotic surgery once again, this time to remove the bio-chip from Fives' brain. Who knows, perhaps in a few decades robotic surgery can be performed as precisely as what AZI-3 does, although I imagine real doctors will remain behind the controls.

Nala Se's antagonism in this episode reached some all time heights, as she didn't even do a great job of hiding the fact that she switched the briefcases to prevent the Jedi from obtaining the tumor. Her conversation with Tyranus further illustrated her growing frustration not just at Fives and his unpredictable behavior, but also at Shaak Ti's interference, which really emphasized the rising belligerence she felt toward the Jedi. Her confrontation with Fives at the clone hatchery really brought all of this to the boiling point. While her unwavering, unnatural calm remained even when Fives held her at gunpoint, you could tell that she really wanted the overly independent clone terminated, which only served to enrage Fives. To the Kaminoans, the clones are nothing more than objects and property, and ultimately disposable if deemed defective. I was glad Shaak Ti stood up for Fives, and despite the fact that we know things will ultimately not end well, this episode does bring about hope that Fives and his discovery of the inhibitor chips in the clones could help the Jedi discover the heart of the conspiracy.

Overall, a solid episode, slow at parts, but still very engaging to a scientifically-inclined mind such as myself. I rated this an 8/10.

Edit: Also, mods, shouldn't all the "Grade the Episode" threads be labelled with the "TCW Episode" prefix as opposed to "Clone Wars"? I mean, that's how all the other previous "Grade the Episode" threads were labelled, and it would be refreshing to see a different color tab in the front page for once.

 

Circular Logic your post deeply reminds me of the Republic Commando books and Kal Skirata's hatred of all kaminoans.

 

Shaak Ti is really smart in the beginning making sure the evidence goes to the Jedi first instead of Palpatine, and it's a nice illustration of how blatant and almost automatic the tension between him and the Jedi is this late in the war.

I don't comment on animation much but this water looks great to me.

The Kaminoan giving credit to the Jedi for the independence of some clones is interesting. Obviously here it's being said to blame the Jedi for Fives going rogue and the Kaminoan could just be saying it because of that, but based on the fact that Anakin seems to be the most independent of the Jedi and the clones that fought with him seem to have become the most independent clones, I think it's an accurate assessment.

"Protocol 66" finally being mentioned by name gets points. Though Tyranus is a bit too obviously evil to keep thinking the Kaminoans don't see anything shady going on...but hey they're getting paid, so I guess that's supposed to be the point.

The black-and-white Twilight Zone vibe from the previous episode continues as Fives uncovers more of the inhibitor chip plot bit by bit.

I still always love seeing Kaminoan hallways. A lot of the room designs are far-out too, especially the one with the babies.

The Kamioan talks about Sifo-Dyas arranging the inhibitor chips. But right after seeing her take orders from Tyranus are we supposed to think that's a lie? Maybe The Lost One has an answer... At least they're providing some detailed explanation rather than a quick name drop (I'm looking at you GL).

Fives seeing the whole conspiracy accurately and no one believing him including the "good guys" (Jedi) also a great b&w Twilight Zone nod.

My rating for this is the same as the last one and for the same reason. Not a particularly fun or exciting pace or individual scenes but interesting saga lore the PT left dangling/unexplained getting explored with an old school Twilight Zone vibe still makes for a very intriguing and entertaining episode. Difficult to rate, but:

7/10