Full Series TCW Season 2 Retrospective Thread (np: S02E20-22 The Boba Fett Trilogy)

A lot of this episode didn't make sense. I wouldn't think about it too much or else blood will shoot out of your nose.

 

"Lightsaber Lost" felt like an average episode to me. While most of us here agree the story wasn't its strong point, there were some redeeming qualities about this episode. Tera Sinube for starters is undoubtably a good addition to TCW cast, even though I'm still a bit on the fence with regards to his character model, but I'm willing to let that go.

Coruscant at night looks very lively, and I specifically enjoyed the billboard sequence for both its visual and symbolic depiction.

However, without a doubt my favorite moment of this episode was the hotel scene where Ahshoka and Sinube go after Banamu. First off, I honestly wasn't bothered by Banamu's voice. Over-the-top voices tend to be hit-or-miss (YES, TRENCH, I'M LOOKING AT YOU), but here it works fine. But what impressed me most about this scene is just how closely is mimics Anakin's torture of Poggle in Brain Invaders. That was the first time I thought Ahshoka really is starting to be affected by Anakin. So well done TCW team on that.

Oh, and one last thing: For all the endless debate over on the official Ahshoka discussion thread about her being to "Mary Sue"-ish, Ahshoka got her AS*! handed to her in the chase scene here. Ninja Kick That!

 

What's not to understand about it? Ahsoka's lightsaber is stolen. She sets out to get it back. Action ensues. Pretty straight forward plot.
Ahsoka not using the Force to pull a lightsaber out of a thief's hand is an old and tired argument that could be made about why any Jedi in any episode doesn't use the Force to do this or do that or make their jobs so much easier...blah, blah, blah. One might suggest that she's too busy using the Force to maintain her balance while chasing Cassie...but why bother making such a suggestion as it will only lead to more nit-picking and belly-aching about every little minutia in the episode.

Lightsaber Lost: 9/10

(EDIT: We'll be seeing lots of Ahsoka NINJA KICKS in Season 3!!!)

 

I don't agree.

 

The 'why didn't they use the Force there?' thing is about the whole show, not just one episode, though it can be more obvious in some places than others. It's like 'why didn't the Coyote send for pizza if he's hungry instead of chasing the Roadrunner?' If he did, there probably wouldn't be anything fun to watch, or it would just make things too easy. That's what the writers seem to think at least.

 

I enjoyed this one but I didn't think it was brilliant. Coruscant was gorgeous and I liked Tera Sinube. I love that Dave went to writing that speech for Palpatine's holoboard to give, the attention to detail of that kind on this show is one of the highlights.

Other than that, it was fairly average. The writing wasn't spectacular (no one here has yet mentioned the complete lack of explanation for how nack movers doorlock was cut by a lightsaber) and the villains weren't terribly interesting. One line that struck me was Cassie saying having a lightsaber gave her all the power of a jedi. What? Was there a dropped plot point about her being force sensitive or is she really that ignorant?

 

I liked this episode, though I would agree that it isn't quite brilliant.
For one thing, it was kind of adding to season 2's weakness of being all over the place, especially since any lessons Ahsoka gains from this episode are not readily apparent in future appearances. For another, even if she was largely unskilled, Cassie Cryar having a lightsaber was another 'character who shouldn't have a lightsaber'.

Still, in theory, and on its own, it's not bad, really. Ahsoka is faced with a largely foreign problem, and works together with an incredibly different Jedi Master to solve it, learning something from it. Coruscant looks good, as well as the chases, and I really liked Tera Sinube, in all his wisdom and slowness. Call me crazy, but there's something to be admired in the audacity of having him be purposefully corny. I think it more closely captures reality.

 

Most likely the latter, as evidenced by Sinube's effortless pwning of her.

I like how the lameness of his corniness was acknowledged somewhat by Ahsoka's reactions to his humor, instead of them just playing the corniness straight for "laughs".

 

She may just be that ignorant. Still, it's a type of ignorance that is more common than you think. Granted it's the sort you tend to see in young children, and Cassie is an adult...we assume. I will readily admit that when I was a child and the first three films were coming out, I had that dream...oh if I had lightsaber I'd be a Jedi just like him...

Even if you can tell me you never had a fantasy like that, I guarantee there are other readers who have. And not just with Jedi. It is possible for people to look at a person or a group of people and think...if I had their gear I'd be just like them, without any thought of the mental side of things.

Also, look at the public perception in-universe. Most times the average person sees a Jedi in action, they're likely either in combat or leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Well, Cassie's got the leaping thing down, all she would think to need is a lightsaber, right? At least, in her mind.

As far as the episode itself goes, I've always said I'm a sucker for a character building story. This one wasn't as strong as most, and people are right that we didn't see an immediate impact to her behavior in future episodes. Still, it was entertaining on the whole and Tera Sinube pretty much made the entire episode. I did find it mildly curious that he objected to Ahsoka wanting to slug Bannamu, but her throwing him against the wall was fine. Maybe Jedi just think good old fashioned fisticuffs aren't elegant or something.

 

It could go back to what I was saying with TCW Jedi not caring about the Force and only using a lightsaber. It's the writers who are doing this.

 

I think the compromise the writers are using with the force is it is not something that the Jedi are always tapped into and that it requires immense concentration to use. You will notice almost all the times the force has been used in the show the Jedi are stationary with their eyes closed, particularly when performing some of the more powerful moves. I suppose Ahsoka couldn?t use the force in this episode because she wasn?t focused and was always in motion. She had no trouble using the force when she was stationary in the apartment but couldn?t use it when she was chasing the thief through the crowded streets.

I don't have a problem with this. It matches the Jedi in the movies and there is little fun to be had when the Jedi are too uber. YMMV though, I?m sure some people would love to see the Jedi force lifting tanks and flattening armies with a wave of their hand, but then order 66 would look like a joke wouldn?t it?

 

Lightsaber Lost really is one of the few episodes I really couldn't care less about, and I have completely no intention seeing it again. Useless, repetitive, unoriginal filler episode.

 

Watchable episode. 6/10

 

Winner, Most Succinct Review of TCW S2 Category.

 

I have to admit, all my thoughts on TCW are highly colored by the fact that I watch them with my 3 year old daughter. Having new SW material to watch with her is just a great gift.

Anyway, I've only seen this episode about 40 times because she really likes this one and I don't hate it... which means I better rate it pretty highly given the overkill.

I thought this was a fun, one-off type episode. Loved the chases, the city at night, etc. For what it aimed for, I'm going 8/10.

 

I guess I need a title.

 

Let's move on to the Mandalore Plot.

I know lots of people were trepidatious about possible continuity problems with the Mandalorians, but I've never really followed that history so I didn't particularly care.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode.

It was great to see a lone Obi-Wan episode, great to meet his former love interest Satine, we got a mention of one suicide and then shown another terrorist suicide. We got 3 Mandos flying with their jetpacks at the same time.

The black saber was fairly "meh" but overall I didn't really have a problem with it. I still think they dumb down Jedi fighting skills, but I know they have to for plot purposes.

The Obi-Wan in the factory getting crushed thing was a little played out, particularly since we already had to suffer through that garbage in AOTC.

But overall, the banter between Obi-Wan and Satine was much better than Anakin/Padme, and I was glad to see Dooku actually fomenting dissent in a political/terrorist sense, rather than simply sending legions of battle droids somewhere.

 

I must say that the Mandalore arc is among my favourite so far in the whole series. The episodes are solid and enjoyable. I agree with you, Garth. I also love to see another lone Obi-Wan episode. The whole design of Mandalore was interesting. The only bad thing is the darksaber, which I never liked, but whatever...

 

Fairly decent episode. I agree that Obi-Wan and Satine are way more entertaining and interesting than Padme and Anakin. I think Satine is a way better character than Padme is. The continuity problems are actually fairly tolerable in this episode because it is a pretty good episode. I won't excuse it, but it's easier to deal with when the story is good. The dark saber was okay. I liked seeing an older version of a weapon, but at the same time I think they could have done it better. Obi-wan using a blaster however was a little to ROTS for me. It fits the moment, but it's been done. Decent episode overall.

 

Hell, they're more interesting than Han and Leia. It's the most well-done love story I've seen in a Star Wars movie/tv show.

 

This was definitely an interesting episode. Despite the potential to annihilate all previous Mando canon, it turned out quite well, and even though some EU tidbits our way with the suicide bomber's language.

Satine and Obi-Wan are very fun when they are bickering with one another, which is why I liked this episode more than Voyage of Temptation. Viszla was a cool villain, up to the point where he turned into Megatron and made his lackeys fight.

The Death Watch are a great example of what the CIS should be like on TCW: fast, dangerous, and formidable yet not invincible opponents.

Not much to really say on this one. It is a strong opening act for the arc, which was a little inconsistent. Voyage I felt was the low point, but we aren't there yet. And I am looking forward to the Duchess of Mandalore discussion later.

 

Pretty good episode, mostly positives for me. There were some pretty big gripes, though.

Pros:

-Satine is the best character in the series. She is a much better character than Padme, and her relationship with Obi-Wan is way beter than Anakin and Padme's.

-The beautiful animation. Mandalore looked stunning!

-It didn't totally ruin the EU! In fact, it can fit in relatively well. And this is coming from a continuity freak.

-This show is starting to get dark, and I like it! We went from battle droid humor and Jar Jar antics to terrorist attacks and suicide. Not to say I like those things, but they make for much better episodes than fart jokes IMO.

-There was some really great action! Obi-Wan getting owned by the Mandos in the mining facility was and Obi-Wan's Mando face shot was brilliant.

Cons:

-The threat of Death Watch really went down for me when they tried to kill Obi-Wan on that machine. It was such a stupid, stereotypical villain thing to do.

-Why does every major villain need a lightsaber or weapon that can block one?! Don't get me wrong, I love the darksaber's design, but really, I've had enough of every villain and their brother getting a lightsaber.

-Pre Vizsla started out as a competent and interesting villain. But that was ruined when he got owned by Obi-Wan and had his minions do his dirty work for him.

Overall, I'd give this episode an 8.5/10.

 

Ugh, were do I begin with this episode.

 

Keep it short, just list all the things you like.

 

I did like how Obi-Wan used a variety of different methods to deal with the Mandos sans lightsaber.

Coming directly on the heels of Lightsaber Lost, I had to laugh.