Full Series The Clone Wars: Episode 208: Brain Invaders Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

I noticed that Genndy reference too! I was happy to hear it. I'm a huge fan of both series and was glad to hear the current Clone Wars at least give a subtle nod to it. So far it feels like Genndy's series has been completely overshadowed by the current one.

 

Somehow I didn't catch it in Weapons Factory, and I've never had a problem with Barriss being made younger or still a padawan when she shouldn't be per EU sources or whatever, but... isn't she most definitely, quantifiably *shorter* than she was in the films?

 

Actually I didn't see the preview, and I was speaking based on what I've read here

And I totally agree with you! He was a very interesting character, and he deserves a better death! I really like him more than Kolar...

 

I wouldn't be against bring back Eeth Koth from the supposed "dead." It gives Grievous another big time Jedi to kill off and to bolster his reputation early on in the war.

 

My wife thought it was a good idea to have her staff Xmas party at our house last night, so I'm just watching now.

Thoughts as I go:

- Poggle getting on the shuttle: "And I would have succeeded too, if it wasn't for you damned kids!"

- wow Dantooine, Cestus. Cool. Was the Genndy Mace Windu episode on Dantooine?

- that was cool how the zombie clone stood up. Creepy. I'm glad they gave him a facial tattoo so we would all know who he is.

- you can tell that's a regulation Galactic Republic pillow ha ha ha

- "I can't relax, therefore I'm going to go eat, and I'm not letting you relax either"

- nice nod to ROTS "He will do what needs to be done."

- awesome table flip, but Ahsoka yelling at the troopers to stand down was hilarious.

- for some reason, this episode is incredibly enjoyable for me.

- that was one of the best uses of "I have a bad feeling about this" I've ever seen

- it would have been cooler if they made Ahsoka get possessed because it's pretty obvious Barriss was going to be.

- interesting that a possessed Jedi could still use the Force. You could make an argument they shouldn't be able to.

- music is awesome.

- way to go evil Anakin!


- is that the first reference to tugs we've heard before?

- Ahsoka's like "why am I wearing a tube top?!"


- "Master Skywalker" - is that the first time Ahsoka's said that?



Wow, I really enjoyed that episode much more than I thought I would. I'd much rather have Ahsoka and Barriss together than Ahsoka & Anakin.

 

Did I miss this? Are you sure this was an actual line?

 

No, I was just thinking as soon as Anakin says "vent the coolant" or whatever.


I'm really surprised you guys are making such a big deal about Ahsoka not being concerned about killing the clone. It was obvious to me the Padawans were suddenly in a crazy situation and they had to act immediately. I agree it might have been nice (and consistent with Ahsoka's character) to have her mention the clone death at the very end on the medical frigate, but at the moment of death, it felt right for them to just keep going.

With respect to Ahsoka vs. Barriss, Ahsoka's abilities were consistent with what we've seen from her in TCW. She has fought Grievous and Ventress and acquitted herself well. We were complaining about her Mary Sue abilities long before this episode, so it wasn't surprising to me to see her best Barriss.

Plus, I didn't think it was THAT one-sided.

 

Oh man, this was a brilliant four episode story arc and a fantastic end to it as well!

I can't believe they actually had them kill clone troopers. Once again they surprise us by the dark directions they've taken. Anakin punching and torturing Poggle with a Force Choke was the cherry on top.

It was great to see Barris' darkside come out...okay, it was genuinely her darkside but come on...just look at that evil smile!

Garth, now that you mention it, I really do think they were referring to Windu's Dantooine mission off the Genndy series. I guess that makes it canon then.

The conversation Ahsoka and Anakin had at the end was very interesting....I say that because, she didn't go to any other Jedi about that question. She went to the one who understood attachment more than anyone else- the one she was criticizing about to Barris moments before this whole nightmare. I wonder what that means for her future?

All in all, I absolutely loved this epiosde and I get the feeling that this ordeal is going to haunt Ahsoka for sometime to come.

 

The clones were speaking Geonosian in that scene.

 

This episode was amazing. But I have question where did that that one infected clone that runs out of nowhere when Ahsoka and Barriss, are basically watching the infected clones basically nasally rape the "normal" Clone come from?

 

Prude? Wherever did you get that idea (or how do you define it)?

 

Besides the season premier this was my favorte epi. yet.

 

Oh yeah! I noticed the reference to Ord Cestus as well, but I forgot about it as the episode went on.

On a side note....if a Jedi/Sith can Force-choke somebody, why can't they do the same thing to a worm that's lodged in someone's nose?

 

Was there a teaser for the next episode?

 

Well, I'm not sure a "choke" would kill the worm, although you could argue they should be able to Force Pull it out I suppose.


The episode guide states that the Ord Cestus and Dantooine mentions are definitely references to the Cestus Deception and to the Genndy series. They then warn us that these references don't necessarily have anything to do with fitting in the Clone Wars timeline. That's clever of them.

 

Well, Fisto is pretty much turning into Hermes at this point. I can't hear the guy without thinking that hes gonna suddenly start doing a limbo underneath an oven.

An maybe after this, Ahsoka will decide to wear more practical clothing? Serves her right nearly freezing after running around shirtless for months.

Off topic question. Do all the Jedi on this show have only one set of clothes? Or do they have closest full of dozens of similar sets of Clothes?
Also, did the TFN review seem a little dumb to anyone?

"Scythe, wakes up as the rest of the group departs, looking a bit unusual in his movements."
Ya think!? He just stood up while twisting his spine in a way that would make a contortionist cringe!

Or this one...

"it's good to see even a little bit to remind us that these are humans after all. (Well, in Barriss's case, mostly human.)"
So, there are humans that look like Ahsoka, are there?

And then it goes on to say that Ahsoka quoted Mace, even though Barriss did, and she got the quote wrong.

Its just all over the place.
And also, is anyone getting tired of all the females on this show having gigantic lips. They all look like they've taken a few sucker punches to the face.

It was a good episode. Not the best IMHO, but it was entertaining.

And.. GRIEVOUS FTW! I really hope thats Eeth Koth and not Agen Kolar, I want to see the General hack a guy to bits!

 

Finally, after two weeks!

Pros:
- BUGS!!! (OK it's just one but still)
- KIT FISTO!!!
- ZOMBIES WHO DON'T ACT LIKE ZOMBIES!!! (Thank god!)*
- Kit on Ord Cestus!!!
- Mace on Dantooine!!!
- Anakin + Force choke = EPIC WIN*
- Barriss: Why you little...(starts strangling Ahsoka) = LOL XD

Cons:
- *sniff* Bye bye Geonosis...
- Worms entering noses and coming out of mouths...(shudders)

Comments:
- Ahsoka in bed...OK GUYS DON'T GET ANY FUNNY IDEAS!!! I MEAN IT.
- Ord Cestus - the fourth 100% EU reference in TCW, the others being Abregado, Balmorra and the HoloNet.
- Wow, Ahsoka finally found her weakness...coldness. WELL IT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR WEARING NOTHING BUT A TUBE TOP AND A MINI SKIRT! AND IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT SASH EVERYONE WOULD KNOW WHAT KIND OF PA--*garbled*...Sorry about that, I had too much Coke. Mmmm...Coke...
- Is it just me, or do those "tug ships" remind of the Pummels from SW: Galactic Battlegrounds?

A solid 9/10 IMO. The ones marked in asterisk were what primarily made it a win.

Up next...Pardon my Russian: GENERAL GRIEVOUS!!!

FINALLY! I MISSED THAT GUY!!!

But then again, he's not coming for another month. Ah well, time to start killing my brain with video games.

Brain: It's a deal!

Mmmm...video games...

OK why am I getting so off-topic? Oh wait, it's the Coke.

Mmmm...Coke...

 

Many many very very good things about this one. Almost everything worked... it was kind of a textbook-perfect episode structurally, in that the central conceit was explained just enough that the remaining questions, about the parasites and such don't undermine the episode at all.

The shots of Ahsoka and Barriss dueling in the freezing room were just extraordinary visually. Somehow the combo of the frost textures, the coolant vapor, and the quality of the animation made it look completely real to me.

I think the show might've really found its feet over the course of this arc. Not only are the episodes just plain better, but some of the thematic thrust of the show is starting to emerge, focused on attachment, teaching and learning, and it's actually... kind of compelling. Anakin and Ahsoka are starting to seem almost conspiratorial in their views about the Jedi code. I thought that Ahsoka's line "I don't know if peacetime would even suit him" was a perfect illustration... Anakin is conflicted before the war, and conflicted at the end of it, but at this time, he really shines. And then to have him take a big step into the darkness later in the show, almost entirely on the basis of his attachment to Ahsoka... that's just good stuff, character-wise and philosophically, and it makes me feel like the event in the show really *do* have significance to the larger saga, even though we know the fates of most of the players.

I'm starting to feel that, yep, these installments are actually the latest dispatches from the GFFA, really the latest from the SW universe. I think that's partly because they now have models of more of the characters (Jedi in particular) and have had time to develop them over time... it ends up feeling like we're seeing the definitive incarnations of these people, cut loose from the tangled web of multiple EU interpretations, and I like that.

And yes, hyperspace did look a little like the old Doctor Who title sequence, and the coolant control unit on the medical ship looked a bit like a variant of the TARDIS control console. Not as much as the control unit in the prison tower in Bombad Jedi, but still.

And Matt Lantner's voice work was really exceptional... best Anakin ever. He sold the duality of the character in a way I haven't seen before.

 

This series is really becoming everything I had hoped the PT would be.

The dialogue is consistent with but better than the PT dialogue, the action is actioner, etc.

Seeing Anakin slowly lose touch with the Order is much, much more effective than Lucas' time jumps.

In fact, I'd never really considered it before, but it would have been interesting to have the entire prequel trilogy occur over the space of the three-year Clone Wars.

 

this series is pretty much what i envisioned the prequels would be like when they were announced in the late 90's. i enjoy episodes 2 and 3 (don't get me started on tpm) but they're flawed. i expected the prequels to heavily feature the clone wars and a ton of jedi. they only do in a small way. i also expected to see anakin gradually turn to the dark side. instead he seems to turn on a dime to the dark side in episode 3. it's moments like anakin's interrogation scene of poggle the lesser in "brain invaders" that make his turn to the darkside in rots seem much more believable. it also makes anakin much more believable as darth vader from episodes 4-6. the use of "the imperial march" during this scene was awesome. i hope they continue to use classic john williams more. and yes, the action is actioner and the dialogue is quite a bit better than prequels as well. i really do think that his series is making episodes 2 and 3 quite a bitter better overall. if you throw out tpm and take aotc, the clone wars, and rots you have a great story that leads in nicely to the ot.

 

The credits have just started rolling and I must say, given that I went into Brain Invaders with extremely low expectations I've come out with a new competitor for being my favorite episode. There was just so much to enjoy here that it was pretty mind blowing. Not enough to be a new landmark in the saga but still pretty powerful stuff on display:

- The opening act was probably what sold me on the episode. It paced itself perfectly, walking a fine balance between character development and action set up. The dinner table sequence has got to be the best show of character development since Cham Syndulla and Mace Windu over the feast in Liberty of Ryloth.

- The 'Zombies' were absolutely terrifying! Paticularly when their eyes would roll into the backs of their skulls and the parasites would extend out of their mouths. If I was a young child I'd refuse to go to sleep after seeing this!

- However the Clones speaking Geonosian, while maybe neccessary to ground the alien threat so they aren't just clones gone bad, didn't seem to be handled very well. The use of pre-recorded poggle dialogue and rather random jaw flapping on one clone seemed out of place.

- The order 66 foreshadowing was fantastic! Paticularly with Dee Bradley Baker's delivery of "If there's one thing we know how to do, it's take down a jedi". In fact while he has very little dialogue in this episode I think he shines quite a bit here.

- While I think Anakin's choke grip didn't look quite right, that interrogation scene was epic. Poggle's desperate gasps for air and flailing legs made it quite scary.

- This is the first time I have seen a lightsaber duel in TCW and actually felt excited. Everything felt fluid and fast and well choreographed.

- The animation in this episode is superb! Ahsoka seems to have the best moments showing off what the animators can do. What with her restless sleep, disgusted shudder at the dieing brain worm and reaction to the cold.

- I really liked the ending. It's nice to see Ahsoka starting to settle down under her master's wing. While I doubt that it's going to remain a perfect master/padawan relationship from now on, which frankly is something I don't want anyway, I certainly see this as the start of a much closer brother/sister bond between the two. Also, she learnt a lesson the hard way for once!

Overall a 9/10 episode.

 

A good episode. I liked how Asoka referenced a season 1 episode where one of the clones betrayed the others.

I only wish the duel could have been longer.

 

Yes. But, it's not going to be aired until Jan.1. Reruns until then.