Full Series 100th The Clone Wars Episode! - 5.12 - Missing In Action - discussion thread

Exactly and his personality was that way on purpose, IMO. Unlike Fives and Rex, Gregor is a docile minimal personality having clone. He's more like Appo.

The problem with the Younglings, also IMO is only two of them got any development. Then we also has more personality than 10 other TCW OCs combines.

Lol, thanks!

 

I am wondering if the reason why no one can see the sun is coming, or is this a throwaway thing, like the meaning of the pullback shot showing the city looking a bit like the Nazca lines ... *loves the look of this world and the sleaze, cannot get enough of sleazy towns*

 

I actually was staying spoiler-free and had no idea Gregor was in this arc until it was spoiled for me in the thread for A Sunny Day in the Void. I think saying because people broke the rules then we should all ignore them now is faulty logic.

 

I was thinking about the vintage Walrus Man cameo and started wondering if this means we'll see more Aqualish on the show: if we're lucky, we might get at least a glimpse of Po Nudo or maybe a cameo of Ponda Baba.

 

Yes... there have been so many different Aqualish on the show and yet not the two most famous.... OH WHY! why......

Like with Tikkes and Shu Mai and San Hill, it is all now just tweaking an old existing model and making it look like the movie versions, cause the show already has most of the CIS leader species.

Please, TCW, give us all of the CIS leaders... Po Nudo would be a nice and easy start.

 

Sorry to come so late to the party, but I've been pretty busy with my little girl the past few days.

So, just some quick thoughts on an enjoyable episode of TCW which, after the last episode's more experimental vibe, represents a rerturn to a more formulaic approach, utilizing some of the more familiar elements that have served the series well in the past.
　
- This was a fun episode giving us a glimpse into the lives of ordinary folks living on one of the "armpits" of the galaxy in the Outer Rim - so, you know, big plus for this alone.

- Knife-wielding mugger. Tiny little fella at that. Boy, he must really have wanted that turkey leg.

- La Cucaracha... La Cucaracha!

- So, we're still with the arguing between WAC and Gascon about droid vs. organics and who should be in charge. I honestly thought that this would've been resolved after the events of the last episode. Still, I have to admit that Gascon's cry of "Save yourselves!" followed by WAC's "okay" caught me at the right time and I ended up finding it pretty funny. That WAC sure is one cold Millennium Falcon, no? Oh, well, I suppose it's just his 'programming.' For whatever it's worth, I'll be glad when we're finshed with this droid.

- Gregor with long, shaggy hair, beard and OT-styled jacket may just be my favorite look for a clone yet.

- It seemed we were this close to witnessing a flashback to the Battle of Sarrish during Gregor's remberances. It sure would have been cool to give us a look at "one of the Republic's greatest losses" (no matter what Wookieepedia says about the battle being a Republic victory). The good Lord knows we need to see these Separatist victories.

- D-Squad to the rescue! I enjoyed watching the droids team-up and make quick work of Mr. Borkus.

- I absolutely adored the dirty, battle-worn look of Gregor's commando armor. By the way, is anyone here familiar with the medal that was displayed on Gregor's chest?

- From the change in Gregor's voice from within his helmet and the sound of his DC-17m blaster rifle being fired to the look at his HUD, the producers made sure to honor the legacy of Republic Commando. In a show where we all know that precedents aren't always adhered to as closely as some of us would like, I appreciate that they made the effort here. And isn't it great watching even a single clone commando in action? I say the more the show features Special Forces troops in acyion (be they Republic or CIS), the better.

- I loved Gregor in the Skirmish of Pons Ora. The man's dedication and ingenuity, combined with the skill of a commando and the heart of a hero took a simple, straightforward scene of providing cover fire for an escaping squad of droids and turned it into a real winner. From an interesting, unassuming man with a hint of intrigue to an elite soldier who never really forgot how to shoot (or the meaning of the word "sacrifice"), Gregor really delivered and his character's debut turned out to be one of those fairly rare times when something actually lives up to the hype. The action was well choreographed and was gripping enough that I found myself totally wrapped-up in the moment.

- I knew it, got dang it, I just knew it! Isn't it just like TCW to give us an interesting, enjoyable new hero to root for, only to kill him off fifteen minutes later? There's no question that Gregor's sacrifice served both his character and the episode's story very well, but overall, it's become a trend which TCW has just taken too far for my liking. I mean, God, months ago, when speculating on Gregor, I posted how it sure would be nice for an interesting new character to actually, I don't know, survive for once and maybe even reappear later on in another story arc. Oh, but I guess they listened, as we are getting the return of Clovis we were all clamoring for. Who knows, I suppose the door was left open (rather clumsily, given Gascon's stilted dialog) for a resurrection as soon as next week. I sure hope so, TCW - there's more that can be done with this fella.

- As always, there were some gorgeous shots to behold.

- I still have to wonder, what was a Jedi Cruiser doing just parked up in the atmosphere of Abafar, floating there without any Republic presence on the surface? I don't know, it just seemed odd, though I suppose it's part of the mystery of the system and I do imagine answers will be forthcoming next week.

So, congrats to TCW on a successful run to 100 episodes! Personally speaking, it's been great welcoming fine new Star Wars adventures into my home every week and I look forward to many more stories to come.

 

Impressively layered story, lots of uncomfortable questions raised about the nature of a Clone's "life". Brilliant.

 

The synopsis of the next episode indicates that will be answered. I'm not posting it here in case you want to stay 100% info-free. Just mentioning so you won't count that as a negative.

 

This is from dA (rayn44)

 

KFC ain't cheap on the Rim.

This one? Or....


...this odd symbol?

In either case, haven't a clue. The first looks like something an Imperial Officer would wear.

 

Well, I meant the second one which, at speed, looked to me almost like a war medal (though now that it's freeze-framed, I suppose it's a legion insignia of some sort).

Also, you raise an interesting point about the rank badge on Gregor's chest. I wonder if he ever questioned just what it was on his jacket and whether it carried with it any particular significance?

 

My question is who raised those questions? It certainly wasn't the show, or the write ups on the OS. I suspect there was no intention of raising any such questions.

 

You'd have to be blind to miss the subtext. If you missed it, don't worry about it.

 

I picked it up. He was made for to fight and die for the republic. not wash dishes. I believe the colonel said that. I still find it rather odd that the Jedi would be ok with having a Clone Army.

 

I cant wait to see the information that the droids retrieved on the chip they stole,i do think that Gregor more than did his bit to help the colonel and his droids. By the way,also i loved the ANH reference with one of the droids saying he needed an oil bath because his joints were seizing up and also wasnt the way Gregor was treated in the diner aliitle bit like the way Anakin was treated by Watto in TPM ?

 

I was disappointed with this episode. I accidentally set my alarm for the PM's so I woke up halfway through it, and I couldn't believe that they had just met Gregor then. When I watched the whole thing, I still couldn't believe it. They didn't really do anything with the whole time leading up. I suppose it might not have made sense for them to find him immediately, but after an entire episode of intentional nothingness, I wasn't expecting half of this episode to also be basically nothing. They seemed to convince him to be a soldier way too easily and it never even brought up the point that's been brought up a million times in this thread that Gregor was as much a slave to the Grand Army of the Republic as he was the cackling restaurant owner, a missed opportunity for good dialogue that could have been taking the place of further wandering and repeating the same dynamics as previous episodes without expanding on them that took up a lot of that time. I also wasn't big on how easily his skills came back to him. When you're in peak physical condition and then take a lot of time off, you don't just go right back into your routine with no warm-up without missing a beat like that. The only thing that really entertained me in this episode were Gregor's action sequences, and they felt pretty short in the full scope of the episode. That's the only reason this episode isn't another 1/10 for me.

Oh yeah, and there being a massive CIS presence on this planet as well as a Republic ship in orbit felt awkward by itself but even more because so much emphasis was placed on there being nothing on the planet the entire previous episode.

I think this is going to be my first 2/10 of the series.

 

LOL KFC. Space Bojangles, FTW

Anyways, I wonder if that vest Gregor had on came with him somehow or if it was provided to him by Borkus. The symbol on the vest does look imperial. I honestly didn't think it was anything like that but more or less some kind of button panel and the vest is air conditioned/ temp control.

I'm dissapointed DBB and DF didn't mention anything about the issue of the clones being well, a slave army in the commentary but I also caught the subtext. I think Borkus took Gregor in because he knew what he was. He took advantage of that. He effectively made himself the clone's commander and used him for his own benefit. It is possible to rationalize it that Borkus gave Gregor a better life and something closer to freedom. It didn't look to me like Borkus really gave a crap about Gregor. Either way Gregor was unable to chose anything but that life which is why he goes back out there with his blaster and armor to seemingly sacrifice himself.

 

I doubt Gregor is dead - 1/2 of one episode after all that build-up? Heroic send-off after that? It seemed Gregor had some kind of "plan" there at the end, even if it wasn't clear...so while I have no idea if I'm right, I think I am.

 

Gregor never made it look like his life sucked cause what he was doing, if anything such an image is more worthy of Fives or Rex.

 

I'd be interested to have you point it out to me if it is so easy to see.

Our protaganist, Gascon, treats Gregor like he only has one calling in life. He uses him. Borkus could be a complex character if one reads between the lines, but his motives in the show are also presented as completely selfish ones. He only concerned with having his dishwasher. No one in the show ever stops to question what is best for Gregor - not Gregor, not Gascon, not Borkus, nobody.

We can fanfic in motives for Borkus that change the narrative that was presented to us, but in the end there the show is completely lacking anything resembling subtext. The point of the show was to present to us that Borkus was a bad guy taking advantage of Gregor, while having our heroes were good guys for helping Gregor get back to his purpose in life.

We can ship in all this complex talk about being a slave to Borkus vs being a slave to the Republic, but it really isn't in the show. Based on TCW the thoughts come to mind because of Cut & Rex - based on the rest of the Star Wars Universe stuff like Republic Commando, but that all isn't in Missing in Action.

The narrative of the show is clear. Gregor's calling is to be a Clone Commando, nothing else, and the only one who wants him to be something different is a horrible selfish bully who wants to have him as his own slave. If the show would have taken some effort to address this dynamic on screen I'd give it much higher marks, but in the end I can't.

Thats not anything complex though - that is the message the show is pushing. He was made to fight and die for the Republic, period. Anything else is wrong.

This simply reinforces what I'm presenting. Based on what I saw, there was no thought of this complex debate when these guys were making this show. The subtext is only there because we, the viewer, are putting something there that wasn't suppost to be there in the first place. The goal of the show wasn't to show the plight of the clones in the clone army, it was to show what a hero Gregor could be if he did what he was meant to do, which is serve the Republic.

This would have been a perfect episode to have that stupid WAC serve as the voice of this debate but instead he just serves to support Gascon's POV. There are so many ways they could have added actual nuance to the episode, but they didn't.

 

I took note of this at first, too, Tarkas, but when I considered the clones' upbringing, with its constant focus on training, service, etc., it didn't seem much of a stretch to me, after all. Particularly with commando training, I imagine these things are so ingrained as to be like, you know, riding a bicycle. Maybe that's convenient, but it is what it is.

D-Squad landed in the middle of a harsh stretch of landscape, to be sure, but as Pons Ora was teased as almost an oasis of civilization at the end of the last episode, I was prepared to see almost anything once we had a proper look inside. The CIS presence did feel pretty convenient, too, but I suppose there has to be some source of conflict in the drama and the writers went with the CIS. I thought the Republic cruiser just floating there felt pretty queer, but the mystery felt somehow appropriate for Abafar. I've been assured that the answer to that mystery will be forthcoming next week (though that's all I know as I prefer to stay spoiler-free). Maybe the answer to this and the CIS presence will be terrific. I hope so, anyway.

 

Am i the only one who thinks that the Void looks like Davey Jones Locker from Pirates of the Caribbean?

 

Now that you mention it.. yeah. Only thing is the Void lost its "Mthyical Unknowness" after we find out there is a small village and minning base.

 

Yep

 

Alas... it is lacking in the Depp department.