Full Series The Clone Wars 7.12 - Victory and Death (SERIES FINALE!) - Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

So just watched the episode and I put my reviews on hold because I wanted to review the Siege of Mandalore in it's entirety. It was quite simply spectacular, some of the best Star Wars I've ever seen. I wanna thank everyone involved in this both for making this masterpiece and for completing TCW Every episode and the arc itself gets a 10/10

Spoiler tagged it to be nice to all those who haven't watched it yet, since it's not out in most countries yet.

Spoiler

+The animation in this was awesome even by TCW standards, even by this seasons standards. Everything from facial expressions to lightning has been top tier. This show even looks better than most live action shows/movies that I've seen.
+All the Rebels and SOLO easter eggs from Gar Saxon, Ursa Wren, Dryden Vos and Kanan, TCW actually benefited from it's hiatus in that it could now tie itself into even more stories.
+I love what they did with Ahsoka and Rex's friendship in this story, their final scene before the final battle of the finale is some of the best emotional scenes in Star Wars.
+Ahsoka vs Maul was a top tier Star Wars duel up there with the best of the live action battles..
+Maul was so good in this, Maul is a favorite of my mine so seeing him so well utilized in this was great. He's descent into madness and his dread over what's to come was so well acted by Sam Witwer.
+All the connections to ROTS, ROTS is one of my favorite movies so seeing all of these connections and this awesome story taking place along side it was so cool. It was so interesting thinking about what was happening in ROTS while Ahsoka was doing this or that.
+Order 66 was done really well, instead of making the clones brainwashed silent goons like I feared they would, they just made them brainwashed but with their personalities intact (All tho really subdued) just like in the movies which also worked really well.
+All of Maul's scenes on the ship was so cool, especially him going all Force Unleashed on the hyperdrive
+All of the Mandalorian armor designs were badass especially Almec and Saxon's. I never figured Almec for a fighter so I was very surprised by his performance against Bo-katan.
+The opening battle was just so Star Wars, and it was sad but nice to see Anakin and Obi-Wan's friendship on full display.
+Anakin and Ahsoka's farewell was so well done, Filoni is a masterful storyteller I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
+The final scene so haunting but great, seeing stormtroopers and Vader in the TCW art style was really awesome. I liked that it was all silent as well since it allows for your imagination to speculate on what Vader was feeling/thinkinh upon finding Ahsoka's saber. The final shot of the Ahsoka painted helmet was stunning. A fitting end to an amazing show

 

I watched it. seems like the best way they could have ended the show really.

 

Mod Edit: No trolling.

 

This is episode was incredible and tragic. Small and intimate, yet also massive...

 

I'm crying. That was ... maybe I'll find words for it tomorrow.
Incredible.

 

Crystal Crisis is up there with some of the best arcs in the show.

This season had very small amounts of Skywalker/Kenobi, this would of been a great way of adding to this season but their stories as a whole.

Feel like we should of seen more of a rift between Windu and Skywalker, which would explain the "I don't trust him" line in ROTS. I always thought TCW would of expanded on Windu's distrust of Anakin, maybe it would of been something we've seen if TCW wasn't abruptly cancelled.

 

Staying clear of spoilers. The timings perfect for me. My wife will go to bed around 10pm tonight. Ill fire up episodes 9,10 and 11 for a re-watch, and just as 'Shattered' finishes - 'Victory and Death' will be ready to stream! Cant wait.

 

@Theo333

Yeah. The trolling won't be tolerated either. Goodbye.

 

I’m gonna cry if R-7 dies.

 

Thanks to everyone for using spoiler tags here even though it's not required. Much appreciated.

 

Yep so I've finished it and those four episodes are in the top tier of Star Wars ever, that was a really moving finish and as mentioned previously, I love that it is open to interpretation.

My more in depth thoughts after watching it twice:

Spoiler: Don't Read Until You've Seen the Final Episode

- Maul and Ahsoka got upskilled one final time it seems, he taking down the hyperdrive and she holding on to his shuttle for dear life.
- The way her and Rex fought in-sync was brilliant choreography, they didn't have to say anything, they just totally trusted each other.
- Man, they both must have some serious PTSD after that, so sad that she didn't want to break her moral code and kill the clones but they all died anyway thanks to Maul who was let out thanks to Ahsoka, far out!
- Rex's tears when he realised how hopeless their situation was, just heartbreaking, Ahsoka being so in control at that moment, she has arrived as an adult.
- If there was any doubt before, there isn't now - Ahsoka is a true force master and given Yoda and Obi-Wan going into hiding, she is THE most powerful lightside force user active now.
- Loved that Ahsoka was getting tired, she isn't invincible and she got lucky in that battle a few times with shots just grazing her ot just missing and she seemed to be aware of that.
- Nice call back to the Ombaran? arc with Rex asking for a lift to the ship after his involuntary help from Ahsoka and Anakin a few seasons back.
- So sad that just a few days earlier, these guys had painted their helmets in respect to Ahsoka and now they are trying to kill her and she is basically indirectly responsible for killing them.
- That final sequence, being totally silent, was fantastic. In fact, the music in all four episodes was masterful, went from being hopeful in episode one to increasingly bleak and more and more claustrophobic, to the end in quiet sad tones.
- Rex taking the shovel back to the ship, goodness that hurts and well, we know now what happened to Jesse.
- Good to see it seem that they saved or salvaged R7 (or maybe the basics for chopper?) from the crash.
- And yeah, how long after did Vader find her sabre? What was he thinking and feeling? I like that was left with no words.
- And the final shot of the cracked Ahsoka painted clone helmet, very touching and very sad.
- My opinion of course, but this may well be the best Star Wars story ever told on screen and even if not, it is absolutely top three.

Finally, thank you George, Dave, ALL the voice actors and the whole design team, you gave us a truly remarkable finish to a great show and while it didn't go out with a bang, it actually went out with a cataclysmic boom.

 

Spoiler

Maul: You wanted this chaos, ha!
His sole line. Until we meet again, my lord.

 

Thank you for using a spoiler tag

 

Spoiler

That was a good line and it seemed like she was totally going into slice his head off too. Both characters upskilled in this episode.

 

This!

Thanks guys!

I purposely followed spoilers for TRoS because I was so done with that trilogy at that point but anything leaking for this episode would break me lol.

Much appreciated.

 

It's over. It's done. You know I never thought I'd see the day but it did. For something where we know the outcome it still ends kind of unexpected in how we get there. Which I have to explain with spoiler tags. Hope I get this right.

Spoiler

Ahsoka and Rex fighting to survive was still tense even if I know they're okay because the situation is made dire regardless of that it isn't easy. Ahsoka gets tired, she gets injured so does Rex and she comes close to death at times when trying to control Maul's shuttle and the odds are against them because they need to take down an entire ship and Maul alone. There's also the fact that despite they are trying to kill her Ahsoka doesn't want to hurt them. She still treats them as people soldiers who were doing this not because they are evil but because they were forced too. When she takes the helmet off of Rex as he's explaining the reality of the situation and he then looks completely defeated and broken as she stares into his eyes it gets to you. When Rex tries to negotiate it Jesse again knowing this is eating him up. And despite all that Jesse and everyone on that ship except Maul, Ahsoka and Rex die horribly in that explosion. Even the droids die and they make you feel for them too.

The music again creates the haunting sense of atmosphere and there is no hint of optimism by the end. At least I didn't think so maybe there would be if I went back to it because again when you finish watching something you're thinking a lot of things. Maul's only line is saying Ahsoka wanted this and she got it. Even if the situation caused this Ahsoka and Rex will have to live with their actions this day that Ahsoka set Maul free and all these men died and they're the only witnesses. They died to save themselves but they didn't want it this way. The silent nature throughout again helped convey that sense of to quote another film "We're in the endgame now" with Maul's continuing destruction of the Clones and the ship when he tore down the engines and crushed the troopers with it and just the fact he brought it down at all. Finally there's the aftermath with Rex and Ahsoka burying the Clone's helmets and then that continues into Vader finding her sabre. Him keeping it is interesting and does raise the question of how much Anakin is still in there and whether that'll be paid off?

There's no final word no real hint of A New Hope less in the sense of Luke but just in general. We don't get the impression there will be heroes to rise up it's just these two broken people alone and now have to find their place in the world again and they don't give clues to where they go. I mean we do know where Ahsoka goes and technically what happens still sort of happens. She saves Rex allowing Maul to get away and she leaves her lightsabre behind.

For a series that started with what I wouldn't say complete optimism we were fighting a war after all but it starts you out thinking battles are not hard and a fight can be glorious and fun but very quickly Ahsoka learns it isn't that and she grows and matures and the audience grows and by the end they'll feel like things changed and it does. Having it end this way is not what I would have expected. I mean we know there wasn't going to be a happy ending but the fact our characters we loved survived should have been something but it isn't. They have their lives but at what cost? The lives of so many people who were just doing their duty and now the villains have taken over and the heroes who we started with aren't there anymore. It earns this bleak ending and it'll definitely sit with people. I'm probably missing some stuff but again trying to think and let it sit is the only thing to do.

12 years of culmination and all it came to this. It's been a long road getting from there to here but it ended up doing well I thought. I've grown up with this show and things have happened since good and bad over the years since. I've made friends through this show and Rebels be it on here or other places online discussing Star Wars and I always enjoy these conversations. So far that I am grateful for giving me something to enjoy and it'll be something to go back too. To the voice acting, animation, directing the cast and crew the only thing to say is. Thank you for finishing this. You've earned the rest and the praise. I'll be waiting always to see what you do next.

 

I got spoiled on youtube by seeing the last scene which is unfortunate, did not expect the episode to come out so early. Anyhow, it was great. Right now I feel that it is not as good as the last 2 episodes but that is probably because I had really, really unrealistic expectations and well, the show is over, what could have they possibly done in 20 minutes+?

Back to editing.

 

Mod Edit: No trolling.

 

That's a fantastic video, well done.

 

Thank you! This is only the first part.

 

The score... ahh it hurts a lot.. We knew it was always going to end but... seeing the Clones etc its sad, super sad what happened to them and the Jedi...

Surviving was it really worth it for some Jedi?

Some of the best story-telling Star Wars has ever had... Clone Wars is so important

 

Well, into episode 12:

Spoiler

- AWESOME episode, really emotional. Rex crying inside the helmet trying to be strong was heartbreaking;
- Super Ahsoka taking blaster shots like they were nothing really gave me bad Rey feelings;
- The clones themselves, showing how fierce they are, pratically throwing themselves at Ahsoka and Rex;
- Maul REALLY showing what he can do, force unleashing on the reactors and spreading chaos everywhere (gives you thought on the plot armor of Ahsoka on their fight, damn you Filoni!).
- And the ending man, THE ENDING. The respect showed to the clones, and Vader piking up Ahsoka's lightsaber. Cathartic moment.

My main grip was just how emotionless Ahsoka was in this episode. Even at the end, she didn't cry, no pain was expressed in her eyes, just that landscape face all the time.

 

Mod edit: Nope.