Full Series The Clone Wars: Episode 204: Senate Spy Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Woah. One of the better episodes in a while. Guess it's not just a kid's show after all ^^

I really like the pacing in this one, didn't even feel close to rushed, everything was just very natural. Love the new location and Clovis was a great character ^^ Gotta love how they aren't strained by the models anymore, cameos galore and Padmé is back to changing dress for every scene ^^

Love the details too, gotta love C3P-O flirting with the waitress droid ^^

Got to see a bit of the darker Anakin as well, awesome ending (even if it was cut a little short), hope Clovis returns later on ^^

 

Come on. Not Star Wars? Not everything in that GFFA has to be action and lightsabers. There isn't one lightsaber in the entire first 30 minutes of ANH.

The hallmark of Trek is its heavy-handed moralising and agenda-driven storytelling. This was nothing like Trek.

 

Where?

 

I'm gonna go watch the preview for "Landing at Point Rain". For starters, the title seems to be a bit more direct to the plot, rather than the more "mysterious" titles with the other eps and some of the books.

(after watching the preview)

...Wow. Looks like the next three eps are gonna be AWESOME! Too bad it's coming up in two weeks.

CURSE YOU HALLOWEEN!!!!!

 

I really enjoyed this episode!

There were moments there where one would really be fooled into watching a live action show upon first glance. And at points where the animation on the characters were so unbelievably subtle and fluid, particularly where Anakin and Padme turned from the Senate corridor and into the hall...that absolutely stunned me.

Like some people mentioned here, I love Star Wars politics! And this episode had plenty of it. I'm especially glad they introduced us to a human Separatist, who has typical human aspirations and dreams.

I like Clovis, a member of the Banking Clan, a Separatist corporation we know close to nothing about. Typically, I expected them to introduce San Hill as the face of these conspirors, but as we're starting to see in this Season of the Clone Wars...we're up for a lot of surprises!

What made this episode so special was just how very different it was to every episode we've seen so far. Not a signle blaster shot, not a signle lightsaber swing...and not one explosion- although there was a reference to one!

This episode was a testimony to why this is not just for kids.

I can understand why they did it. They wanted a build up to a battle without taking time away from the action- and this is the best way to do it. I encourage them to have more episodes like this. The more, the merrier.

 

QFT.

I don't see anything wrong with at least having one non-action episode in the whole season. It's not like there's been several episodes of these in a row (much less countless ones like this one) and you are getting your heavily action-oriented episodes... in 2 weeks.

I mean, if ya' didn't like the episode, fair enough. But at least take a look at other parts of the movies (like the aforementioned first half-hour of ANH and most of the Anakin/Padme scenes in AOTC) before saying this episode "isn't Star Wars".

 

I thought this was a good episode for what it was. It was interesting to see more the political side of Star Wars, and this is part of TCW team making Season 2 more mature. It was also good to see the interactions between Anakin and Padme in more detail, in particular at the start of the episode how they interact when they see each other for the first time in what could be several weeks at a time.

The only thing that I found a bit off was Padme being on Cato Neimodia, given how badly Nute Gunray wants her dead....just seems too risky. Also, did she catch a glimpse of Poggle the Lesser? and did he sorta hide in the corner out of her sight when she appeared? Poggle is well aware that she is with the Republic and was partially responsible for having her sentenced to death in the Geonosian Arena in AOTC, so it would be weird to see those two together "just like that" in the same scene like nothing happened.


In terms of the episode having absolutely no action, well, technically, you could almost say this episode is like the first in a 4-part series, and the next 3 episodes we will see will probably feature the most action-packed episodes in TCW series to date.

 

I liked this episode, kind of surprised so many don't seem to like it. "No lightsabers, no blasters and no explosions? LAME!" Ugh, come on, people. I'm disappointed with this mindset that explosions/battles = good Star Wars entertainment.

-Liked the little rivalry between Padme and Anakin. I liked their 'battle of the wills'. I happened to be watching 'I Love Lucy' before the episode, and it seems quite like Lucy and Ricky always trying to out-do eachother. Good writing for them here, and before with their scene relaxing together.

-LIKED that it wasn't action-based. EVERY blasted episode has lightsabers and lasers and explosions and fighting. Taking a break once in a while ain't a bad thing. Having action all the time just gets monotonous, and there's other roles to play in a war besides the warrior.

-Anakin's jealousy was great. Hilarious stuff.

-The episode did seem rushed, and the later parts weren't as good as the beginning.

-Padme's chest looked.. weird, in her dinner dress, and along with those stupid thin arms.. I hate these thin arms on characters. And yeesh, could they have risked that dress to be any lower on her chest? How's it even sticking to her body? Ah Padme, you and your array of revealing clothes.

-Nicer animation. They are improving it.

-Threepio having more screentime. And he's got a girlfriend? How many of these girl droids are they going to use?

-The suspicion in the Jedi discussing Padme's past with Clovis. And Obi-Wan giving Anakin that 'look'.

-Clovis, I suspect, will be returning. As a good guy or bad guy? He seems good, but making bad decisions. But he was pretty much a tool character.

I don't see anything overly ridiculous about this episode. Nothing that wouldn't fit with how other episodes are depicted at least. I don't care about technical stuff that doesn't matter (why would the villains have the antidote?). Overall I think this episode was pretty good.

 

Certainly was an interesting 20 minutes. It wasn't a fantastic episode but Senate Spy not only does something different with the toys on offer but elevates TCW above the likes of Ben 10 where the action is the exact same thing week in, week out. It certainly is an interesting experiment in slow paced twenty-minute serials.

Things I like:
- Anakin and Padme actually seem human in this episode. Everything from Anakin's return to Padme's apartment to their bickering in the senate. It made for a better, well rounded relationship that is much more enjoyable than previous damsel in distress missions.

- Clovis was an interesting character. He was a 'bad guy' portrayed to have feelings, something that we have not really seen in the films or in TCW yet. While I would like to see him again I think the way his fate was sealed at the end of the episode was kind of definate so part of me believes he should now R.I.P.

- The ending was fantastic. It was dark, but not pitifuly so. It played on Anakin's dark side to a much more subtle degree than last week's interrogation scene.

- Cato Nemoidia!

Things I didn't like:

- The animation didn't seem to be up to scratch in this episode, not compared to the last three anyway. The scene where Anakin and Clovis were trying to help Padme escape is a good sign of this, the running felt a bit stilted. Or the bit where Anakin banks the ship tripping Clovis up, it just looked terrible. Almost like some of the earlier TCW episodes.

- Too many betty bots! I don't like the betty bots, they are too retro. And there seems to be swarms of the bleeders in this episode!

- Padme's cocktail dress looked weird. And the little quiff she had while wearing it was... weirder.

Overall an 8/10 episode. With a little more practise I can see these slow paced episodes being an integral part of TCW.

 

All right, never mind then.

Since torturing people to death on screen is sooo kiddy.

I am disappointed that you are only focusing on one complaint when most complaints have in fact been about the numerous problems with logic and characterization.

Personally, I love politics, I love romance, I love people living their day to day lives, and I have watched many shows purely about those subjects. In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, this episode seriously failed to impress me. I prefer my politics a little more complex than "gasp, obviously evil man is a spy" and my romance a little more mature than childish bickering. Not mention, as others have pointed out, the political situation and characterization is rather inconsistent with what we have seen elsewhere in the show and in the movies; Padme was always been the duty first one, Cato Nemodia is a CIS stronghold, the Trade Federation wants Padme dead so it is silly to hang out in one of their most important worlds and no one can seem to remember which side the Banking Clan is on from one episode to the next.
I enjoyed the Sepies arguing over the terms of their new investment....but this was underused and basically just an excuse to poison Padme.

 

I'm happy to have more adult development between Anakin and Padme, since lord knows we didn't get that in the PT, and I'm okay with not having a tonne of action.

But I just thought this episode was really boring. Comparisons to the first half hour of ANH are laughable, quite frankly.

I have to give them credit for trying to take the series in different directions, but I will probably watch it 1 more time until it comes out on DVD, which will be a new low.

 

After the opening battle, RotS is quiet and talky for half an hour or more. I don't mind if TCW does something like that here and there, though I admit it wasn't very suspenseful or mysterious. Still, only telling a story without any kablooey is good for an animated series, especially TCW.

I did find it gorgeous though. Cato Neimodia could have used some more vistas, but Coruscant looks awesome. Needs more traffic though, they need to find a solution for that that doesn't triple render time or whatever keeps them from doing it.

 

My last paragraph: "I don't see anything overly ridiculous about this episode. Nothing that wouldn't fit with how other episodes are depicted at least. I don't care about technical stuff that doesn't matter (why would the villains have the antidote?). Overall I think this episode was pretty good." Besides, why should I want to address every complaint? Not like I'm one of the show's writers or anything.

But I had no problem in Padme going to Cato Nemodia. I thought it was just Gunray who wanted her dead anyway? And she's a spy, she's got Anakin there for protection, why would it be silly to go there?

I liked her and Anakin bickering. They're married, and they both have a tendency to be stubborn. Them arguing like this seemed natural to me. Just because Padme is 'the duty one' doesn't mean she wouldn't eventually get frustrated at not being able to spend more time with her husband. I thought it was a good thing to bring out in her, as she's been a portrayed in a pretty boring way so far.

 

It was also interesting how Anakin reacted during the Jedi meeting when it was revealed that Padme had a prior history with Clovis that he wasn't aware of - he almost blew his/their cover a bit. Yoda's question as to why such personal history of Padme would be any of Anakin's business was a great line I felt, as was Obi-Wan's raised eyebrow. It was just a great reminder that Anakin's relationship with Padme is forbidden and here and there they may slip a bit and need to cover it up.

 

This episode was beyond terrible! This was an epic fail like Transformers: ROTF!!! I can live with no action, but this plot was absolutely terrible. I was so dissappointed. Found nothing good and could only list cons:

Anakin is a jealous wimp.
Lott Dod's assistants were walking around with Separatist Emblems!
Lott Dod is a midget with a huge hat! I don't recall him being so short in TPM.
Where is Ki-adi Mundi!
What was Threepio's deal?
There was no shocker in this episode. Everything was predictable.

It is episodes like these that make wonder when in the world we are going to get an episode that matters. A Kit Fisto leading Scuba Trooper fight on a planet like Mon Cal or Glee Anselm would be so sick!!!

So far, 3/4 episodes have failed completely. Season 2 isn't looking so good. What is worse is that now we all have to wait until November for a new episode and that now they have left us with 3 epic failures!

 

Three out of four sucked?! What the hell are you talking about? Two of the last three episodes were some of the best ever! This season so far has been incredible. How are anti-gravity battles and three Jedi doing the mind force torture on a bounty hunter "epic failures?"

I would have enjoyed the episode more if I hadn't already seen Notorious which had done this plot first and way better including the ending.

 

Children of the Force was the not-bad one. The others sucked.

 

Even the one where Cad Bane tortures the Rodian Jedi to death and they have that Zero G fight?

 

Anyone else get a COPL/SOTE vibe from this episode?

 

I honestly think the last 4 episodes are the best episodes of the series. I remember being extremely embarrassed by the first s1 episode "Ambush", its the second worst Star Wars experience I have ever had. s2 so far IMHO is the best thing to happen to Star Wars since 83, I kid you not.

 

Can we just agree that there is more to "adult entertainment" than sex and uber-violence. Whether the Padme/Anakin relationship development was successful is another story. I think this story was mostly about questioning Padme's loyalty to Anakin, and exploring her past feelings. This is about as in depth as one could expect of this kind of story in the 22-minute format. I think it also says something that it was a female writer tackling a female focused story, with a story about a woman angry about her duty-obsessed husband.

And Garth Maul, I object to your implication that Anakin/Padme was not an adult relationship, as if the 1940's screwball comedy that is the Han/Leia(/Luke) romance was the stuff of Jane Austen. Han/Leia was a fun, idealized movie relationship. It wasn't deep or mature. The most realistic moment in their relationship was Han's "I'm sorry" to Leia in ROTJ. Being with a woman means saying that a lot.

 

What was the worst?

 

The story of that episode simply doesn't make sense, at all. It has been established in AOTC and in 'Destroy Malevolence' that the InterGalactic Banking is part of the CIS. So I doubt that the Senate would still permit them to send a representative in the Senate.

The same with the Neimoidians. The Viceroy of the Trade Federation is, along with other Neimoidians, openly commanding the droid army of the separatists. So it simply is hilarious to assume that Padmé would travel to Cato Neimoidia, but even more so it would be not doubted by anybody in the Republic that the IBC or the Trade Federation are traitors.

 

To be honest with everyone I wasn't really feeling this episode. I guess I just got so conditioned to seeing Cad Bane that an episode without him was odd. Maybe seeing the episode again would help me like this episode more. I do have to admit the first scene with Anakin and Padme at her place was touching. I loved how Anakin brought some food "home". But aside from that I wasn't really feeling this episode. But if I watch it again on my DVR I might be able to write a better review on it.

 

OK, i can't keep quiet on this anymore. And yes, I am female, and I enjoy the action as much as the next person, but I also enjoy character/relationship development, which is something the recent Star Wars outings have severely lacked. So here goes (bear with me)

1. Do Anakin and Padme ever get to actually KISS?? The way they are portrayed, it's amazing they ever got their act together to conceive Luke and Leia! I can hear all the men now saying "oh please who cares about that stuff". Well, I DO! This is probably THE most important relationship in the Star Wars universe, and there is practically NO time spent on it. I did like the scenes between them last night. Although you would think they would actually kiss when they are reunited at the beginning after being apart again. But anyway.

2. Is there some written Lucasfilm law somewhere that says EVERY female in the Star Wars universe has to be scantilly clad?? It's really getting old. From movies, to comics, to Clone Wars (do we REALLY need to see Asajj's midriff now??), they're ALL bare-midriffed, bare-backed, cleavage out, yadda yadda. Even Ahsoka, who is supposed to be what? Around 13?? She runs around in a TUBE-TOP for pete's sake! Yes, I understand that Star Wars is aimed mainly at young boys, but enough already...please. Your female fans are begging you.

3. People say Anakin is a jealous crybaby. Well, yeah I can see that, but you have to understand, he's in his first real relationship, and he's thrown right into a marriage for crying out loud. It more than fits his character, and I actually think he handled himself quite well by the end of the episode. It's not like Padme tried to dissuade him earlier on. Heck, she looked like she actually enjoyed tormenting him.

4. Artistically speaking, this episode was gorgeous. The backgrounds and locations were rendered beautifully.

5. Yeah, the plot was "meh", but you know what? The fact we actually got to see Anakin and Padme interact was enough for me. At this point, I'll grasp at any little scenes they have together. I would actually be happy if we got even one more episode focused on the two of them.

Anyway, thanks for letting a female fan vent