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The Clone Wars S1 E13 - 'Jedi Crash' Mini-Review

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Fighting For Freedom. Ahsoka takes centre stage after Anakin is injured in an average episode of the Clone Wars. Following an epic opening battle in which Anakin rescues Aayla Secura from an orbital dogfight, the team crash land light years away on a remote planet. The planet is populated by creatures who seek to avoid the Clone Wars, thus thrusting our heroes into a battle of wits and words as they discuss the Jedi and their status as peacekeepers in the galaxy. Moral ambiguity aside, this episode is a slow burner with relatively little to keep the viewer engaged. Hopefully the concluding part of the storyline is more exciting JEDI MESSAGE "Greed and fear of loss are the roots that lead to the tree of evil" STORY ARC - Defenders of Peace (1/2) FEATURED CHARACTERS - Ahsoka Tano - Anakin Skywalker - Aayla Secura - Captain Rex - Tee Watt Kaa - Commander Bly - Wag Too - Admiral Yularen FEATURED LOCATIONS - Maridun TRIVIA When Anakin is being treated aboard the Consular-class fri...
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The Clone Wars S1 E12 - 'The Gungan General' Mini-Review

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  An Unlikely Alliance. Anakin and Obi-Wan team up with Count Dooku to escape the double-crossing pirates in a fine, fun episode. The trio's banter is solid if a bit cliche, but Jar-Jar Binks' rescue mission is a welcome side-plot as the bumbling Gungan finally does something useful. It was refreshing to see Binks not cock up the mission like he usually does, although even in his better episodes like this I still can't help but wish he was included less frequently. Still, an entertaining episode with a satisfying ending as the Jedi show their honour by leaving the pirates in peace. JEDI MESSAGE "Fail with honor rather than succeed by fraud" STORY ARC - The Gungan General (2/2) FEATURED CHARACTERS - Ahsoka Tano - Count Dooku - Yoda - Anakin Skywalker - Obi-Wan Kenobi - Jar Jar Binks - Hondo Ohnaka - Turk Falso - Senator Kharrus (RIP) - Padme Amidala FEATURED LOCATIONS - Florrum TRIVIA Senator Kharrus' staff was designed off of the Staff of Ra from Raiders of th...
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The Clone Wars S1 E11 - 'Dooku Captured' Mini-Review

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Unexpected Gifts. Anakin and Obi-Wan track down Dooku in a slow but decent episode. I was hoping for a climactic lightsaber battle between Dooku and the Jedi, but maybe that will come in the next episode JEDI MESSAGE "The winding path to peace is always a worthy one, regardless of how many turns it takes " STORY ARC - The Gungan General (1/2) FEATURED CHARACTERS - Ahsoka Tano - Hondo Ohnaka - Chancellor Palpatine - Obi-Wan Kenobi - Padme Amidala  - Count Dooku - Mace Windu - Senator Kharrus - Jar Jar Binks - Anakin Skywalker - Plo Koon - Yoda - Captain Rex - 4A-2R - Turk Falso FEATURED LOCATIONS - Vanqor TRIVIA Kenobi's line to the Niktos, "You're not the prisoners I'm looking for," echoes his line in A New Hope, "These aren't the droids you're looking for." In the original airing of the episode, which was also shown as a sneak peek, when Dooku's frigate comes under fire by the Resolute, Obi-Wan tells Dooku that he'll be tak...
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The Clone Wars S1 E10 - 'Lair of Grievous' Mini-Review

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Power. Kit Fisto reunites with his old Padawan Nahdar Vebb to recapture Nute Gunray from Grievous' lair. Instead, they discover that Gunray has escaped and they must battle their way out of the separatist leader's stronghold. It's an entertaining concept and has some good moments, but overall the plot is a bit too thin to warrant a higher rating. Kit Fisto is awesome, but I'm annoyed we won't get to learn any more about Nadhar now that he has been killed. Saying that, his execution was one of the more powerful moments of the series so far, showing how dark this family-friendly show is willing to go. Much like the previous episode did with Ventress, this episode also serves to reinforce the danger that Grievous poses, since previously he has been defeated a number of times. Overall, a solid chapter, if a bit too simple. JEDI MESSAGE "Most powerful is he who controls his own power" STORY ARC - NONE FEATURED CHARACTERS - Kit Fisto - Nadhar Vebb ...
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The Clone Wars S1 E9 - 'Cloak of Darkness' Mini-Review

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War Crimes. Ahsoka Tano joins forces with Jedi Master Luminara Unduli as they attempt to protect Nute Gunray en route to Coruscant. Asajj Ventress made her return in this episode, proving for the first time what a truly fearsome warrior she can be when she needs to be. It was great to see the villains actually emerge victorious for once, as their constant defeats were growing tiresome. Luminara was also a highlight of this chapter, and her relationship with Ahsoka was fascinating and one that I hope will be developed further in the future. Also, Senate COMMANDOS?? SUCH a dope idea, especially with their gladiator like helmets! JEDI MESSAGE "Ignore your instincts at your peril" STORY ARC - Cloak of Darkness (2/2) FEATURED CHARACTERS - Ahsoka Tano - Luminara Unduli - Asajj Ventress - Nute Gunray - Captain Argyus - Count Dooku - Commander Gree - Yoda - Anakin Skywalker FEATURED LOCATIONS - The Tranquility TRIVIA The Treadwell droid's name is anot...
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The Clone Wars S1 E8 - 'Bombad Jedi' Mini-Review

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Just A Gungan. If you came into the clone wars hoping to see more of Jar-Jar Binks, then this is the episode for you. I, however, would've been more than happy for the strange Gungan to sit out this animated series, with his irritating character proving enough for me The Phantom Menace . Whilst a journey to a new world is always appreciated and I liked the idea of a suffering, poverty stricken planet struggling to choose between Republic or Separatist support, this chapter was just too empty and predictable for me. JEDI MESSAGE "Heroes are made by the times" STORY ARC - Cloak of Darkness (1/2) FEATURED CHARACTERS - Padme Amidala - C-3PO - Jar-Jar Binks - Chancellor Palpatine - Onaconda Farr - Viceroy Nute Gunray FEATURED LOCATIONS - Rodia TRIVIA The Kwazel Maw underwater monster is based on Ralph McQuarrie's design for a swamp slug creature on Dagobah for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). A variation of the same creature ...
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The Clone Wars S1 E7 - 'Duel of the Droids' Mini-Review

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More Than A Droid. Anakin and Ahsoka rescue R2-D2 from General Grievous in an entertaining clone wars chapter. The episode only really kicked in when the Republic team reached the Separatist station, after which we were treated to a fun mismatch between Ahsoka and Grievous, an intense gunfight in the hangar bay and a wonderfully ridiculous but brilliant battle between R2 and his evil counterpart, R3. Whilst the formula was similar to many other Star Wars rescues, I have given this a higher rating just due to that droid battle at the end. After all, it's not everyday you see R2 in a death match on a collapsing secret station. JEDI MESSAGE "You hold onto friends by keeping your heart a little softer than your head" STORY ARC - Duel of the Droids (2/2) FEATURED CHARACTERS - Anakin Skywalker - Ahsoka Tano - Captain Rex - R2-D2 - R3-S6 - General Grievous - Obi-Wan Kenobi - Gha Nachkt  FEATURED LOCATIONS - Ruusan moon TRIVIA Thang Le designed the sto...
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