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Clone Wars Debriefing: "Counterattack"
Mar. 5th, 2011 12:11 pmPicking up where "The Citadel" left off a couple of weeks ago, the great galactic prison break becomes more complicated and more dangerous.
It turns out that warden Commander Sobeck has some tricks up his villainous sleeve, especially after a little chat with his boss Count Dooku. Sobeck manages to anticipate every move and thwarts our heroes' attempts at escape. To paraphrase one character said at the end of the episode, it's why they call it the Citadel!
The episode is pure action and excitement. If you love lightsabers, 'splosions, laser battles, and narrow escapes, "Counterattack" is for you. It kept me riveted all 22 minutes. The animation continues to look almost as cinematic as the live action films. If you pay attention, you see some very subtle but very cool details, like the way Anakin moves his lightsaber around before turning it off and hooking it onto his belt in one fluid move or Ahsoka retrieving explosives from the trooper's pack just before crawling around like a little spider or Even Piell's acrobatics as he rides behind Anakin on a STAP.
As per usual, Clone Wars doesn't fear to tread on the realities of war and violence. Sobeck activates a bunch of doors to close off a passage and its implied off-camera that a poor schlub trooper is cut in half. Ouch. Poor Echo dies, making Fives the only survivor of Domino squad. It's a blow to fans who have been following their story and its reminiscent of the kind of thing you'd see on "Band Of Brothers" or "The Pacific."
That doesn't mean though there is no room for humor. Artoo leads his "troops" in a rescue and it's amusing to see Artoo interact with droids that aren't Threepio. It's an interesting change to see battle droids, the red shirts of the prequel trilogy, commit acts of heroism that save the Jedi.
There's time for character development too. Tarkin acts like a condescending jerk, as you might have expected. He openly muses about his admiration for the effectiveness of the Citadel and thinks it's a pity it's a Separatist prison, which makes Ahsoka raise an eyebrow. Anakin then shocks her by agreeing with Tarkin. But before any more could be said about it, they're distracted by something else. Tarkin and the future Darth Vader also have an exchange about the effectiveness of Jedi as warriors because of the strictures of the Jedi Code, where they also find agreement. Wuh-oh. The guy who voices Tarkin is doing a terrific job.
James Arnold Taylor goes double-duty with playing Obi-Wan and Sobeck. At one point, the two characters actually speak to each other. I don't know if they were recorded at once or separately but either way, it shows you why he's practically a legend among voice actors.
The arc wraps up next week with a Jedi rescue...then it's on to the Season Finale on April Fool's Day. Noooo! Do not waaant!!
It turns out that warden Commander Sobeck has some tricks up his villainous sleeve, especially after a little chat with his boss Count Dooku. Sobeck manages to anticipate every move and thwarts our heroes' attempts at escape. To paraphrase one character said at the end of the episode, it's why they call it the Citadel!
The episode is pure action and excitement. If you love lightsabers, 'splosions, laser battles, and narrow escapes, "Counterattack" is for you. It kept me riveted all 22 minutes. The animation continues to look almost as cinematic as the live action films. If you pay attention, you see some very subtle but very cool details, like the way Anakin moves his lightsaber around before turning it off and hooking it onto his belt in one fluid move or Ahsoka retrieving explosives from the trooper's pack just before crawling around like a little spider or Even Piell's acrobatics as he rides behind Anakin on a STAP.
As per usual, Clone Wars doesn't fear to tread on the realities of war and violence. Sobeck activates a bunch of doors to close off a passage and its implied off-camera that a poor schlub trooper is cut in half. Ouch. Poor Echo dies, making Fives the only survivor of Domino squad. It's a blow to fans who have been following their story and its reminiscent of the kind of thing you'd see on "Band Of Brothers" or "The Pacific."
That doesn't mean though there is no room for humor. Artoo leads his "troops" in a rescue and it's amusing to see Artoo interact with droids that aren't Threepio. It's an interesting change to see battle droids, the red shirts of the prequel trilogy, commit acts of heroism that save the Jedi.
There's time for character development too. Tarkin acts like a condescending jerk, as you might have expected. He openly muses about his admiration for the effectiveness of the Citadel and thinks it's a pity it's a Separatist prison, which makes Ahsoka raise an eyebrow. Anakin then shocks her by agreeing with Tarkin. But before any more could be said about it, they're distracted by something else. Tarkin and the future Darth Vader also have an exchange about the effectiveness of Jedi as warriors because of the strictures of the Jedi Code, where they also find agreement. Wuh-oh. The guy who voices Tarkin is doing a terrific job.
James Arnold Taylor goes double-duty with playing Obi-Wan and Sobeck. At one point, the two characters actually speak to each other. I don't know if they were recorded at once or separately but either way, it shows you why he's practically a legend among voice actors.
The arc wraps up next week with a Jedi rescue...then it's on to the Season Finale on April Fool's Day. Noooo! Do not waaant!!
