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Clone Wars Debriefing: "Citadel Rescue"
Mar. 12th, 2011 02:37 pmThe Citadel arc comes to a stunning conclusion worthy of all that is Star Wars.
And Saesee Tiin finally talks!
The Jedi are forced to pull a big rescue mission after our heroes' ride was destroyed in the last episode. The Separatists don't want them to escape, since they have big secrets and all, so they blockade the planet. If you predicted this will lead to a spectacular space battle that looks almost as good as similar battles in ROTJ and ROTS, give yourself a pat on the back. Meanwhile, Sobeck and his minions are still in hot pursuit of the escapees, urged on by Count Dooku's threats.
As is often the case with the best Clone Wars episodes, there's a lot they're packing in there for a 22-minute family show and they don't pull any punches. It's clear by now that Ahsoka couldn't stand the condescending Tarkin, while there were times where I wasn't sure if Tarkin and Anakin were trying to one-up each other ("I'm besties with the Chancellor"/"Dude, I'M besties with the Chancellor") or ready to get a room. Obi-Wan remains his inscrutable self but we know he's not comfortable with Tarkin's perspective and even less comfortable with Anakin agreeing with that perspective. Anakin thinks more like a conventional warrior than a Jedi, even with his usual mouthing-the-words defense of the Order's ways and realizes in Tarkin a man who's just as willing as he is to do whatever it takes to get it done. No wonder Tarkin wanted to piggyback with Anakin.
More clones die (though I laughed when I saw that the bodies of the clones who fell off the cliff seemed to have disappeared), Artoo's battle droid soldiers bravely give their lives (who else teared up when that one droid said, "It was an honor to serve with you"), and Even Piell is mauled to death by Sobeck's hounds. Usually it drives me crazy to see the object of a rescue in a movie or t.v. show get killed in the process. It makes you feel like they totally wasted your time and they should have just left the mo-fo there for all of the good that it did. But the point of rescuing Piell wasn't so much because everybody loves the guy, but because of the information he was carrying. Piell passes on that information to Ahsoka, which he tells her to entrust to the Council and only the Council.
This scene allows for a new level of character development for Ahsoka. Her conscience makes her confess to Piell that she'd lied to come along on the mission and now the little padawan has to be the most important part of the mission.
PIell's sendoff is appropriately somber, with Kevin Kiner's music hinting at the Qui-Gon/Padmé funeral scene themes from the prequels.
If that wasn't hardcore enough, Ahsoka commits the ever-popular skew-em-from-the-back kill on Sobeck, marking one of the few times on the show that Ahsoka has had to kill a sentient being. Ironically, she does it to save Tarkin, thereby sealing Alderaan's fate.
Tarkin's appreciation for Ahsoka saving his bacon doesn't last long once everyone is rescued after an awesome space battle. Tarkin insists on revealing his share of the secrets only to Palpatine, while Ahsoka, honoring her word to Piell, insists that she will only reveal what she knows to the Council. Yoda figures that he'll have to hash it out with Palpatine; you can safely guess that Ahsoka will be forced to spill the beans to Palpie once all is said and done.
The episode ends on two disturbing notes. One is Plo Koon stepping in to save Ahsoka's behind when he claims that he sent her on the mission. A Jedi Master lying to save a favorite former student? Attachment, anyone? The other is of course Anakin shaking Tarkin's hand as the Imperial March plays in the background and Anakin smirks at the camera.
Season Three has really been bringing it. The Citadel arc looks like 66 minutes cut from any one of the Star Wars movies. It was pitch-perfect in just about every way: animation, action, writing, vocal performances. In fact, I think this arc, like the Mortis one, is perhaps best presented as one episode rather than three. Wouldn't it be nice if you could watch it that way on the Season Three DVD or Blu-Ray?
April 1: Chewbacca! And the end of Season Three! While I'm in Europe!
And Saesee Tiin finally talks!
The Jedi are forced to pull a big rescue mission after our heroes' ride was destroyed in the last episode. The Separatists don't want them to escape, since they have big secrets and all, so they blockade the planet. If you predicted this will lead to a spectacular space battle that looks almost as good as similar battles in ROTJ and ROTS, give yourself a pat on the back. Meanwhile, Sobeck and his minions are still in hot pursuit of the escapees, urged on by Count Dooku's threats.
As is often the case with the best Clone Wars episodes, there's a lot they're packing in there for a 22-minute family show and they don't pull any punches. It's clear by now that Ahsoka couldn't stand the condescending Tarkin, while there were times where I wasn't sure if Tarkin and Anakin were trying to one-up each other ("I'm besties with the Chancellor"/"Dude, I'M besties with the Chancellor") or ready to get a room. Obi-Wan remains his inscrutable self but we know he's not comfortable with Tarkin's perspective and even less comfortable with Anakin agreeing with that perspective. Anakin thinks more like a conventional warrior than a Jedi, even with his usual mouthing-the-words defense of the Order's ways and realizes in Tarkin a man who's just as willing as he is to do whatever it takes to get it done. No wonder Tarkin wanted to piggyback with Anakin.
More clones die (though I laughed when I saw that the bodies of the clones who fell off the cliff seemed to have disappeared), Artoo's battle droid soldiers bravely give their lives (who else teared up when that one droid said, "It was an honor to serve with you"), and Even Piell is mauled to death by Sobeck's hounds. Usually it drives me crazy to see the object of a rescue in a movie or t.v. show get killed in the process. It makes you feel like they totally wasted your time and they should have just left the mo-fo there for all of the good that it did. But the point of rescuing Piell wasn't so much because everybody loves the guy, but because of the information he was carrying. Piell passes on that information to Ahsoka, which he tells her to entrust to the Council and only the Council.
This scene allows for a new level of character development for Ahsoka. Her conscience makes her confess to Piell that she'd lied to come along on the mission and now the little padawan has to be the most important part of the mission.
PIell's sendoff is appropriately somber, with Kevin Kiner's music hinting at the Qui-Gon/Padmé funeral scene themes from the prequels.
If that wasn't hardcore enough, Ahsoka commits the ever-popular skew-em-from-the-back kill on Sobeck, marking one of the few times on the show that Ahsoka has had to kill a sentient being. Ironically, she does it to save Tarkin, thereby sealing Alderaan's fate.
Tarkin's appreciation for Ahsoka saving his bacon doesn't last long once everyone is rescued after an awesome space battle. Tarkin insists on revealing his share of the secrets only to Palpatine, while Ahsoka, honoring her word to Piell, insists that she will only reveal what she knows to the Council. Yoda figures that he'll have to hash it out with Palpatine; you can safely guess that Ahsoka will be forced to spill the beans to Palpie once all is said and done.
The episode ends on two disturbing notes. One is Plo Koon stepping in to save Ahsoka's behind when he claims that he sent her on the mission. A Jedi Master lying to save a favorite former student? Attachment, anyone? The other is of course Anakin shaking Tarkin's hand as the Imperial March plays in the background and Anakin smirks at the camera.
Season Three has really been bringing it. The Citadel arc looks like 66 minutes cut from any one of the Star Wars movies. It was pitch-perfect in just about every way: animation, action, writing, vocal performances. In fact, I think this arc, like the Mortis one, is perhaps best presented as one episode rather than three. Wouldn't it be nice if you could watch it that way on the Season Three DVD or Blu-Ray?
April 1: Chewbacca! And the end of Season Three! While I'm in Europe!
