Thoughts on Clone Wars Season One

[lazypadawan]

Impressive, most impressive.

I have seen every animated SW show: the Boba Fett short from the Star Wars Holiday Special, Ewoks, Droids, the CW microseries, and the current CW series. I don't think they really "got it" with bringing SW to animation until the microseries and CW is in my mind, the greatest effort to date. Visually, it's a masterpiece. Much of it looks like the movies themselves. The animation is unique for television and it got better and better as the series went along. The Ryloth arc for instance looks like it was made five years after the CW theatrical release.

I'm impressed overall with the writing. The dialogue is reliably Star Wars-y. But the surprise is in the sophistication of the stories, which is far beyond what's generally written for half-hour animated drama. A broad range of topics and character arcs are touched upon, taking on every tone from romance to serious drama to comedy.

I also think that the canon characters translated well from the films to the show. The only significant change has been in the way Anakin has been portrayed. The show is not focused on Anakin's descent into darkness, therefore it is free to show him in a more positive light. His recklessness and rebellious nature are still in place, but tempered somewhat by his responsibilities to Ahsoka. In fact, his position as Ahsoka's master has brought out a new aspect to his character. This is what Anakin could have been as a master and a father had things turned out differently. Still, Anakin is arguably not a perfect master. Some of what he teaches Ahsoka, if only through example, occasionally gets her into trouble. He is also unable to help her cope with loss, since he cannot cope with loss himself. Ventress isn't a movie canon character but she is put to good use on the show. I also enjoyed the opportunity to expand on other background characters like Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli, or Commander Cody.

Where CW has truly shined is in its array of new characters: Yularen, Rex, villains like Cad Bane, the pirates, and of course the wonderful Ahsoka. When they first announced the character, I thought, "God, I hope she's not a Mary Sue." Thankfully, Ahsoka, like all of the new characters, fit into the story without usurping all of the good qualities of the movie characters. As I've said, she adds a new dimension to Anakin and she has her own struggles. She can tussle with the big dogs but it's clear she is not at the same proficiency of other experienced Jedi. She's a bit too snarky and hot-tempered for her own good, which is why I guess they stuck her with Anakin, heh heh. But she shows she is capable of growth. She's kind of like Lisa Simpson with a lightsaber.

Is there room for improvement? Sure. My quibble about Anakin on the show is that while it's refreshing not to see him constantly angry and one hair-trigger away from turning to the Dark Side, that potential for darkness is part of who he is. There's a little flash of it in the two-parter about the virus, but in the "Trespass" episode, I was wondering if Obi-Wan was slipping sedatives into Anakin's orange juice. He would have gone ballistic if he learned his men and Republic resources were being used in a petty land grab.

And please, for the love of God, can we have an episode where Padmé appears and she DOESN'T get captured or incapacitated? There was a run on episodes where the Republic defeats the Separatists and Grievous escapes, too, but they seemed to have stopped that.

All in all, a great first season. The team behind CW loves SW and you can tell they really care. With everything established in the first season and the kinks worked out, Season Two looks very promising. Today's t.v. is full of complicated, convoluted plots. CW is a breath of fresh air, whether or not you're a SW fan.

Comments

[sreya.livejournal.com]

Wait, wasn't Padme the one who got Anakin and Ahsoka out of trouble in the season pilot / theatrical release?

I haven't been able to catch all of the episodes for various reasons, but I have really enjoyed those that I did. I'm looking forward to picking up the DVD so I can watch things in sequence and get a sense of the larger story being told.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Yes, she did, but she was Ziro's captive for a bit before Threepio and some clonetroopers rescued her.

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I had allowed myself to become pretty detached from "Star Wars beyond the movies" over the past while, but Clone Wars blew right through that and caught me up. (I suppose that may have something to do with it being "the closest thing to the movies," to be sure.)

After the previous "drawn animation" "micro-series," I suppose I found it refreshing myself to see an Anakin who didn't have "anger management issues," but as you said they could probably get away with starting to working in the "potential for darkness" a little more. (That said, I can see how spinoffs produced before RotS might not be thinking in terms of "Anakin's attachments are his main problem," and that does seem to be brought up in a possibly subtler form every so often...) While the new characters are all impressive, I feel somehow compelled to say the possibly dangerous thing that one of the gutsiest things about the series to me is bringing back Jar Jar, and for more than just one episode. While I suppose it's possible to wonder if "toning his role down" was the best thing for the movies, I can get the feeling that was somehow "surrendering him to the bashers"... now, to some extent he's being taken back.

If there was one thing about the writing midway through the season that had begun to get to me, it was that "I have a bad feeling about this" seemed to be turning up in every episode. Showing up once every three years in a two-hour movie is one thing, being heard once every week in a twenty-two minute episode was something else... fortunately, the writing seemed to get over that.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

I also liked that they unapologetically brought back Jar Jar. Heh heh.

[darth-pipes.livejournal.com]

I've been very happy with it too. Between the visuals, the action, the character development, and as you pointed out, lp, the sophistication of the storylines, it's become a must-see for television.

Things I'd like to see...

1) Siri Tachi on the series. My favorite EU character, she's a great counterpoint to Obi-Wan. Unlike most EU characters, she compliments Obi-Wan (and vice versa) instead of replacing him. I'd also like to see Quinlon Vos, who almost made the "Bombad Jedi" episode.

2) Would love to see one episode a season that has little or nothing to do with the Clone Wars. Like Trespass. It involved the Army of the Republic but the story was about a local border dispute.

[eowynjedi.livejournal.com]

You know, I figured that Clone Wars wouldn't be that good--the animation style both of the 2-D cartoon and the 3-D movie / show annoys me horribly since the impossibly angular features just look ugly to me, and well, after the prequels and their flaws I don't have a lot of faith in Lucas' writing abilities so much anymore, but after lurking around discussions about it for the past three months I have to say I really find myself wanting to get myself up to speed on this. Ahsoka and the other Jedi sound really interesting, and the focus on the war part of the Clone Wars (instead of just seeing the effects it had, in Episode III) sounds pretty interesting.

Is there a reliable way to watch it over teh internets, do you know? (Sorry for the uh... not productive comment.)

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

iTunes, starwars.com, and Cartoon Network carry the episodes.

[jawajames.livejournal.com]

definitely having that broad range of topics and themes (and switching around between characters) has made the show quite strong. sometimes some fans forget that star wars is supposed to have comedy and romance along with the action.

technically, Yularen isn't a new character - he's been around since ANH ;)

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

True, but nobody had him really do anything until now.

[tabru.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree on all counts.

I was wondering if Obi-Wan was slipping sedatives into Anakin's orange juice.

The answer is YES. ROFL.

[darth-pipes.livejournal.com]

You weren't kidding. That part of Trespass pissed me off. The Jedi knew the Chairman was using their troopers to intentionally provoke a war with the natives and never should have allowed him to get away with that.

[auhow.livejournal.com]

season 1 was great. I agree with most of what you said. I also get tired of Padme getting captured in the episodes she's in. from what I hear as the series goes on we may see more dark Anakin.

[the-confessor.livejournal.com]

I'm very pleased with Clone Wars thus far. Like yourself I find particular enjoyment with the portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. I was always bothered by the fact that in the original trilogy when Anakin is spoken of by Obi-Wan he's refered to with a sense of whimsical compassion and called "a good friend." In AotC and RotS we see Anakin being a self-absorbed power-grabbing jerk who constantly bashed Obi-Wan.

Clone Wars gives us a chance to see Anakin as what I always thought he was meant to be: A hero. George Lucas once described Anakin as "a swashbuckler," but he don't see that in the films. We see an angry emo kid with a God Complex. Clone Wars finally gives us a likable, charismatic swashbuckler - it gives us our hero while still remaining true the the source material.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm sorry I just never had that reaction to the character. I thought Anakin was likable and heroic in all three movies.

Testament to that heroism is his immediate willingness, even eagerness to help the stranded Qui-Gon and Co. in 'Menace, his reckless, but determined, and courageous, protection of Padme and his attempts to capture her attacker in 'Clones, and his self-assured, fearless, if headstrong rescuing of the Chancellor while keeping Obi-Wan safe, both during the approach to the Invisible Hand and later when he has to carry his one-time Master on his back. Never mind his piloting of a crashing starship to a "happy landing".

Yes, Anakin had flaws. In 'Clones he's a young man bristling at the strictures imposed on him by the Jedi, and when this finds voice he can seem petulant and yes... even whiny. That's where the beratement of Obi-Wan comes from, but it doesn't make him any less his friend.

And it isn't the extent of Anakin's character either. When he's with Padme the rough edges seem to soften and while his anxiousness to get with the Naboo Senator can run too intense on occasion, this in itself can be endearing. In 'Sith he appears as very much the heroic Jedi Knight, at least until his character flaws rear-up again and he begins to spiral into emotional entropy. But before that, certainly in the first act, he is played as the daring pilot, friend and brother to Obi-Wan, swashbuckling warrior of the Republic, and all around hero of the Clone Wars.

That's what the Clone Wars producers have taken as their version, I suppose you could say, of the character. The Anakin Skywalker from the early stages of ROTS. The Jedi leader. Hero of the Clone Wars. A young man who has come into his own during this massive galactic conflict. Anakin's able to forget himself in the Wars. His reckless impulses are almost an asset here and his insecurites can be burried, rearing their head only occasionally, because all that matters is the mission.

In truth, I would imagine that the lure of spending more time with Anakin-the-hero was largely what compelled George Lucas to produce the show in the first place. That and obviously, getting to show more of the Clone Wars themselves.

Obviously though, my view of Anakin, as he was portrayed in the movies, doesn't gel with how you saw it. That's okay, you're not alone in that. I though, am somewhat confused as to how that can be the case... but never mind.

Oh, and I love Clone Wars too. My thanks as well to LP. I've very much enjoyed reading your reviews over the course of the season.

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. :)

I find myself somewhat baffled at the "CW Anakin > PT Anakin" mindset too. Maybe I could see the argument against AotC Anakin (even though he only really 'whines' in one scene, far less than Luke in ANH), but in TPM he's a good-hearted brave kid, and early RotS Anakin... like you say, he pretty much is CW Anakin.

The reason CW Anakin can get away with being less broody is because the movies did the legwork of setting up his tragic flaws. CW Anakin on his own, without the setup of the movies... it's not a fully-fleshed character arc.

[sabreman64.livejournal.com]

I was going to post a similar reply to the confessor's post, but you beat me to it.

I don't recall constant Obi-Wan bashing by Anakin in Revenge of the Sith. The first part of the film, in which Anakin and Obi-Wan rescued Palpatine demonstrated the camaraderie between the two men, and there was certainly no Obi-Wan bashing here.