Thoughts on Clone Wars Season One
Mar. 29th, 2009 12:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lazypadawanImpressive, 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.
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.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-31 03:56 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-01 01:49 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-01 08:53 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-04 08:55 am (UTC)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.