Clone Wars Debriefing: "Children of the Force"

[lazypadawan]

Do Not Let This Guy Babysit Your Kids



So how do you follow up two great episodes? With another great episode!

Picking up immediately after "Cargo of Doom" left off, the surviving clones, Anakin, and Ahsoka return to the Resolute. It's not long before the Jedi figure out there was a stowaway among them. After Bane knees poor Ahsoka in the gut, he takes off. The slippery bounty hunter rips off a ship and escapes despite Anakin's efforts and Yularen's continued p*ssy behavior.

With the Holocron in his hands, Bane's next job is to pick up some of the Force-sensitive kidlets and bring them to Sidious's sekret facility on...Mustafar. The plan is to warp the little tots into "super spies." Bane has misgivings about this for all of two seconds. Then he's off to start baby-napping. I initially heard that Sidious was going to turn these younglings into Sith, which doesn't make sense to me given that he already had designs on Anakin and that pesky Rule of Two. Having seen the show, it's not to turn them into Sith but something closer to the Emperor's Hand(s) in the EU. Okay, I guess that makes sense.

Back at the Jedi Temple, Mace, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda meditate on where Bane is going to go. I bust up laughing when Anakin comes up with Naboo. Yeah, sure, heh heh. Meanwhile, Mace and Obi-Wan head for Rodia.

Bane is already there, disguising himself as a Jedi. He hypnotizes a young Rodian mother into giving up the baby and being angry at the Jedi. When Obi-Wan knocks on her door, she aims a blaster at him. Bane is just sneaking out the back and despite Obi-Wan's best efforts, Bane gets away.

Meanwhile on Naboo, Team Win is waiting for Bane when he tries to kidnap the cutest Gungan baby girl ever. Ahsoka quickly pwns Bane and takes back the headdress jewelry Bane took from her last week. Now in custody, Bane refuses to talk to the Jedi. The three most powerful present--Obi-Wan, Mace, and Anakin--decide to pool their efforts for the mother of all Vulcan mind melds, er, Jedi mind tricks. It's so crazy, even Ahsoka's a little uncomfortable watching. But Bane breaks and he agrees to lead Obi-Wan and Mace to the missing Holocron. Meanwhile the Chancellor demands a report. Obi-Wan wants to blow him off, but Kiss-@$$ Anakin says they should report back to the Chancellor. "Fine, you to go talk to the mo-fo Chancellor," Mace says. Well, not exactly...

Anakin and Ahsoka go back to Coruscant to meet with Palpatine. Palpie basically tells Ahsoka to scram so he can continue to twist Anakin's mind in private. I've been waiting for a scene like this since CW kicked off. Anakin's relationship with Palpatine is crucial to his turn to the Dark Side and it was great seeing them together. The way it was done was a pitch-perfect echo of similar scenes in AOTC and ROTS.

To no one's surprise, Bane leads Obi-Wan and Mace into a trap. Bane gets away, but at least the Jedi manage to retrieve the Holocron as they flee the booby-trapped secret lair. The part where Mace slides under the closing door and retrieves his lightsaber in the nick of time is a nice homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indy's hat = Mace's lightsaber, heh heh. As someone on capslock_cw pointed out, both Indy and Mace hate snakes ;).

Back on the Resolute, Anakin and Ahsoka examine Bane's captured ship and by noticing ash on the hull and by looking at old gas receipts, they figure out that he may have brought the kidnapped babies to Mustafar. Off they go to the planet that will change Anakin forever, rescuing the babies, and saving the galaxy this week. It's supremely ironic that Anakin saves younglings in an episode with ROTS foreshadowing.

Good Lord did they pack a lot into a little half-hour episode! Lots of planet-hopping, intrigue, and two-fisted Jedi action fill every moment. They do a great job building up the suspense. The chances that two little Jedi babies are going to die on a show for Cartoon Network are pretty slim, but you still wonder. Even the quieter moments, like the aforementioned meeting between Anakin and Palpatine, are excellent. Ahsoka continues to display her master's brashness and bravado. When they get to Naboo, Ahsoka grumbles about having a score to settle with Bane and while Anakin looks a little alarmed for a second, he doesn't say anything. The guy who reviews these shows on TFN thought Anakin should have said something but it's in character IMO that he doesn't say anything. Nobody has more scores to settle than Anakin does and he knows it. And Bane is one ruthless, heartless bastard. He makes Boba Fett look like a teddy bear.

Next week is "Senate Spy," where the Jedi Council pimps out Padmé to spy on a Separatist-leaning senator. After all, she's cute and single, so why not? Oh yeah, there's that secret marriage thing...

Comments

[darth-pipes.livejournal.com]

Really enjoyed this one. Season 2 has been on an absolute role so far.

This was a pretty good look at the Jedi, from the Big Four trying to find out what Jedi have been taken (I guess that shroud of the dark side has dropped) and the joint mind trick was an excellent scene. About the closest to torture you'll see the Jedi get. I got a kick how Anakin (or anyo f the other Jedi present) didn't chastise Ahsoka for saying she had a score to settle with Bane.

We get an interesting look at the Jedi system with the Rodian mother and her youngling.

Good job with the Anakin/Palpatine stuff. Anakin telling the Jedi they have to notify the Chancellor is totally in character. That lack of exchange between Palpatine and Ahsoka was very interesting to say the least.

Pissy Yularen really cost Anakin here although I got a kick out of him echoing Threepio with his "No, shut them all down! Hurry!"

Bane disguised as a Jedi was creepy, though Sidious's hovering over the younglings even more so. It gave off a Snow White Evil Queen/Wicked Witch of the East vibe. I guess Sidious had to get his evil quota up for the month.

It's nice to see the Jedi actually foiling a Sidious plan for once. Though you have to wonder if he did eventually get those younglings. Filoni said he thought that the Jedi probably took those children into their care.

[knight-ander.livejournal.com]

Having seen the show, it's not to turn them into Sith but something closer to the Emperor's Hand(s) in the EU. Okay, I guess that makes sense.

I immediately thought of Mara when Sidious explained his plans for the children.

I bust up laughing when Anakin comes up with Naboo. Yeah, sure, heh heh.

My thoughts exactly. :)

[may-child.livejournal.com]

I immediately thought of Mara when Sidious explained his plans for the children.

I may vomit. Hasn't that bitch stunk up enough of the EUwwwwwwwwww?

[knight-ander.livejournal.com]

I'm not expecting Mara to show-up, I was just excited at the possibility that the concept behind her history with the Empire was being introduced.

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Which is precisely what I don't want -- I want her "history with the Empire" to stay firmly in the parallel universe of the EUwwwwwwww where it belongs.

[ayajedi.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed it but I have a question? I thought in Revenge of the Sith that was Anakin's first trip to Musafa?

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

I thought so too, until they did this episode. But I don't think Anakin says in ROTS, "Wow, Mustafar! I've never been there before!" Which gives the writers an excuse, I suppose.

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Having seen the show, it's not to turn them into Sith but something closer to the Emperor's Hand(s) in the EU. Okay, I guess that makes sense.

Ugh...I can't stand the idea of that "Emperor's Hand" crap tainting the CW cartoons. I bet the Maraphiles are ecstatic. It brings back unfond memories of them scouring ROTS for red-headed babies and little girls, and of course the idiotic claim that the Youngling in AOTC was named "Mari Amithest" as a tip of the hat to the red-gold pestilence.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

People are gonna say what they're gonna say. *Shrug.*

[may-child.livejournal.com]

True. I just hate to see the CW cartoons give any sort of validity to the EUwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[sreya.livejournal.com]

It's supremely ironic that Anakin saves younglings in an episode with ROTS foreshadowing.

Yeah - however, this is the second "episode" with babies in it (remember the big premiere with the Hutt baby?), and I've noticed that both times, it's Ahoska who really takes the lead with the babies. Anakin's concerned, of course, and wants to do what's best, but he doesn't really connect with the babies or take special interest in them the way his Padawan does. Which I'm actually glad of, in a strange way. It keeps more with the character that could kill younglings during his first action as a Sith Lord. But still gives us that chilling feeling.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

You know, I noticed that too.

[sandspirit.livejournal.com]

The only thing that might not ring true for me is that the kids weren't human. I've heard somewhere that Palpatine was sort of racist, that's why his minions and hands, and most imperials were human. But perhaps I heard wrong.

And I'm one of those who don't mind at all that 'Emperor's Hand crap is tainting the CW cartoons'. Sorry, folks, the episode is already filmed!

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Deleted and edited to remove the pissiness, which I've already displayed too much of in this thread.

I'm betting that you heard that in the EU, because it appeared nowhere in canon. Also, as we saw in the prequels, Palps had no problem with his minions and associates and such being nonhumans.

As for the second part of your reply...let's just say that we disagree about the "Emperor's Hand" crap tainting the CW cartoons.

[sandspirit.livejournal.com]

So Palpatine wasn't a racist? Phew... *sigh of relief* He's better than I thought. ;P

Okay, let's agree to disagree.

[may-child.livejournal.com]

It's not really a matter of whether Palps was racist or not. He just uses whoever and whatever he wants to amass power. The idea that he "didn't like nonhumans" was totally an EU invention. Frankly, I doubt he "liked" anyone besides himself. He sure doesn't seem too broken up when Maul gets sliced and diced, and he invites Anakin to kill Tyrannus. Plus, he's only too happy to throw Vader under a bus to make Luke his new apprentice.

Perhaps he found humans more malleable than other species, and that's why all the Imperials in the OT are human.

[sandspirit.livejournal.com]

Of course he didn't like anyone but himself. But racism is not about liking humans but about hating non-humans. (It's not the same.) I thought he was loathe to have non-humans nearby. But all in all you might be right, I agree to concede this particular point to you.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Jumping in here a minute, the whole bit with "Palpatine didn't like non-humans" was some retcon West End Games cooked up in the late '80s-early '90s to explain why the Imperial ranks were all basically white British guys while the Rebels had a more diverse mix of women, Wookiees, droids, big talking squids, Ewoks, and so forth.

Of course even the EU began to deviate from that in the 1990s, introducing femme fatales like Ysanne Isard, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and a parade of freakish Imperial officers. Then the prequels pretty much blew it all out of the water when Palpatine seemed more than comfy with having non-humans hanging around him, so long as they served his purposes.

[sandspirit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I see it now.

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Ah, OK...thanks for the explanation. I didn't know it originated with the games; I thought it originated in Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. One of the ways they glorified Thrawn was to say that he was a Grand Admiral even though the Emperor didn't like nonhumans.

Another way was to say that if he'd been in charge instead of "that idiot" Vader, the Empire would've won -- which really makes no sense. It was part of the whole, "Vader was a lousy tactician, Thrawn was a brilliant one" spiel. In fact, Vader was just about the only good tactician in the Empire; he was smart enough to never underestimate the Rebels, and it was usually when his suggestions weren't listened to that the Empire failed to snuff out the Rebels.