SEASON TWO: RISE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS
EPISODE GUIDE
MAIN PRODUCTION CREDITS
Created by and Executive Producer: George Lucas
Executive Producer (for Season One episodes incorporated into Season Two): Catherine Winder
Produced by Cary Silver
Supervising Director (including additional dialogue and story material): Dave Filoni
Story Editor/ Series Writer: Henry Gilroy
Staff Writers (Season Two): Scott Murphy, Katie Lucas, Brian Larsen
Supervising Writer: Drew Z Greenberg
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS made by LUCASFILM ANIMATION
Distributed worldwide by WARNER BROTHERS
Above image: copyright LUCASFILM ANIMATION. With thanks to Chris Baker for the image composition.
VOICE CAST
Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
Catherine Taber as Padme Amidala
Anthony Daniels as See-Threepio
James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi / Plo Koon
Dee Bradley Baker as the Clone Troopers
Tom Kane as Yoda / Admiral Yularen / Tactical Droids/ Narrator
Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress
Corey Burton as Count Dooku/ Cad Bane/ Mandalorian Troopers
Terrence "TC" Carson as Mace Windu
Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine/ Darth Sidious
Tim Brock as the Medical Droid/various voices
Matthew Wood as General Grievous/ Battle Droids/ Poggle the Lesser
Olivia D’Abo as Luminara Unduli
Gwendoline Yeo as Nala Se (Kaminoan)
Tom Kenny as Nute Gunray/ Lt. Divo
Phil Lamarr as Kit Fisto/Bail Organa
Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura
Brian George as Ki-Adi-Mundi
James Mathis III as Captain Typho
Meredith Salenger as Barriss Offee
NOTABLE GUEST VOICE ARTISTS
Seth Green as Todo (Episode One only)
Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks
Robin Atkin Downes as Rush Clovis (Episode Four)
Anqelique Perrin as Adi Gallia (Episode Nine),
Chris Edgerley as Eeeth Koth (Episode Nine)
Jamie King as Aurra Sing/ Cassie Cryer (Episode Eleven)
Gregory Baldwin as Tera Sinube (Episode Eleven)
Kath Soucie as Mon Mothma (Episode Sixteen)
Jon Favreau as Pre Visla (Episodes Twelve to Fourteen)
EPISODE ONE: THE HOLOCRON HEIST
Writer: Paul Dini
Director: Justin Ridge
Made in Production Order: Season One, Episode 23
First US transmission date (CARTOON NETWORK): October 2nd 2009
First UK transmission date (SKY MOVIES PREMIERE): October 24th 2009
Notes: In the US, this episode was shown as part of a special one hour double bill alongside CARGO OF DOOM.
Story: Hired by Darth Sidious, the ruthless bounty hunter, Cad Bane, with two of his associates, break into the Jedi Temple on a mission to steal a Holocron. Can Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka stop him before he escapes with his prize?
Review: A confident start to the season, the episode has a smashing, full on action sequence on Felucia (as previously seen in EPISODE III’s ORDER 66 sequence) that gets the pulse racing (it even has a Plo Koon moment to keep Mister Filoni happy!!), and the new animation is impressive, though the episode possibly peaks too early because of it. The heist plot that follows on is good, though, and there’s lots of great opportunities to see more of the Jedi Council, the Temple and the Archives (and a neat move in having the previously reckless Ahsoka placed there in punishment by the Council), as well as officially showing the Jedi Holocrons themselves-the stuff of Expanded Universe legend for years now become a reality, as well as the nice mention of the Kybur crystal (previously created, but unused, for STAR WARS in 1975, and then for Alan Dean Foster’s 1978 SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE novel, as a very powerful Force object, but now, in the new Lucas/Filoni created realm, sadly relegated to being little more than a mere information device). Equally welcome are appearances from Jocasta Nu in the archives and another of those eerie Changeling creatures (with a neat little lightsaber duel involving it and Ahsoka to boot!). Not so welcome, however, is Seth Green’s droid character of Todo 360, who I found subtly annoying and visually jarring with what’s already been created in the STAR WARS universe-the character was created for the kids, though, so I’ll have to accept that fact.
Overall, even with some nice little flourishes from expert animation writer Paul Dini, it feels as if the Holocron story was created more as a lead in to CARGO OF DOOM, once it was transplanted into Season Two, rather than as its own fully fledged installment, after LUCAS ANIMATION realized the potential of expanding the Bounty Hunters involvement into this new season. In that respect, THE HOLOCRON HEIST works less as an individual episode but better as a nice little taster for what looks to be a more ambitious and exciting set of adventures than what we’ve seen previously (and which had already been terrific in its own right!!).
AFICIONADO RATING: A Holocron stealing 4 out of 5
EPISODE TWO: CARGO OF DOOM
Writer: George Krstic
Director: Rob Coleman
Made in Production Order: Season One, episode 13 (Note: this episode was previously created for Season One but held over for Season Two instead)
First US transmission date (CARTOON NETWORK): October 2nd 2009
First UK transmission: October 31st 2009
Story: Finding Bane in the Devaron system, Anakin and Ahsoka board his Separatist Cruiser in an attempt to retrieve the Jedi Holocron and the also stolen Kybur crystal, which, when used together, will give the Sith dangerous knowledge of the locations of the next generation of Force-sensitive children. With his prior hostage Jedi, Bolla Rapol, now dead from torture, Bane knows that he must capture one of the new Jedi boarders alive so as to complete his mission…
Review: Another confident winner in the excitement stakes from Rob Coleman, and it’s a real shame that there is only one more episode of his to come before his sad departure from the show. Bar some Battle Droid comedy dialogue that falls totally flat, CARGO OF DOOM is a winner from start to finish, with a well plotted story by George Krstic. I particularly liked the Walker battle on the hull of the Separatist ship, followed by the superb zero gravity fight in the hangar (loved that slow mo shot with Anakin and Bane). Unlike the previous episode, where he was really in the sidelines whilst his aides did the hard graft, this time the nasty bounty hunter gets more opportunity to test his mettle against the Jedi, firstly torturing that poor Rodian Jedi, Bolla Ropal, and then creating a great boo-hiss sequence when he captures Ahsoka and forces Anakin to activate the Holocron info. Overall, Bane is an excellent new addition to the show, nicely designed- with that creepy voice from Corey Burton- and I hope that his villainy gets even more complex, adaptable and dangerous as time goes on (as he so amply demonstrates in the stories finale). Though, with his prominent rise to villainy, let’s not forget the previously successful Grievous (now unseen since the middle of Season One!!) and Ventress, eh?
AFICIONADO RATING: A head bumping 5 out of 5
EPISODE THREE: CHILDREN OF THE FORCE
Writers: Henry Gilroy and Wendy Meracle
Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Three
First US transmission date: 9th October 2009
First UK transmission date: 7th November 2009
Notes: with a two week holiday transmission gap between episodes 4 and 5, this episode got its first repeat on October 23rd 2009.
Story: With several Jedi children now captured by Bane, of which Darth Sidious plans to turn them into the first of his new Dark Side converted agents, it’s a race against time by the galaxy traversing Jedi to find the captured Younglings and stop any further kidnappings.
Review: The first officially created episode of Season Two gets underway. Concluding the Holocron Trilogy, CHILDREN OF THE FORCE is a great planet encompassing adventure moving at a very strong pace. Finally, Darth Sidious gets a much bigger part to play in proceedings, having pretty much more to do in this one episode that he had in the entire first season of the series, and is played with relish by Ian Abercrombie. I Loved Darth Sidious’s plans for the Jedi Younglings-he’s now become the ultimate child minder from hell!! In his alternate guise as the kindly Supreme Chancellor, there was also a fun little scene between him and Anakin adding to their Father/Son relationship (I loved the scene where Palpy looked down at Ahsoka with a polite ignorance and then shut her out of the meeting!!)- however, plotting wise, wouldn’t Anakin have just spoken to him via hologram about the Jedi mission, rather than see him in person? Why go all the way back to Coruscant to tell him and take himself/Ahsoka out of the mission like that? Perhaps this interesting little character scene was added late in the day and the stories plotting had to be adjusted. Equally welcome, as a nod to the Prequel movies, was the villain’s secret lair-a return to the lava world of Mustafa in a nice tie-in with EPISODE THREE. Like Sidious, Cad Bane is once again proving an equally tough cookie to capture, as his Black Stall space station trap for Mace and Obi-Wan (James Arnold Taylor sounding more like Ewan McGregor every day than Ewan McGregor!!) proves- great little INDIANA JONES reference, too, when Mace reaches for his lightsaber as the shield door is coming down. With more of his bounty hunting to come, Bane needs to be even more villainous and nasty if he’s to ever equal the silent but deadly Boba Fett. Misters Filoni and Gilroy take note.
As with THE HOLOCRON HEIST, it’s great to see more development of the Jedi, too- interesting seeing how they are changing during the three year war, indeed resorting to drastic measures in order to fight the Dark Side, particularly uncomfortable being the necessary use by Mace, Anakin (who suggests the idea) and Obi-Wan to interrogate Bane, using their Force mental powers in a combined effort to try and crack the location of the kidnapped Jedi children out of him-the uncomfortable look on Ahsoka’s face says it all, really, in this dramatic and subtly disturbing sequence. The titular characters of the episode were also cute to see, with a nice diversity of onscreen alien races, including a Gungan, Rodian and Nautolan.
All in all, this was a solid, thoroughly enjoyable ending to the three part saga, with mature storytelling-though I still feel that CARGO OF DOOM was, by far, the best part of the trilogy story and direction wise, with a bit more verve than its climax.
AFICIONADO RATING: A lava-ry 4 out of 5.
EPISODE FOUR: SENATE SPY
Writer: Melinda Hsu (with additional material from Henry Gilroy)
Director: Steward Lee
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Five
First US Transmission: 15th October 2009
First UK Transmission: 14th November 2009
Notes: in the US, the series takes a two week break after this episode due to Halloween/Autumn holidays.
Story: Against Anakin’s wishes, Padme accepts a mission from the Jedi Temple to re-acquaint herself with Scipian senator Rush Clovis, with whom she previously had a close relationship, in order to determine whether he is a traitor to the Republic and working with the Separatist’s banking clan. Accompanying Padme in the guise of a Naboo security officer, will Anakin be able to protect her during the vital spy mission/visit to Cato Neimoidia, or will his dangerous jealousy get in the way?
Review: SENATE SPY is a fun, outside the norm, beautiful looking episode that gives voice actors Catherine Taber and Matt Lanter- who work really well together in the series when given a chance- some good character depth and dramatic meat to work with in their vocal guises as Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, in this STAR WARS version of the classic Cary Grant/Ingmar Bergman war time love/espionage drama NOTORIOUS- SENATE SPY pays homage to it right down to that film’s spiral staircase finale (and if you haven’t seen the original film then you owe yourself to check it out-it’s great, an American movie classic). The STAR WARS re-interpretation doesn’t quite match the original for suspense, though, but it’s a bold try, in which both the writers and animators have fun playing with Anakin and Padme’s relationship- this series strength being that it can do things in the episodes which time had never permitted in the movies, so the love/marriage between the pair doesn’t seem as forced as it occasionally did in the Prequels (so much of their scenes having been paired down to the bare bones, or coming across occasionally as a bit forced dialogue-wise, especially in EPISODE III)– here they have the chance to breathe a bit as characters in this new medium and become a bit more developed and complex. Then, as the episode goes on and Padme’s spy mission unfolds, there is the adding suspicion and jealousy to Anakin in his behavior towards her (a fan expected element and subplot that was also eventually cut out from III).
Despite the strong central idea, though, story logic and certain aspects of established continuity within this episode went out the window. I’m assuming that parts of the Banking Clan are neutral and, like their modern day counter-parts, play both sides of the fence in war, but why would the Trade Federation, the enemies of the Republic, still be represented in the Senate? Surely Padme, with all the threats from Nute Gunray-the leader of the TF, would face a death sentence for going to Cato Neimoidia, no matter whether she was a spy or not? Though I applaud the proud creative team for an episode without guns, explosions or violence (and I hope we see more of these character based episodes in future seasons), SENATE SPY’s resolution ends a little too quickly, and easily accomplished, for my taste, though the sub-plot of the Geonosians re-building the Droid Forces works well as an intro to what looks to be an action packed fifth episode.
Though not defined enough-perhaps he’ll return in the Geonosian mini arc-Rush Clovis was an interesting character. There were also some fun little moments in the episode linked to Anakin’s jealousy towards him-I actually laughed out loud when the jealous Jedi piloted the ship in a way so as to separate him from Padme-a comedy moment that worked in relationship to the Anakin of the animated series-that scene would never have been successful in live action with Hayden Christensen. Another great example of the creative latitude and scope of the series within its new animated home.
It was great to see Threepio in his first appearance in Season Two, and Anthony Daniels, as ever, is excellent (though, as the only true voice star from the films, I think its time he had a lot more to do within the series in general, beyond his protocol duties-perhaps a solo adventure where his involvement is truly critical to the Republic, or one just with Artoo). The same goes for Captain Typho, too-whom the writers seemed to have conveniently forgot this episode- shouldn’t the Senator’s top bodyguard have done far more than just sit in the ship awaiting orders?
On the visuals side of things, the episode, as ever, was terrific and had lots of things to keep the heavy duty fans happy-again a lot of it nicely leading in to EPISODE III, like the bridge world of Cato Neimoidia, and other Prequel places likes the impressive Senate building interior and corridors, the Jedi Council (nice to see Padme there, too, conferring with them). Equally nice were the little appearances from the aforementioned Lott Dodd and Poggle the Lesser. And how can I not mention that outfit Padme wore towards the end-Hai Karumba!! Was George Lucas designing another Padme outfit? If only Natalie Portman had worn that in the films!!
AFICIONADO RATING: A well deserved character episode, though good could have been greater with a bit more script work. A spy-ing by numbers 3 out of 5.
EPISODE FIVE: LANDING AT POINT RAIN
Writer: Brian Larsen
Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Seven
First US transmission: November 4th 2009 (this was a special presentation airing on CARTOON NETWORK, followed by a repeat on Friday November 6th)
First UK transmission: 21st November 2009
Notes: According to Dave Filoni on a video commentary at STARWARS.COM, the original first version of the episode was rejected by STAR WARS creator George Lucas, and the episode was subsequently reshaped with his total involvement in it, insisting that the battle sequences keep the in your face realism style of the work he had previously created for the movies, and using old time war footage as a basis for the heavily revised action sequences. Thanks to the intensive hard work, dedication and enthusiasm of the Production Team to meet Lucas’s last minute requirements, this episode would soon prove an unqualified success.
Story: With the Republic distracted by the continued attacks of General Grievous, the insectoid Geonosians have managed to restart their colossal Battle Droid/weapons building program for the Separatists. Now, against a truly overwhelming planetary army expecting their arrival, a huge Republic task force, led by its major Jedi commanders, begins an invasion of Geonosis in a final once and for all bid to stop the weapons factories, contain the planet and capture its greedy and vicious ruler, Poggle the Lesser.
Review: To say this episode was one of the most spectacular segments of any type of STAR WARS would be a colossal understatement. This must have been both an animators dream and an absolute nightmare to realize in equal measure. Incredible camera moves and hundreds of different elements (characters, ships of all shapes and types of flying, weapons, laser blasts and lightsabers, explosions and environments-more than you normally got in half a season of the previous premiere run) are brought to life in an adrenaline rush of action and fierce conflict on the dry catacombs world of Geonosis. From the moment you see the mighty legion of Republic starships coming out of hyperspace you know that this new storyline is going to be something far bigger than anything seen previously with the equally epic Ryloth trilogy. It was great to see the Jedi and Clones fighting against a more deadly and skillful enemy than the regular Battle Droids-the Geonosians are just as loathsome as ever-creatures with independent thought and dangerous abilities that can fight ruthlessly and in unexpected ways (loved that creepy moment when they flew out of the dark cave and started taking away Clone Troopers, and the sequences where they showed relish using their heavy weaponry against both the Clones and Jedi). The final battle with our heroes attempting to smash through the enemies huge wall defenses was incredible (and I loved the scene where the Droidekas unexpectedly popped out from the floor hatches against Anakin and Ahsoka in a heart pounding moment I wasn’t expecting). There was genuine threat and danger in this episode and a return to the STAR WARS excitement we’ve known and loved for years-all mixed with the kind of WORLD WAR II type realism we’ve come to expect from George Lucas. This was obviously the STAR WARS creators attempt to do the ATTACK OF THE CLONES battle of Geonosis take two-only ramped up 1200 times faster and more intense. This managed to incorporate a lot of elements of which there was simply no time to include during the second Prequel film, as well as improving existing elements of the animated series (both Anakin and Ahsoka worked very well together as a fighting force-I’m much more comfortable with their pairing nowadays). Amongst the many other joys of this episode was the first appearance animation-wise of Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi (with a nice rendering from Brian George, last heard as the Toydarian king in Season One’s AMBUSH). And it was great to see RYLOTH’s Waxer and Boil involved in the action, too-with the battle around them becoming more and more dangerous as they rescue Obi-Wan. On the injuries front, I was actually quite shocked to see both Ki-Adi and, worse, Obi-Wan suffering, and the final moment where the latter was sitting down and out of the fight brought a little lump to this reviewers throat-amazing, I almost thought of this animated figure as a real person (Filoni and the gang are certainly doing something right, here!!)- I’d never seen the character look so powerless. Admiral Yularen, though, is starting to annoy me- he’s on the fast track to become one of those irritating commanders that Vader liked to dispense his anger on in the Original Trilogy!!
There was so much going on during the battle that it will require multiple viewings to see all the detail (And this episode is only the beginning, as the hunt for the dug-in Poggle the Lesser begins). This made the previous highlight battle of Teth look like a picnic stroll. With the first stage of the Republic landing operation just about successful, it was nice to have a little moment of humour to end the episode, with Anakin getting a surprise from Ki-Adi.
If any AFICIONADO members haven't been interested in seeing THE CLONE WARS animated series, I really, really do suggest that they watch the latest episode and give it a try from now on. If there was ever a time to start watching the series and enjoy it, this was it. It’s a shame that we’ll never get to see all four parts of this put together on the big screen-perhaps someone at CELEBRATION V can do some big screen showings of these major episodes.
Kudos to everyone at LUCASFILM ANIMATION for such a terrific episode.
AFICIONADO RATING: Even bigger in the risk factor, this was an intense and highly exciting episode-truly the best episode yet, with the most spectacular war scenes ever seen in the series so far. If I could give it more than 5 out of 5, I would. This episode was the business and truly captured the magical action and adventure element that the saga does so well. THE CLONE WARS is well and truly back with a bang after its US short break. A crash-tastic 5 out of 5
EPISODE SIX: WEAPONS FACTORY
Writer: Brian Larsen
Director: Giancarlo Volpe
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Eight
First US transmission: November 13th 2009
First UK transmission: November 28th 2009
Story: With the battle raging on Geonosis, Jedi Padawan’s Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee undertake a daring, and highly dangerous mission, to infiltrate and destroy the enemy Droid factories.
Review: A quieter but nonetheless efficient second part to the epic new battle of Geonosis, with a special mission for Ahsoka and the Padawan to Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee-nicely voiced by CLONE WARS newcomer, Meredith Salenger, though looking a bit younger than I anticipated in relation to her last film appearance in ATTACK OF THE CLONES, presumably a decision made to have her and Ahsoka look more equal on visual and character terms. Making a welcome return to the saga, Barriss’s pairing with Anakin’s Padawan in their mission to destroy the Geonosian droid foundry from within, whilst their Jedi masters create a diversionary assault from outside, proves a nice idea, though, in all honesty, there wasn’t much time to create depth with their pairing beyond the fact that both represented the traits of their Masters teachings and personalities- Ahsoka being more reckless in the mission, whilst Barriss was more controlled. Added to that central idea there were lots of great action moments (the bridge top scene was terrific-I loved seeing Luminara, her usual stoic battle hardened self, and Anakin hanging underneath it setting the bomb charges, as well as some cool moments created from unused EPISODE II animatics, like the aerial sneak attack on the Clone ground forces by the Geonosians-once again it’s nice to see a non Droid enemy, and the introduction of their new tank weapons, with ray shielding, was an interesting addition to the series. There were also a few effectively creepy moments, too- the scene where Barriss, in the underground tunnels full of sleeping Geonosians, is caught in the hand of one of the insects whilst it slept, being a notable highlight. Some more of that kind of fear and atmosphere would be most welcome in future episodes, adding another effective layer to an organically improving series.
AFICIONADO RATING: A simple but effective continuation of the Geonosis arc, with ever improving and refined animation. 4 out of 5
EPISODE SEVEN: LEGACY OF TERROR
Writer: Eoghan Mahoney
Director: Steward Lee
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Nine
First US Transmission: 20th November 2009
First UK Transmission: 5th December 2009
Notes: In the US, after transmission of this episode, the series takes a one week Thanksgiving break before resuming with Episode Eight.
Story: Having disappeared whilst on the hunt for the escaped Poggle the Lesser, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi lead a clone force in search of Luminara Unduli. Entering an unknown underground region of catacombs, they encounter a new form of Geonosian-the deadly Queen of the species-as well as discovering her legion of totally subservient, undead slaves. Can the Jedi rescue Luminara before the Queen absorbs her mind into the ranks of the undead?
Review: Some good old fashioned scares and further creepy Geonosian moments make LEGACY OF TERROR another successful entry in the series. Nice to see Obi-Wan recovered for action, with Anakin, amongst some fun homages to ALIEN and its sequel, whilst the poor Clone Troopers, and Luminara Unduli to some extent, really go through it. With the current popularity of Zombies across the world, and in all types of media, their appearance in Geonosian form in both this episode, and as possessed Imperials in the recent DEATH TROOPERS novel, is most welcome, as was the concept (though kinda pinched from STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN and the Ceti Alpha eels) of their being infected as part of the Geonosian Queen’s rule of terror (I didn’t really guess that it was Dee Bradley Baker doing the vocals-great stuff, but why was she speaking basic rather than her native language??!!). And, rounding it all off for those fans really serious about things like this, Luminara finaly gets the right lightsaber to use!!
AFICIONADO RATING: Nothing new concept-wise, but still atmospheric enough and beautifully animated to be entertaining. A cave busting 4 out of 5
EPISODE EIGHT: BRAIN INVADERS
Writer: Andrew Kreisberg
Director: Steward Lee
First US transmission: 4th December 2009
First UK transmission: 12th December 2009
Made in production order: Season Two, Episode Twelve
Notes: In both the US and UK, the series takes a Xmas break and airs re-runs, resuming for the formers advance transmission from January 1st 2010, the latter the end of January 2010.
Story: On a medical supply mission to aid General Windu’s forces currently in fierce battle on Dantooine, Padawan’s Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee find themselves fighting for survival within their Republic frigate when the crew and Clone forces become infected by Geonosian mind control worms.
Review: You’ve got to love that episode title, eh? This is a great looking episode by the ever confident Steward Lee, with a good starting script from THE CLONE WARS newcomer Andrew Kreisberg. BRAIN INVADERS continues and successfully concludes the previous three parts of the Geonosis storyline and maintains the creepy atmosphere developed in LEGACY IN TERROR. The zombie like infected Clones scenes are handled well- scary but not too terrifying for the shows predominant younger audiences, and, like LEGACY, there are more little film homage moments- the distribution of the worm pod scene reminding me a little of 1978’s excellent re-make of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.
On the visual side, it’s great to see the Blockade Runner-like interior and deep core of the Republic Medical Frigate (and kudos for a few shots recreating camera angles from A NEW HOPE), there’s more development on those intriguing worm parasites, some nice creepy horror moments, and some good lightsaber duels between Ahsoka and the possessed Barriss, both characters having a good share of the episodes action and horror. As the situation on the cruiser deepens, things get even better towards the episodes final act when Anakin interrogates Poggle to find a solution to the dangerous worms-and a nice subtle use of the Imperial March here in a moment that is easily one of the best scenes of the episode, though the way Anakin sidelines the torture issue with his Jedi colleagues was a little weak and unresolved-surely they’ll find that the Geonosian has some serious neck injuries now!!
Overall, the dark leanings towards EPISODE III are moving along nicely-there’s the scene where Ahsoka talks to Barriss about Anakin’s “radical” ideas on the way the Republic should be led, and the obvious overtones of the possessed Clone Troopers as they fire at their Jedi leaders. There’s also a nice nod to the 2003 CLONE WARS animated series episode of Mace Windu fighting on Dantooine, though LUCASFILM still doesn’t seem to officially want to tie the two animated series together continuity wise, a fact which I find most annoying.
AFICIONADO RATING: Again, nothing new on the story front, but the episode was well plotted with some good moments and looked terrific. And, hey, ole smiley Kit Fisto was in it!!! 4 out of 5
EPISODE NINE: GRIEVOUS INTRIGUE
Writer: Ben Edlund
Director: Giancarlo Volpe
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 14
FIRST US TRANSMISSION: 1st January 2010:
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: 30th January 2010
STORY: When Jedi Master Eeth Koth is taken hostage and tortured by General Grievous, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia devise a daring rescue plan that may also finally see the capture of the feared Droid leader. But, upon their first engagement in the Saleucami system, they soon realize that Grievous has initiated a cunning entrapment plan of his own.
REVIEW: Unseen for a lengthy absence of the last half the first season, the dreaded General Grievous thankfully returns to his diabolical and vicious schemes to destroy the Jedi Knights in this excellent, almost mid-season, return. With an exciting and lengthy fight that goes some way to making up for their all too brief face off in REVENGE OF THE SITH, the duel between Grievous and Obi is nothing short of fabulous-brilliantly choreographed and full of good banter between them. One fan critic has said that these new animated episodes have gone a long way in making /rehabilitating Grievous as a more palatable and deadly force-a statement I fully agree with, and is, as always, voiced with relish by Matthew Wood. It was also a pleasure to see more of the Jedi roll call being established in this series, especially those that had previously been in the furthermost sidelines-like EPISODE ONE’s Eeth Koth (Back from an Expanded Universe demise-again, another subtle decision by Lucas impacting on the Expanded Universe and its continuity. There’s bound to be more changes when those pesky Mandalores turn up!!!) and Adi Gallia. Both characters have nice moments and some great action to partake in (I loved the opening when Koth threw Grievous against the observation glass). As ever, the ambitious animation continues to impress, with a fine space battle (utilizing previously unused OT/PT designs for the Republic fleet), some great angles (like the hyperspace jump right into Grievous ship by Anakin and the 180 degree turns of his ship as he is forced to rescue Obi and Gallia) and the aforementioned action sequences. There’s also the return of the Clone Commander Fox, now sporting a mechanical eye, those fearsome Droid Commandoes and the return of the Jedi Temple war room. This season certainly showcase THE CLONE WARS subtle harder edges-it’s going to be very interesting to see how far it goes dramatically and whether it will venture beyond its target younger demographics.
AFICIONADO RATING: Straight back into action with this highly exciting tale-another terrific episode for the second season with a strong plot and dialogue from newcomer Ben Edlund (any relation to Richard?) and some great direction-the strongest yet- from Giancarlo Volpe. 5 out of 5
EPISODE TEN: THE DESERTER
Writer: Carl Ellsworth
Director: Robert Dalva
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 6
FIRST US TRANSMISSION: 1st January 2010
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: 6th February 2010
NOTES: Returning from its Xmas beak, this episode was shown in the US alongside GRIEVOUS INSTINCT as part of a special double bill re-launching the series on CARTOON NETWORK.
STORY: As the hunt for General Grievous by Republic Forces spreads out across the alien plains of Saleucami, an injured Captain Rex, sheltering with a farming family, encounters a deserter Clone Trooper- Cut Lawquane.
REVIEW: Though its not exactly anything spectacular like Geonosis or Felucia, the planet Saleucami, previously mentioned in REVENGE OF THE SITH, finally comes to life as a subtly intriguing jungle/grasslands world and proves a worthy background for THE DESERTER’s character drama and action sequences. Directed with flair by Lucas’s old friend now noted film editor, Robert Dalva (who, for all you info fans out there, was also a second unit director for the Sandpeople scenes shot in Death Valley for STAR WARS waaay back in January 1977), the previous pursuit of Grievous takes a bit of a back seat in this episodes diversion from the normal kinds of storytelling, as the ever reliable Captain Rex is injured after a commando droid sneak attack and is forced to recuperate in the unexpected company of a fellow clone, Cut Lawquane, who turns out to be a deserter from the Republic army. The early tense relationship between the pair proves interesting (the concept of Lawquane reminding me a little of the very early CLONE WARS novel called THE CESTUS DECEPTION, written by Steven Barnes-perhaps that tale, with its strong character development of one particular Clone Trooper, may have had some influences on this episode’s genesis), especially with regards to their differing views on loyalty and the Clone War, but, being a family show, any realistic conclusion to the story by series newcomer Ellsworth instead becomes something completely predictable-even though the army of commando droids show up to terrorize Cut’s family we know that they are going to get through the danger pretty much unscathed. Likewise, despite some interesting action, the same kind of predictabilty hampers the danger and excitement with Grievous’s final escape, too, making this episode a beautiful looking beast with sadly very little real bite.
AFICIONADO RATING: Interestingly created before the first part of this Grievous plot line, THE DESERTER is hardly a classic tale by any means, and could perhaps be considered a let down for die hard fans, but it does dare to be different and proves another intriguing change of pace. Cut Lawquane could be an interesting character to revisit if put within a stronger Saleucami based storyline at some point in the future. A nostalgic, Dejarik playing 3 out of 5
EPISODE ELEVEN: LIGHTSABER LOST
Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg
Director: Giancarlo Volpe
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 6
FIRST US TRANSMISSION: 22nd January 2010
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: 12th February 2010
NOTES: After a two week transmission break, the series returns for a three week continuous run in the US.
STORY: Assisting Anakin in arresting an arms dealer, Ahsoka loses her lightsaber to a thief. Unable to ask her Master for help, she enlists the aid of an elder Jedi, the Bothan Master Tera Sinube, well versed in the seedy side of Coruscant and its criminal inhabitants, in an attempt to find it, and, in doing so, discovers both a murderous plot and an agile bounty hunter.
REVIEW: A charming little entry in the second season. LIGHTSABER LOST owes more than a passing nod to the work of Akira Kurosawa and his movie STRAY DOG (in which a rookie policeman similarly loses his gun to a villain). Ahsoka holds her own nicely as the star of the episode, with excellent support from the lovable new character of Jedi master Tera Sinube (great to see what a Bothan finally officially looks like after all these years!!), who I think will prove very popular with fans of all ages (I loved his very cool lightsaber/cane), voiced exceptionally by Gregory Baldwin-the mix of an elderly and young Jedi working together in the central story being an element that I found very pleasing from series script writer Drew Z. Greenberg.
Madame Jocasta Nu makes a welcome re-appearance, as do Yoda’s younglings, and we also get a chance to see a lot more of the seedy underbelly of Coruscant, seen all too briefly in EPISODEs TWO and THREE, plus a wide variety of the alien species which have helped make STAR WARS such a standout success over the years.
The rest of the plot after Ahsoka begins her quest, however, is pretty humdrum (I wasn’t a great fan of the Ione Marcy character), though the sequence where she is chasing the alien killer Cassie Cryer is a fun and exhilarating homage to the free jumping chase that launched the beginning of Daniel Craig’s James Bond career with CASINO ROYALE in 2006, and is well put together by series regular stylist director Giancarlo Volpe. Plus there’s a nice little holo speech from Palpatine, written by Dave Filoni, that’s well worth looking out for.
AFICIONADO RATING: A fine blending of central story idea and animation, LIGHTSABER LOST, like THE DESERTER before it, isn’t going to win any best episode of the season awards, but was overall a satisfying, general audience friendly 22 minutes, with a great introduction for Master Sinube. 3 out of 5
EPISODE TWELVE: THE MANDALORE PLOT
Writer: Melinda Hsu
Director: Kyle Dunlevy
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 13
FIRST US TRANSMISSION: January 29TH 2010
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: February 20th 2010
NOTES: An idea for a Mandalore story was originally pitched by Henry Gilroy and Dave Filoni for Season One but was turned down by George Lucas, who thought it was too early to introduce them into the Clone Wars conflict. Lucas changed his mind for Season Two.
STORY: Obi-Wan Kenobi travels to the planet Mandalore to meet with the leader of the Council of Neutral Systems, the Duchess of Satine, about a sinister new series of events transpiring on her world and affecting its people. Together, the pair travel to the segregated Mandalorian moon of Concordia to investigate the inter-linked return of a deadly super commando army called DEATH WATCH, whose re-appearance could have devastating effects on the out come of the Clone Wars and against their sworn enemies- the Jedi.
REVIEW: Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lone, subtle investigation in to the Mandalore plot of this adventure has the same kind of 1920’s/30’s detective style mystery that fans, for the most part, enjoyed, in the second STAR WARS Prequel, with this animated episode keeping an equally similar slowly building level of intrigue and mystery, laced with some finale action that, unlike EPISODE II, is decidedly quite small scale. Equally intriguing is the acerbic but obviously mutually attractive relationship between the Knight and the neutral leader, the Duchess Satine (intriguingly the name of Nicole Kidman’s character opposite Ewan McGregor in MOULIN ROUGE- Co-incidence? Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy say it is!!)-again, drawing parallels to 1920/30’s Hollywood movie storytelling, the pair almost like a poshed up version of Indy and Marion from RAIDERS, with the kind of polished dialogue/camaraderie that Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn would have enjoyed if they were in an action film- prickly but loving!! And let’s not forget another type of cliffhanger with the finale factory scene, where one of our heroes is caught in another diabolical predicament!!
Overall, Melinda Hsu's script was far above much of the normal animation fare we get- nice to see a lone Obi-Wan tale with a bit more character building - and a continual example of the way THE CLONE WARS is going from strength to strength in that area, and quite sophisticated. Good, too, was seeing a few more British actors partaking in the series voice work, like Julian Holloway as Prime Minister Almec, and there was also a welcome return for actor/comedian Greg Proops (who last played one of the alien commentators of the Boonta Eve pod race in EPISODE ONE) as Tal Marik.
With the Duchess Satine we finally have the first blonde lady in STAR WARS, and a Cate Blanchett look-a-like at that (a deliberate, and much welcome, move by Dave Filoni-picking an actress with a face and acting talent that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the aforementioned classic Hollywood film studio system era-with a range capable of making her both a dangerous and alluring femme fatale as well as a plucky heroine). Skilled voice talent veterans James Arnold Taylor and actress Anna Graves, as Satine Kryze, put their experience to good use in helping the episode’s writer, Melinda Hsu (who wrote the fun episode of LOST called SOME LIKE IT HOTH in season five!!), create a believable relationship that we’ll discover more about as the next few weeks roll on (there’s obviously a lot more to his relationship with the Duchess than we think).
So, THE MANDALORE PLOT had some nice moments, but I actually have to say, like Hsu’s previous SENATE SPY, I found the episode mildly disappointing (perhaps I was just hoping for something to rival ATTACK OF THE CLONES in the defining story landmark stakes). After all the recent exciting episodes, especially on Geonosis and with the return of Grievous, I was expecting something a bit more deadly, exciting and in your face confrontational and awe-inspiring from the DEATH WATCH Mandalorian warrior outcasts on Concordia (and I still prefer their original home world name of Concord Dawn-its sounds much more mysterious and evocative of them)-the few soldiers that did appear in this episode, led by Jon Favreau in a nicely surprising guest spot as Pre Vizsla (whose character was another welcome new addition to the seen on screen STAR WARS pantheon of villains), had very few good moments to shine (though once more it was nice to see the Jedi fighting off against adaptable humanoid enemies: and they certainly gave Obi a bashing at one point, though, a few minutes later, disappointingly went into dumb villain mode a few minutes later!! Why does that happen??!!). I understand that this is a three part story and that the producers don’t want to play their trump cards just yet with the characters, but I hope we get to see a lot more of them en masse in a future episode, as well as discover even more about their genesis-how about a flashback tale?
I gather that some of the established EU history of the Mandalorians is present in this episode (including the revised addition of the EU character of Vizsla?) but much has been changed, leading to a great deal of hissing fits in the worldwide EU fan community and frustrations by certain authors, the end result of this episode being an unusual hybrid of Lucas and EU ideas that won’t please everybody. Overall, what do I think about all the changes to EU continuity that have angered the fan base? Well, its Lucas’s universe-he’s the father creator-what he says goes as far as I’m concerned the storyline is concerned. What he wants to create doesn’t have to tie in with anything that the EU does-people will just have to accept that fact and everyone, including LUCAS LICENSING and LUCAS BOOKS will adapt to the changes as they always do. Perhaps it’s time, finally, to officially just make the EU realm of STAR WARS a completely separate entity, especially now that the animated series, and the eventual live action one, are on the air in a constant state of evolutionary flux. I have to say I’ not an expert on the Mandalore race and its warriors as so many of the EU cult are, but the ideas presented in the episode were intriguing (loved that black darksaber-bravo, Mister Lucas for that one!!), and I was curious about the reference to Jango Fett- so, is he a Mandalorian or not? My take from the dialogue between Obi and Prime Minister Almec is that he isn’t.
As for the rest of the ingredients, well, once more, the look of the planet was great (the interior look of the domed city of Sundari was different to what I expected but still felt very much in the all defining and stand out STAR WARS mould-a closed in Coruscant built within a framework of cubes and glass on a white sand planet was both intriguing, contrasting nicely with the later seen forest/factory worlds of Concordia, and exciting to look at), and the direction was certainly adept and as confident as ever. So why wasn't I as fully impressed as I should have been? Well, its back to the Mandalorians again. As the visual forebears to Boba and Jango, I wanted something bigger and tougher than what we got (though the suicide bomber idea was pretty dark for a children’s show, I have to say!!)-we’ll have to blame the trailers for my disappointment (they just did too good a job of arousing my keen imagination and excitement for the episode). Here’s hoping that my expectations are completely satisfied by this three parter’s conclusion and that the Mandalorians get the action they deserve.
AFICIONADO RATING: The appearance of Mandalore-its civilization and its super commandos- in the series was always going to be controversial. Just how much of an impact they’ll make in THE CLONE WARS animated series is unknown, but I have high expectations of some epic conflicts to come in the next few seasons. Despite promising direction from newcomer Kyle Dunlevy, I have to give the episode a not quite what I expected 4 out of 5 (ideally it should be a 3 out of 5, but the welcome first appearance of the Mandalorians pushes it to a 4).
EPISODE THIRTEEN: VOYAGE OF TEMPTATION
Writer: Paul Dini
Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell
FIRST US TRANSMISSION: 5th February 2010
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: 27th February 2010
Made in Production Order: Season One, Episode 21
NOTES: This episode was created quite some time early in the production schedule, before THE MANDALORE PLOT and THE DUCHESS OF MANDALORE.
STORY: En route to Coruscant to plead the case for her system’s neutrality within the Clone Wars conflict, the Duchess Satine, traveling with her advisors and senators on her Royal starship, must rely on Obi-Wan and Anakin to defend her from a malicious series of assassination attempts. But who on board is secretly aiding the Death Watch in their cause?
REVIEW: A tense journey for all concerned in the second part of the Mandalore storyline. The welcome return of Paul Dini brings some good story plotting and a nice biting interplay between ex-lovers Duchess and Obi that builds on the hints of an earlier relationship established in THE MANDALORE PLOT (nice to find out a little bit more about how he first met the Duchess when he was with Qui-Gon Jinn (c’mon, lets have a novel about this, eh?), and I loved Satine’s dialogue regarding Obi-Wan, such as "Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Some nice role reversal relationship moments, and teasing, too, between Anakin and Obi-Wan), then a rather traditional adventure story kicks in a short time later with nothing truly exciting about the episode bar some albeit great visual flourishes (the terrific exterior and interior look of the CORONET spacecraft, which reminded me a little bit in places of the cruise liner from THE FIFTH ELEMENT in its grandiose regal stylings) and some interesting action moments (the assassin droids), though the episode is lifted to a more notable conclusion with an excellent scene involving Anakin who, in a satisfyingly true Vader moment, has to make a critical life/death decision that only he could make. An additional plus to the tale is the return of Artoo- its feels like a very long time since we’ve last seen him, and the STAR WARS universe doesn’t feel the same without him.
Sadly, the Mandalorian presence is pretty indifferent in the story-they play no real part in it and they could just as easily have been any Separatist villains in charge of the assassination plot (and at least if Ventress or Dooku had been in it we may have had a lightsaber duel!). Instead of the Super Battle Droids, it would have been fun if the enemy boarding party had been a squad of Mandalore Commandos (I want to see Rex and Cody take ‘em on!!) but I suppose it was not to be due to this episodes required story constraints that will lead into the finale.
Unless I’m proved wrong by the next episode, I’m now starting to assume that the Mandalorian presence is indeed just a taster for something hopefully much bigger in scale further down the road, otherwise this could all be the biggest wasted opportunity of the animated series so far.
AFICIONADO RATING: Some good moments of action and dialogue and the usual supreme production values, but this was pretty much a by the numbers episode for this reviewer- sophisticated, yes, but lacking the full kind of STAR WARS excitement that I expect from the series, especially when its linked to the enigmatic and dangerous Mandalorians. 3 out of 5
EPISODE FOURTEEN: DUCHESS OF MANDALORE
Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg
Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 16
FIRST US TRANSMISISON: February 12th 2010
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: March 6th 2010
NOTES: A sequence of Anakin getting ready to lead Republic soldiers to Mandalore sadly never made the episodes final cut.
With this episode the show once more takes another transmission break until March 19th 2010 in the US.
STORY: When a transmission from Mandalore indicates their being overrun by the Death Watch terrorist organization, the Republic plans a pre-emptive strike/occupation of the planet- the ultimate response that Count Dooku has been waiting for in unleashing Pre Visla and his new army, firmly hand in glove with the Sith Lord and primed for battle with the Republic. The Duchess Satine, pleading the case for her planets neutrality, denounces the transmission as false, and, in a race against time before the situation escalates, goes on a secret mission within the streets of Coruscant to discover the truth, though Death Watch have also sent one of their best assassins to destroy her. Can Obi-Wan help her in time?
REVIEW: A satisfying, though hardly amazing, episode, concludes the Duchess of Satine/Manadalore arc. With no real pizzazz or grandeur, or even an accelerated sense of heightened danger, it was very much the visual side of the episode, and its many links to those elements I loved from the Prequels, that made THE DUCHESS OF MANDALORE as enjoyable as it was. Great to see all the main characters back from the Republic Senate, like Palpatine (loved his brief Sidious scowl at the chamber podium near the end of the episode), the intimidating Mas Amedda, Padme and the like-I’m probably one of the few who always liked the political shenanigans and intrigue of the Senate and all its varying characters good and bad (and we also saw Mon Mothma-how cool was that!! It can’t be long now before she’s got some big stuff-perhaps’ alongside Bail Organa in March’s SENATE MURDERS episode?) Nice to see the animated series own pantheon of characters making cameos, too (like a second non-speaking cameo from TRESPASS’s Senator Chuchi). As the drama plays out, and the Sith maneuvering of Satine and her people begins, our episode opening visions of armies of Mandalore soldiers going into battle fizzles out, sadly never coming to fruition (at least not yet), the race kept in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future, though the singular assassin we see striking on Coruscant certainly shows he’s up to the task of fighting a Jedi, especially one of Obi-Wan’s talents, in an interesting little combat sequence reminiscent of the Rumble in the Rain from EPISODE II (and I really loved Filoni’s incorporating some of Ralph McQuarrie’s classic paintings into the sequence, too, where the cloaked Satine and Obi-Wan covertly meet up at the plaza, as well as the Clone Troopers holding defensive shields like the early Stormtrooper concepts for STAR WARS in 1975-its nice touches that make this show even more worth while to watch). A further note of kudos to Kevin Kiner for the excellent, and highly sinister, Manadalore theme which made a re-appearance at certain points in this episode.
Talking of the two ex-lovers, the Satine/Obi-Wan Kenobi relationship had no real resolution, either, so a future re-appearance looks equally likely, though I do have a bad feeling about the Duchess’s future….
So, although this arc had a definite beginning, middle and end, this reviewer had been hoping for sooo much more. The Mandalorians certainly deserved something more epic scope-basically, they needed a plot the size of a singular movie or perhaps a feature length TV adventure, to do them the justice they truly deserve.
AFICIONADO RATING: Fans of Obi-Wan Kenobi will certainly be pleased with the way he has been such a strong focus in the story-arc, but Mandalorian fans may be disappointed overall. A bucket head wearing 3 out of 5
EPISODE FIFTEEN: SENATE MURDERS
Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg
Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell
Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Ten
FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: March 13th 2010
FIRST US TRANSMISISON: March 19th 2010
Notes: This story was shown first on the UK SKY MOVIES PREMIERE channel, a week before the US’s CARTOON NETWORK. The UK will now see the rest of the series from this point in an uninterrupted run and before its US counterparts.
Story: As Padme and her fellow senators prepare to counter against a new bill sanctioning the Republic’s increased production of Clone soldiers in the escalating war, one of her dearest friends is poisoned, leading the Naboo politician, alongside Bail Organa of Alderaan, to discover the murderous culprit.
Review: The Coruscant political arena becomes more dangerous than ever for Padme and her closest friends in SENATE MURDERS. It’s great to see her and Bail Organa working together again (and involved in some action, too), as is seeing them immersed in with what will ultimately become the Delegation of 2000 committee against the actions of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in EPISODE III. Catherine Taber once again impresses as Padme and her scripted character is fine throughout, too -I especially liked that knock out punch she gives the villain at the end!! It’s always nice to have any story with Bail Organa though I would prefer Jimmy Smits to be back as his voice. Rumours that Smits was returning to the role now seem unfounded. Another plus was a nice little scene for the serene but powerful Mon Mothma. With so much of their political resistance cut out from the final edit of REVENGE OF THE SITH, this building collection of senate involving episodes is overall a positive step in restoring their believability in their attempts to stop the Clone War from escalating further.
The introduction of the corrupt Kaminoan senator, Halle Burtoni -proof that not everyone in that race is so seemingly benign- was a pleasing addition-more please. Onocanda Farr, or “Uncle” as Padme would lovingly refer to him, proves the perfect choice to kill off for the story, and adds some depth to both Padme and to the intrigues and powerplays going on within the Senate, though the sinister and intriguing Mee Deechi was killed off way too early in the episode and could have been an effective recurring obstacle for our heroes. However, the Republic inspector Divo (I’ll just call him Div!!), a bumbling, over-gesticulating character whose facial features had more than a passing resemblance to the excellent British actor Toby Jones, though probably a very good idea on paper-I’m sure they were hoping to make him a loveable COLUMBO-type- lacked a decent execution onscreen and his vocal playing by Tom Kenny was a misstep to this reviewer, much like Seth Green was as Todo earlier in the season- both roles looked like they had come straight off the set of a direct-to-DVD- DISNEY film rather than belonging to the STAR WARS universe as believable characters. If this is first of many future appearances for Divo, then I really hope they get better.
In an adventure so full of characters, what about the actual story itself, though? Well, pretty basic and hardly anything classic on the STAR WARS front, to be honest-all conveniently tied up with no sense of serious challenge to our heroes within its twenty two minute running time, with Padme discovering the truth in so quick a time as to probably make Agatha Christie and Jessica Fletcher green with envy!!.
Helping greatly to redeem the tale were the beautiful minutiae that continually adds depth to the STAR WARS universe- loved the nicely staged cinematography where the Republic cruiser departs Coruscant with Onocanda’s body, and the return of Palpatine’s blue honour guards.
And one final bit of praise for Ian Abercombie who really is marvelous as Palpatine- the other Ian- McDiarmid- would be proud of his animation voice counter-part.
AFICIONADO RATING: Though an improvement on SENATE SPY with regards to Padme, it may have been a mistake having two Senate related episodes in a row-to have broken it up with CAT & MOUSE, an Anakin space adventure, in the middle may have been a better idea, especially for the US as there has been quite a long break between episode transmissions recently.
Overall, SENATE MURDERS attempts to keep the political arena less heavy and more involving but is, in the end, only a mild success, though Catherine Taber shines throughout and always makes it worth the viewer’s investment of time. 3 out of 5
