THE CLONE WARS YEAR 3 EPISODE GUIDE

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

SEASON THREE: SECRETS REVEALED

EPISODE GUIDE

MAIN PRODUCTION CREDITS

Created by and Executive Producer: George Lucas

Produced by Cary Silver

Supervising Director (including additional dialogue and story material): Dave Filoni

Staff Writers: 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

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/Various voices

Dee Bradley Baker as the Clone Troopers/Saesee Tiin/Various voices

Tom Kane as Yoda / Admiral Yularen / Tactical Droid / Narrator

Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress/Sy Snootles/Gardulla the Hutt/Various voices

Corey Burton as Count Dooku/ Cad Bane/ Ziro the Hutt/ Various voices

Terrence "TC" Carson as Mace Windu

Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious

Matthew Wood as General Grievous/BattleDroids/Poggle the Lesser

Olivia D’Abo as Luminara Unduli

Brian George as Ki-Adi-Mundi

Tom Kenny as Nute Gunray

Phil Lamarr as Kit Fisto/ Bail Organa

Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura

James Mathis III as Captain Typho

Meredith Salenger as Barriss Offee

NOTABLE GUEST VOICE ARTISTS

Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn (Episode 15-16)

Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker (Episode 15)

Clancy Brown as Savage Opress (Episode 13 and 14)

Barbara Goodson as Mother Talzin (Episodes 12-14) Tasia Valenza as Shaak Ti (Episodes I and 2)

Brian George as King Katuunko (Episode 3 and 14)

Seth Green as Todo (Episode 8 and 9), Ion Papanoida (Episode 4)

Tom Kenny as Inspector Divo (Episode 4), Greedo (Episode 4)

Kevin Michael Richardson Richardson as Jabba the Hutt (Episode 4, 8, 9), Marlo the Hutt (Episode 9)

Katie Soucie as Mon Mothma (Episode 10)/ various voices

Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks (Episode 3)

Gideon Emery as Lotte Dodd (Episode 10)

Stephen Stanton as Mas Amedda (Episode 10)

Jennifer Hale as Senator Riyo Chuchi (Episode 4)

Robin Atkin Downes as Jedi Di (Episode 3), various voices

Jamie King as Aurra Sing (Episode 7)

Al Rodrigo as Quinlan Vos (Episode 9)

James Mathis III as Captain Typho (Episode 7)

Dave Filoni as Embo (Episode )

Daniel Logan as Clone trainees (Episode 2), Boba Fett

Anna Graves as Duchess Satine Kryze (Episode 5/6)

Phil LaMarr as Orn Free Taa (Epiosdes 10 and 11)

Jennifer Green as Senator Riyo Chuchi (Episode 4)

Julian Holloway as Prime Minister Almec (Episodes 5 and 6)

Al Rodrigo as Quinlan Vos (Episode 9)

Angelique Perrin as various voices

Stephen Stanton as Captain Tarkin (Episodes 18-20)

Blair Bess as Even Piell (Episodes 18-20)

Gwendoline Yeo as various voices

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca (Episode 22)

Note: the episode synopsis shown here come from STARWARS.COM

EPISODE ONE: CLONE CADETS

Writer: Cameron Litvack

Director: Dave Filoni

Made in Production Order: Season 3, Episode 1

First US transmission date (CARTOON NETWORK): 17/9/2010

First UK transmission date (SKY MOVIES PREMIERE): 23/10/2010

STORY: Five headstrong clone cadets struggle to complete their training on the ocean planet of Kamino. Unable to work together as a team, they must learn to embrace their future as soldiers before they are drummed out of the academy.

REVIEW: Teamwork and comradeship to survive and thrive seems to be the order of the day, and the main moral message for children and families watching the season three opener: CLONE CADETS. The presentation of the message is a bit heavy handed in some parts of its scripting , but some strong direction from Dave Filoni plus the re-use of the popular Clone characters from ROOKIES (here known as Domino Squad: Echo, Fives, Hevy, Droidbait and Cutup), in a prequel tale set before the events of that popular season one story, puts the episode a cut above the norm. There’s also the great visuals of Kamino stunningly realized and the welcome introduction to the series of Master Shaak Ti (nicely voiced by Tasia Valenza), in a nice nod to the DARK HORSE Clone Wars comics written between EPISODES II and III, acting as the overseer general to the clones intense training to become elite soldiers. Shaak has been brilliantly conceived for the animation format, with a Spanish voice from actress that works well for the role. Its intriguing to see that the Jedi, caught in the crossfire of the Clone Wars and seriously undermanned, having to resort to using Bounty Hunters themselves as part of their training process-which makes a logical sense-after all, the clones were born from a bounty hunter-Jango Fett-so to have several of them (including a fun appearance from a “brainiac” (also known as Brainee) creature and El-Les (T-head) (both seen as alien races from the first STAR WARS cantina scene)) involved in their further development should make them even more efficient in battle. There's clones aplenty in this tale, obviously, but special mention should be made to the character of 99, whom we assume was one of the unsuccessful early clone tests of the Kaminoans during the secret events born between EPISODEs I and II. Though he voices all the clones with great skill, Dee Bradley Baker’s work on bringing the clone who could never be a soldier to life was well handled (and I hope that Baker eventually gets some more money for voicing so many characters in one go!).

Watching this episode, fans will surely love the detail that builds on the Clone Trooper characters and the behind the scenes of their lives in and out of training on Kamino (great to see the EPISODE II designed, but previously unseen, barracks, sleeping chambers and indoor battle testing ground). And I think we’ll be seeing more of Commander Colt –who looks set to be even more badass than Captain Rex (if that’s possible!)

AFICIONADO RATING: Perhaps a little underwhelming as the episode opener, and the plot may not have been exactly original, either, but CLONE CADETS was nonetheless a solid, subtle beginning to Year Three-and, as I’m sure it was intended, acts as an intriguing scene setter prelude to the major events of companion installment, ARC TROOPERS. Oh, and I liked the nice if obvious in-joke to THX-1138, too! 3.5 out of 5

EPISODE TWO: ARC TROOPERS

Writer: Cameron Litvack

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

Made in Production Order: Season 3, Episode 1

First US transmission (CARTOON NETWORK): 17/9/2010

First UK transmission (SKY MOVIES PREMIERE): 23/10/2010

STORY: When the Republic learns of an impending Separatist attack on Kamino, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi hurry to the planet's defense. Asajj Ventress, General Grievous and an army of droids rise out of the oceans of Kamino, determined to destroy the planet's clone production facilities.

NOTE: in a cut scene, just before meeting with Grievous (and probably created as a set-up for her later line to it: "there's nothing you have that I could want."), Asajj Ventress spears a Clone trooper (bearing a skull-helmet pattern) then plants a kiss on him as he’s dying. Despite Dave Filoni’s attempts to have the quite adult in tone scene saved, CARTOON NETWORK removed it just prior to the Celebration V convention, though it looks likely to be included on the full episode for its eventual Season Three DVD and Blu-ray releases.

REVIEW: Now it’s all kicking off! Another Kamino related adventure-this time a semi-sequel to ROOKIES instead (with all the toing and froing in the series, I think its time to have that revised timeline printed, Mister Filoni!) and absolutely packed with action, all of which was deftly held, looked stunning. It must be getting harder and harder for Filoni and his teams to do these planetary invasions without repeating themselves, especially as the previous years LANDING AT POINT RAIN seemed to have set the action benchmark, but the much anticipated and dreamed about invasion of Kamino (which had a great story from the DARK HORSE years between EPISODEs II and III) greatly lived up to my personal expectations. The depth and detail were incredible, not just in the aforementioned action scenes but throughout the episode in general – facially, you can see more than ever before that Anakin and Obi-Wan have more detail and character nuance. Everything is just so much stronger, with fantastic battle vistas and tremendous use of colour and background detail adding further atmosphere.

Of the battles themselves, I still need to re-watch certain scenes, but I loved that terrific swordplay between Anakin and Ventress (and I loved his Vader-ish moment when he was prepared to let the clone troopers shoot her to death). Alas the Grievous/ Kenobi fight was all too brief (though we previously had the GRIEVOUS INTRIGUE duel, set after this adventure (!) which has not yet been topped by the fighting duo). And it certainly is a welcome back for General Grievous, and especially nice to see it working with Ventress, whose absence for all of last year was much noticed! I found her playful, almost sexual undercurrent dialogue scenes with Grievous very interesting (technically the first time they work together onscreen), whilst her general nastiness and all round sadism (shame about that cut dying clone kiss!) were back in evidence. And her attempts to retrieve the Jango Fett/Clone sample were excellent. It was intriguing to see the Kamino storage chamber, holding other genetic patterns- not just Jango’s but other peoples and races, too? Perhaps a story idea to be developed another time?

Trying to hold back the enemy advance, the returning clone’s Echo and Five’s would certainly earn their new stripes in combat (alongside Daniel Logan’s voices as the clone cadets, who spring a fun surprise on the Battle Droids!), though we sadly lose poor old 99 - his brave heart staying loyal and true to his fellow soldiers right to the end! Bless.

The return of the previously under-used EPISODE II Aiwha’s flying in and out of the sea, linked to a fun underwater James Bond-esque moment from Obi-Wan, was a delight, and once more the Jedi General manages to make another friend out of a beast of burden!

Then there were all the great new saga additions, like the enemy Aqua Troops, plus the re-use of the ship/weaponry Tridents which smash into Tipocca city (loved the classic submarine depth ping sound effects prior to their leap from the oceans!) leading to further incredible imagery-such as the clone vats being destroyed-which lived up to the epic STAR WARS quality we always love to see, and which ARC TROOPERS certainly delivered!

AFICIONADO RATING: The script and its well paced action were put together with style and lots of inventive flair, in this thrilling tale destined to be regarded as a classic of the series. 4.5 out 5

EPISODE THREE: SUPPLY LINES

Writer: Steven Melching, Eoghan Mahony

Director: Brian Kalin O’Connel

Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 24

First US transmission date: 24/9/2010

First UK transmission date: 30/10/2010

NOTE: This episode is set before the events of Season One’s AMBUSH and its year ending RYLOTH trilogy.

STORY: Ryloth is under siege. Trapped on the surface, Jedi Master Di rallies the local forces with the help of Cham Syndulla. Desperate to save them, Senator Bail Organa and Representative Jar Jar Binks are dispatched to the planet of Toydaria, where they must convince the King Katuunko to send aid.

REVIEW: Despite the humour of Jar Jar Binks (once more voiced by the excellent Ahmed Best-great to have you back!)- whether you want him in the show or not-SUPPLY LINES grim main action plot- focusing on the trapped Nikto Jedi Master Di and his men, trying to help the inhabitants of Ryloth against overwhelming Separatist attack-once again in a prequel to several Season One tales- proved far superior to the Gungan and Bail Organa’s mission to the Toydaria for supplies help, and provided a conclusion that was both a sad yet ultimately hopeful ending, with the character of Di certainly deserving a worthy place in the annals of the Jedi Order for his courage in battle (well voiced by Robin Atkin Downes (who also once more plays the returning Ryloth resistance leader, Cham Syndulla)) though he’s certainly a character with one of the most unfortunate names ever devised, deliberately so when the production team planned his final fate!). That the whole episode could have just concerned Di and his troopers was obvious, despite what was a visually interesting alternate strand linked to Organa and Jar Jar’s mission. Toydaria was finally nice to see in the improved animation, what with the return of King Katuunko (once more played by Brian George), and equally accompanied by all the nice shots of Organa’s Blockade Runner (looking great in its new, closely redesigned to EPISODE IV shape), but the diplomatic mission there ultimately slowed the plot and pace down at times and ultimately proved underwhelming, utilizing neither fine STAR WARS characters effectively enough (and by now, Bail deserves some really meaty stuff to play with). The appearance of the sly Neimoidian Lok Durd, under the control of Dooku, however, was well handled, and his arrival in the plot thankfully helped it along with some much needed subtle menace.

AFICIONADO RATING: Not an exceptional episode, but Jedi Master Di and his clone troopers, along with the overall main Ryloth invasion action, would provide SUPPLY LINES with its best, and most memorable, moments. 3 out of 5

EPISODE FOUR: SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

Writer: Katie Lucas, Steven Melching

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 25

First US Transmission: 1/10/2010

First UK Transmission: 6/11/2010

NOTE: The entire George Lucas family appear as Pantoran Papanoida family in this episode, which takes place before the events of Season Two’s SENATE MURDERS.

STORY: Pantora in peril! The newly elected Chairman of Pantora, Baron Papanoida, is caught in a deadly political game. The Trade Federation has blockaded Pantora and suspended all commerce with the system. Isolated from the rest of the Republic, the people of Pantora are beginning to rally against the Senate, who have seemed unsympathetic to their plight.

To make matters worse, Count Dooku has come forward offering aid if Pantora joins the Separatist alliance. Chairman Papanoida has dispatched Senator Chuchi to Coruscant with the hope that she can motivate the Senate to act in favor of Pantora before Lott Dod can legitimize the blockade....

REVIEW: It was an enjoyable moment at CELEBRATION V when THE MAIN EVENT conversation showed some great clips of George Lucas’s return to the STAR WARS universe as the blue skinned Pantoran leader Baron Papanoida - we always wanted to see George kick some intergalactic butt, and he did just that- and not just with one blaster but two! And in a nice western style bar brawl to boot!

From those samples, it looked like the future Season Three episode would be a fun, probably one-off tale that was just a nice excuse to celebrate STAR WARS and get to blow away baddies with the aforementioned big guns! In that sense, SPEHRE OF INFLUENCE certainly succeeded, with a light, but solid script from Katie Lucas (and Steven Melching) that was nicely directed and paced. There was nothing new about the basic kidnap plot but this scenario’s translation to the STAR WARS universe always works and everything zipped along nicely enough to its action conclusion, and making good use of many Classic and Prequel Trilogies locations/environments and characters (with nice little cameos from the Hutt family on Tatooine). One of the episodes best touches was the first animated appearance of Greedo- one of Lucas’s favourite characters anyway, as one of the Pantoran kidnapers- a nice move after his previous live-action excision from EPISODE I. As the stars of the main story, all of the Lucas/Pantoran family were equally well realized in the animation format, though Corey Burton’s voice for George as the Baron took a lot of getting used to – I didn’t quite imagine him with that voice after all these years seeing him interviewed and in person. And it was great to see Senator Riyo Chuchi, once more voiced by Jennifer Hale, getting more to do and seeing her character develop nicely- a young politician with some gusto and bravery. Lets see her again at some point. Alongside Ahsoka, Chuchi’s part of the mission to find the Baron’s kidnapped family played well, though if I was a Neimoidian I wouldn’t let anybody come on to the ship wearing a hood, especially not after the events of this episode of the or the prior beginning of EPISODE I!

Only one real negative in the episode: who on earth keeps bringing back Inspector Divo!? He’s hardly the cream of the Coruscant investigative police force, is he? A truly annoying character vocally and visually – he really shouldn’t be in the show at all!

AFICIONADO RATING: SPHERE OF INFLUENCE- an overindulgence by the Lucas family, perhaps? No, it was just a nice bit of fun. Not a classic by any means, but it proved to be a nice celebration of the Lucas families loving and enduring commitment to the STAR WARS saga and its fans. In that function, it certainly succeeded. 3.5 out of 5

EPISODE FIVE: CORRUPTION

Writer: Cameron Litvack

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode Four

First US transmission: October 8^th 2010

First UK transmission: November 13th 2010

STORY: Padmé, on a diplomatic mission to Mandalore, guarantees the pacifist planet the Republic's full protection, but she and Duchess Satine soon find something sinister lurking beneath the planet's serene facade. Moogan smugglers have been sneaking in supplies, including bottled tea destined for the Mandalorian schools. To increase their profits, they have been diluting the tea with a hazardous chemical.

REVIEW: Starting off more with a plot more akin to a “we’ve got to find out where the poison’s coming from” episode of QUINCY than anything like STAR WARS, CORRUPTION starts weakly on the story-front, but fortunately ends well with Padme practicing her impressive blaster skills to take on the baddies (amongst them an interesting looking race that presumably wandered off the set of THE MUMMY RETURNS, and wearing ancient headgear that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the heads of the Colonial Warrior pilots from 1978’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA! Perhaps a deliberate homage to that series by the designers, as well as to the po pular seventies history with UFO’s author Eric Von Daniken). Girl Power is truly the order of the day with this episode, and it’s nice to see the friendship continue to evolve between Padme and Satine, who work well together as characters and as voice actresses.

The animation, as ever, was beautiful (loved the opening arrival ceremony on Mandalore), but I can’t say this was one of the shows best. The Padme episodes in general need to be stronger plotted, and more involving. The character, and actress Catherine Taber, needs more to get their teeth into.

AFICIONADO RATING: 2.5 out of 5 (primarily for the nicely handled action finale rather than the actual story).

EPISODE SIX: ACADEMY

Writer: Katie Lucas, Steve Melching

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode Twenty Six

First US transmission: 15^th October 2010

First UK transmission: 20th November 2010

STORY: Much to her chagrin, Ahsoka Tano is assigned to teach a class at the cadet academy on Mandalore. Soon after she arrives, however, some of her students are drawn into a treacherous plot. “The Academy” finds its heroes not among the super-powered Jedi or even the ranks of the highly-trained clone everymen. Instead, the protagonists are intrepid youngsters on a principled quest – to uncover the corruption that is poisoning their homeworld.

REVIEW: Certainly the most younger audience influenced episode of the season so far, ACADEMY could be described in TV GUIDE as STAR WARS version of an Enid Blyton style FIVE GO OFF ON AN ADVENTURE-like mystery tale, but with some great finale kick-ass action from a much more independent and savvy Ahsoka Tano than ever before (and a more mature sounding Ashley Eckstein), acting on her own, and weapon-less, but soon proving a formidable foe when she takes on the Corrupt Mandalorian Prime Minister (again voiced by Brit Julian Holloway). As ever, the episode looked great, there were some nice sound design and the aforementioned action at the end was exciting and nicely staged. With a little bit of George Lucas’s personal/moralistic educational thoughts thrown into the mix - on how we should try to avoid being corrupted, think for ourselves and be better people working for our community- Ahsoka’s early teaching scenes felt a little forced at the start script wise, but the story improved as it went along. And, thankfully, the Mandalorian pupil/detectives were okay and not as irritating as they could have been.

Described by STAR WARS.COM as “delving ever deeper into the dysfunctional social mechanics of Mandalore”, I’m afraid to say that ACADEMYs story/plotline, continuing to expand and develop the prior Season Two concept of a world on the brink of revolution, didn’t really prove all that interesting to me. Like the previous Trilogy, it was okay episode, brightened by Ahsoka, but, as with my occasional critical bug-bear, ACADEMY was still not STAR WARS’y enough.

AFICIONADO RATING: Has academia gone too far this season? 3 out of 5

EPISODE SEVEN: ASSASSIN

Writer: Katie Lucas

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

Made in Production Order: Season Two, Episode 21

First US Transmission: 22/10/2010

First UK Transmission: 27/11/2010

NOTES: This episode is set after the events of Season Two’s LETHAL TRACKDOWN but before the events of Season One’s HOSTAGE CRISIS.

STORY: Tasked to protect Senator Padmé Amidala during a political mission to Alderaan, Padawan Ahsoka Tano is plagued by recurring visions of recently-deceased bounty hunter, Aurra Sing. Unable to clear her mind, Ahsoka worries that the stress of conflict is finally getting to her until her visions indeed prove prophetic. Padmé narrowly avoids death when Aurra Sing attempts to assassinate her. Together, Padmé and Ahsoka trap the hunter, and Ahsoka discovers the true villain behind the plot to kill Padmé: the incarcerated gangster, Ziro the Hutt.

REVIEW: Getting back on the right track after two weakish episodes, ASSASIN was a very enjoyable story, nicely plotted and written by Katie Lucas, nicely developing Ahsoka’s character after the events of THE ACADEMY (despite the fact that this tale is set before it and causes some mild continuity problems- shouldn’t she still be like she was at the start of Season One?!!), where we she her growing up a bit more, with some neat character touches between her and Padme, as well as keeping those popular flourishes/nostalgic references/moments from previous STAR WARS movies alive and well in the series, like the Dark Side influenced Force predictions and nightmares that these younger Jedi seem to have a lot these days. Talking about nostalgia, it was visually great to see a little bit more of the iconic world of Alderaan (accompanied by a nice intermixing of by composer Kilner of both his own themes for the TV series and John Williams beloved ones-loved hearing Princess Leia’s beautiful score again) and I eagerly await another story set on that world in the near future..

And then, by episodes end, it was Aurra vs Ahsoka-the re-match! Not caught out by Captain Typho and the Betty droid disguised as Padme (a nice nettle nod to the Prequel films), it was cool to see Jaime King’s strongly voiced villain back in skilled action (nice make-up reference to the Replicant Pris from BLADERUNNER, too!) and it was quite a cool scene when she injured Ahsoka with a blaster shot. Now that she’s been captured, just how is Sing going to get out of prison to come back and help Cad Bane free Ziro in Season One! Confused?! Almost, but STARWARS.COM, to their credit, did at least put up a guide to the timeline in their episode guide for this adventure.

AFICIONADO RATING: You can’t go wrong story-wise when you have a great baddie to fight. 4 out of 5

EPISODE EIGHT: EVIL PLANS

Writer: Steve Melching and Craig Van Sickle

Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell

First US transmission: 5/11/2010

First UK transmission: 4/12/2010

Made in Production Order: Season 3, Episode 3

NOTES: This story is set after the events of HOLOCRON HEIST and before the events of Season One’s HOSTAGE CRISIS and Season Two’s SENATE MURDERS.

A new version of Cad Bane’s droid assistant Todo appears in this episode. According to STAR WARS.COM: “(This episode) takes place some time after HOLOCRON HEIST which saw the destruction of Todo 360. Todo was rebuilt off-screen by Anakin Skywalker after the episode CHILDREN OF THE FORCE in an attempt by the Jedi to learn more about Bane and his whereabouts. The plan goes wrong and Todo escapes. The episode immediately after this one is HOSTAGE CRISIS”

STORY: In the middle of a routine shopping trip on Coruscant, C-3PO is abducted by the bounty hunter Cad Bane. Bane is looking for information about the Senate building on behalf of Jabba the Hutt. Finding C-3PO devoid of useful information, Bane and his accomplices kidnap R2-D2 and extract the vital data, before memory wiping the droids of the incident, and letting them on their way. The floor-plans and security details of the Senate building are part of a plot engineered by the Hutt families to free their imprisoned brother, Ziro the Hutt, who holds potentially damaging information about Hutt activities.

REVIEW: A fun little family friendly tale nicely balanced with signs and portents of serious things to come on the action adventure front with the Hutt clans (nice to see all the different beasties and their visual homages to Coppola’s THE GOFDFATHER characters!), Jedi and that hat wearing baddie Cad Bane, whilst also acting as a neat little continuance to the events of the Season One finale HOSTAGE CRISIS.

Protocol droid, poor negotiator and mindless of crucial information, See-Threepio may be a hinder to Cad Banes overall plans (though the Bounty Hunter gets what he wants in the end!), but it was nice to see STAR WARS favourite golden rod back in servant mode (with an intriguing little section linked to Padme Amidala’s life as a senator, and all the diplomatic duties and responsibilities that entail) and equally great to have Anthony Daniels back for a more substantial role, especially alongside Artoo (yayy!), for his mostly centre stage episode that successfully pulled on the nostalgia heartstrings that we have for the droids from the past, in the kind of story and style that wouldn’t have been out of place, if better animated now, in their previous DROIDS series from the eighties.

On the Dark Side of my thoughts, I still don’t like Todo, be it a new version or not, voiced by Seth Green, though on the rest of the droid front I thought the sequence set in the Droid spa was good fun-nice to see Artoo get a bit of relaxing quality time after numerous perilous adventures in Seasons One and Two. And I loved those pink Spa droids-very cute!

And so, as the light hearted tale ends, the scene setting for future episodes kick in- we see Cad Bane eventually getting the information he wants (and welcome back to that excellent cool hat attired Bounty Hunter-it’s been a long time since CHILDREN OF THE FORCE!)- the plot thickens, and just what secret and damaging info does Ziro te Hutt have on his fellow creatures?

AFICIONADO RATING: Probably not an episode I’ll watch again and again, but it was still a fun little tale that hit the right mark for the younger fans. 3 out of 5

EPISODE NINE: HUNT FOR ZIRO

Writer: Steve Mitchell & Craig Van Sickle

Director: Steward Lee

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode Five

FIRST US TRANSMISSION: 12/10/2010

FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: 11/12/2010

STORY: Cad Bane has broken Ziro the Hutt out of prison and the Hutt Council demands that Ziro tell them where he's hidden vital -- and incriminating -- information: a journal detailing the criminal activities of the five Hutt families. Ziro makes another daring escape with the help of his estranged (and strange) lover, Sy Snootles. Bane is back on the Hutt's trail -- but he's not the only one. The Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos need to find him too.

A chase through the swamps of Nal Hutta leads the pursuers to Ziro's enormous mother, Mama the Hutt, who points them to the direction of Teth. It is here, in the secret grave of Ziro's father, that the fugitive Hutt has hidden the diary. When he retrieves it, Snooty reveals her true spots. She's a deadly woman scorned and a bounty hunter for hire. She kills Ziro, and returns the journal to her client: Jabba the Hutt.

REVIEW: Hell hath no fury like a Snootles scorned, as Ziro the Hutt finds out with his life by the end of this episode. Snootles, in her femme fatale love affair, worked brilliantly in the animated medium (loved the TEMPLEOF DOOMinspired musical number) and was well voiced by Asajj Ventress actress Nika Futterman. Their clever machinations foiled, the Hutt clans re-appearance proved to be as disgusting as ever, which was great, but I didn’t like to see the realization of Ziro’s mother-that was just a little too gross out for me, though thumbs up the designers for the planetary vistas of Nal Hutta and its murky swamp scenes, and then a fast paced and exciting return to the hostile mountain/jungle wilderness of Teth, previously seen in the first CLONE WARS movie.

In an episode chock full of great moments, Quinlan Vos first appearance in the series also got the character off to a fine start in the new medium, and his much anticipated arrival didn’t let his fans down. Right from the start he proved to be a much different, perhaps more viewer accessible, Jedi than we’re used to, with the kind of rogue elements that wouldn’t have looked out of place with Han Solo rather than a Jedi. From that aforementioned fun introduction (leaping out of a Republic craft before it touches down) to his instinct led confrontation with the Hutt’s, we see he’s not quite the patient negotiator that Obi-Wan is, and works as a fine chalk and cheese variation to “The Negotiator.” I look forward to seeing Vos again in the not too distant future.

And as the story reached its totally satisfying, fast paced conclusion, how can I not mention the tremendous mountain leaping chase/fight by the Jedi duo against Bane (with his annoying droid chum Todo). It was great to see the Bounty Hunter finally in fighting mode – the kind of action scene I always wanted to see Boba Fett partake in within the Classic Trilogy. He may not have the Jedi’s superior powers, but Bane more than holds his own (fighting Kenobi with a lightsaber and then electrifying him!), proving once again what a tricky and slippery adversary he is, full of cunning and guile and with lots of nefarious tricks located in all areas about his person.

AFICIONADO RATING: Another classic episode. 4.5 out of 5

EPISODE TEN: HEROES ON BOTH SIDES

Writer: Daniel Arkin

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode Six

FIRST US TRANSMISSION: November 19th 2010

FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: December 18th 2010

NOTE: this episode is set before the events of Season Two’s SENATE MURDERS, turning this and THE PURSUIT OF PEACE into a trilogy. This episode was originally titled “THE BANKING CONSPIRACY". In the UK, SKY takes a Christmas break with this episode and resumes the series run in January 2011.

STORY: When the Senate begins debating a bill that would eliminate government oversight of the Banking Clan's activities in order to fund the war, Padmé and Ahsoka travel in secret to the capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Amidala attempts to forge a peace agreement with the Separatists, while Ahsoka sees, for the first time, the people of the Confederacy. Padmé's friend, Mina Bonteri, spearheads the peace initiative, and convinces the Separatist Congress to sue for peace.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Senators Lott Dod and Gume Saam conspire with Banking Clan representative Nix Card and Count Dooku to make the banking deregulation a reality. At Dooku's command, General Grievous engineers an attack at the central power distribution grid on Coruscant, carried out by Separatist demolition droids. The chaos and panic spreads to the Senate, which vehemently rejects the Separatist peace initiative, and votes instead to deregulate the Banking Clan.

REVIEW: Darth Sidious perfect manipulation and control of the Separatists and the Republic, through the ambitious, power hungry Count Dooku for the former and the always good intentioned Padme Amidala on the latter is never more exemplary highlighted than in this intriguing and quite adult episode, with more than a passing nod to the not always in our best interests political machinations of today’s world leaders (remember how Palpatine had more than a passing nod to President Nixon (later President George Bush) when Lucas was working on the original STAR WARS way back in 1983 and 2005), where such machinations from our leaders, plus the widespread greed and corruption inherent within the entire story structure of the Prequel movie saga, are finally shown to be a strength for drama and story incident when done right rather than previously being seen as tedium, and all capped off with a great sequence showing the bombing of the once indestructible Coruscant’s key life-sustaining installations by some very cool looking stealth Transformer-like droids in an exciting doom-laden no hope finale which sends any chance of peace between the two galaxy fighting fractions coming to a shattering close.

The “There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere” bent of the distinctive EPISODE III opening title crawl finally gets some explanation in this episode, as the animated series starts to evolve towards that particular movie with this very intelligently written and well handled script from Daniel Arkin. Intriguingly, even with the barest minimum of violence at the stories ending, this was quite a dark and disturbing episode for what is basically a family audience series, showing how people can be manipulated for evil means, and I applaud these continuing moves, presumably by Lucas and company as an educational tool in how not to lose ones individuality and to fight against the system if it becomes corrupted, as the animated series moves ever nearer the grim hopelessness of ORDER 66 and the ultimate birth of the Galactic Empire.

Embedded into the changing series, some of our main characters also got a visual tune-up: I personally liked the new visual look for Anakin and the maturing Ahsoka, and look forward to seeing the new Obi-Wan and Padme at some point, too. And let’s also not forget the cool new wardrobe for Palpatine, even wearing a deleted scene EPISODE III outfit, too!

AFICIONADO RATING: An impressive episode that hopefully looks set to see in a stark and more serious shift in the shows evolution in 2011. 4.5 out of 5

EPISODE ELEVEN: PURSUIT OF PEACE

Writer: Daniel Arkin

Director: Duwayne Dunham

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode 7

FIRST US TRANSMISSION: December 3^rd 2010

FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: January 8^th 2011

STORY: Padmé, Bail Organa and Onaconda Farr attempt to rally Senators in opposition to a bill that would appropriate funds for millions of new clone troops and have disastrous financial consequences for the Republic. Their opposition to the measure, however, soon makes them targets for intimidation and attacks by hired guns. After escaping two hired thugs -- Chata Hyoki and Robonino -- in a harrowing speeder bike chase, Padmé, is able to sway the Senate with a stirring account of how the war has affected an everyday civilian, her handmaiden Teckla Minnau.

NOTE: After a three week break, the series resumes on the UK’s SKY MOVIES PREMIERE and HD with this episode, which is the second part of a trilogy, with the earlier Season Two’s SENATE MURDERS being the wrap-up.

REVIEW: A fine continuance from the previous episodes political drama, as Coruscant remains in darkness and the Senate takes its critical voting on the ordering of additional Clone soldiers even if means destabilizing the infrastructure of the Republic and totally bankrupting it. Catherine Taber has some fine dialogue and scenes to work with as Padme, with a notably impressive and impassioned speech in the episodes finale which is nicely written and realized by writer Daniel Arkin. It’s also nice to have a handmaiden (Teckla Minnau) finally make it into in the series, and in an important sequence that generally makes up for their overall absence from EPISODE III, as her background and family life proves integral to her Mistresses final speech. And outside of the political debate, there’s still time for action, too! We already know the Naboo Senator is a woman of many fine talents, and now we can add speeder bike flying to her resume. Like Mother like Daughter, eh?

Padme’s political heavyweight colleague, Ian Abercombie as Palpatine, also builds on his work on the earlier episode and provides the final delicious, and duplicitous, icing on the gloomy dramatic cake in this very rewarding tale that once more touches on today’s current events: the dangers of the banks and their un-regulated, un-checked ways over the last two years, and the toll that war brings to our real life world’s countries whom send out their brave men and women to fight for peace. These two strands prove their worth as allegorical focus points in the animated series on which to build strong stories. It’s also backed up with some very nice direction and angles, too, from ex-editor, TWIN PEAKSdirector and friend to Lucas, Duwayne Dunham. Let’s hope he gets to do more episodes. And, continuing the more adult take the series is heading down - and notice how 2011 has the show return in a new later time-slot (which possibly reflect this)- its not often you see knife (albeit thickened to make it less threatening) wielding aliens in STAR WARS, a stand out in the more fantastical world of lightsabers and blasters. Perhaps a one off visual decision, such modern life weapons prove very noticeable in a family animated series.

So, as an effective bridge leading into SENATE MURDERS, and an excellent conclusion to HEROES ON BOTH SIDES, too, PURSUIT OF PEACE ends the seasons first half on a very high quality note.

AFICIONADO RATING: 3.5 out 5

EPISODE TWELVE: NIGHTSISTERS

Writer: Katie Lucas

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Made in Production Order: Season 3, Episode 8

FIRST US TRANSMISSION: January 7^th 2011

FIRST UK TRANSMISSION: January 15^th 2011

STORY: Troubled by Asajj Ventress' growing prowess with the dark side of the Force, Darth Sidious commands Count Dooku to eliminate her. But Ventress survives Dooku's assassination attempt, and the jilted former apprentice vows to take revenge, enlisting the aid of her kinswomen -- the mystical Nightsisters -- in her sinister scheme.

Mother Talzin, leader of the Nightsisters, veils Asajj and her fellow assassins in a cloak of invisibility, and they infiltrate Dooku's palace on Serenno. Though they fail to kill the Count, their use of captured Jedi lightsabers leads Dooku to mistakenly believe that the Jedi have tried to kill him. Interested in protection, he requests a new apprentice from Mother Talzin.

REVIEW: Matters of Life and Death. Starting at a breakneck speed and never stopping until its closing moments, NIGHTSISTERS sees this third season of the CLONE WARS finally hitting its stride. Confident, bold and exciting in all areas of its storytelling, the action and excitement never flag, virtually exposition free, and leading into the start of a new cycle of dark intrigue for the show as it continues to surge at a good pace into the events of EPISODE III. There’s some incredible cinematography in this episode which the improved animation shows off brilliantly. The opening space battle (great to see Vemtress’s CLONE WARS micro series ship back in the series) and the lightsaber duel between her, Anakin, and Obi were quite simply awesome and the growing powers of the Sith apprentice, despite her crashland injuries, certainly do show: how about that amazing moment where she Force strangles both her Jedi attackers and the incredibly dexterous moves she shows against them in the destructing vessels landing bay. Once again, I’m sure there were moves in that fight that Prequel Stunt co-ordinator Nick Gillard would have been very impressed with. Following on from that, and Dooku’s wish, under orders from a very angry Darth Sidious, to have he dead, the plotline linked to the Nightsisters of Dathomir worked very well-first introduced way back in the COURTSHIP OF PRONCESS LEIA novel a long time ago, though their appearance may once more have the EU purists worked up a bit, especially in the intriguing dreamscape origin story of their daughter Ventress as she’s being healed from her injuries.

After the mysticism we return to the action, and the episodes great finale rounding it out, partially shown in prior clips at CELEBRATION V, with an equally strong as the opener lightsaber duel, where Ventress and the cream of her assassin sisters travel to Dooku’s estate/lair on Serenno (again, nice to finally to see this much mentioned world of the books) to take him out. Again, brilliantly handled-and great to see the Count finally in some more blade action- and fighting in his pyjamas, too! – we hadn’t really seen much of his flashy but vicious technique since the pilot movie. Despite the action, though, the basic story seems slightly flawed to me: surely Dooku must suspect that the Assassins were not Jedi-as an ex member of that noble order himself, he would know that the Jedi, no matter how desperate, would not resort to assassination techniques. That would make them no better than the Sith. Looking at it in that respect, this part of the plot, initiated so as to get Dooku to secure his new apprentice, slightly rankles, but I’m more than willing to let it go for the sake of a strong overall tale which NIGHTSISTERS clearly showed.

AFICIONADO RATING: The best standout episode since THE HUNT FOR ZIRO, and before that ARC TROOPERS. The shows production team are clearly having a creative ball here bringing episodes of this caliber to life (they even chucked in a fun little reference to their once enemy TV series, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, with the Tactical Droids “By your command!” line! Does this mean that, with time, George Lucas has softened in his attitudes towards his 1978 competitor?), alongside a fine script (the first of a trilogy) from Katie Lucas. And, with all this excitement, we haven’t even seen Savage Opress yet… 5 out of 5

EPISODE THIRTEEN: MONSTER

Writer: Katie Lucas

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

First US transmission: January 14^th 2011

First UK transmission: January 22^nd 2011

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode 10

STORY: When Count Dooku calls upon the Nightsisters seeking a replacement for Ventress, she and her kin seize the opportunity to exact revenge. Ventress visits the far side of Dathomir and the males of the planet seeking the most brutal and powerful warrior among them. Talzin has Asajj secretly select a warrior from the distant Nightbrother village: Savage Opress. With the power of dark magic, Talzin transforms Savage into a hulking warrior ultimately loyal to Asajj. She then delivers Opress to Dooku, where he will serve as his secret Sith apprentice in a plot to overthrow Darth Sidious.

REVIEW: And so, the series most eagerly awaited episode run continues with the introduction of the new Sith Apprentice, the fierce horned headed, body tattooed assassin Savage Opress. With a long career in animated series voice over work, especially memorable in the WARNER BROTHERS BATMAN series of the mid to late nineties, Clancy Brown proves a fine choice to play the intelligent alien selectee turned brutish monster, and its interesting how the character starts off as a strong, intelligent and protective type to his weaker, more demanding, egotistical brother Feral-who should have been the ideal choice if he hadn’t proved so weak-then ultimately killing him when Savage soon proves the more adept choice, transformed into a servile and powerful new force for evil via witchcraft and mental manipulation, and quickly cementing his reputation as a dedicated servant of death and destruction, the plaything of the Nightsisters and Ventress’s assassination plot, and launching him as a firm new favourite character in THE CLONE WARS series universe.

Interestingly, with the Force explained as an energy field created by all livjng things through the focusing point of the symbiotic Midi-chlorians (as established in the Prequels), where do the intriguing powers of the Nightsisters factor into all this? They are clearly able to create matter from energy, but how is their power defined, and is it from a source other than the Force? This new aspect of the STAR WARS saga-utilizing the kind of magic that would make Merlin proud- makes Lucas’s universe perhaps even more fairy tale like and fascinating. Which is a good thing in my book.

And then there’s Ventress. Her hatred of all men, even in alien form, knows no bounds, and she’s more malicious and blood thirsty than ever as her revenge plot against the nefarious Count enters its first calculating phase. Building nicely on the events of her prior episode, there’s a great opportunity for Katie Lucas to have fun writing dangerous scenes and dialogue with the character and really unleash her as the ultimate bitch of the STAR WARS saga (at least so far!). The cinematography, direction and pace accompanying her story and her chosen one, as usual in this season second half, were excellent.

And Savage’s introduction proper with the killing of the two Jedi (backed up with its great doom-laden choir music from Kevin Kiner) delivers an effective closure to the episode and promises both complex machinations and further brutal action to come…

AFICIONADO RATING: A slice and dicing 4.5 out of 5.

EPISODE FOURTEEN: WITCHES OF THE MIST

Writer: Katie Lucas

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode Twelve

First US transmission: January 21^st 2011

First UK transmission: January 29^th 2011

STORY: Anakin and Obi-Wan, sent to track down the mysterious figure behind the deaths of several Jedi, soon find themselves on the trail of the monstrous apprentice that Ventress has created: Savage Opress, who has been trained in the ways of the Sith by Dooku.

Dooku sends Opress to Toydaria to capture King Katuunko. The monstrous apprentice clashes with the Jedi, and in the course of the battle he kills the king. Opress returns to Dooku's flagship having failed his Master. It is then that Ventress strikes, with Opress at her side, against Dooku. A three-way battle for dark side supremacy ends with Dooku triumphant, Ventress fleeing, and a disillusioned Savage abandoning his loyalties to the Sith. He returns to Mother Talzin, who gives him a new task. To seek the Outer Rim for his long-lost brother....

REVIEW: The tone of the episode gets off to a great start with Coruscant’s grey and rainy skies (and featuring a cool little cameo of the Delta Squad Clone Commandos from the popular video game-a great influence on Dave Flioni’s vision for the animated series) indicating a bad time all round coming up for the Jedi (though its great to see Anakin and Obi-Wan back in action as a duo- with some good moments when they’re on Dathomir. They’ve been away or apart from us for too long in the series), whilst Savage Opress, beaten severely by Count Dooku into his training to become a Sith Lord (a similar, but far more excruciating ordeal to the one undergone by Luke with Yoda in EMPIRE), sets off and ultimately fails on his first real mission (which showed an intriguing symmetry in that the series returns to Toydaria and its writers then bravely kill off King Katuunko. Putting up a good fight, I found the noble King’s death a shock, and also a bit of a shame, though I think we’ll have to expect and get used to more supporting character demises in the seasons to come as we reach the critical EPISODE III).

A pawn of Ventress and the Nightsisters, and happily used by Dooku prior to Toydaria as a Jedi killing machine, I actually did feel a little sad for the used and abused figure of Opress but certainly not when he rebelled against his masters and went into full fighting mode, a tremendous adversary for the Jedi and Sith to face (loved that scene when he Force-choked both Dooku and Ventress!). The differing duels alternating the second half were superbly done. And Savage’s powers continued to prove awesome, especially the way he managed to repel and hold off Anakin and Obi-Wan several times. The Ventress versus Dooku ending re-match duel was also super, full of relentless fast paced action, great camerawork and constant movement, making it quite exhilarating in places. One fact remains consistent in the series, though: whoever wins, Battle Droids suffer!

I’m glad that Opress wasn’t killed off in this story as there is lots of potential for the future before they ultimately have to do away with him before the events of EPISODE III. And now he’s on a quest given to him by Mother Talzin. A quest for a certain member of his race who was once a Sith Lord.

So, to Darth Maul. Is he really alive? Did the Nightsisters somehow retrieve his body and put it back together? The idea of him in animated form fighting alongside his brother Savage sounds intriguing, but is it really a good idea? His not being dead robs Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan and THE PHANTOM MENACE of its triumphant and exciting impact when Obi finally takes out and kills the Sith apprentice. Does this now mean any STAR WARS character previously dead and not a Jedi can come back and be resurrected? Was Darth Maul a clone of the real Maul, part of a Sith plan before the initiation of the creation of the Clone army? If TPM’s Maul does indeed turn out to be a clone, doesn’t this rob the character of his uniqueness? And doesn’t this also affect continuity for EPISODE III? I don’t mind the Expanded Universe being changed (as seen in this episode’s beginning with the exposition from the Jedi about Maul’s race being on Dathomir), but when the rules may contradict the already established and official movie universe, well, then I worry! Why doesn’t Anakin, who is aware of the Nightsisters and their strange powers, just go to them and force their help in finding a way to stop Padme from dying. I’m intrigued to see how this all develops (it may be a ruse for the Nightsisters just to get Savage away from them) but I hope that such a move by the shows creative team doesn’t backfire and shatter the live action STAR WARS universe too much…

AFICIONADO RATING: A stunning episode and a stunning finale by Katie Lucas to this excellent trilogy which I’m sure satisfied all its viewers. Kudos to the cast and crew of THE CLONE WARS on this one. Successfully making the most of triple baddies, the STAR WARS universe is getting even more choc a block full of villains, which is exactly what the production team wanted so as to avoid repetition. Now, how about one big almighty three parter in which every baddie (Dooku, Bane, Ventress, Opress, Grievous, etc) joins forces to take on the Jedi!

The series subtitle of SECRETS REVEALED is now starting to become worthwhile and the stories will no doubt continue their high quality consistency with the next three parter involving the Chosen One prophecy, plus future plots for Ahsoka and Captain Rex rounding out the season. No question about it, this episode deserves its Force lightning packed 5 out of 5 (and then some).

EPISODE FIFTEEN: OVERLORDS

Writer: Christian Taylor

Director: Steward Lee

Made in Production Order: Season Three, Episode Nine.

First US transmission: 28^th January 2011

First UK transmission: 5^th February 2011

STORY: A mysterious force draws Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to a distant planet, and its inhabitants -- a family of exceptionally powerful Force-wielders -- in an attempt to determine whether Anakin is truly the Chosen One. The patriarch of this family, known only as the Father, has spent ages maintaining the balance between his Daughter, who is strong with the light side of the Force, and his Son, who aligns with the dark. The Father reveals his days are numbered, and he seeks Anakin to take his place as the fulcrum of this balance. A series of tests proves that Anakin is capable of controlling both offspring, as the Father does, but Skywalker refuses to take the Father's place.

REVIEW: Mysteries and prophecies and signs and portents abound in this intriguing story uniquely blending STAR WARS Classic and Prequel elements linked to the path and passage of the prophecy of the Chosen One: Anakin Skywalker. Respected TV writer Christian Taylor, well known for his work on the HBO series SIX FEET UNDER, brings some interesting new perspectives and intriguing story possibilities (the idea of a planetoid that’s a Force conduit was especially noteworthy).to the STAR WARS universe, and weaves a memorable tale that’s absolutely perfect for the animated rather than live action medium.

Amongst all the talk of the Force, prophecies and unusual powers, it was great to have some of the STAR WARS Prequel actors returning to voice their popular roles, adding further respectability and official-ness to the animated series. Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker was a much welcome treat in a very nice scene with Anakin, as was the brief appearance of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. Our main cast Jedi trio get some fine moments as they encounter their Force spirits, from the past or the future. It was intriguing to see the future Ahsoka, whatever her ultimate fate may be, whilst James Arnold Taylor is now making Obi’s voice a little older sounding to match Sir Alec Guinness as well as Ewan McGregor, and the results are commendable.

THE FORCE UNLEASHED guest voice cast of Sam Witwer and Adrienne Wilkinson, respectively as the Dark and Light sides of the Force, alongside their balancing ruler, Father, played by Lloyd Sher, proved interesting new characters, too, whilst their alien homeworld Mortis, with its shades of AVATAR environments in the sky proved another fine addition to the ranks of intriguing STAR WARS planets and locations.

And so, as Anakin turns his back on the balance of the Force in this intriguing new twist on the prophecy, what further important and cataclysmic events leading up to the revenge of the Sith can we expect next?

AFICIONADO RATING: Contrasting nicely with the prior action-packed Opress Trilogy, this looks like the start of a more mature, truly unique animation experience for the STAR WARS universe, with the caliber of the concept providing STAR WARS with a different kind of fantasy-like environment, showing the Jedi against clashing God-like users of the Force, giving Lucas’s saga and characters an intriguing new spin, and making it a sure stand out for fans young and old. 4.5 out of 5.

EPISODE SIXTEEN: ALTAR OF MORTIS

Writer: Christian Taylor

Director: Brian Kalin O’Connell

MADE IN PRODUCTION ORDER: Season Three, Episode Eleven

First US transmission: 4^th February 2011

First UK transmission: 12^th February 2011

STORY: Before the Jedi can leave Mortis, the Son takes Ahsoka captive in an attempt to entice Anakin into joining him to use their combined strength to overpower his Father and Sister. To this end, the Son casts Ahsoka under the spell of the dark side.

Meanwhile, the Father attempts to stave off a disastrous showdown between his children and maintain the Force's increasingly precarious balance on the planet. Fearing that the Son may be unstoppable, the Daughter does the forbidden by taking Obi-Wan Kenobi to the Altar of Mortis, wherein is kept the Dagger of Mortis, a weapon capable of killing a Force-wielder. The Son steals the weapon, and attempts to use it against his Father to steal his power and end his rule, but the Daughter sacrifices herself, placing herself in front of the blade.

REVIEW:THE CLONE WARS delving into the side of fantasy continues. It’s very much a case of (Force) Gods and Monsters, Angels and Demons, or a clash of the titans, with a little bit of King Arthur and the Excalibur legend thrown in, as the balance of the Force on Mortis is decided, and where destiny will ultimately influence the state of the universe outside of it, in this intriguing, continued foray into the purest form of the battle between good and evil yet, in a way that I think Joseph Campbell would have approved. There’s not a lot of originality on display in this episode, and some locations looked a little too like the universe conceived by Peter Jackson’s movie versions of Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS, but it plays effectively nonetheless and Christian Taylor’s script makes fine use of its key players, as well as showing his obvious love of fantasy in general and understanding how to write for both it and STAR WARS as a whole. As darkness takes over Mortis, The Son proves itself a stand out enemy for the animated series, well voiced by Sam Witwer as the characters continued unique skills within the Dark Side grow stronger. I liked the actors incorporation/ impression of IanMcDiarmid as Palpatine, his dialogue laced with the sardonic and poisonous evil that could only belong to the Sith. And where would evil be without its disciples, as Ahsoka Tano soon proves when she’s possessed into fighting her Master. From the way her transformation was shown in trailers and publicity, what we ultimately got was less than anticipated but who didn’t, deep down, think it wouldn’t all just be a big tease for something hopefully more dramatic and powerful story-wise further down the line. Her two lightsabers duel against Anakin, and later Anakin and Obi-Wan, was good if a little brief, and I bet Ashley Eckstein enjoyed the challenge of going bad, even making Ahsoka’s voice sound at times satisfying like the kind you’d associate with an elderly and embittered witch from SNOW WHITE or a Hans Christian Anderson tale!

AFICIONADO RATING: ALTAR OF MORTIS wasn’t quite as mysterious and intriguing as the previous episode, ultimately a more straight forward fantasy foray in which the popular STAR WARS elements, outside of their normal established universe, just about worked within it. I get the feeling that OVERLORDS may have been a singular tale but was expanded into three parts. As a second part, ALTAR did its job well enough, though, and ultimately deserves its 4 out of 5

EPISODE EIGHTEEN: THE CITADEL

Writer: Matt Michnovetz

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

MADE IN PRODUCTION ORDER: Season Three, Episode Fourteen

First US transmission: 18/2/2011

First UK transmission: 26/2/2011

STORY: With help from R2-D2 and a squad of captured battle droids, an elite team of Jedi and clone troopers led by Obi-Wan and Anakin attempt to free a captive Jedi general, Even Piell, from an impenetrable prison. Despite orders to the contrary, Ahsoka Tano tags along, though she proves indispensable when the infiltration mission begins to evolve. Piell and his fleet officer, Captain Tarkin, as liberated from their cells, but now the fugitives must escape the Citadel itself.

EPISODE NINETEEN: COUNTERATTACK

Writer: Matt Michnovetz

Director: Kyle Dunlevy

MADE IN PRODUCTION ORDER: Season Three, Episode Fifteen

First US Transmission: 4^th March 2010

First UK Transmission: 5^th March 2010

STORY: With freed prisoners in their possession and the brutal warden attempting desperately to thwart them, Obi-Wan and Anakin search for a way out of the Citadel and back to Coruscant. The prison, however, has more traps, perils and pitfalls in store for them than they had imagined and they must work past their differences if they are to escape. Their bid to board their shuttle fails when heavy weapons fire destroys the escape craft. Trooper Echo dies in the blast. The escapees then flee to the caves and call for rescue from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

EPISODE TWENTY: CITADEL RESCUE

Writer: Matt Michnovetz

Director: Steward Lee

MADE IN PRODUCTION ORDER: Season Three, Episode Seventeen

First US transmission: March 11^th 2011

First UK transmission: March 12^th 2011

STORY: After their ship and only way off the planet is destroyed, Anakin and Obi-Wan must lead the escaped prisoners across Lola Sayu's perilous landscape as Plo Koon commands a task force of four cruisers and their fighters through the Separatist defences in a daring rescue. Even Piell is ravaged by anooba tracking beasts, but before he dies, he passes on his Nexus Routes coordinates to Ahsoka. When the survivors return to Coruscant, Ahsoka knows half the intel, and refuses to disclose it to anyone but the Jedi Council, while Tarkin refuses to hand over his half to anyone other than the Chancellor.

OVERALL TRILOGY REVIEW: With a story that’s obviously an in places homage to great sixties adventure films like WHERE EAGLES DARE and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, and with a cunning Christopher Walken sounding quirky alien, Osi Sobek, nicely voiced by James Arnold Taylor, thrown in for good measure, who couldn’t resist the pure pleasure of watching THE CITADEL Trilogy?

It was back to the familiar, and much loved STAR WARS heroics we know and love, and then some!, in this fast paced tale that gave us the kind of pure and unadulterated action and adventure we want and thrill to from our favourite Jedi heroes, mixed with a hint of Classic Trilogy swashbuckling elements guaranteed to make us want to shake the air with pride. The secret rescue attempt/storming of an impregnable Citadel, specifically designed in the old times to house Jedi that had gone bad, was a wonderful celebration of the Classic Trilogy’s daring plans initiated by the Rebels, and most notable with the opening parts lovely nod to EMPIRE detailing just how Anakin/later Vader became familiar with the idea of carbon freezing - a concept in this episode that proved to not just be a successful get-the-fans-enthused gimmick but proved to be an important part of the story as well (it was so good they’d also used the concept in an earlier tale by Henry Gilroy for one of his CLONE WARS comics).

Adding to the classic celebrations was the inclusion of the ambitious and very creepy Captain Tarkin, and what will be his unique relationship to Anakin Skywalker, later Darth Vader. The Grand Moff-to-be was certainly well written and catered for in the story, quickly cementing a strong relationship with Anakin and an antagonistic one with the determined Ahsoka by the story’s conclusion, whilst his animated visage was equally spot on with Peter Cushing, but Steven Stanton’s voice didn’t quite capture the actors previous steely underlying menace as I’d hoped he would (and the producers also disappointingly cut Tarkin’s killing of Sobek, ultimately giving that responsibility to Ahsoka (who’s also starting to pick up some bad habits from her Master in this adventure), which I think would have been very interesting to have seen in the characters evolutionary build up prior to his eventual rise within the First Galactic Empire), though I’m sure I’ll get used to him eventually, and Tarkin’s bound to be back in the series at a later point (perhaps taking over from Yularen as Anakin's right hand man Republic commander-now that would be an intriguing move!). Then, in counter-balance to the Classic Trilogy, Prequel fans would also get a nice surprise with another old favourite finally becoming an animated reality: the diminutive, and Italian sounding, Even Piell (voiced by Blair Bess), quick to action and a Force to be reckoned with in combat.

Just having these two memorable characters (and a brief appearance from the Ugnaughts) would be enough for a normal episode or two, but THE CITADEL TRILOGY upped the ante with the sheer amount of heroes and villains making their mark in the action, especially with the sheer amount of droids working on both sides, what with a little opening cameo from Threepio, Artoo and his little trio of Battle Droids (brave and loyal to the end), plus lots of ever deadly Droidekas and Crab Droids, and a welcome return for those more virile and dexterous combat/commando droids. Plus there were several superb STAP battles involving Anakin, Obi-Wan and Even Piell that were even more ambitious and exciting than anything seen in the first CLONE WARS animated movie from 2008.On the more animalistic side of the conflict, there were other lethal creature challenges for our heroes to subdue, too, including the savage, well realized Anooba tracking beasts dispatched by Sobek which unceasingly chased our band of hunted heroes through the volcanic landscapes-yep, more volcanoes for Anakin!- in the final episode.

With so much going on within the adventure, it must have been an immense job for the behind the scenes production team to work on but they did a great job. The first part, in particular, proved so fast paced that the 22 minutes flew by, and I couldn’t believe it was over so quickly. Part two slightly suffered from some padding, but the finale ramped the action and excitement back up a further notch, proved to be stirring stuff, and easily became one of the most memorable installments created and achieved for the series so far (but there wasn’t enough of that finale space battle-I wanted more of Saesee Tiin and his Jedi Starfighter squad!). Overall the entire three parter was very well plotted and thought through by writer Matt Michnovetz (more stories from him, please!), packed with heroic heroes, a memorable new baddie who made a mark, and, after what seemed like a very long time away from our screens, some terrific involvement for Captain Rex and the Clone Troopers, once again doing what they do best –kick Separatist heads! Also, in a mission this big, and adding depth to the story, it would have been a disappointment if there hadn’t been casualties on such a risky assignment, and this three parter more than showed and explored the consequences of the conflict/escape, with the sad deaths of trooper Echo in part two and Jedi Master Piell (whose demise clashes with Expanded Universe lore) in the final episode, bravely fighting one of those nasty Anooba beasts. As well as the overall sadness at these characters loss, it was also brave to see Dave Filoni and the gang continuing to keep the darker, more adult tone of previous Year Three second half episodes here, an example being the part one moment where the Torture Droid, before being taken out by our rescuers, was going to pierce the captured Piell’s one remaining eye! Ouch. Now that’s evil!

AFICIONADO OVERALL RATING: It may have maintained its overall story quality better had it been a two rather than three parter, but that didn’t stop THE CITADEL saga from pretty much delivering the goods the majority of the time with regards to action and fast paced excitement. One of the series absolute best, and a fine homage/acknowledgement to the Classic Trilogy. 4.5 out of 5

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE: PADAWAN LOST

Writer: Bonnie Mark

Director: Dave Filoni

MADE IN PRODUCTION ORDER: Season Three, Episode Sixteen

First UK transmission: March 19th 2011

First US transmission: April 1^st 2011

STORY: Ahsoka and a group of abducted younglings find themselves trapped on a Trandoshan moon, prey in an elaborate and cruel hunt. The forlorn younglings have lost all hope, despite the best efforts of their spirited leader, Kalifa. Ahsoka rallies them to defend themselves and strike back against the Trandoshan, an effort with deadly consequences.

EPISODE TWENTY-TWO: WOOKIEE HUNT

Writer: Bonnie Mark

Director: Dave Filoni

MADE IN PRODUCTION ORDER: Season Three, Episode Eighteen

First UK Transmission: March 26^th 2011

First US Transmission: April 1^st 2011

STORY: As Ahsoka and her youngling allies struggle to evade the Trandoshan hunters, their efforts receive an unexpected boost when a new captive -- Chewbacca the Wookiee -- arrives. Chewie scrounges parts from a wrecked Trandoshan slave ship, assembling a communicator to send out a distress signal. Help arrives in the towering, shaggy form of Wookiee warriors led by General Tarfful. Freed from captivity, Ahsoka returns to the Jedi Temple and is reunited with Anakin Skywalker.

OVERALL DUOLOGY REVIEW: The hunt is on! If you’re a loyal fan of Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano you’ll no doubt have been very pleased with the way her involvement in the saga has progressed this season, and she’s certainly had a good innings this year with regards to stories and characterization, in some ways better than some of our main heroes like Obi-Wan Kenobi. With further fine voice work by Ashley Eckstein, Ahsoka has matured greatly and she will no doubt, even with a few of Anakin’s failings and shady interpretations of the Jedi code now built in to her character, become a great Jedi Knight (perhaps she’ll be receiving that honour in a ceremony next year?). PADAWAN LOST adds even more dimension to the occasionally feisty but pure hearted Togrutan, as, separated from her Master and captured by the reptilian Trandoshans in a sneak attack on Felucia (quickly becoming the most seen planet of the animated series), she is forcibly placed on a hostile jungle wilderness planet, Wasskah, and quickly has to take the initiative and become a pro-active and fearless leader to inspire the other captured and pursued Jedi younglings, prior led by the ultimately doomed Kalifa (a very nice vocal performance from Gwendoline Yeo), killed in another rather shocking but memorable moment for a family series, who had almost given up hope of survival before Ahsoka’s arrival.

The idea of seeing the Jedi younglings in a dangerous new situation outside the comfort zone of the Jedi Temple was an inspired move by writer Bonnie Mark, accompanied by lightning fast, supremely executed direction from Series Supervisor Dave Filoni, in a story that also made the most of its evocative overall theme of the classic sci-fi hunter/prey scenario, full of great sci-fi references to other classic films and TV series, covering everything from PLANET OF THE APES to JURASSIC PARK, with lots of great, and very noticeable nods to the PREDATOR series. The use of the Trandoshans in the series, with all their different looks and skills (acting like giant talking Veloceraptors) was another inspired move and one sure to get the adrenaline pounding in all of the die-hard STAR WARS fans aware of their Expanded Universe histories as big game hunters and cruel enslaver/captors. It was also fun to get a look at their used and grungy technology, slaver ships and giant air base (which I felt had similarities to the superb Cloud Base from the classic Gerry Anderson 1960’s puppet series CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS), whose interior is filled with intriguing character design that added much to our unique interpretations and awareness of the species, right down to the Wampa head throne of its leader and trophies including Gungan heads, Wookiees and even a Crystal Skull from INDIANA JONES IV!

The Jedi may have been trapped and facing overwhelming instinct led, highly aggressive enemy combatants by the end of PADAWAN LOST, but the odds on the killing playground will soon be evened up nicely by the opening minutes of WOOKIEE HUNT, as, emerging from the remains of the crashed slave drop ship, that lovable and iconic 200 year old Millennium Falcon co-pilot-to-be, the mighty Chewbacca, steps out from the night time shadows and debris, and gives us that unique and iconic magical howl/grunting sound that confidently tells us that viewers, and especially fans of the Classic Trilogy, will be in for a magical treat for the rest of the episode!

With such high expectations with the announcement of his return to the series, and after only a small appearance in EPISODE III in 2005, Chewie’s introduction into the tale is cleverly handled and he’s soon thoroughly immersed and reminding audiences just why we loved him as a STAR WARS character and hero in the first place, as his best characteristics come to the fore: technician, fighter (its great to truly see him in prime physical action here: there’s no arms pulled out of their sockets, sadly, but he’s certainly good at clobbering Trandoshans!) and loyal friend to have with you in a crisis, working well with his new colleagues-in-arms. As shown in the online documentary, the animators, alongside Chewie inhabitant Peter Mayhew, have really done an exhaustively fine, and very lovingly recreated research job in bringing back the character (and kudos to the sound design team for resurrecting all the Wookiee’s barks and subtle language noises, too), as well as cleverly overcoming the animation difficulties of fur design. Chewie looks like Chewie, and that’s one of the best compliments you can give Filoni and his team. And then, beyond Chewbacca, in the episodes closing minutes, our Wookiee treat only gets better what with a super finale battle on the Trandoshan Cloud Base that sees the surprise return of Tarfful and his warrior compatriots in an audience cheering moment to rescue their friends and sort out the slavers, whilst Ahsoka has an equally thrilling and well choreographed final battle with the reptile leader in his throne room.

Already a tightly paced and structured, incident packed episode, my only complaint about the finale was that it was still too short. Another two or three minutes would have been even better-not just for the action, but with the final scene involving Anakin and Ahsoka re-united on Coruscant amongst the Wookiees (a sequence which also gives us a short but sweet moment where Yoda shows his pleasure at the developing relationship between Master and Padawan). I hope the eventual Blu-ray and DVD season release of this episode has extra material, and, hint to Filoni and co., wouldn’t it be great at a later date if we could get at least one more Wookiee story fully set on Kashyyyk. How about with Yoda alongside them, too?

AFICIONADO OVERALL RATING: With a very strong set-up, great action and stirring animation cinematography, the later arrival of Chewbacca and the Wookiees to the Trandoshan plot proved to be the much deserved icing on the cake to a fine two-parter, and providing Season Three with an excellent, nostalgic, and very satisfying season ending. 4.5 out of 5

AFICIONADO SEASON REVIEW: At times conflicting in tone and story quality, Season Three of THE CLONE WARS was a true game of two halves: the first enjoyable but not classic, with some weak episodes particularly set on Mandalore, with the series gradually improving by the mid-point for the time of the Cad Bane/Hutts saga, then the show soaring into a smashing, equally diverse mix of episode styles in its second half, which worked far better and kicked into full throttle with increased sophistication and consistency, showcasing some classic adventures, especially with the introduction of Savage Opress, the intriguing opening part of the Mortis Saga, the action packed adventure within THE CITADEL, and a rousing, highly satisfying, full of action and nostalgia, two part conclusion with Chewbacca and Ahsoka. It may not have totally lived up to its season moniker of SECRETS REVEALED (only the possible return of Darth Maul stood out on that front), but, with lots more referencing to the Original Trilogy and the darker storytelling shift in its final half, Series Three of THE CLONE WARS thankfully overcame its shaky start to become even more ambitious and game-changing than ever. Far better to have a season begin weak and end strongly, as it did here, than suffer the reverse.

There’s still plenty of life and stories to tell in this beautifully realized universe of STAR WARS fantasy and action.

OVERALL SEASON RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5

EPISODE FIVE: CORRUPTION

Writer: Cameron Litvack

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

First UStransmission: October 8^th 2010

First UKtransmission:

EPISODE FIVE: CORRUPTION

Writer: Cameron Litvack

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

First UK transmission: