Season 1, Episode 7 - Duel of the Droids

Duel of the Droids is the second of a two-parter, and a thoroughly entertaining one at that. It's also directed, notably, by Rob Coleman himself: the animation director for the prequel trilogy.

His experience shows in every frame of this episode. Lightsaber duels are performed with moody panache; the dive onto Skytop Station is bathed in autumn hues; the final "duel" of the episode's namesake is staged with racous tension, and wouldn't have looked out of place in one of the films.

Essentially, the story is of the rescue of Artoo from the clutches of the Separatists. Much like Destroy Malevolence, it involved infiltrating on Separatist ground, racing against the clock, and outthinking superior numbers. It's got all the best elements of a good Star Wars adventure, and it delivers.

While the action soars, Duel of the Droids doesn't overlook the details. Grievous's dispatching of Gha Nachkt comes as a violent shock (and a shoutout to a deleted scene in Revenge of the Sith), for example. We also see, for the first time, Artoo completely disassembled, in an amusing sequence.

It's also inventive. The quoting of other adventures is at a minimum here; as well. We see the first duel between Ahsoka and Grievous, and the battle is uniquely suited to these two relatively new characters. R2-D2s battle with his unlucky replacement shows Star Wars fans something they've never had the pleasure to see, as well. Even if (as stated in the previous episode's review) there is never any real question about Artoo's safety, it's a vibrant episode, one of the series best so far.

Rating (out of five) **** 1/2

Season 1, Episode 6 - Downfall of a Droid

Downfall of a Droid is the setup episode for a superior payoff, Duel of the Droids. On its own, it's perfectly acceptable television, with some great character moments and battle sequences, but it's ultimately incomplete. It also reveals an essential weakness the series has: putting well-trod characters in jeopardy.

Artoo is lost in a space battle in this episode, and is replaced by the seemingly incompetent R3-S6. While everyone around Anakin views Artoo as lost and replaceable; Anakin can't let go of his friend. To add fuel to his argument that Artoo must be found, Anakin notes that Artoo contains a full array of Republic Military schematics in his databanks. With that, the Republic agrees to let him seek out Artoo.

Will Artoo be rescued? Of course. As hard as the episode works to establish moodiness and menace, the outcome is rarely in doubt. It makes for a less than compelling storyline overall. The fact that the action and character work rise to the level they do is a testament to the expert work done here. Let's face it: we all know Artoo makes it out alive.

Only 6 episodes into the series, the idea that Anakin can't "let go" is already a bit soggy. In fact, it's almost counter-intuitive. Anakin's loyalty here plays out like a heroic quality; but in the ultimate saga of the prequels, its his fatal flaw. Or, perhaps, its simply Jedi orthodoxy that creates Darth Vader. It's certainly complex, but its thoroughly ambiguous. In episodes like this one, where Anakin's loyalty makes him try to save a beloved character, it's hard to remember the sense of forboding that his rebelliousness is intended to illicit.

Also, Anakin's mistrust of R3-S6 (later vindicated) comes off as baseless and intolerant, initially. It's hardly Anakin's judgment that R3 is a traitor; he simply feels that the droid is incompotent. The distinction here makes for a less sympathetic Anakin (fine with me) but when the second part of the series reveals R3's intentions, it comes off as all-too-easy in terms of justifying Anakin's behavior.

That being said, I enjoyed the smarmy introduction of Gha Nachkt (voiced by Ron Perlman); a sort of less than charming Watto with bad intentions. The IG assasin droid scene, as well, is certainly energetic and fun.

The next episode builds off of this one nicely, though, and winds up as one of the series best episodes to date. So maybe the slow burn here, flaws and all, are worth a few odd notes.

Rating (out of five) ** 1/2

Season 1, Episode 4 - Destroy Malevolence

As excited as I will be to see the Clone Wars series cover uncharted territory with the freedom of a weekly series, Destroy Malevolence mines nostalgia with such joyful precision, I couldn't help but love it.

This third part of the Malevolence "trilogy" does something that the prequels failed to do in any serious way: it brings all the main characters together for a single adventure. The episode plays out like a prequel-toned "rescue of Princess Leia and escape from the Death Star" in A New Hope: Padme winds up trapped on-board the fleeing Malevolence, and it's up to Anakin and Obi-Wan to get her off the ship before they can allow the Republic fleet to destroy it. In the midst of this clear nod to the original trilogy, it weaves a quilt of prequel issues and tropes together with real style.

The prequels and original trilogy do different things well. The prequels are deeply ambiguous stories, with an epic sweep and over-the-top visuals. If they lacked anything substantial, it was the friendships and gee-whiz spirit that made the originals fun. The originals, for their part, do an amazing job of creating a huge scale of the technology of the time, but their popularity persists because of the closely held mythology of the stories, and the sense of real adventure that finds its core characters.

With Destroy Malevolence, we see the partnership of Anakin and Obi-Wan in full bloom (Ashoka is thankfully watching this story from a distance); we get a sense of C-3PO and R2-D2 as a comedic duo; we see Padme at her most engaging (Padme the animated characters is far livelier than Natalie Portman, sadly); and we get to see them working together to defeat a common enemy. There are loads of great character moments, not the least of which Anakin and Padme's stolen, playful kiss when they are momentarily out of Obi-Wan's sight.

The episode doesn't skimp on action, though. The centerpiece is a classic chase sequence that plays like the Droid Factory-sequence in Attack of the Clones on overdrive. Obi-Wan faces Grievous and his henchmen in a clever duel that foreshadows their eventual meeting in Revenge of the Sith.

Moreover, Anakin's history gets a careful nod in one of the series's best moment. Padme notes, after watching Anakin dismantle some more disposable Battle Droids, that he's been playing with droids since they met. With an almost regretful tone, he notes that he "used to put them together, and now [he] only takes them apart." It's the perfect line for him: its vaguely funny, but it shows just how his life has changed...and not for the better.

Finally, the final image (shown at the top of this post) is, you may be surprised to know, the first tableau that features the main characters of the prequel trilogy in a heroic frame like this. In the original trilogy, the entire cast poses together at both the end of Star Wars and Return of the Jedi. The closest the prequels come to this moment was at the end of The Phantom Menace, although that tableau is missing C-3PO. Now, the TV series offers us something we don't know we missed.

If there's anything that keeps this episode from perfection, its that much of the material stands firmly on the shoulders of pre-existing plot points and devices. We'll see if the series can claim its own ground in the Star Wars canon. In the meantime, episodes like these will more than suffice.

Rating (out of five): ****1/2