Week 23 - Shadow Warrior, Droids Arc

Put this one up early since I won't have my computer for a few days and this is tricky to do on mobile.

Kinda annoyed me how Anakin and Grievous walked past each other that's too close I would say would rather them not have been in any proximity

But it's a cool episode. The droid episodes are not... I think I kinda liked nomad droids but the aliens in mercy mission are annoying a

-Kenbo-

The second half of this episode kicks off when Grievous sees through Jar-Jar's ruse and walks outside to see an army of Gungans facing him. I'm not quite sure how they managed to disable the droids so fast, but it sets up an interesting confrontation. The sudden change to storm clouds and rain also shows the episode changed tones. Some may point to this episode as the ultimate low for Grievous on this show, but I don't find it to be terrible. It's a little disappointing Grievous lost so quickly, but I largely forgive that due to Tarpals' sacrifice that dealt a critical blow to the general. Speaking of which, his death was very moving given he's a character with such little screen-time.

Dooku and Anakin have a cool encounter, and I liked that it was largely in favor of the Sith. It gave me some AOTC impressions at parts, but still felt like a unique fight based on the choreography and inclusion of MagnaGuards. The plan to swap Anakin for Grievous puts Padme in an interesting situation. My biggest complaint is that the episode rushes her with this choice. I like how she wasn't willing to save Anakin, especially because we know if it was reversed, Anakin would definitely save Padme immediately. Yet with a few words from Jar-Jar and Lyonie, she quickly changes her mind. It doesn't ruin the episode by any means, but Shadow Warrior just feels rushed out of nowhere these final minutes. Anakin and Grievous going past each other in the exchange was definitely too close though as Kenbo pointed out.

Overall, Shadow Warrior stands up well compared to how I remember it. I like the Gungans here and this might be one of my favorite Jar-Jar moments in the saga. It's a brief story, but it covers a lot and has Grievous, Dooku, and even Sidious briefly. It's tempting to raise my rating, but the episode is a little too simple and rushed at the end, so I'm sticking with 8/10.

Haven’t rewatched it yet but I’ve never liked this episode.

I may be alone in saying this, but I don't mind Mercy Mission. Sure, it's a little goofy and the plot is fairly slow, but I enjoy the fantasy themes it evokes that remind me of OT elements. The Kindalo vaguely remind me of Ents, but I have no complaints with them or Orphne, who clearly has some magical abilities that stem from the Force (light the Nightsisters). The two species are bizarre, but I think they fit in the Star Wars universe.

The Aleena aren't quite annoying for me, but they do tread close at times. I know one of the podracers was an Aleena, and I feel like we might've seen more of them in the background of Senate scenes. Either way, I like seeing an episode where the clones take time to actually aid planets in need, regardless of if there is conflict or strategic importance to the system.

Speaking of which, the clones are enjoyable here, especially since we get to see Wolffe's new cybernetic eye. I don't recall if we actually saw him with it prior. Some of the lines the clones make toward the droids are clever. Also, I think this episode handles 3PO and R2 better than past instances, particularly Evil Plans. It's nice to see 3PO be competent and kind of in his own element as a translator and whatnot. On a side note, the animation here is spectacular, especially the opening shot with the ships in space.

I understand why people don't like this episode, but it's okay for me. The whimsical feeling throughout is tolerable, even if the episode is pointless in the grand scheme of things. 6/10.

Spidyyr just wanted to point this out but I think you mixed up mine and Stars ratings for Mercy Mission

These episodes are also the last appearance of 3PO on the show. Kinda surprising he doesn’t turn up in the Clovis Arc.

Nomad Droids is better than Mercy Mission, and while part of that is due to the inclusion of Grievous and some large scale space battles, I still enjoyed the actual plot. The antics of the two droids were diverse and interesting enough to keep my attention, and I appreciate how none of the narratives were carried out too long. Having some obvious parallels to Gulliver's Travels and the Wizard of Oz made them more enjoyable in my opinion as well. It was kind of cool to see the use of dark humor in Star Wars concerning the death of Hay Zu.

Once again, the episode is a bit silly, but that is to be expected given it's centered on R2 and 3PO. I don't really have an issue with that. Furthermore, Nomad Droids might be inconsequential to the saga, but I find it to be a fun side story. I think it's a cool touch that it even has the backdrop of a series of CIS-Republic battles too. The opening sequence reminded me of the beginning of ANH, which I liked.

The droid arena was neat, and given the concept appeared again in Solo, it gives some greater continuity in the universe. Right before they power down on the second planet, it was somewhat sad to see 3PO's caring side toward R2 come out.

I don't think we need episodes centered around these droids, but this arc could've been much worse for me than how it turned out. It certainly isn't a groundbreaking arc, but I enjoyed it enough for what it was. As the stronger episode in terms of plot, I'll rate Nomad Droids 7/10.

Shadow Warrior has some sequences that I enjoy on their own but the whole thing just doesn’t come together for me. Idk, part of the problem is just how messily it is set up. I never understood why they would air this right after the Mon Cala Arc. It almost feels like a prequel to that. But that doesn’t work because Tarpals is alive in that. I know the turn was caused by Rish Loo, but it still feels like a massive stretch to have Gungans march alongside Seppies. If they had this story first, I think it would’ve been a lot more believable as we had barely seen the Gungan society since TPM. That would’ve had eleven years for Gungans to slowly grow to resent the Naboo.

I also like the surprise of Grieovus being there, but Dooku is too much. We don’t even realize he’s on Naboo until Grievous is captured, and it’s not even played as a surprise, which it certainly should be. I’m not sure why Dooku was here either. Did he know Rish Loo would fail and a Jedi would follow him? Was this whole thing a trap for Anakin? Is Theed really such an important military target that Dooku would oversee it himself?

I like the battles themselves, Grievous vs Gungans and Anakin vs Dooku. I even like Jar Jar’s dialogue as Lyonie. I just wish there was a more senseical story around it all. I also like that they killed a movie character and in a respectable way.

But the ending which that sacrificed becomes for nothing is also quite haphazard. I understand why Padme would take the deal. Anakin would do the same thing and it’s in her character. I get why Jar Jar would too. But it feels like too much when Lyonie joins in. Why would he agree so easily? He barely knows Anakin, and even Padme for that matter. As the leader of the Gungans, it seems like he would want the war to end more than he’d care about Anakin. It’s almost as though the show is trying to convince us that Padme is doing the absolute right thing. It’s unnecessary. We don’t need to be convinced that it’s right but that Padme would do it, and she certainly would.

It feels like a missed opportunity for him to voice his dissent and maybe provide some nice commentary as to how Anakin and Padme make each other more vulnerable, something which nicely foreshadows ROTS. Instead it just tops off an episode full of people making questionable decisions and feels more frustrating than snitching.

I know I’m in the minority but this episode falls flat for me. Can’t put it any higher than average. 5/10.

Nomad Droids is definitely better than the last episode. Part of that is because it jumps right into the action. Another plus is that it doesn’t try to have a moral or some heroic scene. It’s kinda just things happening. And they’re fine. Not great but it’s what you’d expect.

I kinda wish we could have seen the actual Adi vs Grievous fight and Wolfpack attack. I know those aren’t the point of the episode but they featured pretty prominently in the trailers. Would have been cool to see. I remember people predicting Adi’s death as Grieovus killed her in the original timeline.

Anyway, there’s not much to say. It’s just a series of odd events that occur to R2 and 3PO. It’s mildly entertaining and it’s hard to get mad about it, but then again it’s pretty easy to understand why people were so concerned about Season 4 now. If you didn’t like Shadow Warrior, then it’s been a season that’s been nice to look at but has had little substance. Definite downgrade from 3B.

Middling. Not much good. Not much bad. 5/10.

On today's episode of "When will Naboo wake up and up its security already"! Okay, this one is probably one of the stranger endeavours this show undertook. I'm really wondering if Naboo's an unspoken tactical advantage for both sides. Might explain why the Seps are so desperate to get their mits on it. Actually, since Palpatine is a native, perhaps he personally wants it for some reason? Would've been nice to know. The tone's also wonky as hell. We have cooky, Jar Jar hijinks with Grievous of all people and then we have more drama and violence within the same 22 minutes. That said, I do like the mood set in Anakin's capturing scene and, for its utter absurdity, I love Grievous' Gungan fight even more. In the rain no less, just to keep up that drama Annoyingly though it also makes Grievous a both literal and figuratively weak character. There's also the canon whore triggering close encounter with Anakin, which, I agree, is a too far a stretch.


Oddly though, I had more fun than anything else

Oh, and I love how not only Rish Loo is a play on Cardinal Richelieu, but also sounds like Dooku doing a Gungan impression at times