Week 32 - The Shadow Collective Arc

I wasn't really sure what to call this one IMO.

I like the variety in the episode cover photos.

I’m mildly annoyed that they changed the Hondo-loyalist blaster fire color to blue while the others stayed red.

It was pretty vague how he would pay them, but the pirates knew Maul had a lot of wealth at his disposal. Also, I don't think they'd really want to say no given that meant death.

Revival is a pretty sweet episode. Never did I think I’d see Hondo and Maul together but there we are. And this is probably my favorite Hondo appearance.

This episode is just badass and it sold me on Maul every more than his Season 4 appearances did. I like the direction of him playing around in the underworld as it’s not something you’d expect but there’s a lot of potential there for s rogue Sith Lord.

I love the lightsaber fights in this one. Adi Galia’s death was kinda expected but how it has happened was one of the most brutal moments of the show. But despite that, the ending battle is one of my favorite of the show. It’s rare that we see Obi-Wan with his back against the wall, so far removed from his usual calm self, but that’s what he gets when facing two Sith Lords. And what ensues is why he is Master Kenobi.

Also like I said before, Hondo is great here. His insolence line kills me every time and I love how he smartly manipulates what should have been his downfall to his advantage.

This is an amazing episode. 9/10 easy.

Shades of Reason is another incredibly packed episode that somehow never feels rushed. In fact there’s a moment 60% of the way through where it almost feels like it’s about to close and if it did, it would be satisfying.

Vizsla is obviously a manipulative bastard in how he gets his way but he makes a legitimate point. It’s a wonder no one has attacked a Mandalore yet and if it were to happen, Satine would be completely ill equipped to handle it.

Some of the sequences of the gangsters are a little cheesy but they work fine.

Let’s just get to the end, Maul vs Vizsla. Both sides knew they were going to be betrayed but it’s incredible how Maul used Vizsla’s own honor to tear him down. And the fight scene that ensues is brutal, epic, and awesome. It’s hard to go into detail about how it’s so good but it is my personal favorite lightsaber duel of the show.

This is an incredibly well made and unpredictable episode. It almost feels like it could have been two episodes but it’s fit together so well. One of the best. I give it a 9.5/10.

Revival used to be one of my favorite episodes of TCW. It gives so much to love, from the Ohnaka gang to Maul and Savage vs Obi-Wan. Having it all take place on Florrum is so fun, too.

The opening sequence effectively establishes Maul as Savage's master. While this does make Savage less interesting for the remainder of his time, this was important to elevate Maul's character. Seeing them bribe the pirates for their own needs was also really cool and led to a mini civil war for the pirates.

Adi Galia was a strange choice to accompany Obi-Wan, but I'm guessing they included her simply to allow a major Jedi to die. Her death wasn't a huge shock, but it was powerful in how Savage rammed her like a rhino. I wish they had given Grievous other chances to kill some Jedi like this.

Hondo is perfect in this episode just like he is in basically every episode he appears. It's great seeing his emotions of pride and betrayal hearing the news that some of his men betrayed them. I'm not sure if he would've appeared again if the show went 8 seasons, but this episode was a good send-off for him I think.

Everything about this episode is so fun and intense. It also kicks the rest of the arc into high-gear as Maul and Savage suffer a setback before embarking on a bigger task. If there weren't quite as many episodes I liked more, I'd rate it higher, but this is a very strong 9/10.

Shades of Reason covers a lot in its 22 minutes, but there's much more payoff. The various attacks on Mandalore by the crime groups is fun, even if it seems slightly underwhelming at parts. I don't really blame the episode for that though, since it's part of a greater scheme and still gets the point across of their severity.

I love how everything unfolds for Maul and Vizsla without any issues. It demonstrates the cunning nature of them both, down to the point where they seek to betray one another. I'm glad that Vizsla does it first, since he's clearly the less patient of the two leaders. However, Maul handles this turn well, likely even planning for it to happen. His intention to use Mandalorian honor and pride to undermine Vizsla is so awesome.

If you removed the duel between Maul and Vizsla, this episode would still be fantastic. However, this fight elevates the stakes in a way that's just absolutely epic. Their fight is truly stunning, and, like Spider, is likely my favorite fight in the show. There's no sense describing it, you just have to witness it.

My only reasons for holding this episode back from a perfect score are that it's a little unbelievable that the people of Mandalore willingly accepted the change in authority so fast. I know they couldn't really get into that aspect due to time constraints, but it's one aspect that stands out for me. The other reason is that I don't think this episode quite reaches that ultimate tier like Witches of the Mist, Ghosts of Mortis, or Plan of Dissent. Perhaps later rewatches of this will change my mind, but for now I'm giving it 9.5/10.

As it stands, this arc is only beaten in my rankings by Umbara. I imagine that unless the Order 66 or Force arc amaze me, then only the Ahsoka arc has a shot at topping Umbara or this.

And Umbara is close behind with 9.15.

Obi-Wan is only marginally better at rescuing Satine than his son is.

Wow Revival was somehow even better than I remembered. This gives Maul a lot more depth that he’s using Sidious training to formulate a plot to seize power. I really like how Maul goes to the rule of two at the start and takes Savage as an official apprentice. Live I’ve said in the past Maul is still worthy of being called Sith and he has a claim on that title, thus Savage could be as well since he is his apprentice. At this point in time there’s pretty much 4 Sith running around, both practicing the rule of two however.

This is also Hondo’s best appearance of season 5 and he feels a lot like the season 1/2 Hondo here instead of child murderer or whatever. I’m glad they gave the brothers a show of strength and actually killed a Jedi we have seen in the past. Galias death is also pretty brutal. Savage is a literally savage

When we get to the fight between Maul and Savage vs Kenobi I thought it was really cool how Kenobi changed his fighting style from his typical defensive soreusu to the acrobatic Ataru similar to what Ahsoka uses. And then the escape at the end was pretty epic where they just barley get away after being both injured. The final scene in the chancellors office was a nice addition, I’m glad they formally recognized Maul anyway.

I honestly thought I’d give this episode a 9 but I feel like it’s closer to a 10 so yeah 10/10. It’s almost a standalone in a way as it doesn’t have much to do with the rest of the arc but it’s a very good sort of standalone at that.

Eminence is fast paced and doesn’t quite strike the equilibrium of Friends and Enemies but I always enjoy episodes that give us a large look at the galaxy. Seeing Mustafar. Nal Hutta and Tatooine in one episode was pretty cool. And bounty hunters have always been one of my favorite neutral factions so seeing Latts, Embo and Dengar again was welcomed.

Overall this episode is a lot of setup but it’s fast, gets the point across and stays entertaining for most of its run time. I do like how Maul and Vizslas relationship gradually deteriorates over time and how it’s obvious Maul did some reverse manipulation on Vizsla who obviously wanted to manipulate Maul into dealing with Kenobi at the start.

Oh Savage trashing those medical droids was kind of hilarious, idk why but these last few episodes, extending into the season 4 finale, I found Savages simplistic and brutal nature to be kind of refreshing and when he kills the Black Sun might be the most brutal scene in the show, that’s some R rated shit since they showed the decapitated bodies. Sad though that he basically takes a back seat to Maul for the rest of the arc.

I’m going to say 9/10. I also didn’t expect this one to be above an 8 but I think it’s pretty good and enjoyable overall. I’m not as critical on this episode as I once was. Although that argument still remains from Revenge review that even though this is some pretty cool content, it doesn’t add too much to the universe and overall has little impact. Even something like Umbara has more imo to develop Rex and Fives leading into order 66 and whatnot.

The Lawless is an excellent conclusion to this story. Idk even though the Mandalore plot line has been ongoing this just feels like a separate self contained story within TCW to me. Has little impact on the galaxy as a whole but it makes for great entertainment.

There’s tons to like here, Hardeen outfit, Twilight, the academy kids now that they aren’t completely annoying, Satine death scene, Red Guards, etc. But the final confrontation is what we are all here for, Savages death was honestly more sad than Satines for me. I actually liked Savage and his story is somewhat sad as he never really wanted any of it.

I always play the what if scenario where Sidious runs into Kenobi though... Sidious would be forced to kill him I’d imagine, guess that’s why they keep them as far apart as possible. Also I am somewhat curious if Maul was being even a little bit truthful when he said he wanted to return to his masters side. I could see it I suppose...

Anyways I’m going to say 10/10 (obviously). This is a fantastic episode, although there’s quite a bit fan service thrown in as well.