Well, it only took eight episodes, but The Clone Wars has finally come to what we’ve all been waiting for, and Dave Filoni and co. knew exactly how big of a deal this episode was, from its very first frame. Let’s dig in, but note that point five is full of spoilers for Star Wars: Rebels.
1. Nostalgia for fans of a certain age
One of the weirdest aspects of The Clone Wars is the fact that it is a show, ostensibly, made for children, yet so many of the decisions made are antithetical to a children’s television series. Most of the time, that means having complex emotional beats or inappropriate violence, but this week, the series revealed that its core fans are not the kids it is intended for, but their Gen-X parents. The very first image after the Disney+ logo that we saw was this:
That, my friends, is the pre-Special Editions Lucasfilm logo that would precede “A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far, Far Away” at the start of each Star Wars film. By opening the episode this way, Filoni is sending a clear message that this is classic Star Wars, and in case you didn’t get it, we’re going to use the original John Williams Star Wars theme on a starry background to open the episode. I thought for a second there was going to be a crawl, but the episode doesn’t quite go that far.
The message, from before we saw a second of action, was very clear: this is the final chapter of Clone Wars, and it’s more than just that: this is a Star Wars film, serialized on Disney+. As the series began with a movie, it will also end with one. I was already incredibly hyped for these episodes, but at this point, I was basically frothing at the mouth.
2. The intensity is real
The first eight episodes of this season seemed focused on telling two specific stories that were somewhat important to the arcs of individual characters, but this episode begins by bringing together just about all the key Clone Wars players, and giving the season a shot of adrenaline, in terms if import and intensity. The first key to this is when we see Commander Cody seemingly about to eat it at the hands of a projectile, and Obi-Wan takes his lightsaber and straight up slices the projectile in half. It’s one of the more badass Jedi moves we’ve seen on this show, and I am here for it.
The episode also does a nice job of giving some background/context to things we may have forgotten, like Bo-Katan being the sister of Satine, Obi-Wan’s one-time love, but does so in ways that doesn’t feel info dump-y, but rather imbues the dialogue between Obi-Wan and Bo-Katan with intensity, knowledge, and familiarity. But all of these decisions are here to serve the bigger point which, again, began with that old Lucasfilm logo: this is the end. This is big, and this is important. Pay attention.
3. Open arms
The degree to which Anakin welcomes Ahsoka back was a little jarring, and almost puppy dog like. He is so happy to see her, and rolls out the red carpet in just about every conceivable way. Not just Anakin, but the clones, especially Rex’s battalion, go to great lengths to show Ahsoka respect and welcome her back. It is unclear how many of the clones are aware of exactly why Ahsoka left, or what her beef with the Jedi is (or even if they are aware she’s not longer part of the Order), but she is hailed as a conquering hero returning.
Anakin, obviously, never wanted her to leave, but his actions here show why he was a poor Jedi, though a good person (in context). Jedi aren’t supposed to care about attachments, but Anakin has clearly been waiting for this day since Ahsoka left. He kept her lightsabers, even upgrading them, and has been working on his ‘welcome home’ speech for a long time. He is downright giddy, and that’s not how a Jedi is supposed to be. Again, you can argue the merits of the stoic Jedi archetype, but Anakin doesn’t fit it, good or bad.
Continued belowObi-Wan is the best part of the prequels, and The Clone Wars does a good job showing him as the consummate Jedi. Here, he is happy to see Ahsoka, but holds back his enthusiasm and looks at the situation diplomatically, instead of letting his emotions get the better of him. He knows that invading Mandalore is a complicated political decision, and he isn’t as quick as Anakin to forgo tradition and rank, and can be seen a little stiff and a little bit of a political mover and shaker in these scenes. This is unlike the Obi-Wan we saw at the start of the series, but fits nicely into the Obi-Wan that we see in Revenge of the Sith, where he is a member of the Jedi Council and is trying to balance his personal responsibilities to his friends with the obligations he has.
He is also the perfect counterweight to Anakin. Nothing Obi-Wan says is exactly mean or unfair to Ahsoka, but he’s measured, making sure he is doing the right thing. Anakin is all in, but Obi-Wan is weighing whether to raise or check. It’s good character work, even if it makes the viewer a little frustrated.
4. Battles
I’ve tried to mention each week just how gorgeous the series has looked this season and, especially, how the action sequences have never looked better. This episode ups the ante even more, with two long battle scenes that are every bit as intense and beautifully rendered as anything in Star Wars. The second battle, when the newly organized Rex and Ahsoka-led half of the 501st (the 250.5?) descends upon Mandalore. Beginning with Ahsoka foregoing a jetpack, and basically descends to the planet surface by leaping/gliding from vehicle to vehicle while they are in battle, the action doesn’t let up until the end of the episode, where Ahsoka and Maul are face to face.
5. Foreshadowing
As mentioned above, this is full on spoiler territory for other Star Wars properties
This episode is full of hints at futures both seen and unseen. Obi-Wan warns Ahsoka that he killed Maul once, and he has a tendency to come back. This is a reference to The Phantom Menace, but also foreshadows Maul’s multiple appearances (and disappearances) in Star Wars: Rebels. Could it also be a hint that Obi-Wan’s destruction of Maul in Rebels‘ final season is not what it appears? Could this be setting up yet another Maul confrontation in the upcoming Kenobi Disney+ series? I hope not, because I loved the way Maul met his end in Rebels, but it would be quite interesting.
Anakin’s overwhelming emotional reaction to Ahsoka’s return further shows how he cannot separate himself from his feelings, and that maybe a Jedi isn’t the right path for him. Imagine, for a moment, if Anakin had simply left the Jedi Order, how different the universe would be? This episode makes a good case for the idea that the wrong Jedi walked away, which is, somehow, a position I never really considered before.
Overall, this episode did it all: it gave us amazing action, pushed the story forward considerably, referenced a lot of other Star Wars media, and hit some intense emotional beats. This is what we’ve been waiting for.
