Well folks, I thought this day might come, though I prayed it wouldn’t: I got a Jar-Jar episode of The Clone Wars. Meesa no happy day.
Heroes are made by the times
1. Ugh
I was more or less prepared to encounter a Jar-Jar focused episode of The Clone Wars, but I hoped that he would be more of a peripheral character and less of a co-lead, which he was here. I know this is not a hot take, but I have very little patience for his bullshit, and here it just perpetuates what it is about him that makes the character such an irksome pariah.
He is the Star Wars equivalent of Forrest Gump – he trips and falls onto a pillow stuffed with hundred dollar bills. He trips all over himself, making everyone annoyed/angry, but somehow it all works out for Jar-Jar. No one seems all that bothered by him in the long term but, much like Screech from Saved by the Bell, he becomes the focus of nearly every scene he’s in because everyone is just saying “oh, that fucking guy” constantly.
It would be less annoying if he wasn’t constantly failing upward, but he more or less saves the day here, providing such a distraction that both Threepio can contact the Clones and Padme can shoot her way out of trouble.
2. Something for Padme to do
Of the many, many sins of the prequels, the lack of a character arc for Padme is one of the most egregious. She’s important, but we usually see her being protected or not doing anything of true import. She’s an afterthought, even if she’s one of the four most important characters of that entire trilogy.
But here, we get to see her diplomatic skills in action, as well as get a little bit of a glimpse into what her pre-The Phantom Menace life looked like. We also see her shoot some blasters, but we’ve seen that before. Writing female characters is not something that George Lucas is very adept at, something that, thankfully, the post-Lucas landscape has rectified. Seeing Padme like this gives me some hope for her further development in the series, and beyond.
3. A reason to join the separatists
This episode, in five minutes or so, gives far more compelling reasons for someone to not cooperate with the Senate. Onaconda is a man who very much cares for his system, and believes that the separatists can better provide for his people. He explains this plainly and clearly to Padme who, despite being a family friend, cannot sway him, until he sees that, truly, he played himself.
It is interesting to me how easily the show seems to recognize the problems with the prequels, and attempts to address them so early in the series’ run.
4. The Sith theory?
There is a popular theory that Lucas intended Jar-Jar to have a future as a Sith, but popular opinion changed his course – look it up, it is actually pretty fascinating. If that’s the case or not, putting Jar-Jar in a Jedi’s robe was a nice wink and nod to that theory, even if it is most likely just a joke.
5. Nute Gunray
This also reminded me how fucking annoying Gunray is.
All in all, this is probably the ‘worst’ episode of the series thus far, even if it was absolutely fine for a Jar-Jar episode.
