Review: Star Wars the Clone Wars Show Part 2
Well, as promised, a brief review of each individual season of the Clone Wars. Now, I won't end up talking about all 121 episodes as that would take me forever. However, I will talk about what I liked and didn't like, as well as any specific arcs of episodes of each season that stood out to me, both good and bad.
Season 1
Now, as I mentioned before, I don't think season 1 is outright terrible...as a kids show. This first season is without a doubt a kids show. The animation is choppy, the writing and humor, for the most part is juvenile, the villains don't really have much personality other than being evil, and so on. However, for kids, it's enjoyable, and for adults, if you are in the right mindset, there are things to enjoy.
The episode Rookies stands out right away as it follows a group of rookie clones fight off a droid invasion. That episode stands out because it gives personality to the clones and it gives the focus to them. The first four episodes, while campy in tone, still give off a good sense of character and focus on overcoming any obstacle.
Where there any stinkers? Well, there was one episode, Bombad Jedi, where Jar Jar pretends to be a Jedi. Yes, that is a thing. The final arc of the show, the Ryloth trilogy, started off well. However, I thought the finale episode felt rushed and didn't really have a big payoff. Overall, like I said, I don't think there is anything total shit in season 1, you just have to know what you are getting into.
Season 2
Season 2 is still a kids show. (Yes, I'm aware the whole series is a kids show) However, you definitely see a lot more dark moments in the show. Heck, in the second episode, you see one of show's villains, Cad Bane, torture and electrocute a Jedi to death on screen. Overall, for the most part, I thought the second season was an improvement on the first, particularly in the first half of season 2. The highlight of the first half was a Geonosis arc that had amazing action and great character development for Ahsoka. Another highlight episode was Grevious Intrigue which gave more insight into the dynamic between Obi-Wan and Grevious. The final arc, dealing with Boba Fett trying to murder Mace Windu for revenge is pretty good, even if Boba is a little annoying.
Any stinker episodes, yes. It is called Senate Spy. It sets up the Geonosis arc. My problem, it's boring. There is no action sequence in this episode and if you can believe this, involves a love triangle between Anakin, Padme, and her former boyfriend Rush Clovis. Yes, Star Wars now has a love triangle, unless you count Luke, Han , and Leia.
Season 3
I hate to say this, but season 3 might be my least favorite season. It certainly has some good moments. The second half of the season is really good as it has stories dealing with all of the characters of the Star Wars universe. There is an arc focusing on the villains with the introduction of a new character Savage Opress. There is also a fantastic arc with Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka as they come across a planet with ancient force wielders who wan to test Anakin to see if he is the chosen one. The first two episodes of the season are also good because they showed the origin story of the squad of troopers in Rookies and how they helped the Republic defend their home in the Battle of Kamino.
However, to me, the rest of the season was kind of lackluster because it dealt mainly with politics. Look, as much as the prequel trilogy discouraged people from liking politics in Star Wars, I was curious to see another side of the war. However, I really only wanted to see them on rare occasions. While I didn't hate them, I just thought that the political episodes were uninteresting compared to the rest of the show and when the entire first half minus a few episodes deals with politics, it can get old.
Season 4
In my opinion, season 4 was the best season. It had great episodes, great action, and wasn't afraid of being dark. The best arc of the season was the Umbara arc. It follows Rex and the rest of the 501st Legion as they battle for control of a key planet. It is a fantastic arc because it gives more personality to Rex and the clones and focuses on them, has a great villain who I won't spoil, great action and animation, and great storytelling. There were other great arcs this season such as arc dealing with Obi-Wan going undercover as a bounty hunter, and of course, the return of Darth Maul and his rematch against Obi-Wan.
Any stinkers though? Yes. One episode is called mercy mission. Other than the animation being great, the rest of the episode is garbage. The episode deals with C-3P0 and R2-D2 helping a planet recover after a disaster earthquake. Why this episode sucks is because the native creatures of the planet are irritating, and the plot just feels like filler. Another low point was when Grevious, who in the 2d cartoon took on five Jedi at once and won, lost to a bunch of Gungans. Yep, lost to a bunch of Gungans.
Season 5
Season 5 is without a doubt the most disappointing season for me. It has some of the best stories and moments of the whole series, but also some of the worst. It is unique in that it has five four-episode story arcs. Two great arcs were on Ahsoka and Darth Maul. The Darth Maul arc was great because it focused on the character, had great action and storytelling and finished up with the fantastic fight with Maul vs. Sidious. The only bad thing was that the arc ended on a cliffhanger that was never finished because the show got cancelled. There was the Son of Dathomir comic book afterward but even then, it ended on a cliffhanger. The Ahsoka arc was fantastic because it had great action, music, suspense, and drama. It also had an emotional final scene with Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order and saying goodbye to Anakin.
There was an arc dealing with a battle on Onderon that featured Saw Guerrera, who will be on Rogue One this year. To me, the arc was good, but not great. Then, we have two story arcs that I thought were not that good to say it lightly. One dealt with a group of Jedi younglings on a journey. Fine, I'll admit, I guess it was cool to see how they got their crystals, but in honesty, I didn't care. Maybe it was because I my expectations too high because I saw the trailers for the season, (which didn't feature them at all). Also, they may sound very cold-hearted, but why should I care about characters that are going to get slaughtered in a year when order 66 is issued.
However, that arc is nothing compared to arc dealing with out R2 being a part of a squad of undercover droids. If it was a standalone episode, fine, I could live with that. However, it did not need to be four episodes. It featured a character, Wac, who is so damn annoying that he is my least favorite Star Wars character ever. It has an episode, A Sunny Day in the Void, which I consider to be the worst episode in the show's history. The only good thing about this arc to me was an episode that focused on a former clone commando named Gregor who later appeared in Rebels.
Season 6
It was a miracle we even got this shortened season at all called the Lost Missions at all considering Disney pulled the plug on the show. However, there is still room to judge. Two arcs on the show dealt with how order 66 came to be and on a clone named Fives trying to uncover the truth behind it and an arc dealing with Yoda and him trying to uncover the secret of eternal life (being a force ghost). Both arcs are great because they both highlight the strengths of the show: great characters, action, storytelling, music, and bringing the Star Wars universe closer together. There was an arc dealing with politics and the love triangle again, but for some reason, I like it. I can't explain it. I didn't think it was great but I liked I. The final story dealt with Mace Windu. Now, as I mentioned before, I never liked the character because I thought he was an asshole. However, I thought this would be his chance to shine and make me warm up to him. Well, you know how you screw that premise up? You team him up with Jar Jar Binks and make him the central focus. Yeah, and to make it worse, you give Jar Jar a love interest. Yes, there is someone in the galaxy that wants to f*** Jar Jar!
And, that's it. That's a brief review of every season. For the most part, the show was great and greatly improved over time. Also, even when the show was bad, I can at least say that the team behind it tried their all into it. Overall, was I upset that the show got cancelled? Yes. Was the show perfect? No. Would I like to see the remaining arcs of the show told and brought to canon in some way, shape , or form? HELL FREAKING YES!
