I, like Mandy, adore the adorkable. Whenever something has both the cuteness factor and the nerd factor, I’m interested.
That’s why I couldn’t resist making a caption contest out of the following photo:
Submit your best caption ideas by Saturday, February 13th at 12:00pm. We’ll post the winning entry on the blog on Valentine’s Day.
Credit for this image goes to dbsw.
After a two-week forever hiatus, Star Wars: The Clone Wars returned with a refreshing standalone episode, Lightsaber Lost. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this was singularly one of the strongest episodes we have seen. I love and hate stand-alone episodes in TCW. I’m always satisfied with the amount of story that they can tell in twenty-two minutes. I’m never left feeling short-changed or rushed. On the other hand, I hate not being able to explore various avenues. At any rate, arc after arc becomes exhausting, so Lightsaber Lost was the perfect break in the series.
From the beginning of the episode we are plunged into a seedy and dingy world: the lower levels of Coruscant. One half expects to see prostitutes and deathstick dealers on the sidelines. I am a huge fan of film noir and hard-boiled detective fiction. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler couldn’t have created a better setting for a purloined lightsaber. In fact, the entire episode seemed to be an archetype of detective fiction. We saw some of this in AOTC, when Obi-Wan goes a-sleuthin’. As I said earlier, the setting is typical hard-boiled detective fare: the smoky underworld with fringe elements in addition to the light interrogation of the locals. Consequently, I think this episode really exemplifies that pulpy, Sunday matinée feeling ANH could be described as having. To further the detective fiction influences we have a beyond ancient Jedi Master aiding in the retrieval of the lightsaber, Tera Sinube. Master Sinube is a cross between Mycroft Holmes, Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher (shut it, I LOVE Jessica Fletcher), and C. Auguste Dupin. Furthermore there is the femme fatale or black widow aspect to the story with the character of Ione Marcy. I loved all of these little nods to the genre. Lightsaber Lost was legitimately a caper.
The action sequences that took viewers around the whole of Coruscant were spectacular. The main chase between Cassie Cryar and Ahsoka reminded me of that extreme sport, parkour. I’ve heard that some folks were considering Ahsoka’s omission of information regarding her lightsaber to Anakin to be that she was covering up her mistake. I disagree with this train of thought. The episode demonstrates that 1) Ahsoka really, really didn’t feel like dealing with Anakin, and 2) She is mortified that she lost her weapon. More than that she feels responsible for the possible damage that her lightsaber can and will incur in the hands of a stranger. I think her desire to recover her lightsaber stems more from responsibility than the inevitable diatribe from her master.
Did you miss it? The List, I mean…
The Good:
- 2 words: LIGHTSABER CANE
- In-universe fast food
- “You can stop talking now.” If that isn’t Sam Spade in a tube top, I don’t know WHAT it is.
- Ambient noise is used to really nice effects throughout the action sequences.
- Seriously, this episode was like the Early Bird special at the Red Lobster: Jocasta Nu, Yoda, and Sinube.
The Ugly
- Palpatine’s giant face. You could climb that craggy-ass nose.
Enjoy these stills from Lightsaber Lost:
Consider this the McDonald’s of TCW reviews. The problem with spacing these episodes so far apart is that I become somewhat complacent. I think to myself, “Oh, I need to do those reviews for Grievous Intrigue and The Deserter,” and then that little part of my brain says, “Oh, but MB!!! You have until, like, forever until there’s a new episode, take your time, girl!” At any rate, you can find thoughtful reviews of all the episodes here, here, and here.
Grievous Intrigue
Compared to other reviews, I think I may be in the slight minority in absolutely loving this episode. The episode was steeped in the elements that make Star Wars, Star Wars. I thought that Obi-Wan’s characterization truly shone. It was an interesting side that we’ve seen only a bit of in AOTC. The way the show tackles the wartime psyche of the soldiers, Jedi and clone alike, is something that we have not seen in an animated series, let alone “G-Level” canon in Star Wars. Obi-Wan has become a vigilante of sorts. When Anakin appears to be the more levelheaded of the two, you know there is something wrong with his pretty little head. His unrelenting pursuit of Grievous was something completely new. The sacrifice of an entire Jedi light cruiser for one Jedi, albeit a council member, seems to go against the ideals of “no attachment”. Either way, there were several amazing moments in the show. The little snippet of John William’s original score was easily one of the highlights of the episode. Kiner has done a marvelous thing scoring each episode independently, but also using those little bits and pieces of the original score. What makes it utterly brilliant is the slight variation he uses. The familiar theme we heard in Grievous Intrigue was underscored with a brassy, militaristic feel; reflecting the new priorities of the Jedi Order as well as the clones themselves.
The Good:
- Strong, black woman. I flippin’ loved Adi Gallia in this episode. Also, her gauntlets were kinda cute. It kinda says “I’m here for the party, but I can also kill you with my mind.”
- I thought the “lighting” in this episode was completely different from anything we’ve seen before.
- Crab! Grievous amuses me.
- I loved the little nod (was it a nod?) to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in the “keep away” game between the tactical droid and Jedi.
The Ugly:
- I’m beginning to grow tired of the “let’s go kidnap some Jedi” plots.
- The whole “last stand” mentality of the Jedi is beginning to wear thin. I’m tired of grim acceptance.
The Deserter
The first thing I noticed about this episode was the Saleucami landscape. It is easily one of the most visually stunning planets we’ve seen thus far. As far as animation design goes, I don’t think I can really shout from the roof tops any much more than I already have: It’s brilliant. The rural aspect of The Deserter greatly appealed to me: the space! chickens, domesticated animals, and farmland really added depth and believability to the situation. Another thing I noticed were the atmospheric effects from the animation crew. We’ve seen snow and fog, but this time there was mist and even fireflies. Each of these little aspects helps the viewer immerse themselves deeper into the action and drama of the show. Alright, correct if I’m wrong (and more than likely I am…), but on the commentary for the latest Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II featuring Dave Filoni, Henry Gilroy (maybe?), Seth Green, and Matthew Senreich, a challenge was put forth for there to be some stop-motion in TCW. If so, then the challenge was met with the Dejarik game. The other two things I’d like to discuss are very Rex-centric. Most other reviews have discussed the “individuality as freedom” mores for clones, but what I saw as particularly poignant was the moment a still-injured Rex offers himself as a first wave barrier between the commando clones and Cut’s family. His, “I can be useful,” was heartbreaking to me. Rex is so used to volunteering, or rather doing his duty, that it is second nature to offer himself up for slaughter. As many of y’all know, I am not a clone fan, but my passive feelings have begun to ebb since I’ve watched these clone-centric episodes. I truly feel for them. The last image of Rex astride some giant beast of burden riding off into the sunset was a pitch-perfect ending for The Deserter. As Rex the man looks forward, Rex the soldier (his helmet) keeps a constant watch on the homestead. Reminding them that the war is never that far away and never leaves anything untouched.
The Good:
- Haters to left: I like battle droids and their humor.
- The cracked glass animation was freaking awesome.
- Did anyone like the CSI Jedi thing, Obes was rocking?
- The PLATINUM BLOND clone. I shall call him Jersey.
- Obi-Wan going “lone-wolf”. It’s so un-him.
- The absolute grief Obi-Wan emoted while not being able to catch Grievous.
The Bad
- I think the threat and menace of the commando droids is palpable, but it will become routine should they be used too much.
- Ugly twi’lek babies.
You know the drill… Enjoy these stills from Star Wars: The Clone Wars! Don’t forget we’re back tonight! read more…
In lieu of a new Star Wars: The Clone Wars this evening, I’d like to announce the winners of our contest! All winners were chosen randomly by an online generator. Thank you to all who participated in the site launch, we truly appreciate it.
First Prize, a thoughtfully chosen gift basket of Star Wars and Star Wars-inspired items, goes to Niic!
Second Prize, a smaller, carefully chosen gift basket of Star Wars and Star Wars-inspired items, goes to Stooge!
Third Prize, I promise it’s not expired coupons and duct tape, goes to Wen!
If you are a winner, please contact me with your shipping address. Once again, thank you for your support and congratulations to those that won.
Well, well, well, what have we here? Oh that’s right, it’s Friday night and the mood is right for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Tonight’s episode, Brain Invaders, felt somewhat like a consolation prize for me. After sitting through a ground campaign it was such a relief to be back in space. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the “Geonosis Arc”, but I need variety and tonight proved as such.
Let’s start with the title of this episode. Brain Invaders encapsulates that pulpy, Saturday matinée serial feel. I mean, can you see the movie poster already? I just love it. It harkens back to those old school sci-fi b-movies. Not that I watched them or anything, but I mean, if i did, I imagine they’d be like this. ANYWAYS, it was a nice throw back.
As I tweeted on Friday, Dave and Company hit us with the foreshadowing dump truck. I had a near-visceral reaction to the nematoda-fueled betrayal of the Jedi by the clones. Regardless of the fact that “it really wasn’t their fault”, I couldn’t help but feel that familiar horrified sinking sensation that I get when I watch ROTS. What made this episode even more disturbing was the malicious intent: In ROTS the clones were cold and efficient, clinical even, when exterminating the Jedi. This time there was an undercurrent of malice and glee.
Yet again, we are presented with the conundrum of attachment versus compassion. Ahsoka is bestowed with an applicable scenario of sparing Barriss’ life over the greater good of the mission. Her own faith in her abilities and resourceful thinking are responsible for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. To continue the philosophy discussion the padawans have a powwow of sorts in the frigate’s mess hall. Regardless of the words spoken, these glimpses into the conflicted minds of the Jedi humanizes them and adds more dimension to the characters.
I’m going to present a theory that will probably run contrary to the views of most for this episode. In Brain Invaders we see Anakin take a visible step towards the darkside. Where most are concerned, this is evidence of the future Darth Vader. I disagree. I think we are seeing Anakin being Anakin. I’ve found it difficult to reconcile the Anakin of The Clone Wars with the Anakin who slaughtered a village of Tusken Raiders. This is that Anakin. Is he “dark”? Yes. Is he evil? No. THIS is the difference between Vader and Anakin. That darkness has resided within Anakin since his days of slave labor. It’s just merely bubbling to the top during these instances. He sees his padawan in mortal peril and reacts. Would Obi-Wan have done the same thing in his situation? Probably not, but yet again we see the attachment versus compassion angle in this situation and how Anakin handles it. From ROTS we know Poggle the Lesser is not still in custody. It will be interesting to see the legal ramifications of Anakin’s rough interrogation. Were two padawans and a handful of clones worth the lives that the freedom of Poggle cost? OH, and though this has been touched upon by others, the judicious use of the John Williams’ score during Anakin’s tiny day-trip into the Dark was prime.
PS. Did the final pose of Ahsoka holding Barriss look like a traditional Pietà pose? If it was, I love that crew. I really do.
I feel like I need a jingle for the list…
The Good
- I thought the clones’ voices were the most distinctive yet. DBB does an excellent job differentiating them as always.
- For some reason I loved seeing the mundane of Star Wars. The sleeping arrangements and mess hall scenes are always fascinating to me. What can I say? I’m a voyeur at heart.
- I love the throwback to the Tantive IV. It’s always nice when the animation team can make realistic and believable references.
- Barriss legitimately ran a clone through with a lightsaber. GRAPHICALLY. This was a good guy (human), under the influence of an outside power, who was killed by a Jedi. It doesn’t get any more adult than that.
- Oh Professor Fisto, can we just go sit on a beach and drink Red Stripe together?
- Barriss shattering the glass with the Force was visually stunning. Compared to Mace Windu’s glass shattering in the Ryloth Trilogy, hers is less controlled and more wild.
- I like the reuse of the medical outpost.
The Fugly
- The bugs. I HATE bugs. The slithering animation is so realistic that it scares the beejeezus out of me.
- Barriss begging Ahsoka to kill her. It really broke my heart.
Remember, there will be no new TCW until the new year. If you’re feeling bored and if you’re in need of a TCW fix, I suggest you invest in the Season One DVD of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I’ll have a review of the DVD box set up and running relatively soon. Please enjoy these stills from Brain Invaders!
In order to celebrate the “out with the old, in with the new” out with the old and ugly and in with the Hayden, we are having the first annual? biannual? monthly? TheAdorkable.Net Giveaway! The rules are simple: Comment if you want to win. There will be three prizes in order of sheer Star Wars awesomeness. Also, brown bag special.
First Prize: An amazing SW gift basket of choice items put together by yours truly.
Second Prize: A slightly less amazing, but just as thoughtfully chosen SW gift basket.
Third Prize: We’re embracing the fact that you showed up at all… You’re getting something.
You have until Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 12 AM EST to submit all comments. Winners will be announced over the weekend. Spread the word: Everyone loves free crap!
Dear Readers,
You may have noticed some huge tiny changes at your neighborhood blog. For starters, please notice the custom URL.
I’d also like to introduce y’all to the technological mastermind behind the switch, one Mister Eric J. Geller. If adventure had a name it wouldn’t be Eric, but it might be his middle name, Jonathan. He will be contributing to the site as well as monitoring any technological issues. If you have any questions, please direct them to eric@theadorkable.net.
Another change you may have noticed is the theme. Yet again, the amazing Katie Cook is responsible for the header image.
Here at The Adorkable we want to focus on opinions, good and bad. If you’re a strongly opinionated and/or disgruntled gentlebeing, please email us at feedback@theadorkable.net and tell us why you want to join the team.
Please enjoy the new site.
Yours ever so truly,
Miss Mandy B
PS: Join us for the festivities in the next post!
The latest installment of TCW gifts us with several talking points: the grotesque, the holy-crap-how-did-they-do-that factor, and as per the usual, characterization. Firstly, I have to be honest. I was very much on edge during this episode. My expectations were, for once, not unreasonably high. Anytime someone mentions “zombies”, I have knee-jerk reaction of, “Oh, this again.” Coming into Friday night’s episode, the only thing I was thinking about were zombie bugs and how the HELL Dave was going to work them into Star Wars. Blah, Blah Deathtroopers, I know, I know… ONWARD.
So… the characterization… yeah, about that… Um, was it me or was Luminara a little out of character? From her initial spunky retorts addressed to Obi-Wan, to her “intending to grab him [Poggle]” she seemed more extroverted from the Luminara we were introduced to in Cloak of Darkness and Weapons Factory. The only thing I can think of that would herald this change is the loss of Barriss. Yes, she wasn’t present in Cloak of Darkness, but she was also uninjured, and Luminara had a replacement padawan of sorts at the time in Ahsoka. Perhaps she’s taking a page out of Anakin’s playbook. The plight of the padawans may have effected her Jedi-tude. Anakin, on the other hand, was in classic form. From his trademark worrying, to the disregard for diplomacy over action, Anakin was himself through and through. Ki-Adi-Mundi is as mellow as ever. For some reason I expected his character to be uppity and fussy. I suppose I had unrealistic Gilbert and Sullivan expectations. (I’m still waiting, Dave. Still waiting…) Obi-Wan, who appears to have gotten over his malaise faster than Ki-Of-The-Two-Brains, is back in functioning form. Any residual “Geonosian Fears” that I touched upon in my response to Landing At Point Rain seem to have dissipated. He is his normal, dry self. I thought it interesting that instead of waiting for reinforcements like Anakin championed, during their time in the catacombs, he pushed forward to save Luminara’s life. I considered it a role reversal of sorts between him and Anakin. I particularly enjoyed the scientific aspect of Obi-Wan’s character. In some ways it exemplifies the Jedi detachment sentiment.
In my notes for the show, I have a single word written several times: faces. I noticed that in Legacy of Terror we see close-ups of the characters’ faces more so than in any other episode. It ties into the whole “horror/thriller” vibe of the episode. Seeing the reactions to the zombies and the queen before we see or understand the “threat” adds a psychological thrill to the viewing. The untraditional angles also lend a hand in unbalancing the viewer, and including them in the characters’ predicament.
Another interesting element to Friday’s episode was the sound design. Every sound was designed to set the viewer on edge. Whether it was the ominous clicking of the Geonosians or the slightly “slasher” film sounds throughout the episode, those guys created something downright scary. Also, I found the constant lightsaber hum to be reassuring in such frightening conditions. In addition to the sound effects, Dee Bradley Baker’s Queen Bee was singularly one of the most terrifying voices in SW history. It was grating and chilling, one couldn’t help but listen.
Also, I need to pose a question. Is Obes in charge re: rank wise to Luminara and possibly even Ki-Adi-Mundi? I ask this for several reasons *rolls the EU sleeves up and puts on the nerd glasses*: In Cloak of Deception I seem to remember a scene with Luminara and Obi-Wan where Obes was still clearly a padawan. So seniority wise, he should defer to her, no? I don’t know…that’s why I’m asking you guys.
I know y’all missed my list last week, so here’s an EXTRA long one to make up for it!
THE GOOD
- The Sandstorm: It was dusty, dusty eye candy.
- Was this the first mention of bacta in TCW? If it was, hooray!!
- Haters be hatin’, but I love battle droid humor. BDH gives me warm fuzzies.
- The bug “reliquaries” were freaky as all Hell.
- Mmmm… the return of Witty Banter (TM)!
- Were there space! spider webs in this episode? If there were, KUDOS.
- I absolutely love the idea of a Geonosian Hive mind. Also, the fact that Obes was willing to exploit it in order to win the war.
- The animation of the larvae was sickeningly real. Good job?
- EAT THEM, CONTROL THEM. It’s kind of a cake or death thing, no?
- I loved when Obes basically Force shoved Poggle the Tiny into the air.
THE FUG
- There were at times where I swore up and down I was playing a game of Zelda because of the background score.
- Zombie Bugs. As nifty as the idea was and as well executed, I could have done without it.
- The escape from the catacombs was very Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, hmm?
- Two words: Bug Vagina
Enjoy these stills from Legacy of Terror! read more…
Alright, let me give a quick disclaimer: I was waylaid by my own two feet on my way to the local television set in my household. For all you ladies and, um, men who like to wear women’s shoes, just take off your damn high heels before running to catch the latest installment of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (now back in its regularly scheduled time slot of 9PM/EST!). All that is to say, I was two minutes behind when I tuned into the second episode of the Geonosis Arc, “Weapons Factory”. Subsequently, I felt disoriented during the entire episode, whether or not that was because I missed the familiar newsreel and Anakin and Ahsoka briefing their troops or if it was the episode as a whole, I’m not sure.
There were several interesting aspects about tonight’s episode, but what I came away with were two prevailing themes: sacrifice and faith. Yes, those are running themes throughout the show, but I really feel like these were telegraphed strongly this evening. Anakin’s proposed distraction, sending the clones marching in parade formation down the bridge, is one of the first examples of sacrifice in the episode, and what a sacrifice it is. Personally, I don’t think it’s Anakin playing fast and loose with the clones’ lives. It’s just another indicator that clones are becoming more commodity than human. We see the two padawans, Barriss and Ahsoka, willingly undertake a dangerous mission into the honeycombed, Genosian underground while their respective masters distract the Separatist forces. As the episode progresses, Ahsoka and Barriss dig themselves literally and figuratively into a hole. Faced with the inevitable annihilation of their forces should they choose to preserve their own lives, the two padawans make a decision that they believe will cost their own lives for the greater good. On the flip side of this, Anakin is unwilling to sacrifice his padawan for this mission. His attempts to keep her close to him are met with resistance and ultimately failure. What I saw as a more, refreshing theme was that of faith. We see the old SW adage weakness of “Faith in your friends” evidenced in this episode as well. Though Anakin has no desire to see his padawan undertake this mission, no doubt remembering his own padawan experiences on Geonosis, he has complete faith that she would be able to complete the mission. In fact, more than once Skywalker audibly expresses his faith in her abilities. With his padawan as well as Luminara’s facing mortal peril, only his dogged faith in Ahsoka results in the padawans’ rescue. Ahsoka reciprocates his demonstration of faith telling Barriss that she knew her master, “would come looking for me.”
Juxtaposition was key in tonight’s show. Whether it was the master-padawan relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka and Luminara and Barriss or the partnership between the masters and padawans, it underscored the differences among the Jedi. Where Anakin and Ahsoka have a deeply personal and untraditional relationship that borders, to outsiders, on the disrespectful; Luminara and Barriss have a traditional and deferential teacher-student relationship.
My initial reaction to “Weapons Factory” was latter confirmed (at least to me). Side Note: I like things like this! The penultimate sequence was the first flag. Compare it to the Agni Kai duel in Part Three of Avatar: The Last Airbender: Sozin’s Comet. (Start the video around 7:25…) The muted sound effects and dialogue in conjunction with the musical score created a chilling visual and auditory effect. I was taken aback by how emotionally invested I was when this scene began. There were other little things reminiscent of ATLA as well: the “impenetrable” city, Barriss “drilling” into the Geonosian HQ, or something else my tired brain cannot remember. All in all, if I’m not reading too much into the episode, I enjoyed the little nods to Dave and Giancarlo’s past animated television series.
Another thing that I love about this series compared to the Tartakovsky micro-series, is the use of plausible Force feats. We see the standard faire: speed, jumps, agility; but as Bryan pointed out we saw a diverse and incredible use of Force skills in “Weapons Factory”. The Force enhanced upper body strength blew me away. ALSO, let’s discuss a little something. Was emotion used to fuel the force-aided rescue of the padawans? Hmmm? Just throwing that out there. It’s not as if Anakin is necessarily “dark” by this point. So what exactly is the definition of an emotional force user? I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of this in the coming episodes, and what degrades Anakin to where he is fully susceptible to the influence of Palpatine.
OH, I REMEMBER WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT!!! Okay, so EU Alarmists should run for the hills about now… Alan Dean Foster’s Approaching Storm? Yeah. You’re going to harp on this one for, like, years. Also, the MASH in Space books. Basically, I’ll just retcon the hell out of this for you: Barriss is not Anakin’s age. But, guess what this does set up! Go on, guess! Alright I’ll tell you, if Barriss is only slightly older than Ahsoka and is a Jedi Knight by the time of ROTS, then it stands to reason that Ahsoka may be as well. Suck on that, haters.
Also? I don’t care what any of y’all say… Ahsoka is not going to die. Sure you can rationalize it, but I won’t believe it. If by some snowball’s chance in hell we see her corpse on the season finale, I’ll chalk it up to sleep deprived hallucinations and pretend it never happened. So there.
Tune in next week for Part Three of the Geonosis Arc and enjoy these stills from “Weapons Factory”!
Tonight’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode of Landing At Point Rain was engaging on several levels. Firstly, because I did not post a response to the last episode, Senate Spy, I’d like to point out to all those people saying that Point Rain “makes up for the last one” that their conclusions are only slightly ridiculous. Senate Spy was something completely different that we, as an audience, have not seen in the Star Wars franchise; whereas when you boil down the latest episode, it’s just another Giant Battle ™. MOVING ON…
As I touched on earlier, Landing At Point Rain is a multilayered story. On the outside it’s a ground and air campaign against enemy forces on an epic scale. Another layer is seeing how the individual deals with the stress of war and in particular a battle. On the deepest level, it’s a study on the psyche of a survivor: Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ki-Adi-Mundi are returning to a place of slaughter of their Jedi brethren.
It’s interesting how each of them dealt with their emotions. Surprisingly, Obi-Wan seemed to be the most shaken of the group; particularly during his “last stand” moment in Act III. The other thing I noticed were the various characters’ coping mechanisms: Obi-Wan tends toward the witty banter, while Anakin and Ahsoka, on the surface, turn warfare into a competition. Anakin also becomes absolutely ruthless on the battlefield. Comparatively speaking, his fighting style is much more aggressive than any of his peerage. When faced with the knowledge of Obi-Wan’s crash and subsequent radio silence, he becomes intensely focused on the mission in order to maintain a modicum of calm. (How uncharacteristic…) Ahsoka, on the other hand, seems more conservative in this situation. (Keen viewers will notice her use of a “non-reverse grip” on her lightsaber towards the beginning of the episode, but as the stress of the battle reaches her, she reverts into older habits and the “reverse-grip” reappears.) In addition to the competitive streak and her fighting styles, Ahsoka’s sarcasm comes back in full force. Regarding Obi-Wan’s desperation in this episode, I have a theory: Over the past 10 years Anakin has been his coping mechanism. He could always revert into teacher mode when they were a Master/Padawan team. Obi-Wan no longer has that luxury in this situation. All he has left is sighing and beard stroking. Ki-Adi-Mundi and his 17 brains seem to be just fine.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the first time, excluding the abominable snowmen, that we have seen the Jedi and clone forces fighting and destroying an army of flesh and blood, or rather exoskeleton and goo, enemies? I think it is. That, in itself, raises the stakes to a level we have not yet seen. It’s not just a pile of metal bodies at the end of the day anymore. These are living creatures. That said, the Genosians were terribly menacing to me. Their noises and aggravated clicking were actually causing me stress. I wonder if that’s the multi-talented DBB providing the sounds… Though I can’t tell y’all how bad I wanted one of the Flamethrower! Clones to say, “Did someone call the exterminator?” in a really gravelly Clint Eastwood voice.
OMG, now it’s time for my LIST! Don’t you just love them?
The Good:
- The Animation: I know I say this every time, but these guys just keep on getting better and better. I have never seen anything like this on an animated series. Lucasfilm Animation is setting the bar on all future projects for themselves and the industry itself.
- Realistic Smoke and, um, Dirt Chunks
- Hello, Waxer & Boil! Long time, no battle.
- Blood! Blood! Blood! Seeing Obi-Wan looking legitimately injured took this episode to a whole other level.
- Excellent use of the Force. I enjoyed seeing the concentrated efforts of Anakin and Ahsoka. These are realistic Force properties.
- Fire: My inner pyromaniac got all excited.
- Yularen is more bitchtastic every episode and I love it.
- The final assault was something completely new. I don’t think we’ve ever seen something like that on TCW. The only way I can describe it is a “moving mural”.
- Ki-Adi-Mundi owned them all. He was so adorkable, he genuinely thought he was going to get some candy or a nice gift card to the local space Applebees at the end.
The Fugly:
- Whose assault plan was this? Can someone with stratergery explain it to me using small words and perhaps a diagram?
- I am normally a fan of Kevin Kiner’s scoring decisions. This may be the first time where the music did not enhance the show for me.
- Pacing: This episode wore me out. I enjoy some downtime in an episode and there was NONE of that here. All I need is a good thirty seconds to a minute of respite, but the pace of Landing At Point Rain was absolutely relentless. (Though, I have a feeling this was intentional.)
As I said on twitter, The only thing I hate about TCW is waiting for the next episode. Please enjoy these stills courtesy of the kind folks at the official site. read more…
