The Clone Wars Season 4.

[Darksider]

Oh god that was stupid.

"Megaton must mean something different in the SW universe."

[Thinktank]

Can we actually discuss the series instead of having a drama storm about how accurate DK's numbers are, again..

So uhm. that Pong Krell, guy what a douche...

[The Romulan Republic]

God, Anakin's going to be pissed when he gets back, and finds out that some moron of a general got half his men killed.

[Darksider]

I'm thinking that's the point. Remember, Anakin was recalled by Palpatine, so it's possible he had some hand in Krell's re-assignment as well. This whole think might be an attempt to push Anakin closer to the dark side.

[JME2]

I'm thinking that's the point. Remember, Anakin was recalled by Palpatine, so it's possible he had some hand in Krell's re-assignment as well. This whole think might be an attempt to push Anakin closer to the dark side.

I'm thinking you're right -- and to also sow seeds of distrust between Anakin and the more conservative, close-minded elements of the Jedi.

[RogueIce]

So it turns out Krell turned to the Dark Side and was intentionally trying to kill clones while throwing the battle. That's an interesting little twist.

You know what I would have liked to see though? Kenobi's reaction when Rex made his report to him. I mean seriously, that would be huge: a Jedi Master going rogue like that and trying to kill his subordinates? I'd really hope it gets referenced somewhere. Seeing what Obi wan and Anakin would think when they hear about it from Rex. This really seems like something too large to just move on from when the next episode rolls around. It deserves a mention - at the very, very least - in the future.

The best part of the episode is definately when Rex figured out they were shooting each other. His desperate run, ordering his troops to take off their helmets, and the sheer devestation you can see in the troopers when it all sinks in...damn. The music, always an excellent part of this show, was also fantastic in this scene.

And when they were fighting Krell outright, well, that was just brutal. Even aside from when he was slashing up clones, he basically pulled a Bane on that one trooper and snapped his spine with his own bare hands! This show has definately not flinched when it comes to the violence of war, and this episode is another notch on that particular belt.

[Thinktank]

Agreed. This arc has been both thematically and visually very impressive.
Pong Krell's fighting style was stunningly effective. Watching it had me wondering how
effective Grievous would have been if he had been become force sensitive by Dooku's
experiments. Pong Krell's double-double saber method at first seemed kind of silly,
but after seeing it in action "balls out", my jaw dropped a little. I bet those troopers
never wanted a flame-thrower or chemical-thrower team so bad in their accellerated lives.

I hope they do not drop the ball on the Darth Maul "Miss me?" plot.

[AndroAsc]

Fucking shit... I always thought Krell was a hard-ass numbers-only guy, but I did not expect him to fall to the dark side. Well... it's nice to know that Clone Wars has surprised me this season.

[Riquende]

Well, I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping Krell would be used to show how the extended war is affecting otherwise-good Jedi, turning them away from their guiding principles and showing that the Order is struggling to cope with its role in the modern galaxy. Instead we get a 'He's a less than perfect Jedi... Surprise! He's turned to the Dark Side & wants to be a Sith' story.

I feel it's a missed opportunity for some broader, deeper storytelling. I suppose at times I forget it's a kids' cartoon...

Overall it was n excellent little arc. I like it when Star Wars veers away from showing us what main characters are up to, and Umbara looked excellent visually.

[The Romulan Republic]

Keep in mind that "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny..." Even if Krell started out the way you suggest, he could have quickly turned into a full-blown Dark Jedi.

[The Romulan Republic]

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to comment on the latest episode.

The depiction of slavery is absolutely brutal. We see slaves being tortured, we see one of them commit suicide rather than face her masters' torments. We see slaves casually murdered. We also get the implication that Ashoka's previous owner in her cover story was into little girls. I'm still shocked they included that. The queen's interactions with Anakin were disgusting as well. Its pretty obvious she wants a sexual relationship with her prisoner.

The Queen's philosophy (survival of the fittest, viewing service as slavery) was very Sith-like. She may be pushing Anakin too far for her own good though. He already Force choked her once.

I honestly feel they went too far for a Star Wars cartoon. This was dark as hell.

Nice allusion to Return of the Jedi though with the light sabres concealed in R2D2 though.

[RogueIce]

My opinions thus far: overall good, and definately exploring territory that hasn't been explored before.

The first episode, TBH, felt a little too rushed in its pacing. This episode was a whole lot better. It flowed really, really well. I could easily have sat for another 30 minutes and not even noticed.

As TRR says above, this is pretty dark. They're really upping the ante this season as far as not being a kids show, that's for sure. Is it too much? Well, for what the supposed demographic is, it might well be. On the other hand, they're definately not pulling their punches here, and I see that as a good thing overall, for the show and animated medium in general. I think it's rated TV-PG, and it's certainly earning that one.

[The Romulan Republic]

It was a well-done episode in many respects. Visually the series remained consistently good (though not the best I've seen from this series), their were some nice bits of continuity, and the story featured some character development as well as showing the reality of how horrible war and slavery really are.

It just went places I would not have expected this show to go. They seem to be slowly pushing things in terms of how dark and adult the series gets. Not sure how smart that is as it could put off parents and cost them younger viewers. Then again, this is a show that probably doesn't have to worry that much about ratings, since it has the weight of George Lucas behind it. Didn't he state that there'd be a certain number of episodes minimum regardless of ratings?

Edits: minor changes to the first sentence.

[Darth Fanboy]

Just watched the newest episode, does anyone know what those new Z91 looking fighters are called exactly?

[Darksider]

It's a clone-specific variant of the Z-95.

This episode was pretty awesome. I seriously wasn't expecting Obi-Wan's actions at the end.

[The Romulan Republic]

I thought it was a bit out of character. How bad must his captivity have been to push him to allow the execution of a prisoner?

[JME2]

It just went places I would not have expected this show to go. They seem to be slowly pushing things in terms of how dark and adult the series gets. Not sure how smart that is as it could put off parents and cost them younger viewers. Then again, this is a show that probably doesn't have to worry that much about ratings, since it has the weight of George Lucas behind it. Didn't he state that there'd be a certain number of episodes minimum regardless of ratings?

I think it was stated when the show debuted that the goal was to do 100 episodes -- also, incidentally, the same number planned for Young Indy before it got cancelled.

[AndroAsc]

I honestly feel they went too far for a Star Wars cartoon. This was dark as hell.

Dude what the hell is your problem? Are you like a fucking 5 year old? The last few episodes were good. My only comments was that it was not dark enough. Not everyone wants mediocre shit like you do... if you're looking for that go watch Care Bears.

I'm surprised that Obi-wan did not kill the mother fucker in charge of the slave outpost himself, as it would have been more realistic. Yes, I know Jedi are supposed to be the paragon good guys, but being totally helpless for weeks would have taken its toll on his psyche (I would think).

[The Romulan Republic]

Dude what the hell is your problem? Are you like a fucking 5 year old? The last few episodes were good. My only comments was that it was not dark enough. Not everyone wants mediocre shit like you do... if you're looking for that go watch Care Bears.

I would flame you for your preposterous and offensive overreaction, but I suspect you're looking for a fight and I don't want to indulge you.

I have no problem with dark. But there is a difference between what I expect from a Star Wars cartoon marketed at young audiences, and what I expect from, say, a horror movie or a documentary about genocide.

I also dislike your equation of not dark and mediocre, and frankly I think that equating dark with good is the kind of nonsense I would expect from a teenager of the Goth variety.

I'm surprised that Obi-wan did not kill the mother fucker in charge of the slave outpost himself, as it would have been more realistic. Yes, I know Jedi are supposed to be the paragon good guys, but being totally helpless for weeks would have taken its toll on his psyche (I would think).

I would think so too, but Obi-wan's nickname's is "The Negotiator", he is a Jedi master, and he has been trained since an early age in emotional restraint.

[AndroAsc]

Dude what the hell is your problem? Are you like a fucking 5 year old? The last few episodes were good. My only comments was that it was not dark enough. Not everyone wants mediocre shit like you do... if you're looking for that go watch Care Bears.

I would flame you for your preposterous and offensive overreaction, but I suspect you're looking for a fight and I don't want to indulge you.

I have no problem with dark. But there is a difference between what I expect from a Star Wars cartoon marketed at young audiences, and what I expect from, say, a horror movie or a documentary about genocide.

I also dislike your equation of not dark and mediocre, and frankly I think that equating dark with good is the kind of nonsense I would expect from a teenager of the Goth variety.

You should look at your earlier comments before passing judgement. We've suffered enough mediocre crap from this TV series as it is - minimalistic representation of military forces, absolutely no serious continuity in storyline, and absolutely no depth in the plot. Might as well call it the "Adventures of Obi-Wan and Anakin". The only saving grace this TV series has is the "Star Wars" label and the occasional eye candy which is good (I will admit that). So when the series does occasionally takes a turn for the better, and we have whiners like you complaining that it is not dumbed down enough for your kids, I do get peeved.

I'll be honest, I don't give a damn about the kiddish market Clone Wars is supposed to target. What I want is a more realistic and better storyline, and since this is about Clone WARS, it's not supposed to be bright and sunny, a dark setting is appropriate, realistic and believable. You want kiddish star wars cartoon, go watch the 1980s Ewoks or Droids.

I'm surprised that Obi-wan did not kill the mother fucker in charge of the slave outpost himself, as it would have been more realistic. Yes, I know Jedi are supposed to be the paragon good guys, but being totally helpless for weeks would have taken its toll on his psyche (I would think).

I would think so too, but Obi-wan's nickname's is "The Negotiator", he is a Jedi master, and he has been trained since an early age in emotional restraint.

Fair enough.

[Darksider]

Is it just me, or has the CW staff taken their game up a notch lately? I haven't disliked a single episode in Season 4 yet, and the last few have been great.

[RogueIce]

So this was a good episode. Yes, we all know Obi wan can't really die, but that doesn't lessen the impact it has on Anakin. And the show is plenty smart enough to "resolve" that quickly (for the audience) because yeah, you really couldn't surprise us with a reveal. We've all seen Episodes III and IV, after all.

Nice to see Cade Bane back. And they also had Boba Fett show up...as pretty much a cameo. Take that fanboys!

Looking forward to the whole arc. Anakin's definately going to go to the edge here. So what will pull him back: Obi wan himself? Asohka? Himself?

[The Original Nex]

Fun episode. Unimpressed with the Republic's prison security though.

[Darksider]

Come on. It was Cad Bane. Have we ever seen him lose? He's seriously one-upped Fett in the Awesome Bounty Hunter department.

[JME2]

Come on. It was Cad Bane. Have we ever seen him lose? He's seriously one-upped Fett in the Awesome Bounty Hunter department.

And unlike Fett, I'm not sick of Bane yet.