Who’s
responsible?
Story is credited to Bryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, Paul Rudish (“2
Stupid Dogs,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “The
Powerpuff Girls,” “Samurai Jack”) and Genndy Tartakovsky
(“Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Samurai Jack”).
What
does Cartoon Network say?
Ten new episodes, Chapters 11-20, are scheduled to air on Cartoon
Network weekdays at 8 p.m. (ET, PT) from Friday, March 26-Thursday,
April 8. Chapters 11-20 advance the animated saga of the Clone Wars.
Taking center stage is the battle between Anakin Skywalker and his
would-be assassin, the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, protégé
of the evil Sith lord Count Dooku. Meanwhile, on the desert planet
of Dantooine, Mace Windu must single-handedly take on an army of Droid
soldiers. And Yoda undertakes a mission to rescue two fellow Jedi,
Barriss Offee and Luminara Unduli, who are trapped on the icy planet
Ilum. He is joined by Padme Amidala, C-3PO and R2-D2 on this dangerous
mission.
The
big news?
These final ten chapters are way better than the first ten, and the
movie prequels for that matter. They're certainly teeming with touches
that will trigger the endorphins of every “Stars Wars”
fan geeky enough to have geeked out over episodes I, II and VI. Anakin
has his big showdown with Asajj on what appears to be Yavin IV (where
Leia would later adorn Han and Luke with medallions). Ilum is a ringer
for Hoth, and even features creepy “spy-der” droids similar
to the ones that menaced the gang in the first act of “The Empire
Strikes Back.” One senses Ilum may play a pivotal role in Episode
III. Also? We don’t meet the Episode III character Grievous
until Chapter 20.
Do
the Clone Wars end?
They do not, though the conflict with the “I.G. Banking Clan”
that Anakin and Obi joined in the first ten episodes is declared concluded
at the start of chapter 20.
Does
Anakin reunite with Padme? Does Dooku die? Does Yoda buy a summer
home on Dagobah? Does Qui Gon advise anyone to use The Force?
No, no, no and no.
Can
you summarize and make up a fake title for Chapter 11, O Hercules?
WHO’S THAT SITH? When Asajj Ventress attacks, Anakin realizes
she’s not a droid and the Force is really, really strong with
her. He leaves that banking-clan planet with all the Roman architecture
to give pursuit. “Do not follow that ship,” commands General
Kenobi from the ground. Anakin ignores Obi, then disappears until
chapter 17. “Take a squadron and follow him,” moans Obi-Wan.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” C+
Chapter
12?
THE STAMPING HORROR. The action abruptly shifts to the wheat fields
of Dantooine, where Mace and his clone troops find their battle with
the separatist robots interrupted by what looks kind of like a floating
sandcrawler. The massive vehicle, piloted by those “roger roger”
robots, demonstrates its ability to generate devastating sandstorms
by stamping the planet’s surface. These machine-made sandstorms
manage to disable most of the Windu’s clone troops. Macey discovers
he’s completely lost his pretty purple lightsabre as thousands
of robots tighten a circle around him. B
Chapter
13?
INHERIT THE WINDU. Part two of the Mace story demonstrates that the
blackest, baldest Jedi don’t need no stinking lightsabre. Master
Windu merely obliterates the metal hordes with his fists and telekinesis,
even disabling one pesky bot by psychically stripping the mechanical
man of its bolts. Mace recovers his sabre and uses it to open the
gigantic “stamper” like a can of beans. The chapter ends
with a parody of an old soft drink commercial as a local boy offers
the battered Jedi a tasty beverage. B+
Chapter
14?
THE TEMPLE IS BREACHED. Another abrupt change of venue. Just as Barriss
Offee - an alien female who runs a kind of secret, sacred Jedi finishing
school on a secret Hoth-like planet called Ilum - declares female
humanoid Luminara Unduli a Jedi grad, invisible spy-der droids arrive
to menace the girls. The bots pile gigantic boulder upon gigantic
boulder upon the two Jediettes. Far away, a familiar tiny green fellow
senses a disturbance in the Force. “To Ilum we must go!”
A-
Chapter
15?
YODA VS. THE INVISOBOTS. Yoda is with Padme, Capt. Typho, Artoo and
Threepio on a shiny spaceship. He uses the Jedi mind trick to convince
Typho to change their plans. “Save the lives of Jedi I must,”
repeats Typho. Padme happens to have a skin-tight snow-bunny suit
aboard, but Yoda tells the others to stay put. “Call you I will,
if assistance I require.” There is much fighting, and the installment
ends with Yoda mind-lifting the giant boulders to see what’s
left underneath. B-.
Chapter
16?
THE MISSING JEDI. “I have a bad feeling about this,” mutters
Padme. “Master Yoda has been gone too long.” Ordering
Artoo and Threepio to to accompany her, she uses her cloak to bait
an invisodroid, then uses a terrified Threepio the same way. Yoda
appears with Offee and Unduli from chapter 14, and holo-instructions
from Count Dooku are found: “Find the temple on Ilum and destroy
it.” B
Chapter
17?
THE JUNGLE PERIL. We pick up Anakin essentially where we left him
in Chapter 11. He follows skull-faced Sith’s pet Asajj Ventress
to what looks suspciously like Yavin IV, and Obi’s clones arrive
moments later. Anakin orders the clones to sweep the jungle, and Asajj
makes good sport of dashing the hapless clones against trees with
her brawny telekinesis. Anakin spots the last surviving clone. “What
happened?” he asks, and is answered only with an explosion that
blows the clone to bits. Asajj emerges to claim credit. “You’re
going to pay for what you’ve done,” snarls Anakin. “Your
fall will be my ascension to the Sith,” sneers Asajj. A-
Chapter
18?
BLADES IN THE FOREST. Anakin and Asajj fight, bouncing off, swinging
from and climbing the local fauna like they spilled over from “Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or something. Asajj continues to use two
lightsabres at once and tosses thick logs at her opponent. The two
star each other down. It begins to rain. Drops turn to steam as they
hit the sabres. B-
Chapter
19?
VENGEANCE ON YAVIN. The fight moves indoors to the flooded stone relics.
Stone columns are flung. They battle to the top of a stone structure.
Asajj bats away Anakin’s sabre. Anakin grabs Asajj’s wrists
and prys away one of her sabres. The stone structure crumbles beneath
Asajj’s feet as they continue to fight. Anakin sees the faces
of Yoda, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as she plummets to her death. Anakin
screams. B-
Chapter
20?
DARK CLOUD OF THE SITH. “The I.G. Banking Clan has surrendered,”
announces General Kenobi. “The Republic is victorious.”
Anakin returns to the banking-clan planet flying Asajj’s ship.
“It was a trap,” acknowledges Commander Skywalker. “One
set by the Sith.” “I find the Sith’s interest in
you most troubling,” replies Obi-Wan. A “Master Barrick”
sends word that the Jedi are under siege elsewhere. Barrick’s
message is cut short when the separtists’ General Grievous steps
on his communicator.
The
action shifts to Barrick’s planet, where the Jedi are waiting
for Grievous to make his next move. The hiding Jedi say things like
“Why have they stopped?” “He is unstoppable!”
“This is the end!” “We’re all doomed!”
“He is coming again!” “We can’t face him!”
Things go very badly. It turns ouit Grievous can wield three lightsabres
at one time. Grievous whittles the Jedi down until it’s just
him and the terrified, tall-headed Andy Dick Jedi. Just as Grievous
goes in for the final kill … B
Yes?
How does it end, spoiler-boy? Highlite to read
… we cut to Yoda, who looks wistfully
toward the horizon. “Darker the coming storm grows,” he
moans. “The dark cloud of the Sith shrouds us all.”
What’s
good?
The movies’ more important characters have bigger roles in this
second set of 10.
What’s
not so good?
Asajj can be killed by a fall? Why doesn’t she just save herself
with telekinesis?
Herc’s rating
for “Clone Wars” 1.11-1.20?
***1/2