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Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Clone Wars: Season Four

We have reached the end of Season Four in our exploration of The Clone Wars.   Episode posts resume next Tuesday with Season Five.  But first, a quick reflection...

General Impressions

I won't mince words.  Season Four was disappointing.  I was feeling so great about the series after such a strong Season Three but here, it stumbled.  Formula is starting to creep in.  Too many droid stories, too.  A character is resurrected unnecessarily.  There are good stories here and there but it seems to me like the series has passed its peak and is now on the way down.


Favorite Episode: "Plan of Dissent"
via Wookieepedia
The best arc of the season is the General Krell story.  Pong Krell, a Besalisk Jedi, takes command of the 501st Legion when Anakin is recalled to Coruscant.  Krell is a tyrant with little regard for the well-being of the clone troopers.  The narrative is told mostly from the point of view of the troopers as they chafe under his leadership.  "Plan of Dissent" is the third in the four-episode story arc.  I choose it as the best for its strong similarities with the first season episode "Rookies" in its climactic scene.


Least Favorite Episode: "Nomad Droids"
via Wookieepedia
Not just a droid story but a two-part arc?  Really?  Must we?  Good grief...

"Nomad Droids" is the second part of said arc.  Artoo and Threepio escape in a Y-wing when their cruiser comes under attack.  They find adventures laced with Wizard of Oz and Gulliver's Travels allusions.  Normally, I'd be giddy about Oz references but here they just leave me tired.  Enough with the droids already!


Favorite New Character: Pong Krell
via Wookieepedia
Krell's a bastard but he's fascinating.  The relationship between the Jedi and the clones is the most interesting story going in the Clone Wars and the Krell arc shows that relationship at its worst.


Onward

On to Season Five next week.  I'm definitely hoping for improvement.  Hondo Ohnaka is back in the first episode.  That seems like a good sign.

Please visit my friend Andrew Leon today for his Season Four recap.  Next Tuesday: "Revival."
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8 comments:

  1. Andrew LeonFebruary 2, 2017 at 1:14 AM

    Yeah, season four has definitely been a low point. I do remember liking season five, but I'm not confident in my memory, now, after season four.

    And, you know, as I said at the time, I would have really liked "Nomad Droids" if it had been placed almost anywhere else within the series.

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    1. The Armchair SquidFebruary 12, 2017 at 9:42 AM

      Can't agree with you on that last point. I've had enough of droid stories for a good long while.

      Delete
  2. Andrew LeonFebruary 2, 2017 at 12:04 PM

    Hey, what are you using as your first episode of season five? I see that imdb has "Revival" listed as ep. 1, but "A War on Two Fronts" is the first episode on the disc set. "Revival" isn't until ep. 8 or something.

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    1. The Armchair SquidFebruary 12, 2017 at 9:43 AM

      I'm guessing the DVD order matches the original, intended order whereas imdb and Netflix have them ordered by actual air date.

      Delete
  3. Andrew LeonFebruary 12, 2017 at 10:33 AM

    Yeah, I know imdb has them ordered by air date, but I don't know why this one would have been intended to be in some other order. Maybe it will become clear later.

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    1. The Armchair SquidFebruary 13, 2017 at 8:59 AM

      Here's one possible explanation: while "Revival" seems like a natural continuation of the culminating arc for Season Four, they're actually by two different writers. "Brothers" and "Revenge" were written by Katie Lucas while "Revival" is by Chris Collins.

      Delete
    2. Andrew LeonFebruary 13, 2017 at 1:20 PM

      Yeah, maybe...

      Delete
    3. The Armchair SquidFebruary 13, 2017 at 1:36 PM

      So far, at least, I'm liking the next story better.

      Delete