March 16 2012

view: (720p)




"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Episode Guide: Revenge


Synopsis: Savage and Maul - now reunited - pursue Obi-Wan Kenobi in search of revenge - and the Jedi Knight finds himself forced to unite with a surprising ally to defend against the deadly siblings.

view: (SD-HDTV)

Awesome finish to a stellar season!

Darth Maul's true return was handled really well. Maybe enough to soften the opinions of last episode's detractors? His animation and dialogue were top-notch. Go Witwer!

Also, the addition of Ventress was a welcome continuation of the last episode she was in. And the banter between her and Obi-Wan was very cool.

The all-red lightsaber battle was totally perverted. And when it was just Obi-Wan and Maul, the reflection of the blue/red light from their laser swords on the environment was more vibrant and eye-catching than usual.

Oh, and I totally loved the subtle creaking sound effect heard during the shot of the transport ship after Obi-Wan and Ventress eject from it. Like some rusty ol' bucket of evil.

Kinda minor, but I saw/heard references to THX 1138 (a random droid repeatedly bumping into a wall) and The Dark Knight (Darth Maul saying something to the effect of wanting to see "the world burn").

I agree. This episode had a combination of the best elements from the TV series: witty writing; a cinematic flair; well-choreographed action sequences; and thoughtful art design (which rivals most Hollywood features).

The transformation scene probably shot the fx budget for this season. If it did, it was worth it.

Maul’s remembrance of the Clone Wars conspiracy could be a big plot point. In order to keep him from blabbing, Sidious may have to personally put Maul down.

“Of course I survived” Maul says. “I should have aimed for your neck” Kenobi says. LOL in both cases.

Oooh. I caught that rather telling detail too. He says something like, "...it [the Clone Wars] started without me."

Despite being negative about the last episode, I think I got myself hyped up over the week and that added to the enjoyment. It was great to be asking, will someone die? I don't think the series ever made me wonder that before, but now with Maul, Assaj and Savage, well, they could kick the can at anytime and that isn't a bad thing.


I think we had to assume already that Maul knew stuff. I mean, someone like that must have known that he spent his whole life in hiding for a reason. I doubt he knows too many specifics about the Clone Wars themselves (after all, the ordering of the army happens at just about the same time as his death). But the Jedi must be wanting to capture him and get him talking. Dave Filloni said that we are going to see Sidious in an upcoming season and see that things aren't going exactly to plan. Perhaps Maul fits into that?

Now, WHERE IS MY SEASON 5 TRAILER!?

I think we'll get a Season 5 trailer this weekend since this is the same weekend that WonderCon is being held.

I'll eat my words a bit.

I really liked this episode. I like the way Maul was handled in the middle and latter parts of the show even though I still think it's contrived to bring him back. He adds a LOT of complexity to the Clone Wars; he and Savage are sort of game wreckers for both sides of the Clone Wars. I love it.

I also really like the Ventress arc and her part in this episode. It's kind of weird that she went from having this "grand moment" of self-realization after the heist only to be reduced to a common bounty hunter, but whatever.

Overall it was an excellent season. CW remains one of the best shows on TV.

Unfortunately TCW is not at WonderCon...

I don't think she was reduced to a common bounty hunter, more like reduced to a common low life sitting in a bar drinking. If you look at the episode, the bounty hunters are all standing around watching that screen (which seemed a little strange, but whatever) and she is off to the side. When one of them says "Savage Opress", she jumps in.

And I doubt she is in it for the credits, the title of the episode applies to more than one character in this episode. By my count, three.

Finally got round to watching the episode & I must say I was very impressed. They handled Maul perfectly I thought. It was very strange seeing Obi-Wan wielding a red lightsaber.

My youngest son’s reaction to Maul still being alive at the end of the episode and the realisation that he will be in season 5 was priceless.

Here is an early prediction for you by my eldest son… he thinks that Maul will be the one who wipes out some, if not most, of the characters that we don’t see in the movies…..he thinks that Maul will kill Ahsoka! He might not be far from the truth…time will tell!

Overall…the best season so far, without a doubt!

That’s an interesting prediction. In retrospect, there is a rich potential of story lines for his character. So, it makes sense that the show would bring Maul back in spite of the contrived nature of his return.

In a recent interview, Filoni stated that there are big things in store for the Maul next year.

[hr]The audience doesn't know if Maul is going to be around for one episode, two episodes, or 20 episodes. One thing I will say is he's far more cunning and intelligent than what people gave him credit for. He's not just the blunt instrument you saw in "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace." He has a strategy and some things to work out with Savage Opress about who's really in control. He's involved in a spectacular storyline in the next season. It's a real chance for us to explore this character in a way that we didn't have the time to in "The Phantom Menace."[hr]
It’s clear that Maul has large designs. (He tells Savage that he is merely “starting” with revenge.) I see one possible scenario where Maul and Savage are on the verge of winning the Clone Wars with their own third-party faction. The Republic and Separatists may have to temporarily align to defeat Maul.

I still maintain that Deathwatch and Maul will join-up. If he needs a ready-made army, they provide a good starting point. Plus, Death Watch has no love for the Republic or Confederates.

I don’t foresee a happy ending. Both Witwer and Filoni have suggested a power imbalance between Maul and Savage. I think their relationship will devolve into a Cain and Able / Romulus and Remus death spiral.


I agree with both references. Maul’s tactic for getting Kenobi’s attention was along the same lines as the Joker’s execution of the pseudo-Batman in TDK.


Since season 5 is at least 6 months away, there’s no reason to build-up hype now.

Regarding season 5, I think Ventress is going to get new lightsabers. After re-watching the episode, I realized that she lost one of sabers on the freight ship. Since she is neither Sith or Jedi, there may be a new canonized color. Gray would make sense since it’s a neutral color and matches her skin tone. I would hope that yellow is being considered. After all, Death Watch uses yellow blaster bolts and they're third party characters.

Regarding next year’s finale, I wouldn’t be shocked if Jango (or at least a Clone impersonating Jango) is the yearend surprise. Jango’s return would give Lucas a chance to explore his relationship with Boba in more detail. The OS has already suggested a future mentor for Boba.

I don't think so. Lucas made it clear that there are no more lightsaber colours other than the ones shown in the movies. Nick Gillard asked for a yellow lightsaber and Lucas refused.



Yes, according the Season 2 DVD, they chose yellow to represent Mandalorian tech. However, laser bolts colours are unrelated to lightsaber colours. (I still would like to know what's their reason to change bolts colours though. They did it with the Jedi starfighters and Republic gunships, from green to blue bolts.)

Extensive interview about this past season with Dave Filoni here. Some hints about what's to come in season 5 at the end of the interview.

Thanks for the heads-up on the interview. It sounds like season 5 is going to be just as eventful as the previous year.


Since Asajj is unaffiliated, there’s case for a new color. Since Jedi only use cool colors (green, blue, purple), it doesn’t make sense that a Jedi would have a warm color like red, yellow, or orange.

The show has introduced new saber colors: white, black, and light green. If Lucas’ daughter makes a good case for a new color, I don't ’t see any indication that it wouldn’t happen. (Maybe she’ll ask for feminist pink blades?)

However, upon further thought, I think it is more likely that Asajj will maintain her one red saber and adopt either her green Padawan saber or the blue saber she used against Dooku on Serrano. Having one Sith blade and one Jedi blade is the prefect symbol of her complex personality.

Well, in the prior episode, she did not really become a bounty hunter after all. She violated the first contract out of empathy (of all things) and she did not take much of the bounty if my memory is correct.

In this episode (no spoiler as such), what she does is not related to a bounty or contract.