December 3 2010

view: (720p)



"Truth can strike down the specter of fear"

Episode Guide: Pursuit Of Peace

Episode Air No: 55
Production No: 307

Director: Duwayne Dunham
Writer: Daniel Arkin

Synopsis: Padmé, Bail Organa & Onaconda Farr attempt to rally Senators in opposition to a bill that would appropriate funds for millions of new clone troops and have disastrous financial consequences for the Republic.

view: (SD HDTV)

[align=center]SEASON THREE PREVIEW VIDEO 2011[/align]
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There were so many things not to like about in much of this episode:

• They got Aaron Sorkin to guest write/direct Padme and Bail’s walk to her office.

• Wait? The Banking Clan openly admits loaning to and working with the Separatists, but if Padme talks to one Separatist senator she’s automatically a traitor? The Banking Clan’s dual nature seems like a too convenient ploy to show why this new act is bad.

• The script draws too heavily on issues that are happening at present on our world. When you start referencing my world in SW, you pull me out of the one on screen.

• The dive bar scene was pretty cool, but it seems to me that the animators like to put a gyrating twi’lek in every shot they can. Wait, on second thought ... there’s nothing wrong with this scene.

• What fucking droid sips coffee in their squad speeder?!

• *slow clap*


That being said, I feel that the last three minutes or so pretty much made up for the dull setup. First of all, I never expected to see someone have a knife held to their throat in Star Wars, much less a main character on the Clone Wars. But they did it so kudos to them. Padme’s impassioned speech didn’t feel like a cheap emotional grab and the scene was really well done.

Finally, it was really cool to see Palps talking at the end of the episode with Mas Amedda about whether they should interfere with Padme’s progress. It’s nice to see him thinking (and speaking) as Sidious while in his Palpatine guise. That’s something we rarely in Star Wars, whether in the films or so far through this show. I liked it and I really hope I see more of it.

If there is a transformation, there’s no guarantee that it will take place at the screening next week. The episode could simply introduce Opress and show his training. Later, the Asajj arch could fill in the details of his origin.



• I really enjoyed this episode. I thought the story tied the emotion, political maneuvering, and action together perfectly. The political discussion itself was as intelligent as any primetime drama. (And speaking of that, it’s interesting how Bail’s model resembles and mimics Jimmy Smits so closely.)

• Publicly, the Banking Clan is a neutral party. Padme is on the side of the Republic, and therefore, should not be associating with the enemy Separatists.

• The concepts of a financially hamstrung government and violence against political opponents are taken directly from Germany during the rise of Nazism.

• Maybe it's oil?

• It’s not a slow clap. The only Senators clapping slowly are those who support the funding bill.


I agree. The editing, camera movements, and voice acting during the speech were all spot on.

Palpatine’s faith in the Senate’s “wheels” is inverse to Padme’s. While Padme feels that the Senators can ultimately do what’s best for the most people, Palpatine believes that the Senate is too corrupt and politically fragile to resist his wishes. Sadly, he turns out to be right.

Like Heroes on Both Sides, the episode’s ending points to the larger picture where Padme, Bail, and the Republic are all dead. I hope they start to focus more on Mon Mothma in future episodes. At least, she turns out to be a winner.

Pretty sure the direction here is more along the lines of: "Gee, I know I've got all this power, and it sure is disappointing that a single senator can get in our way. We're gonna have to quash this senate thing some day, unfortunately that can't be today." This is more set-up for the eventual dissolution of the senate, not its corruption.

As far as Aaron Sorkin bit, I didn’t actually have a problem with any of the dialogue in that scene. It was very reminiscent of the West Wing, which I guess was kind of the point. The camera work was just a little too active for my tastes – especially the sweep-in closeup of Bail’s face at the end. (Maybe I’m just ‘spoiled’ by all of George’s static scenes from the PT ). However, I applaud them doing it because it’s something I’ve never seen in an animated show.



• You can’t tell me that there aren’t some obvious analogies being made with domestic issues here in the states. My problem was with the language presented in this episode; there are noticeable references to the same kind of speech made here in the last few years. Things like “education, infrastructure, healthcare” all suffering from a rising national debt caused from an ongoing war. Again, hitting close enough to home to pull me out of the story a bit.

• Yes, I figured that was the case. Nonetheless, it was an obvious gag that didn’t really work for me and so pulled me out of the scene again.

• Admittedly, it wasn’t the clap from Lucas or Cool Runnings, but it still made me laugh when I saw the Quarren start it.


In reference to the charity screening, I heard they will be showing a few episodes. Now, that doesn't mean they'll all be new - some might be a couple "fan favorites" from seasons past. However, my guess is the transformation scene will show up in some form if indeed the rumor is true.

Dear Dave Filoni and the Clone Wars team,

This season fucking sucks. These last few episodes summarize the primary complaint against the PT: NOBODY FUCKING CARES ABOUT INTEREST RATES ON LOANS IN FUCKING STAR WARS. THIS ISN'T C-SPAN.

I can't imagine the target demo of 15 year old boys understands anything that went on in this episode or even cares about any of the developments in this season from the bullshit on Mandalore to this junk on Coruscant.

I don't know what the hell is going on up in Marin County but these assholes have their heads firmly shoved up their ass this season.

Not to mention all this bumping around the timeline is becoming extremely distracting.

Good point; that makes sense.



While Nazi Germany wasn’t in an ongoing war, government spending shot-up in preparation for war:

“Things changed somewhat around 1936 when explicit plans for war began. Government spending increased dramatically, while increases in government revenue did not keep up. By FY 38-39, the last fiscal year before the war, expenditure exceeded revenue by 86% and total debt load exceeded annual revenue by 136%.” (source).

If the writers were trying to make modern-day parallels, it’s most likely in an effort to get the audience to relate to the story rather then pull them out. We’ll see. Again, I have a ticket to a screening. I’ll post here afterwards. I don’t have an i-phone. So, don’t expect any immediate information from me. (Sorry.)


Since Lucas drives the stories, you may want to address your complaints to him.

So far, I’m largely pleased with season 3. I feel that all episodes from The Academy on have been as good as the previous years. I especially enjoy the political stuff. To me, the show and the PT have handled this aspect in an intelligent and well-thought out manner.

It may resonate with kids as well. About a year ago, I was in Toys R Us and overheard a boy asking his mother for a Clone Wars Bail Organa action figure. In terms of an average teenage boy, you’re probably right. When they and most people think of Star Wars, the Death Star or Vader come to mind and not Senate bills.

Overall, I am surprised that the show has stayed so far away from the battlefield. The series may better serve a general audience with a one-to-one ratio of the war stories and the behind-the-scenes arches.

Since the animation has become more sophisticated, it seems as if the creative team wants the stories to follow suit. While this has been a hit or miss prospect early on, I can’t fault them for trying. Its better that they smarten-up the show rather than dumb-it down.

Excellent episode. Loved the political machinations and complexities. Nice balance with some action, too.

That was actually my favorite part of this episode.

Dee Bradley Baker needs some holidays

There's very little in this series that has not impressed me this far. I felt that this was one of the most well written episodes of the entire series; with the exception of Padmé taking a stroll by herself late at night. If the writers needed to separate her, simply to appease a portion the audience, who would rather see a high octane speeder bike chase, then perhaps they should have conjured up something else - but whatever - seeing the Selkath from KotOR was a really nice touch and I hope to see more of them in the near future.

Some people may have a problem with the heavy political themes in Season III, but I feel that this is necessary, as it is important to show the war going on in the senate, just as much as it is, to show the fighting on the front lines.

We're being shown the formation of the Empire here, inch by inch, instead of seeing it in broad strokes as seen in the Prequel Trilogy. This I find intriguing because I for one have always wondered how it went down; where did the massive resources for Palpatine's new order actually come from - this is it! I think it's a ballsy endeavour, to have such mature themes, in what is perceived to be, a children's cartoon. I think it transcends being a mere kid's show and is breaking new ground.

Really looking forward to the Savage episodes. The four week break is a little much.
I really wish CN would take pity on us and give us a double episode, for having to wait so long!

I don't have a problem with heavy political episodes once in a while, but 8 in a row is a bit too much.

Agreed. Despite all my complaints about recent episodes, I actually don't mind visiting the political side of the Clone Wars at all. But I would have liked to return to Wars part of the show much sooner than January 2011.

Why the political episodes from last season worked for me was because they offered a nice change of pace between action-oriented episodes. The presentation of so many politics-centric shows in a row so early on leaves the series feeling languid, no matter how well each individual show is directed. I'd much rather have many "faster, more intense" episodes broken up by a single political intrigue story (or two) than the other way around.

Maybe they chose to present it in this fashion to introduce a more linear way of story telling, or they're just saving up the best for the second half. Either way, I find myself uninterested in the next week's offering of the CW after each airing. That's something that never happened for me last season.

"Supply Lines" is one of my favourite episodes of the series specially because it manages to get politics and war together fairly well, and shows how one affects the other in "real time".

After a second viewing in 720p + aided by the episode was much more enjoyable. Again the environments and cityscape stood out. The Blade Runner Spinners vs BARC Speeder chase was a welcome nod to Return Of The Jedi. Athough I would like to have seen real police personnel in lieu of those unimaginative cop droids. The ending Chancellor Sidious scene helped make up for the Padme & Bail-heavy plot

Other observations: during the bar-scene the Twilek Stripper may have been butt-naked. The new Padme model looked much better then her previous Senate attire:








Above is the next Star Wars Insider cover. As you can see both Ventress and Opress are side-by-side which indicates that they are (hopefully) separate beings. Another sign against Asajj = Savage is a article in the next TV Guide magazine. Savage Opress is still promoted as Darth Maul's brother - which is almost as troubling as the female2male theory.

EXCERPTS:

• Darth Sidious orders a fatwa on Asajj Ventress
• Anakin learns his destiny from a family of Force-Wielders
• Ahsoka is taken hostage in an attempt to lure Anakin to the Darkside.

• Lucas himself, asked to expand the Darth Maul story by introducing his "sib" (sibling) the fantastically formidable Savage Opress.
• "... seems all-powerful and terrifying but there's a sadness and reluctance to Savage" notes Filioni.

The Savage Opress Arc begins January 7 2011. (NOTE: Last year's break was from December 1 2009 to January 4 2010)

It should be noted that Cartoon Network airs the episodes in a different order than they are produced.

I see what you mean. Let's hope that the remainder of the season kicks some serious butt.

The following is from Leeland Chi's Twitter page:

The brother angle, however lame, is still way better than an on-screen sex change.

Also, does that image show Ventress holding a Nightsister version of a light-whip, or some other exotic lightsaber alternative?

Because they are told so by Lucasfilm.