The Clone Wars stays stuck in its rut, with arguably its most childish episode to date...
This review contains spoilers.
4.4 Shadow Warrior
After the previous three-part mini-arc, I was rather hoping this brand new story would lift the animated Star Wars spin-off out of the rather slow water world-based opener. Sadly, not.
In fact, it's almost as if Shadow Warrior has plopped us back into the same world. Indeed, the same story. This episode returns us to Naboo, specifically the watery terrain of the Gungans and a certain Jar Jar Binks (who made an appearance last week too).
And, like the opening story, Count Dooku has started a civil war between a planet's indigenous races - the Gungans and the Naboo. The Sith Lord has sent Grievous to oversee the war, somehow believing that this planet is worthy of yet more attention.
In feel and style, Shadow Warrior is very like Episode I: The Phantom Menace (complete with Padme in her her Palace aide get up). Predictably the Gungans and Jar Jar become irritating rather quickly. Their speech patterns and sound undermine the drama taking place and you'll either smirk and/or be irked by their chat.
It's a pity, as there are some dark and gruesome scenes (Anakin finds himself captured and tortured whilst a number of Gungans are killed). But the antics of the flopppy eared, bug eyed inhabitants of Naboo reach their nadir when they manage to outwit General Grievous.
Baffling doesn't quite cover it. The four-armed Jedi-hating cyborg is reduced to a comedy character as the buffoonery of the Gungans takes place. Tonally, this episode is about as childish as The Clone Wars has ever been and one hopes that season 4 can finally get into gear with a new story and a new environment next time.
Read our review of episode 3, Prisoners, here.
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