This episode is incredible. You can read my spoiler-free review here. I really can’t wait to see it again on Saturday and these clips are only making me thirsty to watch it over again.

Here’s the official synopsis:

The shocking finale to Season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has arrived, with major revelations that will leave characters forever changed. Ahsoka is wrongly accused for sedition and murder, and is to be prosecuted in the High Courts of the Galactic Republic by a zealous Admiral Tarkin. Seemingly abandoned, Ahsoka’s last hope lies in Anakin Skywalker, who hunts the Coruscant underworld for the real murderer in “The Wrong Jedi,” Saturday, March 2nd at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

This episode – the culmination of five years of development of Ahsoka Tano’s character and her relationship with Anakin – is personally helmed by Dave Filoni, who serves as episodic director in addition to being the supervising director for the series. Underscoring the significance of the finale, composer Kevin Kiner arranged an orchestral score for this episode to better resemble the full, classical score found in the Star Wars feature films.

I think I’m starting to see why Filoni and crew keep saying, “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” after the Darth Maul arc. This arc starring Ahsoka in the midst of a terrorist plot is shaping up to be one of the series’ best.

After the events of last week and the bombing of the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka is the only one the terrorist will talk to. Much like in the Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much, Ahsoka is given a vital piece of information and is witness to a murder. It takes it a step-further, though, and casts her as Cary Grant in North by Northwest, with photos of her committing the murder and everything. As part of the plot of a force-user, Ahsoka must escape to clear her name and save the Republic from this plot.

Who could the mysterious force user be?

Could it be Maul, who Sidious had “plans” for? Could it be Ventress back to play her part in the galaxy? Could it be another disgruntled Jedi (like Pong Krell) all together?

We’ll find out next week.

The visuals in this episode were nothing short of stunning. It truly felt like any epic film you can think of, but designed by Alfred Hitchcock in the style of The Clone Wars. There was so much Fritz Lang in the exteriors of the military prison, evoking images of the flag-filled courtyards of Nazi Germany with the Imperial cog standing in for the Swastika. The inside, though, was one hundred percent Star Wars. So much so, that I almost thought they’d accelerated construction of the Death Star, the interior architecture was so Star Wars.

Once Ahsoka made it out of the prison, though, things became an incredible action showcase. I could have watched her bat away stun bolts shot by Clones all day long. This portion of the episode was very much an homage to the Harrison Ford/Tommy Lee Jones film The Fugitive, from the spotlights and circling gunships, to the chase through the waterways and fateful jump off the dam.

Ahsoka takes the spotlight in this episode, sure, but not enough can be said about Anakin’s place in the episode. Matt Lanter’s performance is edging us closer and closer to Revenge of the Sith and its nuance is haunting. Casting him as the man responsible for catching Ahsoka but also having to trust her enough to let her go is a fascinating choice and one I’m glad that was made.

The other thing I loved about this episode was the reaction of the Clones to the revelation that three had been killed by a lightsaber. They don’t want to believe a Jedi could do it, but the evidence assembled against Ahsoka seems clear.

But the layers of story, lighting, weather, animation, and voice work are only most of the tapestry here. In this episode, the music took center stage as much as anything else. It provided a Star Wars flavor to a Bernard Herman like score and I felt like it was a masterful take on what things would sound like if one of the greatest film composers who has ever lived had taken on an episode of The Clone Wars.

Top marks for this episode. And we’re only moving up from here.

Here are two new clips of Saturday’s new episode of The Clone Wars. As we near the end of this arc and this season, I can’t imagine where Season 6 could possibly take us that would take my breath away more. That’s what I love about Filoni and his team: they always find a way.

Here’s the official synopsis of the episode:

As the Republic military takes over the Temple bombing case, Ahsoka finds herself at odds with Admiral Tarkin in “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much,” Saturday, February 16th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

And why do I think that Ahsoka is going to be framed for Letta’s murder and on the run? I’m just guessing, but it sounds likely, especially given this clip:

Sabotage is the beginning of the final arc of The Clone Wars – Season 5, and proves just how malleable this show and the Star Wars universe as a whole can be as a backdrop for different kinds of stories.

After a thrilling Jedi Starfighter chase and buzz droid fight, Anakin and Ahsoka are called back to Coruscant to investigate a bombing at the Jedi temple. The episode plays out like a police procedural show as they search for the culprit.

It’s a very straightforward episode and is the exact opposite point of view of the story where the film gets its name. In Alfred Hitchcock’s film (which you can watch here and read my analysis of), a dissident passes off a bomb to his young brother-in-law, who delays the delivery of the bomb and ends up blowing up an entire bus full of people. Not much of the film has to do with the aftermath, and it’s told almost exclusively from the viewpoint of the family. This turns that around and shows us what it’s like trying to unravel a crime like that from the perspective of those trying to apprehend the bad guys. And it’s also similar in that an unsuspecting loved one is used to deliver the bomb to that target.

This episode was reasonably dry, but there was plenty to be excited about.

For one, this episode opens with that fantastic starfighter sequence over Cato Nemoidia, but we’re instantly shown an Ahsoka who is more grown up than we’ve ever seen her. Her voice is more adult, she speaks with more confidence, even the way she carries herself is more mature. She’s a young woman now, no longer a kid befitting the name “Snips.”

This is what I loved most about the episode, to be honest. Watching children grow up might be one of the most bittersweet things one can do, and Ahsoka has been forced to grow up during such a terrible time. And the impression I get is that this is just going to be the calm before the storm. Whatever Ahsoka’s eventual fate may be, my guess is that it will be unfair to her and devastating to us. To be honest, watching her struggle here in this episode caused a bout of melancholy in me.

The visuals of this episode, as all the episodes, are incredible. The Coruscant cityscapes are something that ought to be utilized more, especially since they’ve been developed so well on the show as time has gone on. And the holographic cameras that played back the actual explosion created an incredibly interesting visual location for key conversations.

As someone who doesn’t watch CSI – Miami, I don’t have much to comment on the droid patterned after David Caruso, but I could see it being a fun wink and nod to people who watch that show.

This was a solid set-up episode, but I’m ready for the meat of the story. I’d tentatively rate this 3.5 out of 5, with more points coming if the arc pans out as well as I hope it does.

After the events of the last arc, I’m not sure how it could be topped. Dave Filoni that it promises to do it and I can’t wait to see how. And with four Alfred Hitchcock based title names, how can you go wrong?

From the press release:

In the first of this four-part episode arc, Anakin and Ahsoka are called back from the frontlines to investigate a deadly explosion at the Jedi Temple. Clues surface that a Jedi might have been responsible for the blast in “Sabotage,” Saturday, February 9th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Trivia:
· The four episodes of this arc are all named after Alfred Hitchcock films: Sabotage (1936), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), To Catch a Thief (1955) and The Wrong Man (1955).

· “I’m afraid one can become the other,” says Anakin, referring to past political idealists who have betrayed the Jedi, including Count Dooku and General Krell from Season Four. It’s ironic, given his future.

· Russo-ISC’s speech pattern, name, and habit of flipping his visor to punctuate his speech are all nods to David Caruso’s role in CSI Miami.

· In addition to an image of a crossed-out clone trooper, the Temple protester signs said “The Jedi are corrupt,” “Stop cloning violence”

And be sure to contact Disney and make they know you want to see the show next season, too.

This looks great. I think there needs to be more good Superman on celluloid and this looks like it will be great. You know, except for that Will Smith line at the end… Ugh.

SUPERMAN: UNBOUND is coming to Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand and For Download via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on May 7, 2013.

WonderCon/Anaheim will host the World Premiere of SUPERMAN: UNBOUND in late March.

Based on the Geoff Johns/Gary Frank 2008 release “Superman: Brainiac,” SUPERMAN: UNBOUND finds the horrific force responsible for the destruction of Krypton – Brainiac – descending upon Earth. Brainiac has crossed the universe, collecting cities from interesting planets – Kandor, included – and now the all-knowing, ever-evolving android has
his sights fixed on Metropolis. Superman must summon all of his physical and intellectual resources to protect his city, the love of his life, and his newly-arrived cousin, Supergirl.

The film’s stellar voicecast is led by Matt Bomer (White Collar) as Superman, John Noble (Fringe, The Lord of the Rings films) as Brainiac, Stana Katic (Castle) as Lois Lane and Molly Quinn (Castle) as Supergirl.

Supervising Producer James Tucker (Justice League, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) also directs the film from a script by Bob Goodman (Warehouse 13, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns).

Aren’t you a little short for a Mandalorian?

Prisoner transfer from cell block 1138?

This is not gonna work…

Okay, now that all of that’s out of my system, I’m good. I can’t wait for this episode. And at least a few more years of The Clone Wars!

With Duchess Satine as bait, the vengeful Darth Maul lures Obi-Wan into a trap. Drunk with power, Maul declares himself the true Sith Lord, a claim that will not go unanswered in “The Lawless” airing this Saturday, February 2nd at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Episode Trivia:

· This episode marks the first appearance of Darth Sidious “in the flesh.” In all other appearances, he has been a hologram.

· Obi-Wan Kenobi is wearing his Rako Hardeen disguise (from Season Four’s “Deception” arc) when he arrives on Mandalore.

· The much battered Twilight now sports a cartoonish illustration of Anakin as a boy Podracer pilot, with Aurebesh text that says “WIZARD!!!” The Twilight has not been seen since Season Two’s “Children of the Force.”

I don’t want to be alarmist here. I’m not Chicken Little. Or Ziro the Hutt.

I’m just asking an honest question. What happens if The Clone Wars is done after Cartoon Network airs the Season 5 finale?  I know, it makes no sense whatsoever for them to sit on the two or three seasons of episodes that are already done or in production. I get that. But what if?

What if Disney just isn’t a fan? What if they want to keep Disney XD for their Marvel properties? What if there’s no place for it on ABC Family? What if they don’t want to run it on a broadcast network like ABC at any point? What if they decide to treat it like Tron Uprising, a show that was, by all accounts, fantastic? What if they decide that the reason they gave for postponing the 3D releases, “focusing on Episode VII,” applies to The Clone Wars, too?

What would we do?

Is there a sizable enough audience to force Disney’s hand? Should we be begging for confirmation that the show is coming to a Disney owned station the same way we all clamored for confirmation that JJ Abrams was really directing Episode VII?

If no confirmation is forthcoming, if Disney XD doesn’t release their lineup, what would we do? What could we do?

I’m not sure about you guys, but for the last 5 seasons, I’ve been enjoying The Clone Wars as the best show on television. Dave Filoni, Joel Aron, the cast, the crew, everyone, has done a fantastic job on this show and they’ve made it absolutely the best drama on television. But what if the higher ups at Disney don’t see it that way? To a dark place this takes us. And, to be honest, the thought of unaired episodes of The Clone Wars just hanging out there in the aether, wishing for us to see the final fate of Ahsoka and Rex.

What if Season 5 is all we’ve got?

Remember back at the beginning? This show was only originally planned to run 100 episodes. After this season we’ll have gotten almost a dozen more than that. Filoni and Lucas have always said that they’ll keep making them as long as they’re having fun and doing well. But they never mentioned anything about airing them. And it’s not exactly in their hands, is it?

I don’t know. After the news of the postponement of the 3D releases, work that was, by all accounts either done or close to it, I’m skeptical. Maybe that’s just the skeptic in me. Maybe I’m just expecting the worst and hoping for the best. But I’ve seen too many sites reporting this as a confirmation that Disney XD is taking the show, but this is never something anyone official has said. This has just been our own fan speculation.

I want to be wrong. I really do.

But you have to admit, it’s certainly a possibility. And the decision makes about as much sense as the 3D decision, which is to say none at all.

What if this (and the 3D postponement) are just a bargaining chip for Disney to acquire the distribution rights for all the content back cheaper? Maybe that’s just me being very cynical.

Let’s hope for a confirmation that Disney will do right by The Clone Wars. But in the meantime, let’s come up with a plan in case it doesn’t happen. Are we strong enough to force their hand? Are there enough of us who want to see the show continue that we can speak in a loud enough voice to override some short sighted, anti-fan decision? I would like to think so.

While we wait for that confirmation, let’s all hope that I’m just worrying needlessly.

While hyping what they will have in the 2013-2014 season, Cartoon Network also leaves a question of something not being listed: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. (more…)

Well, things are certainly moving at a breakneck pace on The Clone Wars these days. After consolidating the forces of the underworld in the last episode, Maul elaborates on a plan to infiltrate Mandalore and install Death Watch as the heroes of the day.

With Duchess Satine imprisoned as bait for Kenobi and an army at his disposal, Maul is pleased. But slightly surprised, it seems, at how quickly Pre Vizsla betrayed him and took the power on his own.

This is an episode I’d have loved to have seen exploded into its own four part arc. I would have loved to have seen the infiltration of Mandalore and how it affected Mandalorians, then another episode of Vizsla saving the day, then an episode of the betrayal. It was good, a fantastic episode, but so much happened in such a compressed amount of time I wish they would have taken a bit of time. Maul has hatched a ham-fisted version of a Sidious style plan in the space of about four minutes and I would have loved to have seen it play out over the course of more episodes. It’s almost too bad they don’t play the episodes more chronologically and they could have had this playing out in the background over half a dozen episodes.

But that’s not how it’s done here on The Clone Wars, and that’s fine, too.

This episode had a lot of cool things going on. And one of my favorite laugh-out-loud moments of the show. For some reason, it’s hilarious to me that Satine is almost a paranoid crazy-person when it comes to Death Watch. If anything even remotely bad happens, she breathlessly asks, “Was it Death Watch?!”

With the exclamation point and everything.

She jumps at shadows and isn’t the most reasonable person. It’s a character trait that I find hilarious.

The action on this episode had plenty of moments that left my mouth agape. Maul and Vizsla’s fight was incredible, though I got the idea that Maul was holding back to make the fight seem fair to those watching.

I loved watching Maul and Savage breaking out of the prison and for once unleashing the full power of their force. And I love watching how Maul has learned his lessons over the years from training under, then studying, Sidious.

I also loved seeing the shifting landscape of alliances. With Death Watch switching sides repeatedly, and Maul marshalling the forces of the underworld and the neutral systems under Mandalore’s alliance, Maul has made it impossible for the Republic and Separatists to ignore him. Things are going insane.

And, if you’ll permit me discussion of a spoiler here, why did Pre Vizsla have to die? He was such a cool character, and complex if not single-minded. Though, if it allows Bo Katan to take the spotlight, it was a necessary sacrifice. Favreau did an excellent job voicing him and I’m sad to see his association with Star Wars drawing to an end, at least for now.

And once more, the animation and lighting on the show takes a leap ahead. The lighting effects around the lightsabers are always fantastic, but when you combine that with the beautiful lighting set up in the Mandalorian throne room, you’re given a recipe for stunning visuals.

Overall, I think this episode was fantastic, but moved too quickly, cramming too many events that deserve more attention into a half hour time slot.

For upcoming exclusive interviews with the cast of The Clone Wars, be sure to listen to the Full of Sith podcast.