Star Wars the Clone Wars "Nightsisters" TV Review

The Joker meets the Wicked Witch of the West

Want to watch this episode?  Head over to Starwars.com or follow this link http://starwars.com/video/view/001176.html.  Episodes are put on the website the Monday after they air on TV, and are taken down two weeks later.
Since I'm a big fan of the series, I've decided to start writing reviews of each of the episodes of Star Wars the Clone Wars, starting with last week's episode, "Nightsisters."  Nightsister is a departure from the norm of the series in that it focuses almost entirely on the villain's side of the Clone Wars.  It also signals a shift in the series as we get closer towards the events of episode 3, a shift which is made obvious by updated character models for Obi-Wan and Anakin which more closely resemble what they look like in Revenge of the Sith.
     "Nightsisters" is also the first time that we get an in depth look at Asajj Ventress's (Count Dooku's apprentice and assassin) background and character.  At the beginning of the episode Darth Sidious instructs Dooku to kill his apprentice in order to show his loyalty and to prevent Ventress from becoming powerful enough to overthrow the Sith Lord.  In the end Dooku complies, but it's still interesting to see him argue with his master in an attempt to save Ventress's life.  Maybe he isn't the souless pawn that we thought him to be.  Anyways, Ventress's ship is blown up around her and she barely escapes with her life, leading her to seek refuge with the Nightsisters of Dathomir, a tribe of witches with their own unique set of Force powers.
     First off I thought that this episode did a great job at showing Ventress's human side.  The moment Dooku betrays her is done quite well, showing how vulnerable she is despite her powers.  Additionally, in a series of flashbacks we get to see where she came from and why she fell to the darkside.  Sure, it's a bit annoying that the flashbacks are in rapid succession and jump around the timeline frequently, but they help the audience understand why she's a villain and worked with Dooku in the first place.  This is a good thing since the rest of the episode focuses entirely on her and her efforts to exact her revenge on her former master.
     Another touch that I liked was how the leader of the Nightsisters, Mother Talzin, manipulates both Ventress and Dooku.  While she is helping Ventress along with her plan for revenge she is also allying with Dooku by promising to supply him with a new apprentice.  This leaves her motives in the dark, and also sets the story up nicely for the next episode in which we get to meet Dooku's new apprentice, Savage Opress.  Conclusion:  "Nightsisters" did a great job at showing the Star Wars universe from the villain's point of view, and also set the story up nicely for the next episode where we finally get to meet Savage Opress.  Don't let the cheesey name fool you, this guy looks awesome.  If you don't believe me, check out the second video below.
Rating:  9/10 "Awesome"
Favorite Moment:  This episode had two great lightsaber duels, but my favorite part would be the opening space battle, which is reminiscent of the beginning of episode 3.