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| The Epic Finale |
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"Witches of the Mist" is the finale of Nightsisters trilogy, and while it does sport some of the best action scenes seen in the series, it did have a distinct lack of, well... finality. Let's start with the good. The episode begins with Jedi Knights Anakin and Obi-Wan puzzling over the murder of the two Jedi from the last episode, before setting out to find the killer. Meanwhile Dooku trains Savage to become the ultimate Sith warrior.
While we only get to see snippets of Savage's training, it's still interesting to see how Savage struggles to control his anger. This is the first time that we've seen how the Sith train, and it envokes a suitable sense of brutality. There was also a surprising parallel to Luke's training with Yoda, when Savage insists that he can't lift something with the force, after which Dooku replies that the only reason was because he had already given up, before shocking him with lightning.
I think that this episode contrasted Savage's weaknesses and strengths perfectly. He may be a powerful warrior, almost as powerful as Dooku, but he lacks control over his anger, eventually leading to him accidentally killing a politician that he was sent to capture alive.
There are a few places where "Witches of the Mist" falls flat, however. Anakin and Obi-Wan served no purpose other than lightsaber dueling Savage twice. Their lack of any meaningful involvement is highlighted when Obi-Wan remarks "Well, I guess there's no reason for us to be here anymore" after Savage excapes capture. There's also a bit of a head scratcher when Mother Talzin helps the Jedi find Dooku's assassin. Just who's side is she on anyway?
Fortunately things are better on the Dark Side of the force. Ventress finally springs her trap on Dooku, leading to some fierce lightsaber action (rivaling the duels seen in the movies, even) in which Dooku proves just how powerful a warrior he can be. It was also cool to see Savage turn against both Ventress and Dooku out of anger for a brief moment, showing just how fed up he is with being a pawn.
There's just one final critique that I have of this episode. It has a fantastic climax with the duel between the three Sith and all, but in the end not much happens (this is heading into spoiler territory, by the way.) Ventress is back where she started, stranded on Dathomir biding her time for revenge. Savage's story also lacks finality, but in this case it's kind of a good thing, with a tantalizing teaser in which Mother Talzin sends him off to seek a long lost brother. We get a brief glance of him in Talzin's crystal ball, and I'd say that he looks very familiar to a certain Sith Lord was cut in half by Obi-Wan in the Phantom Menace. Yes, it sucks that we have to wait for at least a month or two before we get to find out what happens next, but in the end I have a feeling that it will be worth it.
Conclusion: "Witches of the Mist" left me a bit disappointed. We don't get to see how the Dooku/Ventress fued gets resolved and the Jedi characters seem to be little more than more guys for Savage to fight. However, every action sequence was gold, and we also get a delicious preview of what's to come in Savage's journey through the Dark Side. Seeing Darth Maul's head looming ominously was more than enough to bump this up to an 8.
Rating: 8/10 "Great"
Favorite Moment: This one is a two way tie between the five way duel between Savage, Ventress, Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin and the aforementioned preview of Savage's supposed brother. Really great stuff.
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