Star Wars the Clone Wars "Altar of Mortis" TV Review

I don't know, for some reason I just don't trust this guy...

Want to watch this episode?  Head over to Starwars.com or follow this link. http://starwars.com/video/view/001220.html.  Episodes are put on the website the Monday after they air on TV, and are taken down two weeks later.

     "Altar of Mortis" picks up right after the events of "Overlords."  The trio are heading back to their galaxy when suddenly the Son captures Ahsoka, forcing Anakin and Obi-Wan to pursue.  The result is a solid episode in its own right, but not quite on par with last week's adventure.
     Once again Anakin and Obi-Wan split up, although this time the reasons are mind boggling.  Anakin wants to head straight to the Son's tower and rescue Ahsoka whilst Obi-Wan chooses to seek the Father for guidance instead.  I know that the show is trying to emulate Anakin's dogheadedness from the films, but what baffles me is why Obi-Wan lets him go off alone, when he obviously has no clue as to how to reach the Father.  Oh well...
     Anyways, while Anakin's going off on his foolhardy adventure Obi-Wan enlists the help of the Daughter, who takes him down to the Altar of Mortis where a cool scene plays out that harkens back to the Sword in the Stone.  While the concept of a magical sword is a bit cliche, it didn't feel out of place, since these episodes are devling more into the mythological side of Star Wars.  It's also interesting that it's Obi-Wan who recovers the sword and not Anakin.  It will be cool to see how this plays into the whole Prophecy of the Chosen One thing.
     As I've stated previously, the Clone Wars has been swamped with fantastic villains, and it looks like yet again we're getting one in the Son.  The Son in many ways is like the Emperor, manipulating the characters and putting all of the pieces perfectly in place in order to achieve his ends.  He isn't a carbon copy though, which I like.  He has a roguish sense of humor and attitude that really stands out-yes, he's evil and cunning, but he's also arrogant and young.  I wonder if this is what Palpatine was like as a teenager.
     This episode also played the relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka quite well.  The Son briefly possesses her with the Dark Side, consequently revealing what might be lying underneath her psyche, with her anger at her master's lack of confidence in her and her insistence that she doesn't need him anymore.  Unfortunately this is broken when she childishly objects to him calling her "Snips."
Conclusion:  Obviously there are still a lot of questions left unanswered, but at least "Altar of Mortis" avoids becoming just a bridge between the beginning and end of this trilogy by heightening the stakes and playing on some interesting character dynamics.  Needless to say, I can't wait for next week's episode, "Ghosts of Mortis."
Rating:  8/10 "Great"
Favorite Moment (Spoilers):  The duel between Anakin and the possessed Ahsoka was pretty instense, not to mention well choreographed.  It also had a sweet finish with Anakin briefly hugging her in relief after she was healed.