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| I got a bad feeling about this... |
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Season 3 has finally reached it's end, and to kick off its two-part finale we get "Padawan Lost," an episode that excellently sets the scene for the final episode, "Wookie Hunt." The show starts off with the classic Clone Wars set up; the heroes are off fighting some battle, when all of the sudden things take an unexpected turn, and then we get our story. In this case it's Ahsoka, Anakin, Plo Koon, and their respectively squads of clone troopers attacking a Separatist outpost on the jungle world of Felucia. However, just as it seems like things are going as planned, Ahsoka gets captured by a Trandoshan (read: lizard people) band of rogues and stranded on a distant planet to be hunted for sport. Thus she's forced to survive with the help of other Jedi younglings who are in the same predicament.The Clone Wars has gone dark places before, but the hunt marks brand new territory. We've seen people die on the show several times, heck, almost in every episode, but in each instance it was in the name of war, honor, and all of that. Now we see them getting shot in the name of....fun. Pretty heavy stuff. Obviously this sets the Trandoshans up to be quite the abominable antagonists, with their animalistic chants and rallies. All of that is set up perfectly with the sub-plot of young Dar, who's about to go through his first Jedi hunt.
Meanwhile, watching the Jedi fight for survival can be very tense, leading to some awesome action sequences. The Trandoshans' clumsy but powerful fighting style combined with the Jedi's dexterity to form great choreography. One gripe that I do have is the lack of proper hunting action. Stealth, tracking, and invisible-predator moments are notably absent, which is a real bummer, as the Trandoshans looked like they could have fit the part easily. Anybody who has watched any of the Jurassic Park movies will know what I mean. Unfortunately the lizards resort to flying around in their hover craft while shooting up everything they see with a gatling gun. Hardly hunt worthy material.
In terms of visual effects, this episode really stood out. While the planet that the hunts take place on is a jungle planet just like Felucia, it managed to avoid feeling just more of the same by adding a great sense of claustrophobia. Whereas Felucia has beautiful foiliage that probably inspired Avatar, the planet Wasskah is composed of prickly vines that twist and bend in an unsettlingly way. I also noticed that for the first time in my memory the Clone Wars used insects and dust effects to add to the choking atmosphere.
Conclusion: While proper hunting is nowhere to be found, "Padawan Lost" was still a fun and, in several instances, very dark. It's bitter ending leaves the audience wondering what will happen next in the final episode of this epic season, "Wookie Hunt."
Rating: 9/10 "Awesome"
Favorite Moment (Spoilers): The ending in many ways reminded me of that of The Empire Strikes Back. Kalifa's death added a lot to the sense of danger and despair, and reminded the viewers that there's still a whole lot of trouble to be had before this thing is over.
