User Reviews

To start out, this episode isn't so bad for a Jar-Jar centered one. It made sense for Palpatine to send Jar-Jar and he was tolerable. Also, the interaction between Obi-Wan, Anakin and Dooku was great, as was Hondo.

However, there are some plot holes. First of all, it's odd that the episode starts with Anakin and Obi-Wan being drugged, while at the end of the previous episode, they switched their drinks and actually the pirates got drugged. Secondly, it didn't make sense for Obi-Wan and Anakin to attempt to escape. Why didn't they just wait around for the Republic to arrive? They couldn't have known about Jar-Jar being sent and the pirates being betrayed, so they could assume the Republic would come with the ransom for Dooku. All they had to do was stay there. Dooku would be captured by the Republic and the war would be as good as over. They themselves could be freed later.

By attempting to escape, they risked losing Dooku, which is what happened eventually.

Warning: This is a review for both this and the previous episode "Dooku Captured," as such it contains spoilers for both. I was a huge fan of this show in the past, and have started revisiting it now. One of the things I noticed was that the first season is actually one of the weaker ones, certainly containing some strong episodes (The Malevolence Trilogy, The Lair of General Grievous) but also a few serious duds (Ambush, Duel of the Droids). This pair were the first two episodes I watched, and I think some of the best in the first season. There are serious improvements in the animation, the leg movements seem much more fluid here than they did in past episodes, and the proportions are in better equilibrium. The dialogue really works here, with one-liners that are legitimately funny and not cringe-worthy like they were in several previous installments. This the first time Skywalker and Kenobi have really been able to banter together, and they're terrifically written, with Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor clearly enjoying themselves in the roles. This is the key to the success of these episodes, they are character-based and the story grows out of these characters and the way they act. It is still a little roughshod here, but in future seasons this will be ironed out to some impressive story arcs. The episode also features the introduction of Hondo Ohnaka (brilliantly voiced by Jim Cummings). Given the role that Ahsoka will later play, I cannot say that he is the first great character to be introduced by "Clone Wars," but at this time he is much more interesting than she is, though she will surpass him in future seasons. The creators must have sensed something about him as well, for he returns in every single subsequent season, and it's always a pleasure to hear that voice. These two episodes are not perfect. The presence of Jar Jar Binks is irritant (B.J. Hughes may not sound like Ahmed Best but he is equally annoying in his own way), and I can still not comprehend the strange way Count Dooku's face was modeled. This sequence however is a huge step forward and augurs the things to come.