This episode of Clone Wars picks up right where the last left off, with Ahsoka and the Sombra Sisters (I will continue to call them this for the rest of the season) are imprisoned by the Pyke Syndicate for trying to screw them over in a spice deal. One by one, our protagonists are tortured and roughed up by the Pykes, and we finally hear from Rafa just why she has so much disdain for the Jedi and general discussions of morality: as children, Rafa and Trace’s parents were killed as the Jedi chased an escaped criminal. The criminal sent a crashing transport vehicle spiraling toward a populated landing platform, and in order to save everyone on the platform, the Jedi guided the transport instead into a less-populated but more narratively-relevant home and killed the sisters’ parents. The Jedi in question spoke to Rafa and told her that the Force will be with her, leaving the sisters with a bad taste in their mouths for Jedi and their hollow promises and morality.
Personally, not only did I find this whole backstory deluge random and peculiar in its timing, but it also lacked real weight. We already knew the sisters represented the disconnect between the Jedi and the real world, and Ahsoka was already disillusioned with the Jedi Council’s moral code to begin with. It felt like a late attempt to make Rafa, who up to this point has just been awful, somewhat relatable; however, it just left me thinking, “Well that was very unfortunate, but you still suck for using and lying to your sister and trying to profit off the Pyke’s damaging spice trade.”
Anyway, Ahsoka and the Sombra Sisters attempt an escape, and here come two big issues I had with this episode.
- Ahsoka is still hiding the fact that she is/was a Jedi, but she is constantly using her Force powers to accomplish inexplicable feats. However, it’s somehow all good because Trace and Rafa very quickly accept that the laws of physics just happen to not work properly when Ahsoka’s around. At one point, Ahsoka Force leaps a good 50-70 feet distance, and all the skepticism that Rafa can muster is a casual “That’s not normal.” No, Rafa, a person making a literally impossible jump while dodging blaster fire is not normal, but it’s super cool of you to only question Ahsoka’s altruism rather than the Matilda-like shenanigans that happen when things get tense.
- I need to see a Star Wars protagonist get shot during a chase scene. Not even fatally, just a shoulder or a leg wound. I know the whole Star Wars trope of Stormtroopers never hitting their shots, but the fact that an entire group of Pyke henchman can’t seem to hit any of three people running in a straight line while expertly shooting out an escaping speeder’s engine is really starting to take me out of the action.
The escape attempt was all for nought, because our protagonists get recaptured by the Pykes. Before this, however, a mysterious group of Mandalorian agents spy Ahsoka running through the city and remark that they had best “keep an eye on her.” If you remember, this is likely Bo-Katan Kryze of Clone Wars and Rebels fame and major Mandalorian historical significance. WIth her appearance, it is hopeful that this arc finally leads somewhere interesting, because so far it has really just offered stagnant character development and the feeling that Clone Wars is just kind of stalling for the sake of stalling. I want to care about Trace and Rafa, but with the knowledge that Dooku, Darth Maul, and other interesting antagonists are out there as well as behind-the-scenes developments toward Revenge of the Sith, it’s getting harder and harder to stay engaged with street level conflicts.
