TV #39 of 2020:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 3
Another run of this CGI cartoon that strikes me as largely disposable for the wider franchise plot, although I assume the action sequences are exciting for younger audiences. The most interesting things this year are the complications that develop in the Dooku / Ventress relationship and a too-brief look at the young Wilhuff Tarkin, and these are more than offset by the filler episodes around them and that interminable arc on Mortis filled with portentous empty technobabble about the Force. I suppose there’s also potential in the new character of Savage Opress, but so far he hasn’t done much to make up for his incredibly groan-worthy name.
Part of the problem is that the first three seasons of the show are told in a jumbled-up order, which can work as a narrative approach when there’s emotional resonance across the different time settings, but here just feels scattered and prevents any meaningful stakes from arising. I’ve heard that the remainder of the series is much more linear in its storytelling, which can only be an improvement — because although this is still a program that I seldom mind, I rarely feel truly invested in it, either.
★★★☆☆
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