TV #45 of 2020:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 4
I’m glad that this Clone Wars season is presented mostly chronologically, rather than the nonlinear hodgepodge of years before, but the narrative is still more scattered than I think I would prefer, with mini-arcs and standalone episodes that don’t really build on one another into any larger plot. I’m also getting whiplash sometimes from this show’s shifting audience expectations, as there are some details that would seem to require a deep grounding in Star Wars canon to properly appreciate, yet others consisting of slapstick nonsense for the younger crowd that don’t make any kind of story logic.
(Most egregious this time: Count Dooku hiring a dozen bounty hunters, then putting them through an elaborate series of deadly traps until only five are left to attempt his real mission. Why would a serious antagonist act so absurdly? Does he really think this is an example of best practices for scouting new talent? How has the guild not blacklisted him as a customer yet? It’s all just filler to take up the extra half-hour that almost demands you turn off your brain for it, and that’s a frustrating writing choice.)
Am I enjoying this program? Sure, for the most part. My three-star rating again indicates that I probably like this particular season more than I dislike it, on balance. It’s cool to see a certain villain again, and the travelogue aspect continues to showcase neat settings like the underwater Mon Cala. But there’s a lot of potential for a series set in this era of the franchise, and that benchmark is only sporadically being met here.
★★★☆☆
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