There is no God on
episode 8 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Why, you ask? Because no just and loving deity could possibly permit the existence of an episode starring not only Jar Jar Binks, but Padme Amidala, C-3PO, and Nute Gunray. Its everything you hate about Clone Wars wrapped up in one convenient boot to kick you in the crotch with pain and misery. We get off to a fascinating start as Padme discusses politics with Sheev Palpatines (look it up, thats his name now) hologram, saying that she doesnt need a clone escort since this is a peace mission to reinforce the Republics ties with Rodia. Then Jar Jar trips and hits a button that apparently exists specifically to make a spaceship plummet downwards. Jar Jar and 3PO are sent flying, but Padme manages to correct the ships course. Sheev suggests that maybe the kids should stay in the car during the peace talks and listen to the radio or something.
Upon arrival at Rodia, Padme rolls down the windows on the ship and leaves 3PO and Jar Jar behind to go to the courtyard and talk to Senator Onaconda Farr, who Padme calls Uncle Ono. She explains to the audience that they go way back, and Farr explains to the audience that his people were starving so he cut a deal with Nute Gunray, like an infinitely lamer Lando Calrissian to an infinitely lamer Darth Vader. Some droids surround Padme, and in an act of truly profound stupidity she pulls out her communicator and tries to reach 3PO. Within seconds the droids smash it on the ground and lead her away as hologram Nute Gunray watches. Im pretty sure Farr is supposed to appear remorseful at some point during this scene but the CGI is too primitive at this point for that to be more than the random movement of his facial features.
We cut to our two favorite characters standing outside the ship and some farting dragonflies. No, really. 3PO even says that the bugs must not have a high opinion of them, which prompts Jar Jar to attempt to communicate with them. Being the fucking madman that he is, Jar Jar goes up to the edge of the walkway, stares out at the misty swamp, and starts shrieking inhumanly into the abyss while doing a little dance. A creature within the swamp growls back before some kind of fruit that looks vaguely like a Tangela flies from the fog and hits 3PO in the face, exploding into orange juice on contact. The doors open and some droids tell these chuckleheads not to move, so of course Jar Jar runs into the ship. As the ramp on the ship closes, he realizes he forgot 3PO and reaches out to grab the golden morons hand, which causes Jar Jar to fall out of the ship. When the droids open fire, Jar Jar is once again a dick and completely abandons 3PO, but he gets his foot caught on some kind of rope that wraps around the lever on a panel that controls a giant magnet. He stumbles ass backwards into victory by nearly crushing 3PO with this magnet, causing 3PO to get sucked up by that magnet, and somehow using it like a wrecking ball to destroy the droids.
Quick cut to Padme trying to beg Farr to let her go as shes taken to a tower before we return to our
heroes. A crab droid lumbers into the hangar, and Jar Jar is not shot, but thrown on its back and able to ride it off the edge of the walkway. 3PO mourns the death of everyones least-favorite nuisance, but the heavens are not on our side because Jar Jar climbs back up, totally fine. He presses a button on the control panel to release the magnet, and just in case you were mildly impressed by this display of sheer dumb luck for some reason, he accidentally uses the magnet to DESTROY THE SHIP. In the wreckage, the duo finds an intact closet containing a Jedi robe, presumably one Anakin left behind because robes are hard to animate. Jar Jar puts it on to disguise himself. Cut to Padme being chained up and Farr looking remorseful (you can tell because his big crazy eyes are narrowed.) One of his underlings mentions that there is no sign of Jar Jar and 3PO, because clearly the droid squad that spontaneously disappeared does not warrant investigation.
The eternally lame Nute Gunray arrives in all his froggy glory, stupid headpiece and all. His droid escort notices 3PO and Jar Jar almost immediately, but they all mistake Jar Jar for a Jedi (yep, thats where this is going.) He again abandons 3PO, who is led away to a dismantling center, to slip through a grate and hide underwater. Eventually, Jar Jar realizes that hes standing on top of a giant swamp monster because hes an idiot. A brief chase scene ensues. The droids all agree to go looking for the Jedi, and since theres a large group of them at least five or six all say, Roger, roger just to maintain a consistent level of obnoxiousness. He later emerges from exactly the same grate, which was left totally unguarded, and dons the robe again before heading off to rescue Padme.
Meanwhile, Padme rescues herself. She overhears the droids discussion about a Jedi being spotted and puts on a very unconvincing performance where she thanks a Jedi for rescuing her as she uses a convenient lockpick to release her restraints. Apparently in the future, these things are not controlled electronically in some form or another. The droids open her cell door and she manages to gun them all down, later picking up 3PO during her escape. She does this by pointlessly doing a Mario-esque wall jump while shooting at the droids from behind in what is basically a re-enactment of
this gif. Then she orders 3PO to find a way to send a distress signal as she attempts to locate Jar Jar, who is climbing the side of the tower she already escaped from.
Farr speaks with Gunray on the way to Padmes cell and, in regards to his request for food, is given the unsurprisingly shady response of, It will be taken into consideration. Hes also shocked that Gunray plans to execute Padme because hes an idiot. And when a droid reveals to Gunray that Padme has escaped, Jar Jar pops up and screeches, ESCAPED?! before falling off the tower as the droids fire at him, saved only by the fact that his foot gets caught in a vine. Two more droids confront him at the base of the tower just as Padme calls his name, and he escapes into a grate again and leaves one of his companions behind, again. The droids have caught on to his strategy, however, and disperse grenades into the water. Jar Jar swims to escape, but runs into the swamp monster as a droid shoots some kind of homing flare at him. There is a large explosion and Padme is captured, while 3PO manages to make contact with the clones before also being captured.
As 3PO and Padme are rounded up in front of a firing squad, its revealed that the swamp monster ate Jar Jar in order to save him because why the hell not? He kisses the creature and swims away, grabbing the Jedi robe. Jar Jar finally grows some balls and confronts Gunray, but since hes an idiot without a plan he just stands there as the droids prove unable to hit a target that is standing right in front of them and barely moving. This enrages the swamp monster, which emerges from below and starts attacking the droids. Gunray attempts to escape at a hilariously leisurely pace and is unsurprisingly held at gunpoint by Padme. Farr arrives with a gun as well, and in the most anti-climactic standoff ever he helps her capture Gunray just as Republic forces arrive.
This episode is horrible. The character choices here are baffling. Padme, Gunray, and Farr are boring and bland as hell, while Jar Jar and 3PO are obnoxious. Ive never been on board with the whole victory through dumb luck thing. Its an annoying trope, and here the episode relies entirely on it. But even if youre amused by that idea, Jar Jars complete incompetence is horrible. He destroys the ship, and he basically abandons people to die on three separate occasions to save his own ass. Hes a terrible character that communicates exclusively in screechy, juvenile speech. And while Jar Jar is unbearable on his own, the rest of the episode doesnt help the cause by surrounding him with a dull conflict that provides little tension and a parade of other bad characters.
Grade:
D