Clone Wars Week: Top Ten Clone Wars Episodes

Continuing on with the theme of this week (everything Clone Wars), here is a list of my top ten most favorite Clone Wars episodes.

#10. Season 4 - "Revenge": This was the second part of the Season 4 finale, showing Darth Maul getting his sanity back and a new sense of purpose. The lightsaber battle of Ventress and Kenobi vs. Savage and Maul was frenzied and fast, with the Jedi and the ex-assassin barely making it out alive. It was also a good cliffhanger episode, leaving everyone (or at least me) sitting on the edge of their seats and yelling, "Don't let the Season be over now! I don't want to wait until September. That's impossible! Nooooooooooo!"

#9. Season 2 - "Brain Invaders": This was kind of one of those "dumb" episodes but, hey, it was still crazy fun to watch. One of the best scenes was just moments after Scythe released the Brain Invaders into the clones' sleeping area and you watch the infected troopers sit up in perfect zombie-ish unison. And then, after two infected clones murdered the craft's pilots, Scythe's droning of "We have the bridge" just gave me the willies! *shudder*

#8. Season 3 - "Ghosts of Mortis": Even though I'm not a huge fan of the "uber spiritual" CW episodes, the "Mortis" trilogy was still very good, with the last installment being my favorite. There are a lot of things that happened in this episode that are worth mentioning: Anakin finds out that he will become Darth Vader and briefly turns to the Dark Side before being "cured" by The Father, Ahsoka is turned to the Dark Side and almost dies, the Mortis Dagger comes heavily into play, and honestly The Son is pretty cute. *giggles* =D

#7. Season 3 - "Clone Cadets": The best episodes, in my opinion, are the ones that are totally devoted to the clone troopers. My siblings claim that I have a crush on every trooper in the GAR (even though I don't), but getting back on topic.... This episode was good because it brought back Domino Squad, the trooper squad that saw most of its members die on the Rishi moon. In "Clone Cadets" we get to see what Domino Squad was like when they were still in the last week or so of their training on Kamino. We watch them as they struggle with who they are, what roles they have in the group, and to trust one another as not only a team but as true brothers. I smile every time I see this episode. It's just that awesome.

#6. Season 3 - "ARC Troopers": This episode aired soon after "Clone Cadets" and showed us the Battle of Kamino, which happened a few months to a year after the events of "CC." Not only do two of my favorite troopers, Fives and Echo, really shine here, but the character of the deformed clone - 99 - is also greatly expanded. Watching the older, veteran troopers watch out for their still-in-training younger brothers was absolutely touching. And the ending will leave you both happy and sad at the same time.

#5. Season 1 - "Rookies": This is the episode where we are first introduced to Domino Squad, and it's one of the most popular CW episodes (if you can believe iTunes statistics). Overall this one was a very tragic episode because most of the clones in Domino Squad die in one gruesome manner or another, but it was also ended on a hopeful note as we see the two surviving members striding confidentally towards us. It's kind of like "ARC Troopers" in that it'll make you feel both happy and sad.

#4. Season 4 - "The Box": This was part three of a four-episode arc in which Obi-Wan goes undercover as an assassin to stop a group of mercenaries from kidnapping Chancellor Palpatine. All of the episodes in that arc were good, but this one was my favorite. Granted, I would have liked more shots of what happened in the Box and if they hadn't made it look so easy, but it was still very cool to see all of the tests the mercenaries had to go through in order to get the job.

#3. Season 3 - "Padawan Lost/Wookiee Hunt": I could decide which one of these I liked better, so they both tie for #3. Both of these episodes comprised the Season 3 finale, and it's awesome for many reasons. One, there are lots and lots of Trandoshans. Two, Chewbacca debuts on CW in these episodes. Three, Ahsoka learns to be a good leader through this time. And, four, it's a lot like watching a video version of The Most Dangerous Game (if you haven't read it, please do. It's a short story, and it's amazing!). So if you like Hunger Games/Battle Royale/Ender's Game-ish survival/death match stuff, then you would likely love both of these episodes.

#2. Season 2 - "Innocents of Ryloth": This is such an amazing episode! When the Republic sends forces to help free the world of Ryloth, two troopers - Waxer and Boil - encounter a little Twi'Lek girl who quickly befriends them. It's so touching to watch them keep her safe, to see Waxer holding her hand, and both of them hugging her comfortingly when she starts crying over her lost family. When they have to leave to continue waging war against the Seppies, their farewell to little Numa is so touching that I almost cry every time I see it. Sometimes I think that if Waxer had survived Umbara that he might have gotten married and would have been a wonderful father. Maybe - hopefully - Boil will still have that chance. *fingers crossed*

#1. Season 4 - The "Umbara" Arc: Yes, there are four episodes in the "Umbara" story arc, but they all feel like just one long, totally EPIC show that I just couldn't single one out. There is so much to love and cry and rage over in this arc (raging at the bad guy, not at the episodes themselves, I mean). There are battles, but interspersed in there are conversations between the troopers, the kinds of talks they have with each other when no one else is around. You get to see how they think of themselves, each other, the war, everything. These episodes also do an amazing job fleshing out different troopers' characters, showing us that they may have the same face and basic training, but they're all unique and special in their own ways. The end of the last episode is very satisfying (though Krell could have expanded more on his rather lame excuse, but I guess he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to), and there are twists and turns around every corner. I always feel sad and horrible when a clone dies, but when you see them die in "Umbara" you feel like standing along beside them, crying over fallen comrades, everything. Plus the cinematography is also extremely well done, arguably the best ever. There is more I could say, but you really just need to see it yourself. It's that mind-blowing.



What are your favorite CW episodes? Which Season has been your favorite so far?




 - Edessa, signing off