A More Civilized Age: A Star Wars Podcast - 41: The Shadow Collective Arc (Clone Wars 102-104)

Episode Date: August 31, 2022

We've had some hard times here, haven't we gang? Aspirin defending bounty hunters. Bogan fruit. Juggling Jar-Jar. Lux Bonteri, heartthrob and super soldier. Younglings. Droids in voids.  Well. You know what? For the string of episodes we're kicking off today, it was worth it. All of it.  If you haven't watched the last few arcs, take our recommendation and go watch this one before listening. You owe it to yourself. Then come back and get ready for what might be the most high energy 3+ hours we've ever had on the show. So far, anyway... Show Notes Mandalorian Murals Hosted by Rob Zacny (@RobZacny) Featuring Alicia Acampora (@ali_west), Austin Walker (@austin_walker), and Natalie Watson (@nataliewatson) Produced by Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Cover art by Xeecee (@xeeceevevo)

Let us return once more to a more civilized age Clone Wars podcast. I'm Rob Zagney, joined by Ali Akampora, Austin Walker, and Natalie Watson. You know, after weeks of being a middling Saturday morning cartoon full of strange hijinks with characters we don't really know, with, you know, low-stakes stories, the Clone Wars really snapped us back to harsh reality with a trio of episodes centered on mall, oppress, pre-visla and Mandalorian politics

that have to be the most brutal in the series history, maybe also some of the series best. Who will fall? Yeah, I think it's... Rob, I thought you were going to say Clone Wars really snapped on this one. I need to say that this is the first time

I wished we did face cams, like recorded our face cams. to put out there because just there's a an energy on the call today after this arc and like there's been it's giddy like and i don't i have issues with some of these i sort of i have small issues there are things i wish were different about clone wars having watched this this arc generally speaking but the energy from these episodes is unbelievable and it's just like we don't okay we don't talk about clone wars except for when we sit down to talk about clone wars really right yeah this is very important i don't know if we've ever disclosed this on the podcast but we

don't we don't speak to each other about this show we're not friends we are like we come together we go on stage and then we do not speak a fucking word not even in secret not even in secret not about anything blood we have blood oath like the mandoloreans do exactly saw how that worked out um no but like but this time we had to break the rule a little bit yeah the chat was active The chat was bumping a little over. We did, like, it was, it was hard not to say more. It was mostly a lot of, uh, cap, all caps, uh, question marks. Hidden behind spoiler.

Lots of stuff. We've never used the spoiler tags in this discord before. I was so close, like, it was either Monday night or Sunday night. I was so close just being like, are you all doing anything right now? Like, are any of us really, like, can we seriously not just go? It's, yeah, these are those episodes. This is that show. This is the show people are talking about what they say clone wars.

That's what I'm saying is, like, I feel like at the end of the last arc when we were like, and I know this bit got, you know. It only got true to the part of, okay, the big conclusion thing is still there. For people who don't know, we spent, I mean, no one knows this. We spent like 20 minutes going over all of the previous episodes in a really boring away. And just going mid, hype, boo. Oh, yeah, that was good. Cad Bain's cool.

I kept in the part of the chat at the end and kind of bridged it so that we could be like, what are our big takeaways? All that's still in there. And so our conversation about arcs is still in there. We had a big conversation about like, what's the role of the arc in Clone Wars? Has it gone downhill? And you may remember, I was like, I want all of us to sit and think about arcs because I knew part of what was coming up. This is one of the ones.

This is one of the ones that I've known from day one that I've been like, you cannot spoil yourself. What did you know? You just knew that there was going to be a good mall arc? No, I knew this, I knew this a teen. I'm like, pause. I just say this out front. Go watch this arc. I have seen people today tell me, I try to get through the D-Squod arc.

I couldn't do it. I'm off of it. I'll keep listening to you. I saw people on the internet talking about. I couldn't get through the Younglings' arc. Do what can I get a skip list? Go watch these. Go watch these episodes.

If you've made it this far, if you've watched five seasons and you're quitting at Younglings, you're disrespecting yourself in your own damn time. Okay, but you can skip Younglings and Descroft. But skip those. Skip those. We can't use a skip list.

It's important. And I think that this episode actually touches parts of why it's important. Because like, I think Lux Bon Terry hanging out with Death Watch gets cut on my skip list. But you need to watch it. I'm glad I have that context.

Me too. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I agree with that. So go watch it. But the things I knew really quick, because I want to truly, like, even though I already said a name,

I want you to go, I want you to go watch it. And then you can go back and listen to this. Like, leave now. Don't listen to this before watching it. Because what I'm going to say is a spoiler for this arc. Okay. And it's a teen thing.

I knew it's a team. died during this arc, and I've known that since day one. You knew that the whole time? Yeah, yeah. This is why I was like, we can't watch Obi-Wan, because I was like, well, that's definitely going to show up in Obi-Wan. Apparently, I'm like, why isn't he hanging with Satin? This is the thing.

This is what I meant was like, either her presence was going to be revealing or her absence. I mean, I knew it wasn't going to be her presence. But if Obi-Wan was like, oh, I should have gone away with Satine, that would have been meaningful, and we're like, oh, my God, Satine's dead. or if we watch it and it doesn't come up we would need to be able to talk to the fact that it doesn't come up Yeah

So 100% So yeah so that was the thing I knew I knew broadly Savage did not make it through Clone Wars But I didn't know the particulars there And I knew pre-Visla did not make it through Clone War Then I knew Maul over through Visla And became the head of Death Watch But I didn't know

So I knew a lot, you know Let me tell you these episodes still fucking hit Yeah. I, yeah. So I think we're going to be going through this in pretty close detail. This is going to be a long episode, folks. Buckle in. I have 15 minutes of Filoni zone.

We're going to watch it for each of these. We just have to. Up top, I'll just whip us through the high level overview of what happens in these episodes. So this, this arc picks up right where we last up. You're going to have a hard time because the pacing on these episodes are like summary tier pacing. It's true, but I've got it. Okay, I'm ready. So it picks up, like, right where we last saw

Oppressed and Savage after their failed attempt at taking over Hondo's pirate band. They are found a drift. A press and Savage. Oppress and Mall, right. Yep. You're just thinking about your boy. You're just thinking about Savage.

It's hard to give it around. I'm always thinking about Savage. I feel like shit. Just want him back. Just want him back? So they are found a drift. and near death by Death Watch and Vizla quickly realizes

that the two Junior Varsity Sith might be just the thing he needs to finally retake power on Mandelor. In Swift order the two sides throw in together and take over most all of the underworld in the galaxy their plan which

ends up working perfectly surprisingly enough is that they basically birth of a nation the Mandalorians their plan is to spark a crime wave on Mandelor that discredits Sateen's entire conception

of the Mandalorian people and the pacifist project and then Death Watch swoops in as a violent revanchise power and everyone's like, thank God these violent terrorists are here to kill all these criminals

and then by acclamation basically say Death Watch should now rule over Mandelor. That works. That just That's just, that goes perfectly smoothly, which rate, like, Mandalorian stock for me way down. Well, you have to understand, you have to imagine, though, that, like, even before this happens, this is still a planet in reconstruction.

Yeah. Right. The Mandalorian Civil War had just happened, right? Satin is still young. You know what I mean? Like, Satin was young when it happened. She's still young now. She is not 70.

She didn't get 40 years of peace. I think she's in year 10 or 20. You know what I mean? Like, maybe. Right. And so there are a lot of people who live on that planet who were on the other side of that war. It was not just Death Watch. There are a lot of people who are thinking, you know, we tried this piece shit.

I've been waiting for an excuse. We're an ancient warrior culture. Plus, they just came off of, like, a big scandal. So, like, her, like, approval rating was not high the last time we saw her anyway. So they were, like, right. for the take egg. So the idea from here was, this is what was agreed upon,

was that they would turn Mandelor into the seat of an underworld empire. And because Sotin would be under the control, Obi-Wan would have no choice but to come out and fight. And that would give Maul what he's been looking for for ages, which is another chance at revenge.

And this guy just wants his rematch immediately after already failing his title shot. But anyway, but Vizzi, Vizla, Trudeiform, has already planned on betraying his partners and swiftly throws them into prison for real, which works out, except that he ends up imprisoning them near our old friend Prime Minister Almec, who helps Moll realize that he has a great prospect for replacing Vizla with an established Mandalorian politician. They immediately bust out of prison.

Maul challenges Pre-Visla to single combat, wins, executes him, and seizes control of the planet and Death Watch. A few of the Death Watch, led by Boat Catan, refuse the new leadership, and basically, do we consider them loyalists? Do we consume the defectors? It doesn't matter. Either way, Death Watch, like, splinters in all this. Sotene has been held prisoner throughout much of this, is able to escape just long enough

to get word out to Obi-Wan that she needs help. The Jedi are immediately like, this isn't our problem. I feel like it probably should have been, but they say not our problem. Obi-Wan decides to solo this. Almost rescue Sotene

ends up stuck in, single combat again, and is forced to watch as Mall executes Sateen with the Dark Sabre and she basically dies in Obi-Wan's arms he manages to escape with the help of Bo Catan and her

rebel her rebel Mandalorians effectively which means also there's a reveal there right oh right yeah Boca Tan is in fact Boatan Creeze who is which is to say as a teen's sister.

Also, Obi-Wan just misses the fact that as he's leaving, D'Art Sidious is arriving, having caught wind of Maul's return. This, mm-hmm. I'm not saying a single word about this until we get there. Yeah, we got away. He fucks up the brothers immediately and murders

murders Savas and then tells him all he's not his apprentice anymore but he does have a plan for him it's so hard

not to talk ahead it is so hard there is no passion there is serenity there is no emotion there is peace that's it so

like we're at a start I mean at the beginning on the ship on the ship I would like to say they are fucked up They are fucked up.

The production value of just them being frozen in this ship is incredible. The ice crystals in the air. Their skin is like is frozen or is burned by it's like a freezer burn on their skin. It's so fucking cool. Me three episodes ago. Why did the Yelings Ark need so much direct exposition? Why don't they do more just regular story visual storytelling? three any three shots from this arc

oh because this is where all the budget and time went yep yep they look really good and yeah and like Death Watch coming in like the frost the haze in the air as they find them

and then we get the like resurrection sequence basically where the brothers are carried back to Death Watch's medical facility and love this landing sequence onto um

fucking what's their planet called their moon called Concordia Concordia yeah specifically a neat thing is the stuff that is repairing the mall's legs here are in fact

the it's mining equipment from Previsal's mine in that second season episode so it's literally that stuff that they brought out with them from that base which is interesting they gave him new feet different feet

this is did anyone else notice that they did give him new feet okay just wanted to point that out because I was wondering I was like was that a fair job or was that a full replacement like I think it's a full replacement didn't he have like the big old talons before were like yeah they were kind of

they got like the claws and now they're pretty flat he's pretty flat footed so this is the fourth set of feet that Marl has lived with in his life because he's had basic he had, yeah, default.

Default. Default feet. Yeah. Default skin. Then he had spider legs. Spider. Yeah. Then he had Towson reconstructed talon feet.

Yeah. And now he has the Death Watch model, Mark, one. Yeah. And now he's shorter than Savage. Uh-huh. Because Savage stands up and hits his head. Oh, right. That is such a good moment.

I just so fucking cute. I love them. I get why people, I get, We got that question a few Q and A's ago about, does Moll love his brother or is he using him? And it's like, you were right in having seen this whole arc, aren't you? You were writing from the future, whoever wrote that question in. Because there's way more of that here.

That question throughout this arc of like, Maul wants to protect his brother when the Death Watch threatens him a couple of times. Obviously, in the thing we're not going to talk about until we get there at the end. There is emotion there. I feel like a lot of that, even in the beginning of the circus, it's like, okay, well, is he a tool that he's protecting or is he his brother? But, like, you know, when it's mall, Savage, and Death Watch, it's clear that it's Mall and Savage. Yes. Boys against the world.

For sure. I think, realistically, it's not that, it's not really between Savage being brother or tool. Like, I think, I think Mall 100% view Savage. as brother, it's just that there may be certain points at which Maul would, you know. He's also a tour. Yeah, would not, would sacrifice his brother or or do something for his own self-interest. But I think ultimately he does regard him. It doesn't make him less of a brother.

It's just a different way. I mean, when you think about the type of like culture that they're coming. coming from that's not exactly fostering like the strongest of familial ties and this like kind of pointedly goes to pains to shatter it actually and use it as something that you have to kill off but but also I do kind of feel like it's not just like there's not more brotherliness here in part because there is a transitioning happening with mall which is that like he's moving away from being like a Sith fanatic into Morvick calculating well like the crime lord he's going to kind of end up turning into but like there is now much more of an

element he's he's less invested in this idea of like you're my apprentice savage and now it's much more we're brothers and this is our thing together and that is that's the mode he's in and it kind of starts here from the start the way he interacts with vislo which really is like you know the the two gangsters realizing that like there is a common enemy in play and needing to figure out if the other is vicious enough and capable enough

to really help. The way these guys suss out that they can work together but also simultaneously indicate all the reasons that this is a doomed partnership is a really cool sequence. Yeah, this is a bit where mall gets woken up from the repair and the medical

station and gets brought in to meet pre-visla who, you know, reveals himself, and they kind of have to, they kind of have to, like, go over their priors, right? They're like, okay, like, what is your mark? Who are you? What is your deal? I'm like, okay, I'm Death Watch. We're from a warrior cult, you know, we're from a warrior clan inside of a warrior

culture, but the culture has turned against us and has, like, you know, lost its way. Are you Sith? And it's like, well, you know, are you a Jedi? No, I'm a Sith. And, like, here's what we stand for. A hundred percent. And, like, also, I think there's something really cool. I don't remember if it's in this conversation or if it's in, I suspect it's in a later one based on where it is in my notes.

But there's a bit where Maul talks about them coming together, the Mall and Savage, with the Death Watch as being the will of the force. That like, how could we be floating out here in space and the people who found us were also people who have been with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Are you kidding me? That's the force, right? And that's fascinating. So all this intro stuff with them trying to size each other up and team up is great. I found it interesting that Maul directly calls out, Vizla asks him, like, what are you seeking? What do you seek now, Seth?

And Maul says, fortune and power. And the inclusion of fortune there is a really curious thing to me because I wonder if the fortune point of it is almost establishing common mode it like if he's trying to also suss out death watch maybe he's thinking like here's what seems to be some sort of like organized crime syndicate in front of me i'm guessing that they're you know interesting i think it's the other way i think he's downplaying himself i think he's i think he wants to because the pitch he ends up making is we're going to help you take over Mandelor. And Mandelor is sort of the leading nation of 2,000 planets.

And you're going to let me in the background run all the crime on those 2,000 planets. I just want fortune. Yes, I want power. Power is also there. But if he just said power, then he's saying, I'm your rival. And I think by saying fortune and power, he's almost playing down what his long-term goals are. Like what does anybody want fortune power? Yeah, fortune and power.

Right, exactly. I just want to be a crime lord. I don't want to be the dark lord of the Sith, which is actually what he wants. And so he's like building – I mean, this is going to come up in one of the phloney zones. I'm really just jacking this from that, but someone notes that, like, you can imagine this is not dissimilar from what Palpatine did when Palpatine was starting out in the sense of building a network, putting together people in the back, pushing people into relationships where he gets the better – You can't lead with the nihilism. Right, exactly. well that was also part of my like favorite thing of seeing mall's like characterization throughout these arcs is that like it ends up being character development for palpatine because you sort of have this feeling of like the way that mall is able to talk to people and move in the rooms that he is here it's like when palpatine picked him up he like took him to finishing school so he could like talk to like a crime lord the same way that he can to almanac who's like the senator and like is able to manipulate people in this way and also speak.

like really clearly and you know like I'm a political guy too I'm thrilled she called him Almanac because I also have stumbled into that like I've been trying to know what I've been trying to do and I'm like got to catch myself don't call it don't call him Almanette the Mace window of Mollmec Olmec all Mek

I do have a note here about Moll speaking good I have two and one is let's go Moll big speech which I think was probably the speech when he was forced choking Boca Tahn without even looking at her and being like you do not understand who the fuck I am which was made great retrospectively

because of how Boat Khan was like yeah we can work with him afterwards which is like big ups on her my second note on Malt's speech is the episode Yeah exactly Was Maw's voice Always this hot?

He's going into mastermind mode He is Jesus So The shout out to Sam Witt We're extremely good. Where was this small at the beginning of the season? Where was this mall at the first?

I mean, it takes a while to find the character. And this is, this is the, this is an arc of all finding himself. Yeah. Yeah, he's, he's, he's got new feet and he's feeling right. And. I love this. It's just a saying that means that you're in your bag. He's like, he got, he got new feet.

You got new feet on. Shit. Just the way, oh my God, the way. He's so, it's like some of the, my favorite voice acting we've had of this entire series is this arc, and specifically mall, is just like so incredibly charismatic. I buy him every moment. I'm like eating it up. He's just like he dominates whatever scene he's in, but he's so, the chemistry that he has with any counter, he's shine. He's a shining star.

He truly is. He should have gotten the fucking Emmy, not fucking Dr. Huvill. What's his name? Dr. Hewville. David Tennant. So. Isn't it called Huvillians? Huvians.

All right. It's just come back. Moving on. Like the next 30 minutes of this arc is just like breakneck. Well, this is. father shit. It's unbelievable. It's the best thing ever.

So they real, so Maul is like. This is what Book of Boba Fett should have been. Are you fucking kidding me? Can you imagine? Hands down. It's even the same players. It's even the Pikes are even here.

I was. Look, Boba Fett as Crime Lord ain't shit. This is what, I was like, the, like, we're supposed to believe like, oh, you're the new dime you over this. Fuck this. Like, I wouldn't, this guy could, this guy couldn't. make me like cough up money for cigarettes right like just it's not happening whereas these guys are like this is what takes to like take over the world like the entire underworld you have to

show yourself to be absolutely buck wild in terms of your commitment and dangerous as hell the way this opens with them being like we're going to go see blacks on and i'm like i don't see like how they're just going to like co-op to all these groups what's the sales pitch going to be oh oh Sorry, I'm misunderstood. I thought we were going around doing direct sales and marketing. That's why I thought the next stage of this plan was. With a briefcase of knives. I did not anticipate that the pitch was going to be like, hey, Blackson, you in on this?

Who are you? Dead. Everybody's just dead. Like, walks into a room. Decapitated. Full of, like, old school, like, fucking samurai-ass-looking. Black Sun like crime lords. Yeah, these are the Fallin.

We should know, like, there's also something, I think, kind of fun here happening, which is, like, Black Sun comes from Shadow of the Empire, a big multimedia project in the 90s that included the N64 game, a bunch of comics, a novel, and was included the villain Prince Shizor, who is like one of these Falleen guys, who is like a crime lord to rival Palpatine, right? It's smart enough to be one step ahead of the empire operating in the – it takes a – shout to the empire takes place between Empire and Return of the Jedi, right? And so it's like filling in the gaps of the world in that way. And she's always like this kind of this like fan – I don't know if it's a fan favorite. He has some issues, but like, you know, he's a known – he's a known crotiddy. There's a bit of that. He's an amphibian, right? Like, he's a sexy amphibians are they lizards.

There was a weird lizard. I don't know, but I do remember there's a thornity. thing where he's like, look what I can do to this throat pouch. And all ladies, like, damn, his throat pouch glows. He has he also has pheromone powers. It's a whole thing. We've talked about him a little bit before.

But I think there's like a strategic move happening where they're like, they fucking zoom in and one of these Fallin reptile dudes is here and it's the whole Black Sun syndicate is here. And you're like, if you're a deep fan, you're like, oh, shit, they're up against the Black Sun. And then it's like, oh, the Black Sun ain't shit.

The Black Sun ain't shit. The Black Sun never had to deal with Mall and Savage. Better call Mall. Like, it's over. It's so good. They just, they just turn to their heavy and it's like, are you going to bring, are you on a lead black son now? And he's like, yep. And he's like, I think we will do that.

Yeah. Actually. Do you? They got a, they got a leadership robe in my size? Because I think I could rock it and he can. He looks great in the rest of these episodes. Yeah. I fuck with him. I fuck with his vibe. And they just do this again and again. Like, this is just the rest of this episode. Yeah.

It is. Like, do they either have to do anything to roll the pikes or do the pikes just basically surrender a media? The pikes show up. The pikes come to them. Okay. The pikes come to them. They're like, yo, word on the street is you putting together a little squad of some sort. You mind if we get in on that?

And I have a really fucked up note about the pike design, by the way. Oh, yeah. It's very different than what we saw in Book of Bobo. It's all saving. is like there's like a little bit of overlap like in the book of boba design makes up like they're just wearing helmets that have that distinct shape whereas here it's much more like that's just what their faces are as like weird fish alien types right oh like the whole thing is their head that whole thing is their head yeah here's the note from star wars dot com let me drop this in here the uh it's in general for us the their fingertips and their mouths are stained like ruddish brown because of the spice they deal in, just permanently. They permanently have just like red dust all over them, which is fucked up. IMO. They should wash their faces. Wash your hands.

Wear gloves. You're doing so much spice. It took like a year not smoking before that nicotine stain went away. But you're dealing. I know. Right. You can't be touching your own son. You gotta know that the product is, is suitable to sell. Maybe it's like ritualistic.

It's like, I have the best stuff. Right. Right. You know what you get. I just don't know. Push it to you put out an album and his hands are all dusty white. If your dealer is just like, so well just fucked up hands and everything, you're like, I don't know, man. Like, you're going to have to reel.

Again, really new sales job to convince me. It's like, no, this is how you know I'm dealing the real shit. And I'm just like, I would rather not. You can't afford latex, bro? Maybe it's a traditional thing. Like, you got to be touching it and. You can't sully this by putting it in a Ziploc baggie. You can't.

Yeah. You feel it out. So then, like, and this is the head fake too, is like, they're like, so we're just going to go subjugate the huts and i'm like well how's that going to work there's like a million of them and they're like secured by an army and so they walk in they basically do the same like join us or die pitch on the huts but the huts are post up and ready for this they're like ha ha you just walked into our trap whole squad is here whole squad is here including embo Embo is here

We're like Oh he's on the death list Suguya Dengar is there Las Razi and you're right Who will fall Embo is on the list Oh shit embo You gotta get out of here bro

This is so dangerous for you You were on the fucking promo material Get out And it looks like they got to drop on them For like a split second Right The bounty hunters come out Also the huts

Half the huts are only there By Hologram Most of them are not there Maybe more than half right And the bounty hunters roll out, uh, Saguya, I believe that's her name, uh, who is also a Zabrak writer in Iridonian. She throws her knife at Maul's face. And Maul just catches it with his mind. Is it mall catching it with his mind? Oh, is it was it Savage? It might be Savage. I thought

because the camera moves to Savage behind him. You're right. Wait, it does. It is. It totally is. His brother. The reveal. Yes. It's a romantic moment. He's holding out his hand behind uh, Maul's head. It's even harder. It's so good. he's so good I love them so much and then they have a dope fight there's a guy you know like any other arc

it's like wow what a honestly I mean this is the thing is yeah go ahead no it's like fight in this audience chamber and then it it appears it's not

we need to get the fuck out of here so they gotta fight out of the palace then death watch shows up and it's like we can we're the reinforcements we can close this thing out let's fight our way back in

now we it's so what and the thing is that sounds kind of directionless right it rules the fact that the fight backtracks and loops as like the pitch battle is waged is incredible and in any other arc we would be like I can't believe we got to watch such a good fight unfortunately for this fight it's easily the third or fourth best fight in this arc it is it's really good though and it's cool to see all the bounty hunters it's cool to see mall and savage and the death watch fight all the bounty hunters like also there's a

the other thing is right the end of this is actually them being like where's Jabba yeah they interrogate

one of the the last hut standing which it seems like all the rest got away and this hut

is like I don't know what to tell you I don't know anything and Mal's like you are going to die today

if you don't tell me exactly where I can find Jabba and the rest of the huts and he's like Jabba

Is that Jabba's palace? He's on Tatooine. He's on Tatooine. And Mall, which is fun because, like, Maul's been to Tatooine, remember? And Maul is the one who's like, oh, right, that's where his palace is. And then they're like,

you're telling me that the piece of information you have for me is that Jabba is in Jabba's palace. It's so good. It's so funny. Kill them. Bam! And that's, like, this show's going to kill people. Like, murder them.

They'll be murdered in front of you. And they're going to make little jokes about it. Like, get ready, kids. Like, you're hanging out with bad people now, all right? This is also the hut that had the big beret on and, like, the kind of robe look. That's the hut that gets got here, by the way, for people. Like, high and tight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Also, I skip, go ahead. I was just going to say, also, like, this fight fulfills another really important function, which is moving pre-visla out of the punk category. Yes, yes, are you fucking kidding me? the dark saber looks so good as he's fighting people in the tunnel and it's doing it's like it's I don't know what the difference is between how they used to animate the dark saber and how they animate it in this arc but there's a sequence where he's fighting just rando guards in the the tunnels of the hut like cartel group and it moves different than everything else like if you told me that it was animated on a different frame or that it was animated on more frames than it. something else, I would truly believe you because it looks magical. It doesn't look like it. It doesn't look like a black

lightsaber. I think part of it is just like it has a huge motion trail and stuff like that, but it's just so sick. Really great first episode. And he's just a blizzard. The way he fights now too is like again last we saw him, the whole thing like Death Watch looked so shabby.

And they are. To be clear, like this is what Mall keys onto. Like, This has become a street gang without a lot of prospects, and they do need to level up. But we are also reminded here that, like, Visla went toe to toe without Obi-Wan, and, like, that was not, like, that wasn't a walk for Obi-Wan. This was a real fight.

As we see him, and, like, the other thing they're leaning into is, like, okay, what's the, what's the move set for a fully trained Mandalorian warrior? It's endless. Like, pistols, got him, firearm. Got him. Flamethrower. Yep. Like, grappling cable. Uh-huh. That two, rocket pack? Uh-huh. Absolutely.

Rocket launcher. Mm-hmm. And, like, Vizla is going through, like, all of it in this fight. And the crazy thing, and that's just one thing you got to keep track of, as Maul and Opress are also, like, in their own full-on knock-down drag-out fights. Like, when, and it gets so brutal, too, it stops being a Jedi lightsaber fight. shit. Like, by the end, what do Savage and Mal have to lean on? They're big boys from the country. Like, when it comes down to it, they are just big guys, and they are going to just punch the ever-living shit out of you. I don't care how thick that stupid metal hat is,

M. Bo, I'm coming through it. I'm going to take that hat and I'm beat your ass with it. In the immortal words of professional wrestler Big E, they are big, meaty, men slapping meat. It's great. And I love to watch. I love to watch it. They're doing all sorts of fucking kicks and punches. And like shoutouts to the slow roll of all these bounty hunters.

I got like part of what pays off here, it would be cool to see these people if we'd never seen them before. But part of what works about Clone Wars as a project here is they're cashing it on M-mo. They're cashing in on all the bounty hunters who shut up to save Asoka, during the TransOcean arc and that Assange was hanging out with and like all of these characters

are characters that we like go oh look it's that person which is the this is the maybe this is a you know a sort of cynical promise but this is the promise of the franchise in a way right

is that like this goes back as far as any time there's a crossover event in comics you go like oh shit that's my fave from this other thing and they're here now and they're interacting

with my other fave from my other thing and like that's there's a little bit of spark there's a little joy I don't think there's anything wrong with that part of this now. It's finally worked. That's the problem, right?

It took this arc for it to finally truly work. Yeah. Also, one other thing. Go ahead. I was just going to shout out, like, I do think this episode and the next two episodes that will, I'll call them out. But I think the writing and dialogue is so on point here. some like really standout lines

uh mall calling duku the sith pretender fucking hits um it's got me very curious about mall's relationship to sith identity and like the fact that he's identifying himself as you know true lords of the sith it's like very it's a very fascinating way that they're positioning themselves especially when you think about this like final face down with Palpatine at the end of this arc There's a great line early on where

Maul is like Maul is constantly needling death loss in really smart ways there's a bit where you know previously has talked about how the new rulers on Mandela are pacifists and they don't have any

strength and Maul's like if they're weak why do you wait? And it's like who you know made some points malls like that this duchess of yours will soon discover the true burden of peace oh i love a bill who can talk game i love it when he calls out that bizley's like you still don't have the vision to see this do you and but the funny thing here too is i thought for a minute i was like it's kind of unearned because like motherfucker your last plan was to take over condos game like they found you in a fucking closet you were like locked in a fucking we're not talking about that we're not talking about that we're not talking about that we're We've made shy. What the thing is? New feet, new me.

Put it on his shirt. The thing is, like, going back to the, like, these guys are basically Elmore Leonard villains, and they still are. But the thing is, sometimes they get on to a good idea. And the problem is, is it going to work out for them? No. Is it going to be enormously dangerous and destructive for everyone their path? Yes. And, like, here, has Maul really become a great visionary?

Next to Visla, probably he feels that way. He seems like it. He still doesn't see that, like, he's going to attract the tent. Like, is he really ready for the heat he's bringing down? That's the actual thing. Is he, I think he's actually very visionary. Unfortunately, sheep Palpatine exists. Yeah.

Unfortunately, part of being visionary is, you know, part of field awareness is knowing where the cornerback is. Part of, like, being able to, like, make a play is knowing when you're going to get hit and knowing when, like, you got to prep for that before you can make a big, a big maneuver. And we'll get to what happens there. But none of that takes up. away from like, it is hard as hell when Savage and Previsla and Maul step off their ship in front of Jabba's palace after Death Watch has already like jetpacked down and torn the

whole place up. And they're just like, slash, slash, like effortless dispatching whoever is left. It's just like, it's so cool to see. We've talked about this a lot with the show that they do a pretty bad job often of villains seeming actually threatening. And they put two episodes in a row of villains being effective and it works quite a bit. I mean, three episodes in a row in a real way. It's so funny that the last time we saw Death Watch, they tried to be like, these guys are so bad, they'll wipe out of Villas

just because it's like, it seems fun. And it's like, it doesn't sell. Like, you come out of that one being like, Death Watch sucks. This is, like, this group's whack. And here, like, Death Watch is kind of cool. Like, we're getting into, like, the Mandalorian Armor makes you automatically, like, twice as awesome

as, like, anyone else. And so we get to that, like, they seem dangerous and scary in a way that as hard as that other episode where Lux is trying to join them, they all seem ridiculous. Yeah, they look like little goofball, little buzz, like little bumblebees flying around in those little jet packs. Let's make these droids fight. Yee ha! But, like, that's part of what... Yeah. Go ahead.

You go ahead. I was just going to say, in this. episode, I, like, specifically noted, wow, they look so good, like, landing on that bridge as, uh, mall, Savage and Visla are approaching the Black Sun, uh, crime lords and whatever, like, as, and, and even further into the next two episodes, like, seeing them flying around or, like, like, they do have a very, like, intimidating presence. And they've jacked all that stuff. Like, if they stolen a droid, like, deployment show, that they're using now to become like tumbling out like paratroopers uh like the part of it is like

okay they've been they've been doing a lot of like ripping shit off but now they do seem like they stole some good stuff and they're putting it to use and they've been pushed right like part of what mall identifies is like you don't know you're not using the strength you have you have strength you have discipline these other crime syndicates don't they will fall and regular people are even more afraid right it's easy to throw weight around actually you just don't know how to you're not confident enough to do it because you got your asses kicked right like you don't have the vision or the confidence so like get a little bit of that yeah and the pikes are going to come kneel to us right and I think that that is a really fun uh way to get death watch back in the game and make them

feel like they are worth anything after like remember we go back to the first time we saw death watch we were very interested in what their deal was and it's like the stock has gone down since then But after this, it's like, okay, like I get the version of them that we maybe should have gotten all along. Or to some degree, it's like, Ball is only able to push them around because they have been doing child's play, right? Because they've been off, you know, rustling cattle. That means that their own ego is low enough that they can get bought in to this big plan and get used in the way that they get used here. Yeah, it definitely felt like that's what stuck out to me because, like, in these early episodes, especially, I still look at Vesla as like, he's not really a villain.

He, like, looks like someone who would have a feud with, like, Michael Scott on the office. Like, he is not a Mid-Lorean leader. He doesn't have any vision. Like, he looks really boring. But when Small comes through and is like, yeah, let me, let me show you around. Let me take you under my wig. I'll show you how to be cool. Like, there are some moves there.

Maybe that's partly to, like, what Natalie was driving at as well. is that chemistry is like everything sharpens up around Mal's presence in this episode so like everyone is a little more like dangerous than they have been before. The stakes are a little bit higher. It's a really, it's a really great feeling. And so the next-

We're not going to move in yet. We have to go to the Flon-Zone zone. I have to bring us to the Flon-Zone. Every time. I think it's, I'm just going to, I'm just going to screen share. Okay. I'm still going to do a count for this Filoni zone, even though we're screen sharing these days, because that way I know when I hit play in the file, something I had realized last time I did not have. All right. Are we ready?

Three, two, one, go. You're not Jedi. So what are you? We are Sith. Darth Mall is back. What do you do with a Sith Lord that was thought to be dead that now is back alive? Beyond his hatred for Obi-Wan Kenobi, there was the idea that he was a well-trained apprentice and that he would start to do the things that he had been trained to do, to build armies, to deceive people, create a power base for himself. Your mark. The sign of Clan Visla. I am pre-Visla.

So George came up with the idea of teeming up mall with Mandalorians. George Lucas. That's right. To a Star Wars fan, I think, wow, that's a pretty potent group. Are we prisoners? No. Allies. They have much to offer, including their planet.

They are strong, and unlike pirates, they possess honor. A weakness. Another weakness. Now, the thing we're not. with the Mandalorians is that they have this code of honor. Jamie Tartt plays the mandolomans, and he also understands that he can use this. Because while Mall understands it,

he doesn't follow the same type of code, and he looks at it with the Mandalorians as this is a terrible hindrance, and this is why these guys will never amount to much. But I can use them. You know, we'll be able to use them to great effect. They're armored, they're dangerous, they're disciplined, and they're reliable.

But bigger than that, bigger than just having a weapon at his disposal, was the idea that Maul really wanted a broad power base. And to get this, he identifies the criminal underworld as a place for him to flourish. Because Sidious, in his gaze, is more focused on the war at hand than countering the Jedi. Maul knows this, so he figures that he could sneak in and kind of create his, own little miniature empire underneath everything by existing in the underworld. I love that for him. It's fun to see that there are really two different types of villains in Star Wars.

There are the mythic villains like Palpatine, Darth Vader, or Darth Maul. And there are the more grounded, front-line, dirty underworld villains. Excuse me. Don't put Cadbury in that second list. But you probably don't know the Black Sun and the Pikes. The idea of the Black Sun is something that I first learned about the old game kind of multimedia platform, which was Shadows of the Empire. Little baby nerd, Dave Poloney, which is in 64.

That would be great to bring the Black Sun into the story because in a lot of EU material, Brian Randolph Mall was pretty active in breaking up the Black Sun for Sidious. So there's some relevancy there that he would know about the Black Sun, that he would have a good idea of where they were, and that they have a certain amount of power that he could try to make his. The Pikes are really interesting. They really came to light something from George

that he had been developing. And they're really kind of interesting. Very alien, small faces, big kind of pod heads, pretty abstract, sinister little guys. And finally, of the three groups that Mall goes after, the last are the huts. Love a little guys. I love a little guy.

Because they have the most power on their own. Comparatively. isn't battle there between the huts and they capture one of them. And then in a scene out of something that I think only up to this point was probably reenacted with action figures by fans at home. George requested the attack and onslaught of Jabba's Palace by Mandalorian. That's right. George Lucas. I mean, that's some hardcore.

NERRICT. NERRIFIC. He said, never thought when starting this show that was something that would ever see. But it's all part showing the mall's not just brute force. but he's also being smart and he's building a power base and he's doing kind of what Sidious did with the Senate. The Sidious is even more, way more subtle the mall is. Well, I can't say anything more, but I know how this goes now.

I know how this goes. And, boy, before it's over, what mall's up to? Wow. Get with the scene again. That was a... Fucking. Oh, it's so good. Love the no-sell my own show.

Imagine it's like a Tuesday night. You just watch Clode Wars. You're logging into Star Wars. You're logging into Star Wars. To see the behind the seats below any thing. And he drops that on you. Just like looking down solely, well, I know what mall's up to. What's mall up to?

I got to know. God, it's so funny to me. Also, just like, I mean, I do, I do think it's funny that so much of this is Lucas being like, I think it would be sick if Mandalorians attacked Boba Fett's Palace, not yet Boba Fett's Palace. And also just like, I do, I just want to reiterate, during the fight at Java's Palace, It was so good that for, like, a brief moment, I was like, oh, shit, they're going to kill Jabba the Hut. I was like, I know. He doesn't die for 20 years.

Like, I know this. He dies in Return of the Jedi. Leah kills him. But, like, I thought for a second, Mom might kill the dude. That might be a different Jabba. That's Jabba Jr. They reveal. That's the little Java baby that grows up.

Oh, yeah, true. It's like Donkey Kong. Do you fit? Yeah, exactly. Do you think Donkey Kong We can't get into this Anyway Look up the Donkey Kong family tree

Anyway Do you think What's Jabba's a little baby named Jabu No we used to know this Someone in an R maybe Job is kid Rada

Rada Rada Do you think Rada looks at Baby Yoda And it's like that should have been me Those motherfuckers should have cared about me I should be famous Everyone should love me

I think Rada could still have his moment They should do a crossover With the next Mitalorian season Rada will be I don't know how old will be How long does it take Huts? Who took in Rada after Jaba died?

We don't know where Rada was do we? What happened to Baby Jaba the Hutt? Oh, I'm looking I don't know if that's spoilers I just saw something Yep Okay stop looking Stop looking, stop looking

I just saw something I just saw something I'm so mad I've no idea what you saw oh my god unbelievable oh my god it's so hard

it's like there's a ghost I keep close the tab I've read it all but I just every time I look at it again I just have it in close the tab I've seen

the whole thing was summarized in two sentences. Actually, three. I don't even know. I'm looking at the Canon Rata page, and there's nothing here. I'm on the Google search fucking summary. It just served it right up to me.

Here, I will, no, I don't want you to know what happens to Rada. Only I can carry this burden. It would be so funny to me if it was something we already knew that you forgot me because who the fuck remembers anything about Rada. Okay, fine. Well, do you want to, do you want to

the waters? Send it to me. Okay, here we go. I'll continue to be the great filter. You are our... The lore master. Our lore master. Wait, no, we know this.

Natalie, that's the... This is the plot of the Clone Wars movie. This is the plot of the first thing we watched. this didn't just happen we did not just do this Natalie Natalie what Natalie

Natalie did I wish to see what she said I need you to post he was what happened to maybe Jabba the Hunt he was kidnapped and taken to the planet death

then the Jedi came and got him he then became sick and nearly died of his way to Tatooine but survived thanks to Osecutto that's the that's the part of the first thing we watched it's a little time ago it's been so long since then and also just the way that they were describing it I know made it feel like this was something it felt real to you yeah yeah like I was seeing Assage post you know in her bounty hunter era yeah yeah like she kidnapped him

and then and then the Jedi can let this be a lesson how close it is to spoilers to real spoilers. You're right, you're right, and I'm going to close the tab now. I'm actually closing the tab. It's gone. Rob, can you bring us to shades of reason? Yeah. So, absolutely not. Here's, we already outlined this, but their plan is they're just going to show up to Mandelor. Run riot. Just whole Western, like the gang of bandits rolled in town. They're just shooting their pistols everywhere. and, like, you know, taking over the saloons and all that stuff.

Robin, the stagecoach. And it's false flagged version, right? Yeah. You know who comes to town is the Black Sun Syndicate, the Pikes. It is not the unified group. No one knows this unification has happened behind closed doors. Everyone on the crime side is in on pretending like, I mean, they are robbing places at first. It's not a pretend thing.

Like, they are going hard. They kill a lot of guards. The mandolary and guards cannot stop them, for what it's worth. This could have happened organically, and Mandelor does not have an answer. Right. To pre-Visla's point. It does seem like to the terrible militarists' point. And so they hash this plan, and the idea is Death Watch is going to be the savior, the hero of Mandelor.

But then the minute the meeting breaks up, you've got Visla telling Beau, and then, of course, we're just going to stab them in the back. And you got Savage going to Mall, I think they're just going to stab us in the back. So, like, the alliance is already basically, like, on its last legs. The mutual, well, it's interesting. Mall doesn't do the thing where it's like, we'll stab them in the back first. Mall's just going to let it play out. Like, let's play out the string. That's right.

That's some foreshit. That's some believing in the foreshut. Yep. Well, and also, like, is Vizla cutting his own throat here? Yes, of course. Like, Moll would have stuck with the deal, and it's that Vizla is so untrustworthy that he can't conceive of sharing power, even with somebody whose objectives or basically orthogonal to his, like, that this is a mutually beneficial relationship, and he just can't do it. He's got to be like, and then we'll just kill them. I think it's a cheap shot and I think Moll reads him

like just so clearly I think the fact that Mal calls out that Vizla doesn't have vision from the very from the jump this is what someone without vision does they try and you know they don't think about the long game they're thinking of the short game like this is the long game

game in Visla's mind. And then we're going to get him out. But it's only part one. It's 20 minutes down the road. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. There's miles and miles beyond this.

And there's a great line early on where when Mall is talking about this, that, you know, at some point, Vizla's going to betray us. You know, we need Vizla for now. We can't rule openly because the Jedi will find out that it's us. Savage is like, you know, eventually the promise of power will bring, the promise of wealth will find us a new face on Mandelor. like someone else, we will find an opportunistic person to replace Visla as our face, you know, and Maul is like proud. He's like, you've learned well my apprentice.

And it's like, that is the type of lesson that Duku could not teach Savage. Duku wanted Savage to be a club, not an apprentice, right? And Maul wants those lessons to be taught. And it works, you know. Savage is essential in making all this stuff work. And then we get back into just, you know, wild pacing modes, nonstop these attacks, which are all gorgeous, looking at Mandelor again, the dome cities, the barren wastelands, like the salt plains, all of it. Sateen's haircut. Talk to me about Sotin's hair cut.

The droid, the welcome droid with the big smiley face. You're buying those for peace and not paying for food for your people. So this, it has to be said, it does not look good for Sotene's governance here. Like, this is, this is the most like, oh, the structure's just rotting completely now. Like, they roll up, and it's a replay, literally, they even, like, redo the thing. Remember the last Big Mandler arc? If I recall, it basically kicks off with a customs inspection, like going sideways. And here this happens again, but this time it's them seizing the docks.

And in short order, all the gangs are spilling out all across Mandelor and all hell's breaking loose. And you see, like, Mandelor has a first and only line of defense, which is a gendarmerie. That's it. Yep. It's those same guards we've seen before, lightly armed, always, only a hand, like, only basically traveling in, like, small squads. Like, there's just nothing. And then Satin has no answer. Like we, like, as this unravels, it appears like her plan is to gather the people around the palace and just wait.

Like, she turtles. It's, like, there's no cards to play. She instantly gives up. She's like, well, we, you know, there's been all these, you know, terrorist attacks across the city. And pre-visla and Death Watch have hopped in and, you know, quote unquote, saved every single one, saved the day every single time. and she's sitting in her fucking little throne room and is like, well, the people are with them now. I'm just like, bro, like, let's get some campaigns. She doesn't even reach out.

She doesn't even reach out to Obi-Wan at this point. Do you know what I mean? Like, she doesn't, there's nothing. They don't have a, her first speech. It is giving nothing. Her first speech is, I need you all to remain calm. These attackers are just thugs brought on by the lowest element. Who is that supposed to calm?

What are we doing? What do you mean by that? Like, the lowest element of space? of what? What is your plan? You don't have anything. So, like, is it any wonder that Previsla, who at least is like, hey, do you remember how we used to be part of an ancient warrior culture?

You know, we know how to deal with this. Resonates. You can't just be like, we are so honorable that we're going to, like, roll over and let outside forces destroy our society. Like, I don't know. It's tough. It's a tough one. it

and she basically and like it is so frustrating too like I guess the only hood is it's a bit of like shades of Julius Caesar

too where it's like the haplessness as Vislo wins over the crowd and there's nothing it's like don't let this man

address the what are you doing what are you doing why are you giving him the mic Anthony can't address do not let Anthony speak to the Romans

this is the thing right like you're if you're ideal is this new mandolore, this new pacifist, tolerant mandolore, still Aryan, super, I forgot how white mandolore was until we came back to it. It's unbelievable. But if that's your vision, you have to be able to defend that vision, right? Like, that's not a vision that can defend itself with words. And I don't, I think you need a leader to understand that if you're trying to build a

utopian project, you have to be willing to defend that project. You cannot, you don't, you only live in a vacuum, right? Mandelaar exists among 2,000 other planets that look up to it, apparently, and among thousands of others, many of which are jealous of its wealth and history, you're going to be a target and you have an active terrorist movement targeting you. She calls it from the jump that it's a maneuver. She knows immediately that it's death watch and has no answers. There's no one she can talk to about having an answer. She doesn't have advisors who's like, y'all don't have spies. Y'all don't have anything. And you didn't even keep the relationship with the Jedi

so that they could do this for you on the low. And, like, there is... Sorry, I just, I absolutely just did the unlike Aguilar expression, 100%. But, like, come on. But, like, it's true. Like, not only does she not have the means to, like, materially, like, with, like,

they're so passiveist that they basically given up the monopoly on violence, which is not entirely true. We've seen how ready she's willing to lead those troops into Gestapo. Yes. The thing she hasn't done is invest in actually making sure there's enough of them to like handle whatever comes down. So not only do they have that, they don't have that, but there's also like she's not even willing to raise her voice in defense of the project. She's just willing to be like, well, you guys are going to say if you let Bisla in the door, you're all going to see how bad this is.

And I'm like, they are going to see. And by then it'll be too late. You have to, like, you have to make the case now. And she kind of doesn't. Like, it is the emo, like, she, like, withdraws into this, like, high-minded internal exile while we get in the montage, all these bogus little crime attacks that, like, Death Watch is heroically swooping in. And, like, you're just laying it on with a trowel. The little, the little Mandalorian kids hiding under the bench.

And, like, the Death Watch 2 is, like, will save you, like all this shit happening right and left. And it's just done. Like, she is... The messaging, they just have the optics. They have the messaging. They have the symbols. I mean, like, bro, the where she gives the speech in front of the royal palace, when

she comes out and speaks, what's underneath her? Does anybody know... I have the links. I was ready to talk about this. Thank you. Oh, hell, yeah. Let's go. I love to see.

Relevant to, like, this conversation is like, culturally, like, culturally, she is like wielding the like power and force of the Mandalorians of having these like giant murals of like Mandalorians with a big sword facing down like these like cubic like deformed figures or like holding a bunch of guns against them. The one that like she would give her speeches in front of is a Mandalorian holding up a head in one hand and a big sword in the other while dead bodies are in front of him. And this is what she uses to be like, yeah, passiveism is cool. We're not fighting anymore.

Yes. And she dresses up her cops in Mandalorian armor, but like not actually Mandalorian armor. She, like, designed her windows after their old weapons and shit. And then, like, cannot even, like, build a safe house for her people when did people come running? Like, it's looking dire for Sateen. She spent a lot of this early episode.

just pouting, instead of, like, actually doing anything. Yes. So there are these two murals that come up in this episode. The first one is the one you just linked here, Allie. Thank you so much for pulling that up. This is a better image that I have. Mandalorians on the right side looking heroic as shit, aiming their guns at Jedi who are being shot, and they are grotesque Jedi, right?

Like, Mandelor is 100%. I mean, obviously, it's also all based on Gernica, the Picasso painting about the Spanish Civil War. But the particular ways that it's being drawn here are, in fact, I think, distinct from Gernica because it is very clear that the Mandalorians are upright and are legible and linear. One of them has the dark saber in the back. The others all have their guns pointing left. There's velocity to that image. There's like a lot of futurism in this instead of the kind of Picasso styling. And then the Picasso stuff is really the way the Jedi are drawn, like you said, Allie, deformed, grotesque, their lightsaber of being thrown up into the air.

And the other mural that shows up is just super heroic looking Mandalorians standing on the corpses of the dead Jedi from times past. And like, you can't be willing to use that. That's the iconography of Death Watch, right? Like, you have to at least invest in new iconography. I think we should like be extremely clear here. I think it can get hard. We're all, we all live in America. We are all American, United States citizens. We are in an imperial country. And because of that, it can be easy to defle your anti-imperialism can sometimes butt up against pacifism. Because for us, my nation becoming a pacifistic nation would be a net benefit for the world for the people in it. But there are lots of places that do not have the privilege of being pacifistic

if they also want to be anti-imperial, if they also want to not be colonized or settled. In fact, if you look at the last century of decolonial and anti-colonial efforts, what you need is armed uprising. Can you tell I'm rereading a lot of France Fanon right now? Like, this stuff is not as simple as the pacifists or the good guys. And part of a decolonial project, part of, like, actually pushing imperialism out, one, means taking military action. You will not find most places in history that Empire has just, like, decided to fold up and walk away in order to let people live. Like, it just has not happened historically. And then two, you need to be ready to build structures and ideas and symbols around that movement that don't fall into fascistic nationalism, right?

And she's just not ready for it in either direction. She has neither built new Mandalorian identity that's strong, nor has she supplemented the dispatched military with some sort of new guard. And it's hard to say Satin was the right person for the job. It's a team may have been who we needed for who they needed for the transition, but someone else needed to come up and, like, figure out how to get it across the next phase of Mandalorian life. Do we also think that this is reflecting Obama-era anxieties now? Like, this show begins height of, like, the seeing Iraq and a lot of elements of the War on Terror, like, go south. Here, this episode, I'm looking at up, it airs in January 2013, so as the second term begins. But, like, you sort of see here, the ultimate fate of Sotene is, I think, something that a lot of people were experiencing through that era, which is, like, the wolves are at the door and you have to do something.

You have, like, you have, you have to do something. And Sotene's, like, high-minded aloofness from what's happening out there, from the forces that are, like, walking in her society is really reminiscent of, like, the, with, drawn liberalism of that, that moment. I see it. I do think that there's a key difference, which is the response from Democrats in this period, you know, to map this, it would be that death watch is like Republicans trumping up fears of distant foreign terror, impending, you know, threats from quote unquote, illegal immigrants, et cetera. The problem is that, like, Obama didn't just fold over and, like, let them win the optics and PR game. He actually tried to lean in and go, like,

well, look, I'm going to be the drone president. Yeah. I'm actually going to deport millions of people to prove to you that our interests are fundamentally aligned. I'm just going to be civil about it, unlike you. And Satin doesn't do that. Sotin can't even try to own the moment. And I'm not saying that's preferable necessarily. In some ways, you know, does Obama save his soul if he rolls over and if he rolls over and you know, refuses to be part

of the project? There's elements of this too where it's like, you know, you have the Bundy uprisings out in this period too where it's like, oh sorry, we can't bring the hammer of the state against a homegrown terrorist group. Oh, we're getting warnings here

that like right wing nationalism is the greatest like rising terror threat in the United States, but it makes right-wing nationalists angry to hear that so we better like fire whoever wrote that report and pretend it's not happening. And put on the flag pin. Right. This is the stuff that does remind me

of like, whoa, like the ball is in play. You got to, like, it's go time. And Satin just like retreats into flawed principles. Yeah. For Satin. I mean, even as she's standing up there

like addressing her people, like there's there's nothing that she she she's going off nothing she's she has nothing that she can claim onto to differentiate her from death watch you have this very uh easily influenced like influenced public i guess like citizens great point the they are they're They fucking... It's like a cat with a laser pointer. The literal death watch prefaces the whole thing being like, oh, we can't go in there too hot because like they'll turn against us.

They are pacifists. They do want to, you know, like there is some sort of indoctrination that started to come about of like the pacifist Mandalore. Like this is this new civilization. People have been fucking moved off the planet for being war. You know, like they exiled everyone to the moon. What if you saw a video pre-visal 1V1 in Savajo Press with the Dark Sabre? And, like, beating him outright and putting the blade to his throat and then, like, arresting him peacefully.

I feel like that would turn a lot of heads. I feel like that would just change a lot of minds. I think that they are out there trying to win hearts and minds. 100%. No, I think 100%. I think Death Watch and Mall and co are doing a great job. They're tapping into the anxiety of how do we protect ourselves if we are pacifists. And there are, you know, things outside of our control.

Also, to your point, maybe it was Rob who said this earlier, but like both of you have been talking about how easily influenced these folks are. They are coming off of a corruption scandal. And we know that their schooling is bad. Exactly. They are taught shit. They're taught vivid lessons in industrial poisons. entering the food supply chain.

The kids are learning things on Mandelor in this era. But Satin has absolutely not even a fucking, you know, this is some sort of, this is Mandelor, this is, you know. And she won't even go down with a fight. No, she gives. When her boy is like, Previsal and his men have entered the palace, should we stop them? She says, no.

How can we stop them? The people are on their side now. Kill them. You got to kill. Listen, sometimes. Yeah, she's like, no bloodshed. Fuck that. Some bloodshed.

Pull the spears off, the decorative spears off the fucking walls. And use the goddamn things for what they're meant for. Make them kill you. Make them kill you. Make them kill you. If they kill you, they lose some people. No offense. But if part of your big pacifistic project is you're not willing to die for it, then fuck off with your project.

Yeah. Sorry. Make them do it. It is a really interesting disconnect Because the way that we've seen her lead Is outside of Mandelor Like she's able to talk the talk Like to other nations

He's been able to build this power With the 2000 planets or whatever But she can't even like Stable up her home down And she doesn't have any like visions there In terms of like What's the end plan? This is

I think also like In the background of this I do think maybe something runs through a lot of Star Wars, this era of the Republic is like getting at how the ways in which often like foreign policy is just completely divorced from the reality of people like living in a society. Like Satin is crushing it at the UN. She is, she is president of the model UN that do not put food on the table. No. That doesn't like that doesn't contain poisons that kill our kids. Yeah, exactly.

And so, to an extent, like, she's an enormously influential politician in the bullshit politics of the Republic. But it goes back to the thing where, uh, where Padmei tried to blow the whistle on, uh, the quran senator, who's, who basically does the, we're both part of the same hypocrisy thing. Like, it's true. Like, all of you are just sort of like in this, like, floating in this, like, hermetically sealed realm of, of the Senate, and then occasionally they look beyond it, and it's like, oh, wow, this entire power structure has no connecting tissue to the people it purports to represent, or like... And I mean, this is the heart of what Allmec ends up telling her, right? Yes, I love this exchange.

I love this exchange. She gets put in jail, and guess what? They put her next to Allmec, her former chancellor. That's just great, great comedy. Thank you. It's drama. Thank you to Previsla. Good job.

It's like when you put terrible enemies next to each other in class, you give them a sign seating, and they're their rivals, and they're next to each other. Love it. He says, here for a visit, or has peace betrayed you, too, Duchess? And she says, peace exists only in the minds of the faithful. And he says, uh, what's that even mean? What's that mean? What's that mean? Shut the fuck up.

Shut the fuck up. And he says, and faith has been the greatest disappointment. and she says only when it's broken what did what you did for the people as prime minister betrayed their trust and he says and you betrayed mine destitution leaves little room for faith my actions allowed the people hope in your leadership the supplies i brought on the black market kept you in power and she says another error in judgment the people made willing sacrifice for their freedom corruption is not the answer and he goes ha ha ha ha ha then enjoy your freedom duchess you'll have plenty of time to tell me about it and the heart of that you know is like she's all pretty words she's all the people will will you know uh you know grit their teeth together and and grin and bear it uh because they they believe in the dream and the dream is freedom from the greater galactic you know political scheme and right and they're they're cognizant that piece that peace is not is not is not a true

state of the world, but it is something to strive for. Right, exactly. And he's like, they got to eat food. And so while you were telling him to starve for that dream, I was making some maybe shady deals to make sure they had food on their plates. And, you know, he probably should have done better job. I don't think he's right. Don't poison the kids. Well, so the thing is, though, because I just pulled up, I'm carefully not scrolling down to see what else might happen all back down the road. But I'd forgotten some of the details about this, which is that because they remain neutral, they get closed out of the Republic shipping lanes. That's exactly it.

And so, again, she's fallen to the same trap as King What's His Face on Anderon, who was like, there were only two options, and I decided to pick the third that didn't exist. And she's done the same thing, where it's like we can't throw into the Republic, even though we'll remain a nominal part of it, we won't actually join in its defense. and so we will bear almost all the costs of like being divested that relationship and we will reap none of the benefits and in lieu of confronting like what that policy is going to demand of her she freezes and it is kind of left to almec like was he right i i don't know but there's a reason like machine politics and all the attendant corruption tend to be like incredibly durable. Can you deliver

like material security and benefits to supporters? And Zatine is sitting here being like, I deliver principle and reassuring philosophy. And it's like, oh God,

your people are doomed. She even pulls that shit with fucking mall and Savage when they like go up to her and they're like, yo, we need like, you got anyone else down here that could,

you know, take Vizel's place. And she's like, only the ex-prime minister who's just as corrupt as you are. And they're like, great. He'll work. That's how it's fucking awesome. Do you not realize what they're looking for? Yeah. You've got no game.

You've got literal zero game, bro. Can I just say Obi-Wan could do better? I'm saying, like, there's something disappointing about Sotene's characterization here. Like, I think that it works for this arc, and I don't think that it would be a bitter arc

if we, like, saw Satine's secret police against the deathwash or whatever. But, like, she won a war to be in the position that she's in. Like, she should know the things that it took to get her in the seat that she's in and be willing to, like, go back to that old Satine a little bit when push comes to show. Or to be like, I won't do that. I won't go back, but at least recognize that she was that. Like, at least say out loud, I did this once. I don't have it in me to do it again.

Lock me up. Right. Because then at least it's like a fun. We can fill in that gap and say that. that's what's happening, but it would be nice to see it. It'd be nice to see her, like, look at the wall at, like, the armor she wore when in that fight,

you know, or whatever that was. And, like, make it, make it a fucking, you know, I, yeah, like, sort of from the last arc of the clone Greger, who didn't, you know, couldn't, right, thinking of the bot, like, make it about the horrors of war. Make it, like, give us a fucking reason for you to be a fucking pacifist.

Like, Make us believe in your cause and your motivation towards that for one second. And I'm with you. But she's not giving anything that I see. Like, what would Obi-Wan see in this other than, like, fragile princess? So she does look fucking fantastic in this. I love seeing her disheveled. I have to say that.

She looks absolutely... I mean, he also looks very good disheveled next episode. They look at him. We get a lot of great... Beautiful couples. Good shit. But, you know, sometimes you love someone when you're 22, and then you're 42, and things are different. I think...

And there's just less... Like, I was tempted to the same moment ago. I was thinking, well, this show has just such an immature idea of pacifism. But, like, that was true with the little lemur people. But, like, we saw the teen when she was, like, pissed about the black market and what was happening again willing to roll up the sleeves and like lead an assault on a smuggling done but is not willing to say like it's like one of those things where she went like when she was pissed off and she was like lashing out she's like okay violence is cool now like I absolutely like deserve

my secret police yeah and then in between all the evidence yeah and then in between it's like time to retreat into these principles and do nothing to address the issues that just triggered this like unrest and disorder or the latent the latent anxieties right because part of the reason why the death watch stuff works is this is stuff people are already concerned about and that has not been addressed right and I think that that is right part of part of running a project like this is about paying attention to where the cracks are already forming and having at least rhetorical answers for them. Why wouldn't you listen to Previsal if you're on Mandelor?

He's the only one who's making any points. You know, no one else is even in the debate. She is not offering up alternatives, and there's no one else in her orbit who can do that. And that's, I don't know. You know, he comes out, I think it's really interesting when he comes out with, so, he arrests Satine. Amal comes in and is like, yep, it's all going great. You know, Previzzle's like, we got everybody. It was a bloodless coup.

like we've we did the damn thing and wall's like all right time to go bigger time to talk about those other 2,000 planets and that's the point at which previsla is like no actually like we're done with you you're going to do what I say putting you in jail don't worry I'm going to take care of Kenobi but you're done and and Visill then comes out and says the violence is over the last of the parasites infecting mandolore have been caught which is like a classic like objectivist way of framing criminals, right, that like, ah, these are, these are, these are parasites leaching on the productivity of our perfect society, right, or operational, functional society and people who are actually making things. The Duchess has abandoned her duty to

protect Mandelor. Quote, her political dream only encourages aggression against our planet. We have learned from this beast the consequences of pacifistic principles. It is now time to restore the traditions of Mandelor. No one will ever threaten us again. which is very funny because, like, the last two arcs have just been goofy cartoon, and now we're here. But, like, part of what's happening there is we are seeing a culture that has identified itself as a warrior culture for generations and generations. What previously has hit upon is here is an anxiety. People are afraid not only of being hurt, but of losing who they are in terms of their galactic identity and their cultural identity. I'm going to have an answer for what that anxiety is, which is like, this is how reactionaries work.

reactionary sense those anxieties, and then they come in and swoop in, which goes back to your point, Rob, about the Obama era stuff, right? Like, this is what the reactionary movement in North America was doing. It was identifying a slippage and saying, aha, we'll be your backstop. Well, I think maybe, like, related to that is also to defend, to defend a liberalizing society, you still need to have an idea of the enemy. Like, you still need, like, there is still utility in this, and to a large degree, a large measure of truth as well, the project will

have real enemies, but there is a utility in saying, like, when people are looking around from like, why are things fucked up? Why is this not panning out? You have two options. You can be like, I don't know, it's, you know, I guess our plan, we just need to continue sacrificing and eventually this plan will pay off,

even though it hasn't yet, or you can be like there's something else at work here, there's some other force at work here in Satin, is unwilling to play that card. Like, To a degree He said trust the process Right and to a degree Like

A lot of times when you see like Large liberal gains made It's because there's a militant component to it Of being like fuck this shit Let's like let's Where the reactionaries at I just want to Just let me out of them

Just want to have a word Yeah And that's the missing part of this Is like like honestly to a degree It's the We don't just reject death wall as a, you know, terrorist group, but it's like their political allies are also people you need to be, like, rooting out and identifying and, like, shutting, and that's just not part of the project. Right. Part of that's not a literal, violent military reaction. It is a political project of saying, this is not a serious position.

I am, we are going to dictate the space of where serious political debate can happen. And it's not Death Watch. We've already, we've decided it's not there. Yes, we could have debates about how many. royal guards there should be, but we are not ever going back to that other thing. And anyone who says otherwise is undermining our society in a real way. And I think that there is a, we are describing processes here, right? We're not saying that like, and that is the morally good way of doing any one particular thing. But I do think that, again, if that is your project to have not invested in an alternative, is to leave yourself open for this sort of reactionary movement. And so, Of course, but Death Watch has already been, like, doing shit for a while now. How do you not have a prepared response?

How do you not have a line that you go to in the face of, you know, civil honor? The answer was the corrupt chancellor, right? Was, like, the guy who was keeping people happy, right? Was the way that dude, if Almec bad dude, probably would have gotten through this one. Probably would have been like, let me put in some calls, Queen. Like, I know the right people to help push back on this and to keep people on our side because you know that. That dude would have called the Mugans real quick and been like, I need you to start running interference against these other criminal organizations. Or he would have been like, your criminal organization.

What's going on in crime town right now? Let me know what's up. Let us make sure that we're on the rights. Now, would he have maybe signed him to be Visla in the end anyway? Maybe. But still. But, yeah, maybe not

because at this point, his fortunes are tied up and making sure that this instantiation of the state goes on. Who knows? But, yeah. Either way,

turns out they can't really imprison Sith very well. This is a part of it. Like, Visla didn't internalize the how do we jail them? Why were they, in a jail cell together. Yeah, that's a big mistake.

You know, that's great. Great question. They shouldn't have been on the same floor. Yeah. They shouldn't have to use the force to talk. I don't know that they can do that, but they should have had to have. They should have to figure it out.

I would have led to see that. Pre just respects the bonds of brotherhood too much. You're right. You're right. And so that is why when Maul says, Apprentice, I wish a tour of this facility. Savas is like, yeah, let's go. That was so fucking awesome.

Savas just flexes and the glass shatters, presumably bulletproof class, presumably reinforced. Done. And they're already in prison, just going to the market, trying to find someone to rule me and the Lord. Going shopping. It's so funny. And people keep trying to run up on them at like a staccato pace. And there's one dude pretty early who's like, wait a second, you got and just boom done. tossed so hard he explodes because my man is walking around the prison with the with the jetpack on which I wouldn't do I guess it's a tall prison maybe you want a jetpack sometimes but I'd keep it in a locker for this exact reason what if you get tossed in such a way that your jetpack explodes and takes you with it

well then another guy comes out of another point and just also gets flipped and it's just so funny they just don't have an answer it's the teen chimes in she she's like he was poisoning children and fucking savage is like and it's like, shut the fuck up. Like, we are working here. Like, you stop. Why are you talking him up? Like, do you know who you're selling to right now? I get that they don't have like Catholicism in Star Wars, but Darth's role looks like a demon. Like, what?

How does she? Okay, time out. You're telling me, Obi-Wan, Canobi never mentioned Darth's mall? Okay, like, like, oh yeah. I mean, that's also a fucking great point. I just shook so hard. my camera lost sight of me and blurred me. I just disappeared.

These two don't text. They don't follow each other at Instagram. They don't follow each other in private Twitter. They don't talk about anything. Because especially in that call that she said to him, she's like, oh, Omec is ruling Mandelor and there's nothing about Darth Mall. Nothing. He was just fighting Darth Mall and some pirates like a week ago.

He didn't text you about that. You didn't have FaceTime. Wait. They didn't have a late night post. to fuck talk about him slicing mall in half you're trying to tell me there was no pillow talk in which mall

got brought up I don't believe you he lost quigga and the satin stuff did the setteens have happened pre or post quigon pre but the thing is you know occasionally he would want to rekindle things and so he's like girl I'm just all my feelings

because quigon got caught by this guy but I'm such a badass I sliced him in half he heard from quigon on mortis He didn't go home and text her You won't believe who talked to me You won't believe who I heard from So also

What Ali was saying though It's fucked me up though Because The Jedi are like Neutral System Not our problem The message doesn't bring up Seth Does she ever

Is there seriously nothing Do they seriously like to stay out of this Because they just don't fucking know They didn't know about it There's two sheep demons with lights I didn't write it down, but I think she says verbatim, like, Mandelor has been taken over, Almec is in power, come through. Like, basically, that's all she's not even in power. How is no one on Mandelor posting right now about there being two people with fucking lightsaberers running around?

You're telling me not a single post went up about that shit. They arrested Darth Mall. Darth Mall, previously brought Darth's mall out to the crowd and was like, we found him, here he is.

Obi-Wan doesn't have any other friends on Mandilore? He was there for months. He can't be like, yo, can you tell me what's going on? That part doesn't surprise me.

No, like, we're learning a lot about Obi-Wan here. We're learning a lot about Obi-Wan. You know what I think I've just figured out?

What's that? I think Satin love Obi-Wan more than she and then he loved her. Oh, yeah, 100%. We'll get to that. We'll get to that. We'll get to that.

We'll get to that. He'll get to that. Also, yeah, we, oh, yeah, actually, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mal's had this insight

where he's like, there's also a flaw in the psychological armor of death watch, which is that they're in honor bound military order. And so he's like,

pre is going to have no choice. If I just go up and say like, man up, let's do this. He's just going to have to do it. And that works. Like, all pre has to do is,

like basically betray that honor code. All he has to do is be like, shoot them. Done. He doesn't. Instead, he's like, I have to show I can hold this planet. I'm the 1V1 Darth Mall. So we get a 10-minute fight, or like a 7-minute fight. It's good.

It's a good fight. It's a good fight. Dude, the backdrops, the stained glass satin watching over the fight. I'm sick. it's so good the backflips the jet pack the dual wielding pistols

he uses everything in the toolkit my man's got little disc throwers he's got the grappling hook he's got the rocket he's got the dark saber like he hit there's the bit where he uses the dark saber against the ground that's like glass covered

and catches the glass up oh it's cool it's but everything it does fucking David Tennant won the Emmy Everything he does is also like This is a middleweight Taking on a heavy weight

And he's good It's remarkable But he's not going to win No because he As long as it's like Oh I'm gonna dance I'm gonna flit around I'm gonna like do all this

And the minute like he's out of ammo Like he's out of like the jetpack is all fucked up Like the minute it comes down to it Once again Big country boy You notice something else You know what Darth Mall doesn't ever do? Never does a force push. Never does a force choke. He says, I'm going to beat you with

this lightsaber. I won't beat you with this thing. People are going to know I didn't need to go in with a bag of tricks. I think push come to shove, Darth Mall could have found some electricity in him. He didn't. He said, I have a lightsaber. I have your lightsaber. You're done. It's sick. It's so good. Bocatan watches on. Everybody is, is destroyed. I love it. Don't be a Mandalorian if you're not going to get challenged for your fucking seat of power. This is what happens.

Once you're the top dog, someone's going to challenge you. What's Vizzle's last words? Like you said, only the strongest shall rule. Cut. Pre-Visla bent over the knee. At that point, that's when I would, I, shoot. I I kill him

get him get him We did the whole ceremonial thing I'm not trying to get to Cap Tata right now shoot please y'all are also a weapon for me

you know oh and when he oh that's it the one time that Walt does use the force sorry I forgot I mean he's always using the force

obviously he's doing double jumps and shit right but you know what I mean Vizla is knocked the fuck out he drags him to the throne he kicks him in the face

and throws him onto his own throne the throne he took he knocks him over he puts him over the knee and he force grabs the dark saber and ignites it we get that if I was 13 you know my background would be the dark saber igniting across Darth are you kidding I'm writing I'm on the forms writing fanfic right now I got a

download wamp I need a new win apskin and then the that shit is in my signature it's in my signature I got a low-res gift running right now the pan there's a mandolarian head in the way so you don't get to see when the blade hits but he cuts off the dude's head there is a note on star wars dot com that reads at one point Visla's defeat included his head

visibly rolling down the stairs but this was removed very early in story development as being too graphic not like we haven't seen a decapitated head before in this fucking show and we see a lot decapitated helmets that's the thing is like oh that's just a clone helmet we don't need to think about the fact that it's probably

still full of head Whereas Like But this repeatedly They just go up to the line of like what can we pull off here in children's cartoon Because like he gets decapitated on TV Like that's like this is some Like this is Clone Wars Mishima type shit

Like that's happening Oh What would Mishima think of death watch? Are you kidding? It's all right there, Rob. Wow, this exists Anyway, we can't No, we can't look at Mishima Death Watch

Oh, God Somebody, somebody rescore the fight With the Philip Glass soundtrack Yeah, please! I bet it exists, anyway, we can't, we can't He claims the sword, he cuts off the dude's head And Boketana's like, nah, I'm a Mandalorian first Like, how do we feel about this decision?

Because... Hey, sometimes your racism saves you from a worst mistake. No outsider will ever rule mandolore. No outsider will ever rule mandolar. What is the meaning of outsider here? Because two weeks ago, you were bringing Lux into the circle. Like, I guess that, like, they're making... Also, they're a foundling culture.

This is the thing that's so confusing. Right. Well, they're, they're making Mandelor in the Clone Wars, like, super, like, one- race, super white, like, like, it feels like Bocatan was like the like had a lot of fun tailgating with Vizla, wanted to be a rebel, didn't want to go to the palace with her sister. And then Fisca gets taken out and she's like, oh, I could be a princess. I could go find my sister and fix this. I'm not, I'm not dealing with Darth Maul. But like if you're real, if you're about that life, if you're supposed to be a Mandalorian, like,

was supposed to be like Maul's the better leader he had the better plan he brought Visla to this throne and then fought him and defeated him like those are the rules those are the rules that's his rules by your combat

yeah and and you know what you don't like it guess what there's an answer for this kill him kill him one v one he's had a fight so how the fuck does the dark saber get mm-hmm ain't this the question It's a good thing We have a lot of show to go

Between this and rebels, huh? I do like, though By the way, Bo's Escape is cool as hell, though Like all the Mandalorians turning on each other now Like, thrown room exploding The, like The last walkway She has so many

And they're all like little USB sticks Which I love, they're not like the traditional thermal detonators They're like almost like pieces of gum Like they're wide and thin It's great Yeah. Love them. It's awesome.

And with that, they bring, they bring Olmec out, and he spins a really unconvincing story about crazy thing just happened, y'all. Remember pacifist Sotene? The Duchess Sotin just went bad shit and obliterated pre-Bisla. And we were all like, oh, no! We couldn't do anything. She's so powerful. Anyway, don't worry.

We arrested her. Do they, are these, I get, I'm pretty still said, I'm the boss now. He said me, he said, it's Olmec. And I know, and I know you all remember me as being incredibly corrupt. I know I was poisoning your kids. Yes. Olmec, fuck them kids, beam, please. Please.

The Michael Jordan. Requesting it. It's incredible, again, like, everything, everything collapses. down in this era of absurdity, but the thing is, like, politics around the world are just packed with Almex, like, just bursting, like, Kool-Aid man back into power. And it's like, now I know the last time we saw each other, I was visibly corrupt and evil. But I promise this time, wink, despite all the weird shit going around, going on around me that brought me to power. You can trust me this time. And the people of Mandelor are like, whoo!

well we've done uh-huh and mall has this great bit of just being like all that goes back to him and it's like all right well I did the thing what's up what are you up to

yeah I'll let you say Natalie's hyped up this shit I mean fucking Maul just is coming with the heat every time

he does not miss this whole arc he is dropping just He says, go rule my people. And it, does he say, I mean, that's what I wrote. He goes, go, yeah, rule my people. And he does like a little, like a little just dismissive gesture.

And then our stroke of the chin as he starts to think about his next plan. It's just like, it's great shit. It's absolutely great shit. This show, this show is good because of this fucking arc. And the thing I do like about that moment, too, is it is the moment where I'm starting. to be like, oh, he is learning things, though. Because Almec is even showing him his neck and being like what, like, just tell me what you want me to do.

And what Mal is making clear is like, I'm not here to dominate you in that way. No. Like, I've given you power. You're my vassal, but like, go and rule Mandelor. That's not like, that's not what I'm here to do. And like, it is the sort of thing where this is the foundation of a successful empire. is you co-opt people, and you're like, you're free within limits, and your self-interest now is aligned with mine, and I do not need to feel in control to be in control.

And that's that Sith shit. This is what we, what have we said about Sheave? Sheev has a bunch of plates spinning. Sheep doesn't need to be hands-on in that way. Sheev says, Nouveau-Vindy, you go figure out your shit. I'm not going to be hands-on on Nouve-O-Vindy. The Nubi-Vindy project might come together, the Vindy project. You heard about the Mindy project?

is the Vinnie project. I don't know what's going on with me and TV show name today, but it's hidden. And that's how he, we're going to do the Zillow Beast over here. We're going to do this over there, this over there.

And I don't need to be hands-on. It's being hands-on. And that's how it goes bad, is if I'm too involved. And it's what you, like, this is where Mall learned. This is, Mall also thinks she's not hands-on that way.

I got nothing to work. Well, before we get there, We got to go back to the Filoni zone. Brub-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Bringing it back. Ready? To come back to the Filoni zone. All right. Three, two, one.

Go. Oh, the shot of them descending towards the dome. Touch us. The shipping docks are under attack. Hopping out of the containers. The death watch? No, it appears to be a crime symbol. Even her chance.

She's just totally beat. Yeah. Demanding we do something to stop them. This Mandalorian arc was a huge challenge. She says no. When we first discussed it with George, we all reacted the same way. How are we going to do all the things we need to do to make this work in 22 minutes? I need to do you to remain a cold.

Here we had the takeover of an entire planet. Stand down. But now all slain the little Lord Foxwell on that planet. They do. Terrorism of an entire people. And the black son too just looks so good. Tricking them into thinking that Mall and the Death Watch are separate.

And the Death Watch are heroes. What's going on? We're Death Watch. And we're here to rescue you. These fucking herbs. Oh, they got the cops on their side. Death Watch is here to save you from these intergalactic gangsters that threaten our great city.

It's over. Again, they brought the cops in. They got them on... The Sith crave power, but they need to manipulate others to gain that power. What was your position in this government? How else do you get power? I'm the former prime minister.

I'm going to take it. Part of the one of having them all back is that even if he isn't a politician, he has political skills. Sam, we are again. plans based on understanding people's motivations. How can two of you overthrow Wiesler and his supporters? Visler is a soldier, and like every soldier he is bound by honor. I will challenge him to single combat in front of his men.

He will not deny me. In front of his men, important. So this is what we're discovering about Darth Moll in this season, is that he was actually trained in all these necessary skills to become the complete Sith Lord. We had a pretty big strategy meeting about how we could force Vizla into the fight so that you could get this one-on-one battle and really show the Mandalorian armor at work against someone that has the force. I challenge you one warrior to another and only the strongest shall rule Mandelaw. This sword fight, that's a whole act practically.

To do it right, to make it exciting, that's a whole act. because the fans of Pre-Visla are going to mob me at celebration in the future if Vizla goes down too easily. I mean, this is not going to be a bow of fed into the Sarlac pit. You can't be afraid of Pre-Visla fans. You've got to be stronger. You've got to be stronger. You're Dave Filoni, man.

You got the hat. Yeah, that's right. Oh, that little cut. For generations, my ancestors fought proudly as war. is against the Jedi. John Favre what was going to happen. He was thrilled. He was like, wow, I never.

Did we know that John Favre was going to take me out? And I'm like, yeah. I did. Nice, good. Well, I can't wait. To make an incredible lightsaber fight in a way that we'd never seen it before. Mixing in conclusive weapons, laser darts, all kinds of things. I wanted to see him bleed a little bit.

Me too, me too, me too, me too. An epic, there goes your head kind of moment. An epic, there goes your head kind of moment. So that just happened. God damn it. Darth Mal lifting the Dark Sabre up. I do this now. The Boca Tan, there's no way she was going to go for this.

Never. No outsider will ever rule Mandelor. Her loyalty is to pre-volta. Vizla and to Mandelor beyond, he's been the code that they have as warrior. There it is. That clarification. She believes in Mandelor as a whole. She is a mandolary, Dave.

She's not a Death Watch. She's a Madelior. She's not a Death Watch. Her own separatist group within her own people. You're all traitors. Unfortunately for you, history will not see it that way. True. They execute them. She doesn't shoot that dude, though.

That's pretty good. Rapid fire They had beef It really I think came together in this fight For something that was really remarkable and memorable on our show It was without a doubt The best fight that we had ever done

You're right Until the next episode True True Let's go And that one's better Wow wait Wait between the two videos

He got good at cutting promos He got good You got that promo game right He took some lessons from Darth Mall I am curious that we should either like at some point I would love to know how these fights are choreographed like because the level of upgrading happening to these fights it's like animation choreography everything coming together and I'm curious like what that process has looked like because it is it is so noticeable how much more. dynamic these fights are. Yeah. The move and counter move stuff.

It's great. Like, way less of the, like, relying on two sabers smack into each other and people glaring at each other over the cross blades. Like, now it's, like, God, I forgot on that bit where, like, Vista keeps trying to sweep the leg, try to get in under the guard, and just can't do it. It's so good. Yeah, it's great. And, like, I think, I think part of it is, or does come from as, as fully says that, like,

you know, obviously joking. a little bit about the fans of Previsla, but when it's the head of the Mandalorian war group versus a Sith, you don't want to no-sell that. You want the Mandalorian toolset to really be on display. You want to show why they are as good as they are. It's just good booking.

You're going to have other Mandalorian villains in the future. You're going to have other mandolarian fights. You need to make it seem like that's a fight that could have gone the other way. Well, these are the two greatest enemies. Like, these are the only people that have threatened that group. Yeah. God damn. All right.

Well, there we go. Oh, my gosh. The Lawless. Danger. Also, the names of these episodes feel like they're from a different show. Yes. Eminence, Shades of Reason, and The Lawless. That's not.

What are we talking about? Wasn't last week fucking De-Squad, D-Squad, the Void, Secret Weapons? Come on. This is real shit. All right, the wallace. This might be the best episode of Clone Wars. And you wouldn't think. that because it opens with Korky.

It does open Kroo is here. That whole squad is back, and they all grew up. All them kids. All them kids. Korky, Amos, Lagos, and Soniae. I have a list here.

How long is it? It's only been a couple months. Right? I don't think so. I think it's been longer than that. It must have been, right? How many years did the Clone Wars happen? Not that long.

Because he's like 17 now and he was in. I was like, is that that kid's older brother? Like, are we meeting a new character? No, he's a corky, Gros A, or Crease. Did they give him the clones juice? Yeah, they wasn't a lot of the clone juice. Yeah.

Yeah, I guess I wish, okay, this is two years later. The Academy is 21 B, B, B, B, Y, and the Lawless is 19 BVY. Guess if you're saying he was like 14, and now he's 16, you sort of see. Yeah, you grow. Puberty hits in it. Puberty does hit. Things happen. So, quirky and

the little Scooby gang from finding out what all that was up to. One of them does just look 40 now. I just look at the actual picture. Look, times are hard. I guess you're right. On Mandelor. Like, this is only those pictures of like

what 25-year-olds looked like in 1930 where it's like, damn, time to die. Here, here, I need y'all to just go through the list here from left to right. Corky, I see it. But my boy, Amos. Wow. Amos is like a 37-year-old, no, he's like a 47-year-old janitor. Amos is not looking good.

Okay, Amos already looked a little older than the rest. Maybe he'd go back a little bit. And also, they were all in those old character models. Maybe they're always supposed to look. Like, damn, like, did Lagos really look this way? Apparently. Logos What happened to that

What that hair situation was not I like the banks I don't like the way they hang Like 12 feet off her Did he make it He died He drank tainted tea I don't know

He probably did Anyway Corky's here Corky's here And so is Bo Oh actually really quick We should say

the actual beginning of this episode is the in-memory of Ian Abercrombie, who has been our sheave. This is some of the last sheave of his sheaves that we get before we already talked about this, that like at the very beginning of the season, why am I blinking on his name? Tim Curry picks up the role for the remainder of the show. And there's some Tim Curry in this. The final line here is Tim Curry. And there's also Ian Abercrombie throughout this. But this was the one that went, I think this is the episode that went to, you know, print, so to speak, right after Ian Abercrombie had died.

So I got that little note. Yeah, that's what... Anyway, shout out, did a great job. Tell me, Ian McDarmid is that busy. He can't come in voice Palpatine. I bet his rates are higher. Yeah, it's probably just the money. And they had to spend all that money on the animation this time.

Anyway, Corky is here And with his Wait, isn't Corky Who's Corky's parents? Sotines is an aunt So who's Boca Tana? Is Boketan his mom? No, okay.

Who's the third sister? I don't know, we gotta I'm scared to live. Probably died of pacifism. Yeah, you're probably right. Or maybe it's like House Creezee is like

huge. I'm going into the lookie. I have no idea. Anyway. Oh, this is super evasive. Corky Creeze was born to the promising future in politics having been sired by House

Creeze, a powerful house Mandalorian society. Real vague. So is this even like an actual blood relative or is it like a clan relationship that is like are these actual like siblings and nephews in that sense or the many mysteries of mandolore uh no one knows you got the Jedi secrets need to be revealed there's so much we need to know about the Mandalorians oh for instance so are you cool outsiders or not hey beau what's what's the deal but anyway so they break uh to teed out of hell of a car chasing suit

Yeah Yeah Decent car chase They do a decent job Yeah Might be better than the one we got In Book of Bubafat I don't want to go

I don't want to go wild here Like over promising But might be better The car chases in Book of Bobafet Were ass They were going like 14 miles per hour 14 miles an hour

Around the same two blocks Is insufferable You were watching this being like Well if only there was a fruit cart. God. If only there were a fruit cart and then the car could skid to a hall

in a tiny alley. That would be great. And meanwhile, here, in this show, like, you got aerial dogfights happening between the now red-clad, red and black. Like, mall death watch. How quickly did they fucking throw those out?

You know they have some sort of armorer who's ready to go with the spray paint, ready to get done. You know, they're also like, oh, man. The red looks cool, right? Like, I never liked the blue. I kind of like the red. I mean, the one that has the whole damn spikes on the head.

Like, that person's all the way leaneded. Did you notice that? The helmet with the zabra? So I was wondering what that. The minute, when Maul saw the Death Watch logo on Pre's helmet, he has this look of like, is this also faded? Like, he recognizes the mark. He's like, your mark. I, like, who are you?

And Vizzle's like, I'm from clan, blah, blah, blah, and this is the mark of my clan. But, like, does Malsy as faded that, like, they're bound to eventually fall into, like, as the safeguard of a Zabarak? Maybe. But, yeah, the car chase rules, the amount of just devastation they inflict on that city as they chase through it. it's it's all terrific like all the actions is top shelf and it's a rough fight because the chase is just to get

to outside the dome city so she can send a message to get signals so she can get bars so she get bars which again I mean she needed she needed bars it's too late she didn't have any of the bars she needed um what she's worried about the wrong bar the problem is the real

problem is how do you not send this message 17 days ago How do you not send this message The second stuff starts popping up You still have access to your cell phone signals Before you went to jail You didn't send one message to Obi-Wan To be like

She doesn't send a message to him till now She'd to break out of jail Come on It's sad It's Okay but maybe it's this thing of like I don't want to call Obi-Wan Like, I don't, right.

I just want to solve this. I got to say that pride goes away real fast when, like, the one, like, death watch is at the door, though. I'd be like, okay, I'm just... But what if you're like, what if you could call him instead and be like, you know, we had this whole death watch situation? I was dealt with, though. We dealt with it. We totally dealt with it. It wasn't a big deal.

You know, like, I'm all who killed your master. I got him for you. I got him. I have them locked up for you right now. Come through. like that's that's a play yeah if only yeah that is not what happened and I guess she sends the wrong but she's a pacifish she wasn't about to lock this full up with with peace no she had a prison they had a remember they had a prison and

they had like torture devices ready to go in that prison that's true so she sends the message out and the Jedi Council's like neutral system can't do anything Can I give my kudos to Yoda here? Please. For one? Wow. I've never thought I would hear this ever. You guys all became Hondo-pilled. I became Yon-pilled.

That's true. I forgot about it. Darker path. Darker path, I think. Yeah, I'm ashamed of myself. I wish I was on Tvondo. But master manipulation, not only, not only do you have these people under you, keeping these connections, so you get these calls come through the Jedi line. You're right. But you invite Kiadi Mundi into the room. So if Obi-Wan gets in his feelings and he's like, I got to save Cetine,

Keada-Muni can be like, I understand how you feel, but we have to have neutrality. And Yoda could be the one to be like, yeah. You bring the wife guy, be wife-guy. Like, it's so big-brained. I hadn't thought about that. It's doubly big brain because it's Keati-Windy who has that big old brain. And I also. I also want to say, I have an Obi-Wan stand.

I have an Obi-Wan bias. I think we know this. But when Keanu-Moodie said, without involvement from the separatist, this is an internal matter for the Mandalorians, I'm free we cannot help. I went to my screen, and I said, tell him,

because it's fucking true. Sorry, what about it is true? They don't know that Darc Ball is there. They don't know that. Sistine is a part of the war? The Death Watch. Is this not your? Is this not your death watch bias actually showing?

Is this not your like long-term love of Mandalorians? No, I'm just saying like if, you know, if Obi-Wan wants to be a Jedi, he has to be a Jedi. Like either go there alone or, you know, live by the book. Like, you're fighting a different war. I'm sorry that there's a fight happening against Steve's planet. But like, there's more important things going on. You had that opportunity to close that door. Is that what you're saying?

I'm saying, like, you should have been with her if you're going to be with her? Would it not behoove them in this circumstance to provide some aid and then be like, look, we've given you aid. Don't you want to join us now? That's what's happened in the past. Because I think Yodin Kiadi Mundi think we're not going to win this one. Death Watch is going to win this one. If we put in, if we ante up and we lose the hand, Death Watch gets to say they beat us. And it's a whole Mandalorian versus Jedi

Like that's too much history It's too much history It opens the door again Oh shit I didn't mean with that If we get involved I think it's more of a Mandalorian thing Also does that push the Mandalorian To then side with the separatists

You already know Death Watch has that history Right And it's also like Satine couldn't get into power Without the Jedi to begin with And then was like yeah I'm not joining the Republic So if I'm a Jedi I'm like Okay you're not part of the Republic Go deal with it

Okay, I have a fake question. Does Keaudy Mundy's head look more fucked up than normal? Yes. Rob, go ahead. I think this is one of these things where Sateen isn't fully aligned with the war effort. She's clearly an ally. Like, it is absurd to let her go under at this juncture. Go get her is what you're saying, at least.

You got to, yeah, like you've got to do something. Let her rule and exile type of situation. If the situation was fluid, then maybe this is where their independence comes to an end. You know, it's like... I mean, I think what we learn is the situation is dry. I think we learned there was no fluid, unfortunately. So... She has influence over 2,000 other planets.

They throw that number around a lot, and I just don't. That's the one part of this. Remember, she used to say thousands of planets. I think that they, like, someone sat down and was like, we have to decide how many planets are in the Mandalorian sphere. of influence. I don't understand the Mandalorian sphere of influence. I don't know if this is a trade agreement. It definitely used to have been

a military protectorate or something, right? But now, like, I don't get what that is besides, like, people voted for her to be on MachuN, right? I don't know. Right. And, like, how can you, like, we're so influential among

the non-aligned planets that are sitting this entire thing out. It's, like, so great, like, you can all sit on the sidelines together. It's, like, I am I am the leader of the bench players you know what I mean it's like I just yeah but if you're I don't know if it were me I would never leave a well untapped untended you know what I mean any any neutral God knows Obi-Wan hasn't left it untapped any neutral system is a potential

republic ally and that and if I and if you vote for me I promise you, I would never neglect you. I would still be there for you. And the other thing is, so even the Jedi Council is like, we can't intervene. But everyone knows that when it's going to do his Obi-W-W-Wan thing, right? But, like, what I don't get is, if you're Obi-Wan, how do you not round up the squad? Like, why are you asking Anakin to borrow your ship? Why are you not being, like, real-old?

He does borrow, timeout. He does borrow Anakin's ship. That is Anakin's ship. I'm saying yes, but why does he stop there? Why is it like, we all need to go? Let's find out together because I have not seen these yet. And I was going to save this whole thing for the end of the season. And I would be careful while I screen share this, because there's, this is the Star Wars Clodewor Season 5 deleted scenes.

There are two scenes I have to see here that I've not seen yet. This is fresh for me. This is Anakin loans the twilight and Palpatine advises Anakin. I have not seen either of these yet. these might have these might have placeholder voice actors they definitely a placeholder graphics and I'd be very careful with my mouse because I cannot click ahead for fear of showing y'all stuff from the next arc my plan was originally like we should just watch all of these at the end but there's a lot of there's like 40 minutes of them and like a lot of them are just like

this fight is a little longer right but what I do need to see is this so let's watch this together I know I brought in a lot of stuff from outside today this is my this is all me on the edit. So, all right. You ready? Three, two, one, go. The Lawless episode is the leaded scenes. God. This is so funny. This is out, but it's kind of strange to see you acting, well, like me. I'm not sure what you mean, Anakin.

You're putting your relationship with Satin ahead of what the Jedi Council was. Really? I'm simply helping Satin in her time of trouble. The policies of the Chancellor and the Jedi often don't meet eye to either. days. Hey, look, if you want some time alone with your girlfriend, just say so. Bro! Hello? I'm sure this thing will get me to Mandeloran one piece.

Positive. Didn't you crash it several times? I made some modifications. Trust me. We should change the name from Twilight to flawless. Bruh. Bruh. Oh, my God, the grin.

Everyone has to look this up. Everyone has to actually go see this footage. This is incredible. Oh, and he has the Rocco Hardina helmet with him. He wears the Rocco Haredina. Yeah, I love that that just like his little alter ego now. Remember, that's a Mandalorian helmet. Uh-huh.

And Asoka comes out. You're taking the twilight out? Yeah, I lent it to Obi-Wy one. Her face. He's going on a secret mission. Did you fix that thing with the landing cycle? Oh, yeah, it should be quiet. You know Obi-One.

If you say so. Obi-1. Opi-1. They're really going on the comedy bit for how bad this ship is. It's really good. I wish they would have kept this. I love this ship. The Twilight's a great ship.

I can't believe he called her. His girlfriend. I can't. All right, wait, wait. We're just going to roll right in. Palpatine advises Anakin. I'm so curious. Oh, Jesus.

Y'all have to understand there's no animation. Oh, there's no eyes. Oh, there's nothing to matter. Just pondering the great matters of our galaxy. Oh, my God. Now, what can I do for you? In confidence, Chancellor. Master Canobe has gone to Mandelaire

and he hasn't returned. This is what I'm talking about. Snitch. I know there's nothing the Jedi Council can do, but maybe I can help him. Impossible. Master Canobi has made this a personal matter. You have to hope the strongest hand prevails.

It just seems unlikely that the Death Watch are strong enough to stop him. They haven't in the past. I fear he has encountered something else something more powerful connected to the force I agree with you Anagin

but I do not think Master Konobi's time has come I am certain the answer will be clear soon enough remember your Jedi training

have patience and whatever you do do not go to Mandelor fuck ah yeah uh huh

uh huh uh it all adds up I wish we got in that part just because I watch it and I'm like there's no way Anakin wouldn't have wanted to come and

help like Obi-Wan with this and plus leaving aside of Soko I think also probably would have gone because of that she's a connection now yeah yeah i do get the i okay there is another read though that i do like if you say obi won doesn't tell anybody about this which is he feels a deep shame that he's doing this right like this is a real do as i say not as i do situation i think i mean pause really quick it's super important it really recast all of revenge of the sith for this to

happened to Obi-Wan. What's about to happen? What we're going to get to the great tragedy to come. All of his positions around Padmae and Anakin are now retroactively informed by this entire experience. Very clearly now retrospectively, this is what they were going to, this is what they were working towards. They were trying to change what Obi-Wan's relationship was to seeing Anakin's relationship with Padmay, to seeing what Anakin was willing to do, and to be able to speak from a first person perspective and say, I know what it's like to go to the Jedi and be told no. And I, like, he's gone through this arc now. I know what it's like to lose someone who I affectionate towards or who I care about. Now is the degree of care different. We'll talk about

that momentarily. But he can, he has done it. He went to the Jedi. The Jedi said no. We've had so many talks about what, you know, should Anakin have gone to the Jedi earlier, blah, blah, blah, what happens if somebody else goes. We've said before, like, maybe the other Jedi would say would have worked something out. We now know, no. Yoda says no. Keating Mundi says no. Obi-Wan goes and does it anyway.

And I mean, I think that's a very, that's meant to rehabilitate Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith, I think, in a real way, because it puts him on Annikin's level in terms of having been failed by the Jedi. The Jedi did not say go with everybody. But I also think it's supposed to underscore my read on it is that, there's a little bit of, The reason that Obi-Wan doesn't say, come with me, is because he feels ashamed about what he's doing. Because he's going for personal reasons. He's going because he cares about Satin. He is not going because it's a good political reason. I mean, I don't think he could have cared more.

I don't think him caring more would have saved her life. I think, in fact, caring more would have killed him. Yeah. If he had tried to, let's get there. What happens? But, ooh, I just watched him curve her, so. I mean, that's part of what that is, but that's, but it's also more than that because this, like, I know I say this a lot, but he has taken a religious vow, and he's lived that

religious vow away from her for decades. Like, I'm with you, but I haven't taken a religious vow that has changed my relationship to nature. Yeah. He is connected to a force that makes him feel better than anything else in the world can. And that force is a positive feeling for him, and it has to compete with, this is who I love. And that's a, that's, you know,

I think it's a hard thing. Let him untangle that when they get away. You know what I mean? I think for him, he's like, I'm in mission mode. And if I fuck around, I could get us both killed. 100%. I think that's very clear. I mean, so he takes his little spaceship

that's falling apart. He lands on Mandelor. He's got the Racco Hardeen helmet on. I just want to pause on the ship because it's such a comedy beat. And thinking about Anakin here, I was like, is this the Wi-Fi van? Like, does it can have like a shitty car that he takes Padme out on?

Yes. And like this is, oh, he's like, oh, you're going to go cease to see. And you don't need like a warship. You're not going to be getting away here. You need the incognito. Yeah. Speaking of Anakin, did you see the new thing that's on the Anakin that's on the twilight, the new graphic that's on the nose?

No. No. It's a little graffiti of, of, of, uh, Anakin in the pod race. saying wizard as he pod races as a baby. That's cute. You have yourself as a bumper stick. Little cringe. It's a little cringe.

But it's very funny. He is evil, isn't he? Yes. Yes. Sure. Anyway, so he gets there. He gets there. The ship's falling apart.

We have a little comedy bit of like, what are you doing here? There's a really comedic version of this episode. It seems like they almost went with. Because this is a whole little, like, what are you doing on this planet? Come on up and check out this thing that's messed up with my shit. Bunk. And we're doing the whole infiltration of the Death Star. Yeah.

He takes the red and black armor so we can get into the prison. They have no ID control at the prison. I mean, I guess he probably jenai mine tricks his way in. He's a jibon. Mine has tricked his way out. Yeah, right. He doesn't. That's true.

And he goes to visit Sateen, and Sotene looks so good. They, like, they were like, we're going to make satee look. Casket shark. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yep. I love to see it. I do.

And she's like, are you here to do your master's bidding? Like, thinking it's another deathless soldier. And guess what? It's not. It's your, it's your love. It's your boy. It's Obi-Won. And he takes off his helmet and she gets up and clings to him.

Uh-huh. And he grabs her by the homie shoulder and is like... Hey, push you back a step or two for a second. Good to see you as well. Hope you are well. That's just because the temptation is so intense. I do think he does take her hand. He does take her hand.

And I think that he is a chased boy who has, who struggles with his. feelings and who is afraid of them. I think he's terrified. This is a, this is a sin in his mind. What he's doing. He's repressed. I mean, also in his mind, they have time back on the ship, right? This is what I'm saying. This is what I'm saying. You know, I'm here to rescue you. Let's do the rescue. And then we'll talk after. Like, can I tell you all this is not even my, the most heartbreaking shit in this episode to me? I'm just going to say that outright that like in terms of seeing people's souls broken. This isn't even it for me. But yes. Yeah, there's worse ahead.

They get away. They try to get away. A little speeder bike. Her hair is down. His hair gets undone. He like pushes her into the elevator to sell it to the other guard. I was like, sick of course.

She's turning into Tilda Swinton more and more with every frame. I'm sick. I'm sick. He's in mission mode. He's in mission, which is hot. It's hot. That's the other thing. This might be the hottest.

little bit that we've ever had. I would say top top five hottest moments in Star Wars. It's easy. This is in here. Escape with, yeah. You're trying to bust your, come on.

Bust your love out of prison. To be clear was the end of that sentence. Sure. Thank you. Thank you. Anyway. They get on the ship. The ship is not in good ship already.

Yeah. She's like, We need to call my sister. He's like, who's your sister? Which, again, y'all don't talk? Like, the fuck, you didn't know she had a sister? What the fuck kind of relationship did y'all have? It's a long time ago.

Maybe, maybe Bukatan was young and wasn't in Death Watch yet. So, you don't, like, you didn't visit the family home at any point? I don't think so. I don't think so. This was on the run. This was, you know. Yeah, this is wartime love. Yeah.

It's giving, it's giving, like, yeah, it's giving, like, summer fling. But, like, very intense, but they're away somewhere. There's somewhere else away from their lives. And Summer Fling met with, like, espionage action. Do you know what I mean? Like, they're on the run. They're in some sort of, like, terrible. Maybe they tend to be married and, like, sell it.

And, like, yeah. Oh, there's only one bed, et cetera. Also, I think it's worth mentioning that, like, Sintin was also fine with them living two different lives. Like, there's definitely, there's, like, a version that we see of Sotteen. here where it looks like she's more in love with him than he is with her. But also, she was, she didn't call him a week ago, like we said, like she has her planet to run. He's off being a Jedi. Like, it's a mutual thing between them, it seems. Yeah. And she knows she, we've, we've

joked, we've dreamed about the world on which she's Jedi consort, Obi-Wan Kenobi. But it's not realistic. It would be a bigger swing. And these are people who've already done a lot of big swings and come out somehow alive and like I can't blame her for being like what I want to do is rule my people and try to get my people again we have we always have tomorrow we always have tomorrow let me just get through one more year

let's just get through the war because it's so easy to do it okay you're Obi-Wan Kenobi you see Satine in the middle of this war and you go do I make the right choice and it hits you and you're like you see Anakin and you see Padman out of the corner of your eye and you're like, man, maybe we got all this wrong. But let's get through the war.

Let's get through the war. Just another year, just another six months. That's true. These exist in the mind of the faithful. These people don't know that they're at the end of their history. They don't know. We could all be dead today by the time this comes out. We don't know what tomorrow is.

Obi-Wan is out here. You've just got to grab your princess. You've got to grab your princess. You've got to let them know. So And also You should bring a gun shit Or use the trick to

Yeah Like okay So hey Passivist girlfriend And look away for this part Because I'm about to Obliterate this landing platform With space weapons

And instead they just sit there He does bust out the guns eventually Doesn't he? He does try to shoot them back with the guns I think he sort of uses It is like automatic fire But like once he's at the controls They start trying to take off

And that's when they really need be just like wiping out that entire area. Instead, he just hangs that ship like a pinata above the fucking, like Death Watch troopers, and they have their rockets, and that's it. They wear their rockets on their back, man. It's the definitive part of their gear. He can steal a ship of shipwerex. We know he can snipe.

Right? We know he can snipe, bro. Come on. You'll have to go back to the ship. You had to go back to the ship you have. you couldn't hide out in an alleyway. You couldn't. It never would happen if Honda'd come along on this mission.

Oh, my God. Well. See, that's how he took care of business. No, it would have. If Honda was there... Hondo would have like smooched Satin at some point. Smooch Satin and sold them out. It would be like, all right, Honda,

hide the ship on a different landing pad, and he would have. And then he... I stole the ship, Kenobi. I sold it for scratch-offs. Exactly. Exactly. At best, if not, pulled the whole Lando thing. If he, you know, he very easily could have been like, they, you know, I got pressured into making a deal.

What's good for me is good for me, you know? Honda does feel like their attempt at a Lando in a, in a not executed way. What if the part where Lando was at his, like, oiliest wasn't, wasn't the, like, mask he was wearing? That's the, that's the misunderstanding of Lando. Landon Empire strikes back. Not actually Landau Calarizian. Right. Right.

Anyway. Yep. We're holding ourselves back from getting the rest of this episode. It just gets sad. It just gets sad in so many different ways. They don't get away. The rocket's knocked the ship down. The way that I thought that Sotene was going to die from debris from Antiquet's

Comedy Ship. I thought, yes. I thought, I also thought that. I thought, like, oh, my. God, did she just get bonked to death by a piece of, like, cowling? It's just curved such that it's over her body, and she's fine, but, like, it was a close call. And it's a head fake. Yeah.

Because we were, like, 70 seconds away from her dying. Uh-huh. Yeah. So we enter the room. They are captured. Oh. Satine looking sad The saddest

Anyone has ever looked in this show And she's She's knelt At the throne next to Maul And Maul stands up And just force chokes Satine And lifts her up

And walks towards Obi-1 Oh And And they have a noble flaw. Your noble flaw is shared by you and your Duchess. Lifts her up. Your emotions betray you.

You should have joined the dark side. Your fear. And yes, your anger. Oh. Let your anger deepen your hatred. I mean, Maul has already gestured at this, right? His plan is not to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. his plan is to break

Obi-Wan Kenobi He's seen the killing joke That's right I love that I love that book I love that That's real to me I could do that

One bad day Uh-huh I'll read chance on man And Obi-Wan does Start to get under his skin A little bit Like even here As he's playing on me

Like you're saying The Most Power Like you're doing the cell On the dark side And we already know you've lost like two bouts like this is like you've been opposed by people who reject this power so how powerful must they be uh and then also tries to get like what remains of like his humanity yeah right and that it does hit the mark it hits but it's just like i know where you're from

i've been to your village that shit i know the decision to join the dark side was not yours the night sisters made you made it for you it's real you know So it's true. Needled the fuck out of him. Mm-hmm. And it's what we've been saying about, like, here's the, this is the terrible thing behind them all from the jump. This is like where we're going to find pathos.

It's going to be here. It's that he did get put through the whole same system or most of the same system that Savage did. And it wasn't his choice. And, you know, you were being bred to be a weapon for the dark side. You're being, and you're being told that that you were bred for it. And the same of the clones are being bred for war. Right.

again, like, this is the dark mirror between the Republic and the Sith, is y'all both have villages where you get soldiers from. Like, and Maul is just another one of them. And in this brief moment of clarity, Obi-Wan can see that Maul is a puppet. And that, in fact, is the hardest way to hurt him. Unfortunately, herding is not winning. Yeah, Maul bites back. What do we think of this? He hauls Satin through the air.

And Anakinser. Yeah. Yeah. He says, I never planned on killing you, but I will make you feel my pain, which is. But it's not the same type of pain. This is my problem with this, is Maul faced the pain of the loss of a future, right? The loss of a promise. Okay, without your selling me that it is the same.

Because I didn't, I was going to agree with you, but I do think But this was never, this, Obi-Wan knew this was never a future for him. Oh. I was just made this case. I do think this might have been a future for him. It just wasn't a present for him. And even if it's a future he never intended, it's still different. It's like, when you break up with someone versus when things are truly done.

Like, he's in that where it's like, we're still each other's like, you know, time is full. Like, who knows what. But this is an ending in a way that we have not seen many endings in this. Also, the broader thing is about the way you see the world, right? The thing that Obi-Wan took from Darth Maul was, Darth-Mall believed that he was powerful and that he was part of something bigger than him. and that thing that was bigger than him was going to shape the galaxy into the image that he believed it would be.

We know that Sotene and Obi-Wan fought together for a particular vision of the world, and we know that Obi-Wan sees himself as a protector as someone who was strong, as someone who is part of a group of people who can protect others, and Maul is taking that from him in the same way that Obi-Wan took Maul's vision of strength and power away from him. and it's a concave convex thing, right?

Like, Maul believed I can shift the world with my power, and Obi-Wan believes I can protect the world with my power. And Maul is like, we're both wrong. Like, I'm going to make you feel how I felt, which is that it's nihilism, buddy. There's nothing under here, right? Like, it's just, I'm going to make you feel like you don't know where you are anymore. And that's the misery he's imparting on it.

It's lost. It's exactly. It's being lost. Part of the thing that he could, in some way, him not being with Sotene and her getting to rule the planet is in line with his vision of the world. That's the good just his being Obi-Wan's. Obi-Wan says, okay, I got her into position of power. I've denied my feelings for her. I'm doing the good job of a Jedi.

And Darth Maul is like, oh, no, I'm going to make you regret all that. I'm going to make you regret ever leaving her side. I'm going to make you regret having not left the Jedi Order. I'm going to make you think the Jedi Order has bad rules. All of that is caught up in this one instance. And I don't know. I don't know that he, I don't know. He seems down.

Like he doesn't, you're right. He isn't like sobbing tears. But the shot of him holding her in the light, you can't tell me he doesn't feel. His frown. yeah but why couldn't he tell her that he loved her before he died because he's fucking been broken by the Jedi who's the fucking cares this is the one moment where he could break that she's telling it she says I know remember my dear Obi-Won and this is why we have to kill the Jedi I always will

but then she died super fast so he couldn't he was about to say he was about to say he was like and I love oh yeah and then I love fucking Savajo Press going uh so do we kill him now What the fuck? Like, y'all done? Samashtraina Hulk Hogan. Like, uh, he's gonna kill him, brother.

Also, though, you can tell that Maul has also, there's an expression that when a character is in the throes of hubris in this show, and it's this. Whenever you see someone in this show with this little smirk.

Yep, that little smirk. They are out over their skis. Yeah. And what is the next thing we see? It's Palpatine sensing that Maul is back on the scene. This moment where he's like, oh, feels so good to finally get my Sith revenge and like feel all my power. And immediately that's the moment that Palpatine's like, ping, ping, ping, ping. Yeah, he can just sense it. What? He doesn't, we just see him with his eyes closed from his, his little office, the Oval Office, looking out on Corrassant, and Masameda, the big blue dude comes in, is like, you summon me, Chancellor?

What's up? What's going on? We don't see, no one comes in and tells Palpatine, oh, yeah, there's some shit popping off a Mandelor. He just senses it. He can just feel it. Prepare my ship. Let's go. This won't take long either.

This is like, I got to just jog over to Mandelor real quick. The way that I felt seeing Palpatine's face come on my screen. I said get Get him away from me now I mean this is why I think it's good that we didn't get that Anakin scene with him Was that they get this reveal of him suddenly showing up It's really good

And it does like Again we've always had I've always felt the like The reveal of him as a badass Never felt great in the third movie But this is like he lives for this shit Yeah It's not just the plotting

Sometimes he loves getting up to his like shoulders and blood. Yes. And he doesn't have to ever. And so it's a, it's a rare joy. It's a little treat. Yeah. It's a little delight. He gets to descend on Mandelaar and take a little stroll and pay a little visit.

It's a funny little thing. It's great seeing what he's willing to make house calls for, right? Like the only way to get his intention is to take over a planet and kill a world leader in front of a Jedi. anything under that don't call me don't text who are you Duku's gonna take care of Towson for me like man the music is also so good the music is good and we get we should say like we're about to talk about the Palpatine stuff but there was this whole other B plot action scene happening of Pocitan rescuing Obi-Wan and them fighting the way out of Mandelor and there's an incredible shot of I mean like I have to imagine this

shot was just everywhere when this episode came out of Obi-Wan like the the blast door opening up and Obi-Wan looking out at the different Mandalorian like Civil War shit happening and just the fire everywhere and everything's just a little askance like um it's also Bo-Katan not missing a beat the little air flip as Obi-Wan flies off shows that like takes him all 30 seconds to be like I can fly a Mandalorian jetpack and she's like hot damn we got look at Look at that king. And I'm like, your sister just died. Your sister just died.

Her blood, she's not cold. Maybe she doesn't know they were anything to each other. She doesn't know, yeah. This is the whole. Oh, did she happen? Maybe. I wonder for get more. I have no idea.

I have no idea. Yeah. How does Obi-1 not sense that some evil fucking? Palpatine's just that good. Palpatine's just like stealth mode. Palpatine can't, I mean, he's been in the room with Palpatine so many times. That's true. Also, also, Darth, Darth,

and Savage are there. So I think his meter is already at 100. Yeah. You know what I mean? And literally, like, he gets, like, we get that whole, like, we know that, like, mass death is loud to the Jedi. And that is happening on this planet. Yeah.

Like, it is, like, he is, you got a master of, like, moral disguise in Palpatine. And then, yeah, like, this overwhelming combination of trauma and just mass slaughter that's unfolding for, for Obi-One. Also, Palpatine, just the way he. he moves through the city. I'm kidding me. He's like lifts gestures a little bit and force chokes dudes as he walks past them. It's nuts.

Put up. It was so good seeing like the span of his power and like the way that he moves in the fight that's coming up and like the like, oh, he's the guy. Like up until this point, we've always been like, well, Palpatine's in power, but like, what's his deal? Is he really this powerful? I'm like, no, he is. He is low-key goaded He feels like such like a He moves like a dark souls boss right

Like who's just like a Yeah Sceving little guy Yeah He's like go find an amulet for me And you're like I'm gonna kill you And take your sword Yeah you've been doing quest for him

Like the whole fucking game And then all of a sudden you give him the last fucking thing And he's like all right All right time to see the fucking boss meter shows up Yep Well, and it's almost like... Maul senses him. Go ahead. No, just come on.

No, you should finish this thought, because then we have to talk about it. It's fight-related. Okay. I was going to say, Maul says, I sense a presence. And it becomes clear that he's like, oh, shit, what's about to pop off? This is bad. Like, this is, he hasn't felt this in a while. And then the two Death Watch guards get lifted up into the air,

before Palpatine's even in the room, lifted up into the air, not lifted up and choked, lift it up into the air, and held there against the wall. And Darth Wall is like, master, and walks out and drops to a knee, and Palpatine walks up, and it's heartbreaking. Oh, my God, I'm, Savage, Savage, Savage, Swage, Swage, Swage, Swage. I could have told you this. I could have saved you and protected you.

I know. he says, Palpatine's like, I see you, you know, I'm impressed you're, you've survived

your injuries. And Maul like, just simping the fuck. Yeah, just like a dog who's broken something. Just like, I built this all for you.

I did. It was all your training, master. Your training is what I was practicing. I was, and then like, it's very clear. Palpatine is like,

ah, it's a shame that you're trying to deceive me. I see you've taken your own apprentice. Don't, you know there can only ever be two. Oh, we didn't even mention that Vizla called out the rule of two in the first episode, which was really, really wild to hear. But anyway.

And then we get, I think, the best line in this entire arc for me personally, Sidious, and it's Sidious, like, we're in Sidious Road. Yeah, it's Sidious. He says, you have become a rival. And it's like, ooh, this is what has. happens. This is it. You're not my apprentice. You're a rival, which is like almost a, uh, there's almost respect in that, right? Like, yeah, Talton isn't a rival. Yeah. He's geek to have like someone a duel, I think. Like, I think it's honestly like a, like a, like a, like a, like a

awesome cool thing. He's like, all right. Like, let's, let's, let's square up. Like, let's do this. Like, just imagine the torture it is to be palpitine. Yes. And not be able to tell anyone, one, that's like, it's me all along. And two, that, like, you're maybe the most dangerous man in the galaxy, right? That, like, all the Jedi may not be as powerful as you are. You just got to be like, oh, I'm just a elderly, frail little politician. Oh, oh, Jedi Master, I'm so scared of these kidnappers. Oh, please let me hide.

like it like the the glee of of having this and and the thing I noticed with this fight is just the other thing that the way this fight feels to me partly the way the music is cresting just the pace of the fight the harder they fight palpatine the more dangerous he gets and it gets this thing about sheave which is that he does draw power from that negative energy this is this is the thing that fuels him and like fulfills him is being surrounded by growing desperation and hatred. And so, as they are fighting, it feels like he's just getting faster and stronger.

Like, the fight feels like, wow, between Savage and Mall, like they might be in this. And then after he throws himself off the side of the building and, like, is carrying them with him, basically, to pick up the fight down at the dais. That was the wildest. Yeah. And in front of the Mandalorian mural,

again the Mandalorian Jedi War mural again it's also we didn't say this sheave has two lightsabers which apparently he always had two lightsabers and we just never saw it because in this is this is this might be in the philoni zone for this one so I might be quoting something we'll hear in a bit but in Revenge of the Sith Mace knocks one of them out into the out the window and it disappears but he still has one later when he fights Yoda and so they're like well he guess he had two I guess he always had two and so now he has two lightsabers in this fight he dual wields them puts them to work he puts them to work I'm so curious Rob you were so anti-sidious should have a lightsaber and fight with a lightsaber in

that movie do you still do you feel that way about this fight do you feel like that's like if you sell it well, it's good. And I feel like it's sold well here in a way that, like, I feel like it's partly thematic, but I think my thematic objection in the third movie is also so much about, like, so much about all that is just trapped in the uncanny valley of the stunts and the effects work, et cetera.

And here, it's all kind of cool. Yeah. Yeah. It's all just so well choreographed. And there's so much storytelling going on with all of the movements, the way Savage moves, the way Maul moves, the way that they're barely holding on, like you said. All that stuff is just so – and then, like, fundamentally, the fear that Maul has throughout the fight, it's clear he knows that, like, maybe one day he thought this would be a fight he'd be ready to have. It is not today. Right.

Yeah, I also think there's a thing that reminds me of with Cheve, I meant to say this earlier, was like, there's a, there's a comic I think about a lot. I don't remember who wrote it, but there's a sequence where Quicksilver, the Marvel Speedster character, is just like waiting in line at the grocery store. And it's like, okay, here's a thing that is interminable for us as regular people. Now, imagine you live in a world where you could be done with this in a second. Imagine that, like, the real you just moves through this grocery line instantly. You go and you get your groceries, your home, right? You're infinitely fast. And that just must be terrible for you.

And I think that that's part of the sheave thing is that, like, all day I have to pretend to be a fucking normal person. All day, I have to go in front of the Senate and pretend to not enjoy causing other people pain. And, like, again, we have to remember it is, like, it's metaphorical, it's allegorical. It's like, here is a person whose greatest physical sensation. The best feeling they could ever have is hurting somebody else. They've welded their soul to evil in that way, in this legend-like way. And he doesn't get to do it. He doesn't get to directly do it ever because to do it directly is dangerous.

And he's found the operative. And he never gets to do it in the way that you're talking about where it's like the person that is perfectly poised to just explode with feelings of passion and rage and fear, the things that, like, he feeds off of. So it is, it is a feast. And all of the little grins he makes, all the little gremlin noises he makes, it's unbelievable. And then the kill. And then the kill.

For Savage. Little dodges, little backflips, little spins. And Maul watches on just like who, just like Obi-Wan did when he was watching Quigon. It's the same maneuver. It's the backstab. It's the backstab that Maul does against Quigon. That's... Except it's with both swords, both sabers.

He pushes him away. And Maul runs past Sidious to get to his brother, who is dying the way they frame it. He's dying in front of the mural of the Jedi dying of the Mandalorian Civil War. come on let's go and he dies saying he was unworthy he dies saying

he's not like mall and that is turning back to his old self the the tals and juice leaves him he gets smaller it's sad his little horns shrink his little horn's shrank his eyes go back to normal

and I think that's one of the other thing that's like part of what's so rough here is that Maul dragged this like okay Duku mostly dragged him into this

but like we've always talked about like Sabaj is clearly not somebody whose decisions here are wholly voluntary like that what we see is a what seems like a pretty protective like reasonably peaceable person we first meet him

and it's just kind of circumstances dictating and everything here in the final scene is basically a reclamation of that identity of being like I'm like just I'm not like you and that's really double edged it's partly I'm not as strong as you which we're not actually sure is all that true given like their various records and how good they are fighting but the more important and cutting point is he's also just not a Sith he's not cruel the way Sith are he's not he's not evil the way Sith are he's not lusting for power the way Sith are. When money was on the table, he was like, let's pick it up.

Let's pick up some money. Yeah, exactly. He gets the regular amount of joy you get by being selfish, not the Darth Sidious amount of, you know, utility monster joy that you get from being a monster. And I think that the other thing that's happening here is, I mean, you know, he's, I skipped this a bit earlier, but I did, I should go back and say one of the things that Maul says that is extremely important is He says, it was I who languished for years thinking of nothing but you about Obi-Wan Kenobi. And we're just like, oh, this is a love triangle, actually. But the thing that actually gets mirrored here is Savage dies the way, you know, the same way that Sateen does.

And Obi-Wan puts down the lightsaber and says, I'm not going to give him to my rage. Yeah. And obviously, Maul does not do that. Mall, in fact, picks up the Darksaber and goes two-handed mode. I don't know why he didn't do this sooner, frankly. But, and he loses. He cannot 1V1

Sidious, obviously, even compelled by rage, and what he gets is worse than death. He gets turned back into a tool, which is the thing that Obi-Wan fears, right? Obi-Wan knows that if I come at Mall in this state, he will break me and turn me into his apprentice or turn me into a tool that he uses.

He will make me be evil like him. and I mean this is the logic of Star Wars right and that's what happens here he Cidius beats the shit out of him lifts him up lightnings him does the whole damn thing and says you know I already have an apprentice you can't be my apprentice but don't worry I'm not going to kill you I have other uses for you

the fact is when Mala's knocked to the floor the first thing that he does is beg for mercy I know oh God like come on man it's not look I am, I was always on team, Savage. Like, I mean, yes. 100%.

We all were. We all were. Yeah. We love that guy. I mean, that's the thing that's so interesting about this is this is, in some ways, the only way to get me on to team, Maul. I honestly fuck with Maul. That's the thing.

It's like, at this point, what they've emphasized is that Maul and Savage are actually not that different. Yeah. I mean, this is the truth about the clone wars, right? right, is they're all clones. The Jedi are kidnapped as children and are trained to be warriors for the state. The clones are bred by

the state to be warriors to protect it. The droids are denied their personhood and are told, the best thing they can do is go out there and die for other people. And the Sith are taken from their villages and turned into weapons. Like, they're all clones, maybe. Yeah.

And against this, against this, they all can find personhood, right? Whether you are a programmed droid or a quote-unquote brainwashed Sith or a, you know, an ideologue Jedi, whatever the thing is, whatever system has shaped you, a clone who's gone through your wild-ass clone training, and who knows, we still don't know what's up with Order 66, you can find something in you that pushes against that and insists on your freedom and insists on your ability to. to elbow out space for a different type of life. And, like, it's hard to do that. But this is what the Clone Wars seems to be about to me at this point. And I think I'm excited to see that continue to develop because it feels like they found it here with the through lines of this.

That tension between obligation to one's ideals, a desire for personal freedom, the value of affection and the danger of passion. And, like, to me, this is, like, when this stuff all works. Like, we have nothing but bad shit to say about the Jedi Order, but when they, when they tell a story like this, you can start to see where the Jedi Order ends up coming from. Because if the result of giving into your passion when you have this much power is becoming a mall or assidious, of course you're going to end up building bad rules around yourself to prevent that. So, I don't know. Great arc. Fucking fantastic art. All caps.

Like, just all my note, I'm looking at my notes. I don't. All caps. It's all caps. we have one more feloni zone oh please final faloney zone here

for this arc I'm sweating I pull it up oh that's leaving after this I don't even know what to expect for this last arc

that we're heading towards like I just I really am just like literally all I would say is I am so excited people listening who've already watched it I already know again

the big outcome from this. There was something spoiled for me years ago, but I've never seen it. I don't know any of the particulars. I just know what the result of it is. The next arc is all about Mall's new existence as Biff from Back to the Future, having a polished Palpatine's car. Uh-huh. God, can you imagine? Um, all right. Uh, are we ready for one final? Wait, this is wrong. This is, this is the wrong episode, isn't it? What's the name of the episode? We're on the lawless. I almost showed us the one from next week. That would have been bad. That would have been very bad.

Okay, we're good. We're good. We're good. All right. Three, two, one. Go. It can be. The hair in front of Obi-Wat's face. Kind of set up this inevitable confrontation. We meet again, Canoebe. Welcome to my world.

Love that line. The fourth part of this arc with Darth Mall, a lot of threads were coming together that demanded that we end the arc for several characters. Take them back to the palace. And it was one of the kind of early mandates of George in the Clone War was that you really wanted to kill off a lot of the characters that weren't in the movies.

Who will fall? Who will fall? There was always a debate how long is this guy going to be around? You hate to end him too early. early, but when Cidius showed up, someone had to go down, and Savage drew the short straw.

You did it. You did this. Darth Cidius appears, and he has two lightsabers, and he's very upset. Sam, we're again. That was really thrilling. Whitworth. He had the Imperial March hits, of course. Oh, yeah, we didn't even bring that up. In the series, is the Mall, Savage, Sidious

lightsaber fight. God I'm taking out I said this is pretty good ranks up there he puts up a better fight you know the Jedi Council did I'll say that much for him yeah that's right that's right joyous element that you might miss if you're not looking closely oh god I forgot about the pun he dies actually he has the staff he has the on the TV behind him, on the monitors. That's the shot we're talking about. Brother.

I'm back to make up my wallpaper. Oh. I'm not like you. I never was. And that's what Satine says. When she says, I love you. What she says is I'm not like you. I've always actually still had this.

I don't know the same sympathy for mall. It rhymes. It rhymes. It rhymes. It does in this episode. The best rhyming we've had. Especially since I liked Satine. so much, and I liked that relationship between

her and Obi-Wan. This guy watches the shell. This guy watches it. Here to do more of your master's bidding. I do my own bidding. No, you don't. It's not really true, Obi-Wan. He wishes. ...the introduction of the character, which began with Henry Gilroy,

wanting to give Obi-Wan Kenobi a love interest, presented a problem. And we couldn't really have this character last. Your noble flaw is a weakness shared by you and your Duchess. You should have chosen the dark side, master Jedi. It's happening all because of Obi-Wan. Because she is personal to him, which Maul knows, and Maul's exploiting that. So in that way, we really force and test not so much a romantic,

notion, but the bigger idea of this is all happening because of me, because I failed to prevent them all from resurrecting, I failed to capture him and the attempts I had before. And does he take that on? Does he take that guilt on? I never planned on killing you, but I will make you share my pain, Kenobi. What do you think all Mac is thinking during all this? We wanted to put him in that incredibly vulnerable and incredibly frustrating spot to show the audience how he has to learn my girlfriend's dead and in that moment at that critical moment he cannot seize on his anger and his hatred for mall though that's probably there deep within he can't seize on it or maul will win and he knows that Remember, my dear Obi-One, I've loved you always. I always will.

I think we learned a lot about Obi-Wan. Not even a little smooch on the forehead? Intrude Jedi, which is what I really think the forehead smooch would have made it all worse, I'll be honest. Right? I think the forehead smooch, she's dying, would have been, like, that would have been more brutal than what Malted. Hey, Satine. A forehead kiss is nice sometimes. Yeah, of course.

Don't be friend zoned in the last moment of your life. Yeah, okay, fair, fair. God. Okay, a cheek, maybe. Fuck. So. Wow. What an art.

Okay, here's my one complaint. This should have been the whole season. Oh, sure. What are we doing? Well, also, here's something else, too. The idea that they were going to kick this off with a Hondo episode. Like, that's the other part, is the origin for this is the wackity-shmackety-doe attempt to, like, seize the control of the pirates. Yeah, they-Lead's too.

Like, that's the first domino of Sotin being rudely murdered. If I could do it different. Sorry, go ahead. I said Hondo killed Sassine. Hondo killed Sotin. Yeah. It's all hot call comes back. here's the thing what if they had done like the first

where's the second episode at it ends with them of this arc so where's the first episode of this arc again first episode ends with them having subjugated java they should have put both of those episodes at the beginning because then what we get is in our imagination they're out there running things everything's been building it's been building the crime has been building they've been spreading they should on both of those episodes one two in this season because i again i actually think that spreading it out further was good since there was so many mid and frankly bad episodes this season.

Yeah. But I do agree, but I do think that having those two episodes before Lawless got us in the mood. It does. Like we're in the, we're in this good taking the shit seriously space. But I think the whole season should have been this. They should have just done, because this is the other half of the arc conversation we're having repeatedly is like, well, they've gone from one-offs to themed one. one-offs that are like connected through a thematic thread or like a setting or whatever or like a

larger metaplot but not tightly metapotted now we're in every episode runs directly into the other for four episodes in a row and that's an arc we still haven't we haven't gotten to yet is contemporary episodic television where there aren't one-offs or there are maybe there's a one-off but like that's a one-off and the rest of the season is a larger plot that's building right um and this arc could have sustained the entire season. I completely agree. I got that probably not. That's what I was saying.

This could have been book-a-bobo-like... Right, right, right, right. Yes. Well, I don't think anything was going to... It could have sustained the season, but I still think the two arcs we've had back-to-back are still awkwardly wedged into it, for sure. Oh, just what I'm saying is I think that you could have used those episodes

to better tell a central story that is about the fate of Mandelor. and we get more of what's happening with Sotene. I mean, the answer to this seems to my suspicion is you don't get that because Cartoon Network says we're a network for children. You have to do a certain amount of episodes that are about good lessons. Oh, man. Dave Filoni's going through these meetings where George Lucas is like, I think we need to kill everyone.

I think some real rock shit needs to happen, Dave. And then Dave is like Cartoon Network's like you can't know. Like, what about cute little droids? Kids love cute little droids. And, you know, back to Lucas. So I think, like, she's just going to stab through the fucking heart. What do you think, Dave? Like, right through the fucking heart is he watches.

He can't do anything. He's powerless. But that's the life he chose. Like, this is the thing that's genuinely, like, there are specifically legal FCC rules about what counts as children's television. That if you're a children's television network, you need to show that X number of minutes per day are dedicated to a certain type of. programming that that problem I this is now me hypothesizing I don't know enough about this I have to go do my my homework on it but that there is like in the same way that a news broadcaster that a regular television network CBS and NBC have to run news programs

as part of what they are they're forced to do as a public as part of public service of having access to the airwaves is you have to do a certain amount of public service and running a news program is part of that, right? On basic cable. Being a television show for children, being a television network for children, my suspicion is like, do just have to go do this, is like, hey, do we get tax breaks for this? Do we get access to a certain subset of broadcasting, like, are we on basic cable because we provide television for children, right? and what counts for that is regulated and that's on top of the whatever market pressures the Cartoon Network feels or says they feel about wanting to appeal to a certain type

of advertiser right and so like you couldn't do an entire season of Clone Wars it's just about the rise of a nationalistic power inside of Mandelor you have to do the kids episodes but But the kids episodes sucked. So, even as kids' episodes. Yeah. Yeah, we've had good kids episodes. They make better kids cartoons than those. Like, that's the weird thing, right?

It's like, again, I think the Avatar comparison draws us a lot because the overlap between the two shows. But, like, Avatar especially, to a large degree still, as dark as it gets at times, still feels like, yep, that's a show for a broad swath of kids. Yeah. And there's lighter episodes and not, but like, it. It all kind of works. And this one just sort of wildly downshifts into the way you just hear the engine of the show, like, protesting as we just ended up, like, thrown into these episodes of these shitty little kids and this awful frogman leading this droid squad.

Totally. But, yeah, this stuff was, this stuff was great. I think it is such a bleak fit. I guess that's something else that this episode really draws out is. the bleakness of what of the fate that awaits you if you're someone pursuing power because all of these characters who like come to the really bad end throughout all this they they're all pushing their luck they're all sort of thinking about well it's like at a certain point down the road surely we will be completely masters of our own fate we

will we will have the power that we desire and it is just this food chain issue of all you are doing is wiping out potential rivals and then serving yourself up on a platter to whoever is the stronger person and it just happens again and again and like the the nightmare for mall is sort of realized at the end which is I mean sincere dreaming about being brought back into the Sith fold doesn't happen immediately it's like no the rule's not going to change for you

we have no relationship like that and he's stripped he's not even a Sith he's just he is going to be put to some sort of use but like he's a broken toy for Palpatine and it's like I'm going to figure out what else you're good for I have something in mind it is not

whatever you dream for yourself might as well stay in the fucking cave being fed by your snake pal imagine how much Savage would have liked that snake. They could have just hung out together. The snake was

trying to see them. Remember? They just could have been a family of three of them. I think it's just the jungle book at this point. If he would have brought him like a little treat,

I think maybe. Yeah. Maybe. Yeah, it's rough. But Great Arc badly needed. Well done, Poloni. I would shake his hand over this.

Oh, I have to give everybody on the writing team for Lawless an award that says did not make Sateen say Obi-Wan, you're my only hope? Huge. I'm sure it was difficult for them. Yes, she did. No, she did.

She said, Obi-One, I need you. She did not say, Obi-Wan, you're my only hope. And I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I promise, I promise. I was also looking for it. You're right, you're right. Obie-Wan, I need your help. Obie-Wan, I need your help. I heard it in that voice, though.

I heard it in the... As she's being... As she's being floated through the air in front of the dark saber, nobody says, I got a bad feeling about this. It's so funny. Yeah, I'm super glad they didn't taint this

with a bad feeling. Yeah. So that's the end of Satin. We've seen who will... We've seen at least one person fall. No, we've seen three people fall. Yeah. Wait, can we look at.

the fall calculation. Fall is 80 Gallia was there, right? Mm-hmm. 80-Gallio. Is 80-Gallia on the list of... She was in that picture, yeah. Okay. So...

Does she fault? In the first arc, in the first episode of this arc, technically. Right. Remember? Yeah. Pre-visla, dead. Yeah, so on that list, let's take a look on that list, which Natalie, thank you. You retweeted it recently.

Who will fall? That list is, pre-visla, fallen. Dead. 80 golly, a fallen. Hondo and Naka. Standing tall. Arisen. Darth Mall.

Fallen. Fallen. Kneeling. Kneeling. Nealing. Fallen not dead, but maybe worse than dead. Yeah. Rex.

Not fallen. Not yet. Well, I guess we know what the future holds for Rex, right? I mean, we don't know what the future holds for Rex, right? Sure. Sure. Sevanto Press. Fallen.

Rest and peace. Beyond fallen. Yeah, all the way. Yeah, Asoca. Wild did they put Asoka on here, not falling. You know, what if she falls? Maybe she can get dark-sided. What if she gets dark-sided?

Oh, I forgot there's three episodes left. Embo. Close call, but the hat. King pulled him through. Assange Ventress. Where is she? Bring her through. I want to know what she thinks about all this.

Obi-Won single. We really need to tap in with her. Obi-Won, please call her. Obi-Won's single now. This is who he needs right now, is Ventris in his life. He needs a bald baddie to come through. Obi-Wan. And have a talk.

No, I know you think you've got no future right now. Ventress has a future. Yes, it's hanging out in bars with bounty hunters. She doesn't like very much. But you could do that too. But those bounty hunters don't like the mall. I don't want, I don't say the mall brothers. And Satine

Fallen On this list The Wikipedia keeps trying to call them The Knight Brothers And I'm like, nah No, that doesn't fit I'm sorry, being Raised as livestock by the Knight Sisters

Does not make you a Nightbrother No Also, new date and time Saturday's at 9.30 a.m. I didn't realize this was quite literally a Saturday morning cartoon That's rough. Imagine starting off your

kid. You start off Saturday with Lollah. Okay, but for real, imagine you start off a Saturday and it's shade of reason, and then you have to wait a week. You have to wait a- Week. At that point, Obi-Wan hasn't even been called in. You're like, oh, my God, does anybody even going to tell the Jedi about this? Imagine waiting a week and your Saturday starts off with a sunny day in the void.

That might be worse than Satin. dying first thing in the morning that might be that's worse that's worse yeah that's pretty bad I don't know maybe kids liked it all right so again you simply no one is allowed to watch or or look at the read

the descriptions of these next four episodes we gotta stay pure until Q&A right like we should probably not even we're doing Q&A we should do a Q&A about the fucking younglings in the drawings oh I know but we have to We have to. This is the cross we have to bear. We have to, look, people pay money for this.

People who made money for us to be like, hell yeah, everybody, here we are. More civilized age talking about the younglings and sunny day in the void. The next episodes we watch are sabotage. Cool. I don't even want to read these. I don't want to read them. I don't want to read the names. Don't.

Yeah, don't do it. It's the rest of the seat, right? I saw one time, it got me very excited. I can't. It's sabotaged in the next three episodes after that. Wait, are they real Hitchcock names? Okay. Oh, they might all be. Hitchcock?

They're all, are they all plays on Hitchcock movies? I think they are, Rob. I think you're exactly right. I hadn't even. Yep, yep, yep, yeah, they all are. You've now looked at these, huh? I've looked at them. I don't forget about it in 20 minutes, as we know.

The Jedi who knew too much to catch a jet. Jedi and the wrong Jedi. So, those are the four. Now, admittedly, sometimes when this show shouts out a great artist, it's about to face plan. Yikes. You're right. You're right. Shadow Warrior.

Defending the back to cabbage farm. I've also... I've not seen Pitchcock sabotage, so I won't be able to pull out specific references. Is it, that's a shame? He made that movie twice, didn't find, didn't find a good one in it. Wow, either time. That's a shame. Yeah.

I have seen The Man Who Knows Too Much, and I've seen to catch a thief. Original Man Who News Too Much, way better than The Door's Day. Really? The misogyny of the post-war one is off the charts. Like, it's an uncomfortable watch. Just watch, like, sorry, the quick thing, man who didn't do too much, beloved movie. Everyone's like, great Hitchcock film. Okay, cool.

You know what's going to be tough to sit with? The 20 minutes where their kid is kidnapped. And everyone's like, Doris Day, calm down. Would you shut the fuck up and stop crying her Kid, hit that kid, hold her down Put some Valium in her. That's, and you're like, in the thing, The 1950s.

There's a lot of Hitchcock movies where it's like, it is so uncomfortable, clearly, he's also aware this is just nightmare shit and you're like in that scene more with Doris Day than you are with Jimmy Stewart, but at the same time it's like, it's there and he reigns the hero of the movie, it's fucked up. Anyway, point is, watch the original one, real good.

But yeah, so we're not going to get to talk about this arc until the Q&A so your next Q&A listeners you'll hear us talking about this and about the next

episodes right but aren't you lucky before we get to watch the next episodes we have to record the Q&A

on younglings and droids we just have to know we are recording this episode the day that the D-Squod episode went up

so that's how far in advance we are in terms of listening so or in terms of recording So, you know, we're doing our best. I don't think of two head and head of the curve.

Pray for us. Yeah. The next two arcs are about shit we care about, but don't send in questions about those. I mean, actually, yes, sending questions about the next arc in this arc. More civilized age at gmail.com. Any final thoughts? I've just, I'm just, I'm saving them for the end of the next arc. Because I feel like I'm in a, like a rap, like I'm rapping in my brain.

Wrapping the season, wrapping the show so far. I'm like in very retrospective mode. But I want to see the next arc before I really get it. I get into it. My final note here was bro. And I hit period and I typed going.

And that was it. I didn't finish whatever thought I had. I don't know where I was going, but I was going. Mine was, yo in all caps. And then the force pull off the ledge in all caps. And then I don't even know what the fuck

and then a keyboard smash. And that was it. That's how I left that one. I'm so fucked up over it. I'm so fucked up over this whole episode. I need to like take a moment and think about Savagea Press and how much I loved him. I'm going to miss that character and that performance. I'm going to miss him so much.

He's such a good character. When they, in the Embo fight, were they like just put in a lion sound effect when he roared at Embo. He's a lion. I'm going to miss you, Savasch. He didn't know what we had, you know? He did that for us

at home. My last knows podcast. Live by the sword, die by the sword, my guy. Yeah, true. That is true. Is that what you posted in our chat also? Yeah, actually.

I posted a tweet. Oh, that was the tweet. Oh, that was the tweet. That was the tweet. Yes. By, uh, Twitter, user Furby Hancock that writes

not my goofy ass living by the sword laughing crying emoji laughing crying emoji and the italics it says this user has died by the sword the way it goes look this team was a good character a lot of great things like came out

in that relationship between her and Obi-Wan politically like kind of you know I don't think about it's like we have to let rest this is you know I'm not normally this person yep but

I'm just saying look someone's got to point this out to Obi-Wan at some point like just be like she wasn't perfect we should watch an Obi-W on show now that we've seen this oh sure I know yeah the adventures of him and his girlfriend Ventress.

You say it's bad, Alley. It's mid. That's mid. That's fully half of Star Wars. But we should do that for next month now that we've, this is the point I wanted us to get to before watching it. I was not holding us back at this point. Our schedules have just been extremely busy.

Yeah. But. September. We'll do it. Well, we better. Between seasons. Andor is going to be here in a minute. Oh, my God.

So much content. We're feasting. We're feasting. What if the rest of Clone Wars is good? Me at the end of every season. I'm telling you, this is going to happen. The beginning of season six is going to be like, let's fucking go. And then we're going to have six episodes in the middle where we're like, why do we watch this?

And then they're going to have a season finale that's like, we're going to be like, yo. Clone Wars is going to end. We're going to be like, rending our garments and be like, can you imagine how good rebels is going to be? Can you leave all? God, damn. I've heard the beginning of Rebels is trash. I've heard Rebels takes a while to heat up. But I've also heard that it gets very good.

So I've also heard it just doesn't look good ever. So I've just, I've totally, I've totally just, I'm going to go in with clear eyes on Rebels. I don't, the thing I'm most excited about Rebels is new stuff. I don't know shit about Rebels. That's not true. I know a few things about Rebels. But I don't know a lot about Rebels. And I don't know.

I don't know. I want to meet new characters. That's where I'm at. It's just like three scenes of Saul Guerrera mass casualty terrorism. I think there's probably only going to be like three Saw episodes or something. You know what I mean? Like I don't know that it's going to be a lot, but I'm excited to see that stuff. I'm excited to see new characters.

Yeah. I do know that there is some follow-up to stuff that is not closed in Clone Wars, and that to me is exciting. I have seen one scene that relates to something in this episode. So if you're listening and wondering, I can't wait for them to get to that scene. I have seen that scene. And that scene whips. So one day we will get there, and I will say, do you remember that time? I said I saw one scene in Rebels, and it whipped.

I will call back to this. So, all right, we should end this. We should, we should, it's late. Thanks. Please rate, review us on your podcast platform of choice. I think this episode was good. I don't know that it was as good as these episodes we watched, but that's because those were six-star episodes.

I think it's a five-star episode. I think it's a five-star episode. I think it'll rate it. Let people know. Yeah, do you? Let us know. And then support us at patreon.com slash civilized and get access to our Q&As and that. Oh, you know you want to hear the Q&A about this episode.

You know you do. Are you kidding? All those questions, all those things you wanted to say, but like couldn't bring up to us because you're listening to like, just imagine how many good questions we're going to get on the back of us. Chat with us. Take a seat. Join the, send us a question. Join the conversation. Join the conversation.

Call or go ahead. Hi, first time, long time. First time long time. All right. That will do it for today's episode. RIP, Duchess Sotene. R. IP, Savage. RIPI, Preevisla.

I'm giving them, oh, never mind. I was going to say, I'm giving them all a little smooch, but not anymore. You know, previszzyl gets a forehead smooch. Do you imagine how scratchy Pree's faces? Like, I'm not, I'm not smoochish. in that man. No, he sucks. This is the thing is it like... He still sucks. He does still suck. He just sucks. He...

No smooch. No smooch. He makes... He couldn't be the person we needed him to be. Do you know what I mean? The show wouldn't work if they made him actually good at the thing we wanted him to be. They need him to be a kind of a piece of shit. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Well, like, and here I think he'll end up being that for us. He goes out the way kind of... They did actually set up the way he's going to go out, which is a jumped-up thug like

trying to grab that brass ring but it's just way too big for him like he just can't he can't do this and he just can't

he doesn't have the perspective to see that's not that's not going to happen all right that will do it for oh no

what just imagine Lux Matari interacting with Darth Ball and being like yeah bro welcome to the death watch could you imagine

if Lux was here I wish Okay, that actually would have made that our great I think we got a new Jedi came to help us Really? Who is it? I don't know he has horns

It's red for some of us He has a red lightsaber, it's cool I didn't know your lightsabers came in red I don't know you could customize that Dumbass You got the new RPGs on it Him volunteering to rule Mandelor

for mall and like Maul and Savas just like 20 feet tall looming over this kid being like, what? He's like, I'll do it. Oh, I want him walking into the throne room as Sidious draws the red lightsabers. I was like, hey, what's going on in here?

What's happened? What's up? Who's this? Why are you kneeling? Sidius is decaptychated. Done. Yep, another decapitation. Who will fall?

You know what's fun? So many decapitations in this art. Lux Bontery didn't even make it on the who will fall. That dude didn't even make it on to the scorecard. Yeah, of course not. No, that cares. Patreon.com slash symbolized.

Get fucks, looks. Back with you in two weeks. Bye. ...you know. ...their... ...and... ...weean... ...theid...

...and...