A selection of new characters keeps the plot fresher than in “The Disappeared Pt. I.” The city is more convincing than the queen’s palace, and very pretty, from the starry sky to a bushel of plants with tiny flowers like reflected stars. The city is dark but not muddled, and the bright sky and the cultists’ white uniforms are a good way to keep the screen interesting while still providing atmospheric shadows. Mace and Jar Jar develop a fun mentor-apprentice relationship, and even the queen gets a bit more to do than “Pt. I” suggested she would. “Pt. II” even shows more variety of female characters, including Mother Talzin and a cultist. The latter has a brief but memorable appearance with an animal companion – creature design has always been a highlight of The Clone Wars, and the beast is both creepy and cute. This episode is full of vivid images, from a desert monorail to the epicenter where the story ends. The final fight scene is short, but paced well and lets Talzin show off a new kind of saber. The ending also features my least favorite things about the episode: Talzin’s exposition to the queen is an awkward monologue. Mace also discusses the Force a bit, and while by the end of the episode it’s shown that he doesn’t quite understand Talzin’s magic, the conversation does contain more solid information about the Bardottan’s Force-sapping spheres. The episode doesn’t so much improve Jar Jar as give viewers distractions if they don’t want to pay attention to him, but it contains beautiful scenery and enough information about the nature of the Force for fans to mull over if they wish. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
