173 - Chronological Clone Wars - Deception (415) and Friends and Enemies (416)

Another fantastic arc in Season 4, this time starting with Deception. Obi-Wan goes deep undercover as the Mandalorian bounty hunter Rako Hardeen, and the Jedi keep too many secrets from Anakin, with an introductory set of episodes that is surprisingly strong even when taken as standalones. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

Lux Bonteri and Pre Vizsla return, and we get our first introduction to Bo-Katan as well! Big things happening for just a single stand alone episode, plus we talk a little bit about the trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We're back from our early September break and returning with another very strong arc, the Slaves of the Republic (or Zygerian Slavers) arc, based on a 6-part comic written by Henry Gilroy and published by Dark Horse. This arc is special because we get to two things that are very rare in Star Wars: Obi-Wan truly at a loss for how to save people, and Anakin acting like James Bond. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We're back, just before our two-week hiatus, with Plan of Dissent and Carnage of Krell! These episodes very impressively serve their purpose capping off conclusion of the Umbara arc, setting a new standard for the quality of stories Clone Wars can tell and giving us some of the finest voice acting in the series so far from Dee Bradley Baker. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We've finally reached one of the best and most pivotal arcs in all of the Clone Wars: Darkness on Umbara. Not only visually stunning but also some of the best writing we've ever gotten for the Clones and their infamous temporary leader, Pong Krell, the Umbara arc represents a new high water mark for quality in the show. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

Potentially hitting the low point for the Clone Wars, this two episode pair focuses almost entirely on C-3PO and R2-D2, and could be completely skipped over without losing anything for the larger Star Wars storylines. While they introduce some interesting Willow inspired magic and creatures, they are never mentioned again in canon and so, by the end, it's like the story never even happened. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We return this week with one of the rare fully standalone episodes of Season 4, in this case a Gungan version of Kurosawa's 1980 film, Shadow Warrior! While the ending differs quite a bit, in a more family friendly way, the bones are all their and it's not a bad outing on Naboo all told. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We start season four off with a bang (or an underwater implosion, more specifically) in the truly unique arc Water War, detailing a planetary civil war between the Quarren and Mon Calamari. In our assessment the show has never looked better, or been more spectacular, than it does here. Even if the story can't quite keep up with the visuals, it's still a great time overall. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We've finally reached the end of the third season of Chronological Clone Wars, and it wraps up on a bit of a lighter note compared to the previous two arcs. While the episodes themselves feel pretty par for the course for Clone Wars, the technological advancements in terms of how they design their more organic looking sets are noticeable, and there's a solid lesson for Anakin to learn tucked away in the last few seconds. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf

We're nearing the end of our third season of Chronological Clone Wars, and truth be told neither one of us remembered much about this arc prior to our rewatch. But afterwards, we were shocked at how much very important info comes from these episodes, including the some serious characterization for Captain Tarkin outside of the movies, and the "death" of Echo. Let's jump in!BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcastsCHAT SERVER: https://discord.gg/C44PeM5RSf