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« on: February 3, 2013, 08:35 AM »
Wow. I'm impressed on a number of fronts with this episode.
First? The callbacks to previous episodes. It seems that a lot of the plot points from previous episodes involving the Mandalorians, either on Mandalore or the Death Watch, have been culminated in these past couple of episodes. The romance storyline with Obi-Wan and Satine doesn't seem quite as pointless as it did when it was first explored. And revealing that Satine and Bo-Katan were sisters? It draws an interesting parallel with the conflicting Mandalorian pacifist movement and the warrior culture behind Death Watch.
The aerial battle between the Mandalorian factions was actually really cool to watch. The abilities of the armor have really been showcased in a great light, and it's made the buildup in the overall Mandalorian storyline worth waiting through. But I don't know if the rest of the audience has that kind of appreciation for the slow buildup.
As for Maul and Savage? Well, Maul's plans certainly seem to be unravelling. He over-estimated his ability to manipulate and control the Death Watch, and didn't see the possibility that there might be a rebellion against him and his puppet government. His execution of Satine was absolutely cruel, but not well calculated enough to achieve his desired goal of breaking Obi-Wan.
And then to watch Maul's realization that Sidious has come? I was amazed to see the shift in Maul's character from confident, scheming conqueror to an almost sniveling sycophant when Sidious arrived. And Savage Opress was really a non-factor, showing that he was not even worthy as an apprentice. This duel absolutely upped the ante from Maul's duel with Pre Vizsla. Especially since Sidious broke out TWO lightsabers. I was a little surprised to see Maul do the same, using both his Sith lightsaber as well as the Dark saber. But it was very clear as to who was the true Master, and who was the apprentice. Then, when Sidious unleashed the Force Lightning on Maul, it was clear as to how he had dominated and controlled Maul from the time he had been selected as an apprentice.
Am I surprised that Sidious didn't kill Darth Maul? Actually, no. Because Darth Sidious is always plotting. And I suspect that he means to use Maul as the story of the Clone Wars edges towards the events of Revenge Of The Sith. My own theory is that Sidious plans to use Maul as he continues to push Anakin Skywalker further towards the Dark Side. And the recurring theme of LOSS in Anakin's story arc seems the most likely avenue by which Sidious will use Maul to push Skywalker that much closer to becoming his apprentice.