Did Anakin meet Grievous? I didn't think he had yet... Not in the toons anyway.
I actually thought Goldie was a spy in the first episode so the "convenience" didn't really bother me. It did seem, afterall, like it was doing the opposite of what they wanted all the time. I thought they were maybe going to set Goldie up as Ahsoka's future droid but it just seemed like they were going out of tehir way to make Goldie seem like he was doing stuff on purpose.
I liked both episodes really, but they weren't the best. I think they were as good as the Malevolence storyline though...
Droid poppers were indeed introduced in republic Commando, Dale. They'd basically slow down some of the bulkier droids so you can take them out. They also brought shields down on Destroyer Droids IIRC. They were called "EMP Grenades" in RC though I think, not "Poppers".
I liked that SBD's shot at them while the moron regular droid picked it up and shook it. Somehow the regulars seem smarter than SBD's on some level, but not in that sequence.
