Rebooting or reviving a TV show is a difficult task, but the belated final season of Clone Wars made it feel like the show never left. This season ended with easily the best arc in the series and one of the best stretches of episodes in TV history, but the road there was a bit more uneven.
The Bad Batch Arc: So I never actually saw this arc prior to watching The Bad Batch series, so it's nice that I finally get to see their introduction, and it's pretty good, if a bit standard. I think the highlight of this arc is that it shows us where Rex is prior to the Siege Of Mandalore, along with introducing the titular batch, of course. Clone Force 99 is generally pretty close to their characterizations in their spinoff series, but I can still see the problem where certain characters (Wrecker and Tech) seem a bit stereotypical. The Bad Batch (the episode) is a fine introduction to the team, which means it has a lot of exposition in it, but I can only imagine how shocking it must have been to learn Echo was alive. A Distant Echo is an improvement, as Rex's motivation to rescue Echo adds a compelling hook to the arc, and the rescue mission throughout the episode is super tense and exciting. On The Wings Of Keeradaks had a tense opening where the cast narrowly escapes the base, but the main storyline about saving a village was pretty dull. Unfinished Business, on the other hand, was a massively bombastic end to the arc with tons of amazing action. The ending where Echo joins Clone Force 99 is also an incredibly sweet moment of set-up for the spinoffs series itself. Overall, the Bad Batch arc has a solid emotional hook and does a solid job of introducing the titular team, but as a whole, I think it's a pretty standard arc.
3/5 Stars
Ahsoka's Journey Arc: So I've heard stories about how "bad" this arc is (it has the lowest scores on IMDb), but I honestly think the hate's a bit overblown. It's definitely slow-paced and probably didn't need to be four episodes long, but it's nowhere near the worst arc of the show. What about the Gungan General? Senate Spy? The D-Squad? There are some good ideas in this arc, I like that Ahsoka spends time with people who don't like the Jedi to get a different perspective, but it definitely could've been a bit shorter. Gone With A Trace is pretty low-key as Ahsoka meets the Martez sisters. Nothing really happens here, but there's a cute slice of life vibe to it as there aren't too many conflicts in this one. Deal No Deal was easily the weakest of the arc as while I found Gone With A Trace to be kinda cute, this episode didn't quite have anything good happening until the final few seconds (though I did like the Anakin scene). Dangerous Debt was a tiny bit better, as we finally learn the Martez sisters' backstories (seriously, why did it take three episodes?!) and we finally got some action and excitement even if nothing really changed by the episode's end. Together Alone was the only truly great episode of the arc, with a pretty great final battle and the long-awaited scene of Ahsoka revealing she was a Jedi. The real highlight, though was the set up for the Siege Of Mandalore with Maul and Bo-Katan, which was really great stuff. Overall, this arc was fine. It was way too drawn out and didn't really get good until the final episode, but it was a cute reintroduction to Ahsoka that does a solid job of setting up for the much better final arc. Not quite the travesty the internet claims it is, but not all that amazing either.
2/5 Stars
Siege Of Mandalore Arc: Where do I even begin with this arc? This is hands down the best arc in the series, it's some of the best television I've ever seen, and probably the second best Star Wars content outside of Empire Strikes Back. It's action-packed, dramatic, and a damn near perfect ending to the series. Even with how hit and miss The Clone Wars, even with its weak plot, rough start, and repetitive storylines, there aren't many series that have ended as pitch perfectly as this, so I'm going to go through every single episode of the arc in detail, there's just too much to say.
Old Friends Not Forgotten is the weakest episode of the story arc due to mostly being set-up, but in another arc, it would probably be one of the best, if not the best, episodes. The opening is a great reintroduction to Anakin and Obi-Wan, and the episode does a good job of bringing together Rex and Ahsoka for the big final arc. That's what I really like about this season's structure, it tightens the focus to the two major characters who were introduced in the movie that started it all. This is also just a really emotional start to the arc as we get a lot of the major goodbyes prior to Revenge Of The Sith. This is the last time Ahsoka will see Anakin and Obi-Wan in person even if she might not know that, and that makes her final conversations with them all the more heartwrenching and poignant.
The Phantom Apprentice is easily my favorite episode of the series. It's the climax of the titular siege and is pretty much just one action scene after the next, all of which are great. Bo-Katan gets a pretty badass jetpack fight in an elevator shaft, the Clones get a massive outdoor war, and best of all, Ahsoka gets a lightsaber fight with Darth Maul. This fight is just amazing, the use of motion capture makes it feel so natural and weighty, the choreography is intricate, and the fight manages to evolve throughout and rise in stakes. The Phantom Apprentice is just pure, unbridled Star Wars fun and it absolutely made me feel like a kid again the first time I saw it. I'm sure that if I saw it as a kid, I'd think this episode was the coolest thing ever.
Shattered is tense as hell, showing what exactly happens to Ahsoka and Rex once Order 66 begins. There's this feeling of dread building throughout the arc as the events of Revenge Of The Sith seem to happen in the background, slowly building towards the infamous order. It makes the first half of this episode feel incredibly nail-biting, until we get to the now iconic scene where Rex turns on Ahsoka. The rest of the episode isn't as compelling as the first half, but it ends on a great note as Ahsoka manages to get Rex's inhibitor chip removed.
Victory And Death is a great finale for the series, both action-packed and somber in equal measures. On one hand, we get a fun pseudo teamup between Ahsoka and Maul, a massive final battle in a crumbling ship, some final goofy droid hijinks to end off the series, and even a hallway sequence where Maul gets to pretty much destroy a ton of Clones in his path. On the other hand, the aforementioned droids and a lot of the Clones end up dying, Rex is forced to reckon with killing his own brothers, and it ends on a very sad note as Darth Vader is left thinking Ahsoka died. I love how the series ends with re-exploring the themes that were established in the very first episode about the Clones' free will, and the emotional moments throughout the episode just hit so hard. As a whole, this Siege Of Mandalore arc is phenomenal, it juggles everything I love about the series and Star Wars as a whole. The fight scenes are great, the drama is impactful, and it ends this enjoyable but imperfect series on a perfect note.
5/5 Stars
Overall, this season was uneven for sure, but it was also deliberate. By focusing it around Ahsoka and Rex, this final season's slow start also worked as a buildup to the best arc in the show's history. Thus, it's an excellent final season to the series, if anything because of how good the Siege Of Mandalore is.
4/5 Stars
My ranking of the Clone Wars seasons is:
4 > 5 > 7 > 2 > 3 > 6 > 1
My ranking of the Clone Wars finales is:
7 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 2 > 1 > 3
Favorite Episode: The Phantom Apprentice
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