– Spoiler Review –
It’s all been building to this, the moment Order 66 rocks the galaxy, and “Shattered” brings it home hard for The Clone Wars’ main characters, Rex and Ahsoka, ending with a cliffhanger which makes me even happier the series finale only airs in a few days, not a week.
With “Shattered,” the Clone War itself is finally over, as Order 66 strikes and Sidious’ master plan changes the face of the galaxy in an instant. We’ve seen what it means for the galaxy at large, and we’ve seen how characters like Rex and Ahsoka make due afterwards, but never have we seen how they get through it with their lives. Even knowing the outcome, “Shattered” is a riveting episode even as it provides exposition amongst the heart ache and action of Order 66, as TCW once again manages to stay focused on the characters despite the galaxy-changing events. Once again, the score by Kevin Kiner builds tension and dread, even more so than in “The Phantom Apprentice,” leaning heavily into synth for ear-melting goodness. The deep, foreboding nature of the score adds to the cat and mouse of Ahsoka evading the clones, while the drips of Revenge of the Sith‘s score in synth give the events a firm placement within the grander story. I’d eagerly buy ANY release of the Siege of Mandalore’s score and “Shattered” has made it something I’ll be dying to have for some time. The overall sound also has several highlights, from the satisfying crunch of clones being attacked by Maul, the eerie quiet besides his breathing from Maul’s POV while in the Force cage, to the Force vision Maul/Ahsoka have of Sidious’ plans coming to fruition by using and mixing bits from Revenge of the Sith and some TCW performances. And of course, the animation has been absolutely stellar for this grand finale, be it Maul’s ‘hallway scene’ various moving parts or the initial assault on Ahsoka after the order comes in. The cast and crew have brought cinematic excellence to the small screen and it’s going to help make the Siege of Mandalore an unforgettable part of the Star Wars saga, alongside any of the films.
Hearing Commander Rex says, “Yes, Lord Sidious,” after the fateful Order 66 is a chilling and heartbreaking scene. The clone we’ve known for so long, who has been so loyal and faithful to his friends Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, has turned on a dime, but he at least struggles at first, shaking and dropping his helmet. Rex learned about the inhibitor chips from ARC trooper Fives (in TCW season 6), who was unable to fully divulge what he learned before being killed, and in the back of his head he’s always been worried about it, so hence his shaking and attempt to fight it, even managing to tell Ahsoka to looking into Fives before submitting to its will. He follows orders, smartly predicting and combating the rogue Jedi and Sith, and it’s a blessing clones as efficient and brilliant as Rex didn’t forever stay under the inhibitor chip’s sway, as I can only imagine the damage Darth Vader could’ve done with his right-hand man still by him. Thankfully, Ahsoka hatches a plan to rescue him and attempt to remove the chip, which happens in the nick of time as he helps fight off his former brothers to save Ahsoka. Mortified, Rex apologies to Ahsoka for what he did, and this admission adds a chilling notion to all of the clones and Order 66: they are in there, somewhere, complying with orders but able to see it and not agree with it. It’s a terrible thing to imagine now, especially for all the clones we come to love and enjoy thanks to The Clone Wars, to think they are going through that even as they mow down their Jedi friends, as it paints them as even less of villains after their villainous turn. It takes me back to young Caleb Dume’s, aka Kanan Jarrus, interactions with his old clone friends after Order 66, as eventually one of them manages to overcome the chip and make things right (one of the top comic moments in canon so far for me!). I’m glad Rex didn’t stay Order-66-ed for long, but it was frightening while it lasted and even more mortifying when he’s freed from the chip.
Before Ashoka boards the ship to Coruscant, she meets with some of the Jedi council to report in with her victory and hear updates on what’s going on, and they are right in the middle of their conversation from Revenge of the Sith, discussing the idea of taking over the Senate to ensure they can take out Palpatine without interference. The lines are ripped right from the film, with TCW voice actors getting to perform them, but they quiet when Ahsoka enters the room, congratulating her on her success on the Republic’s behalf. Ahsoka declines the Republic moniker, instead going by concerned citizen, which hurts Yoda a bit as he asks for clarification about her status about wanting to be a Jedi, which she declines. Ahsoka obviously has entertained the idea, but after everything Maul said to her and all her time away from them, being the Jedi the Martez sisters wanted to see, she’s not yet ready to be one again. Mace nearly lets their plans slip, but snarkily doesn’t share more because of her self-proclaimed citizen status, proving the Jedi haven’t learned anything yet. Yoda sticks around to chat with Ahsoka briefly, asking if she has anything else to say, but she decides not to share what Maul told her about Anakin, having too much faith in him still. Yoda’s final moments with her add even deeper emotional context to their fleeting glimpse of one another on Lothal, as seen in Rebels‘ “Shroud of Darkness,” and was one of the many times “Shattered” nearly broke me. With Maul in a very cool and potentially familiar* prison, Ahsoka and Rex head back to Coruscant to drop off their prize.
Ahsoka’s connection to Anakin is nearly as strong as Padmé’s, in its own way, and while it might include sharing passwords, it goes much deeper than that. It’s what allows Ahsoka a glimpse of events elsewhere, as Anakin makes his choice in Palpatine’s chambers to save the Sith Lord and kill Mace Windu, and the implications from the vision nearly bring her to her knees, so she rushes to her nearest friend to share the dire warnings…only for Rex to have already gotten his new orders. Even as Rex fires on her, even despite her confusion as the clones close in on her, she does everything she can to avoid hurting her friend, and heads off in search of a way to save him even as he hunts her down. First, she creates a bloody big distraction, releasing Maul and not caring what happens to him so long as she can help her friend. Then, teaming up with several droids, including R7, Ahsoka’s droid from earlier seasons of the show, she first digs into Rex’s hint about ARC trooper Fives, learning about the inhibitor chip and the following cover-up, and comes up with a plan to remove it from Rex. Luring him and trapping him, the droids help knock him out and they rush him to the medical center, where they scan his brain and find…nothing? Cue the next nearly breaking me moment, as Ahsoka grasps Rex’s head, chanting a familiar mantra, “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.” Rex mumbles along, and thinking about Jedi activates the chip, allowing the medical equipment to narrow it down and remove it, saving Rex from being a mindless slave to the orders of a Sith Lord. The two friends, together again finally, prepare to escape, leaving us with one of the most tantalizing cliffhangers in Star Wars history.
Maul had some good moments this episode, but he took a bit of a backseat to Ahsoka and Rex’s trials, as he had his chance to shine in the previous two episodes. That doesn’t mean he didn’t steal a scene or two, in fact, he might have even stole a scene right out from Darth Vader himself! Vader’s ‘hallway scene’ in Rogue One is a truly memorable cinematic moment, showing a side to the former Jedi not often displayed on screen, but Maul’s own hallway scene here is essentially his “hold my beer” moment. Without a lightsaber, Maul marches slowly down one of the ship’s corridors, tearing pieces of the hallway off to provide cover and defeat clones in some truly grisly ways, thus stamping right over Vader’s big Rogue One moment and officially leaves the Dark Lord holding Maul’s beer for good…in my opinion at least.
It’ll be very interesting to see what they have in store for Maul, Rex, and Ahsoka in the grand finale on May 4, 2020.
Here are a few other things:
- *The prison Maul is held in, of ancient Mandalorian design? It looks like the inspiration for the little sarcophagus like prison Luminara Unduli is “kept” in, as seen in Rebels‘ “Rise of the Old Masters.” Could the Empire have reversed engineered the prison, considering it’ll be on the ship after Maul, Ahsoka, and Rex escape?
- Loved being able to see a younger Ursa Wren without her helmet, as there are hints of Sabine but plenty of the older Ursa we meet in Rebels.
- I hope Dave Filoni will always voice C1 series droids!
The Clone Wars “Shattered” its audience with its penultimate episode, setting up for a finale which will likely do more to fans.
+ Cinematic turnout from entire cast and crew
+ Rex dealing with Order 66
+ Maul making Vader hold his beer
+ Ahsoka’s commitment to her friends
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE CLONE WARS REVIEWS
Season Seven: Ep. 1 “The Bad Batch” | Ep. 2 “A Distant Echo” | Ep. 3 “On the Wings of Keeradaks” | Ep. 4 “Unfinished Business” | Ep. 5 “Gone With a Trace” | Ep. 6 “Deal No Deal” | Ep. 7 “Dangerous Debt” | Ep. 8 “Together Again” | Ep. 9 “Old Friends Not Forgotten” | Ep. 10 “The Phantom Apprentice”
Legacy Impressions: Crystal Crisis | The Bad Batch