Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode 11 review

Episode 11: Dooku Captured

WARNING: This review contains Spoilers that may ruin your enjoyment of this episode.

Now the festivities have ended, regular television programming begins once more and The Clone Wars zaps us back straight into the action with Anakin becoming the prisoner of Count Dooku.

Don’t worry though, kids, as the Joker would say, “It’s all part of the plan.” Obi Wan collects the little blighter in an attempt to capture Dooku. Sadly for the Jedi, their plan goes awry and they find themselves stuck in a cave with a Gundark (give yourself 10 points if you remember where we’ve heard about that beast before) whilst the Sith Lord finds himself taking a trip with some Weequay pirates.

And this is where Dooku gets captured and also where the fun begins in this episode. Up until this point we are faced with some forced ‘humorous’ dialogue between the two Jedi that really does grate.

The Weequay pirate ship that takes the Sith will make the nerdoids out there giggle. Stolen/influenced by UFOs seen in Earth Versus The Flying Saucers, the craft also sound like they’re from a Fifties sci-fi B movie. Great stuff.

More time could have spent with the pirates and their world, inhabited by a Kowakian monkey lizard (a Salacious Crumb-type creature for the less geeky amongst you) and a Jawa (who cannot even manage a “Utinni!” before being kicked in the ribs, poor thing). It’s very similar in tone to Jabba’s Palace, except here the implication is clearer that everyone is pissed on booze.

The Jedi appear here to see Dooku but find themselves embroiled in another dastardly plan hatched by the drunken pirates (how do they find the time?) but we’ll have to wait ‘til next week to find out what happens.

Dooku Captured has a lot going for it (namely all the fun that the pirates have and Dooku’s characterization), so stick with it through the opening five minutes or so, it’s worth it.

Check out Cameron’s review of episode 10 here.

6 January 2009