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Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3 episode 22 review: Wookiee Hunt: season finale

The third season of The Clone Wars comes to end with Chewbacca making a welcome appearance. But is Wookiee Hunt a fitting end to a brilliant season...?

By Cameron K McEwan | March 26, 2011 | | 0

This review contains spoilers.

3.22 Wookiee Hunt

And so, season three of the animated Star Wars spin-off television series comes to an end, with the return of a familiar face and Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka still lost on the other side of the galaxy.

Thankfully, the heralded return of Chewbacca doesn’t take long and his role in the episode is considerable, helping the Jedi younglings evade and turn the tables on their oppressors, the nasty lizard-like Trandoshans. But first of all, they have to rescue Han Solo’s BFF.

In a remarkable scene where Ahsoka and two fellow youngsters attack a ship, intent on escaping the jungle planet they’re being hunted on, we find its survivor (after a spectacular crash) is everyone’s favourite Wookiee, Chewbacca.His reveal is nothing short of magnificent.

From the debris of the now-destroyed prisoner craft, we hear the familiar sounds and growls of the walking carpet along with some original trilogy music cues. Very powerful. When Chewie comes out of the smoke in his full glory, I’m sure older viewers, like me, will be holding back the tears.

But it doesn’t end there. The furry one manages to contact his Wookiee buddies back on Kashyyyk, who help finally vanquish the lizard bad boys in a tremendous action-filled finale, a battle that will also see eagle-eyed Indiana Jones fans raise an eyebrow at an ornament included on the Trandoshan ship. (It’s a crystal skull, for those who can’t wait.)

This two-parter has been a fine story, beautifully realised and well told, though the Trandoshans, as I stated last week, are a bit comic. (This week’s offending line is “Time to join the Force, Jedi!” Groan). But as a finale, Padawan Lost and Wookie Hunt fall short.

Considering just how good the second half of this season of The Clone Wars has been, and just how exciting, dynamic and breathtaking (not to mention shocking), the finale has no punches to pull, no twists to deliver, no breath to be taken.

Fans, these days, demand a finale that delivers either revelations, cliffhangers or death. This has none. It’s just a normal, though very good, it has to be added, story.

Judged on its own, it’s perfectly acceptable, but underwhelming as a denouement to a truly mind-boggingly good run of stories.