'Clone Wars' finale tomorrow

Thursday, April 29, 2010

To say the second season of Cartoon Network's "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" has been impressive would be a colossal understatement. Supervising director Dave Filoni and crew have taken our beloved galaxy far, far away and reinvented it and gave it new life few could have dreamed of.

Season one was spent getting our bearings in this new take on an old saga, but season two has been a completely different experience. We know the characters and now we're able to sit back and let the story reveal itself. And trust me, they haven't disappointed.

To begin the season, we followed the Jedi as they chase down bounty hunter Cad Bane following his theft of a holocron and didn't slow down from there. We had brain invading parasites, a revelation into Obi-Wan's past and an homage to King Kong in the form of the Zillo Beast. But it seems Filoni and company are saving the best for last.

In "Death Trap" we were reintroduced to the baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy -- Boba Fett, abeit a very young Fett, but ruthless nonetheless. Actor Daniel Logan reprised his role as the feared bounty hunter and captures the swagger beautifully. Hopefully we'll be hearing more from Logan as the series progresses.

Speaking of voice talent, the core group of actors Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano) and Dee Bradley Baker (Clone Troopers, Captain Rex, Captain Cody) have been brilliant this season. You can feel the ease in which the characters come to them and it's conveyed in their performances.

The season closes tomorrow with "R2 Come Home" and Lethal Trackdown". "Lethal Trackdown" ends the season with Plo Kloon and Ahsoka chasing down Fett as he flees Coruscant for Florrum. The episode is written and directed by Filoni and will close out season two with a guaranteed bang.

With talk of a five-year story arc, it's going to be interesting to see what Filoni reveals in the season finale and what season three has in store. When all is said and done, Filoni's contribution to the Star Wars saga will rival its creator George Lucas.

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