'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Episode 2.09 & 2.10: 'Grievous Intrigue' & 'The Deserter'

Episode Title: "Grievous Intrigue" / "The Deserter"

Writer: Ben Edlund / Carl Ellsworth

Tagline: "For everything you gain, you lose something else." / "It is the quest for honor that makes one honorable."

Story: 2010 kicked off last night with a double helping of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." The first episode sees three Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Adi Gallia, storm General Grievous's flagship in an effort to rescued captured Jedi Master Eeth Koth. Grievous escapes, forcing Kenobi to pursue the Separatist leader to the nearby world of Saleucami. On the surface, Clone Captain Rex takes refuse with a local family after he is injured in a sniper attack. During his convalescence, Rex meets a brother clone who has chosen a different life for himself.

Four Jedi, Eight Lightsabers: The first of the two episodes is filled with chases down tight ship corridors and flailing lightsabers as Grievous and his Jedi pursuers face off. You know that all principals will survive the encounter of course, but the action is a well-choreographed display of dancing laser swords. And really, isn't that what "Star Wars" is all about?

A Turn For The Worse: Unfortunately, the saber play all but disappears in the second episode. While Kenobi and his clone forces have an assuredly action-packed adventure pursuing Grievous, we're mostly stuck with a wounded officer and two snot-nosed Twi'lek children. It's like the "Clone Wars" movie all over again, except the cute alien baby effect -- remember Jabba's son? -- is doubled, and it talks. Fail.

Happy(?) New Year: After the incredibly strong four-episode arc set around the Second Battle of Geonosis, these two relatively one-off episodes are a disappointment. Yes, they follow the general thread of a Grievous pursuit, but the shift in focus in the second episode to a supporting player's story -- with annoying Twi'lek kids, no less -- ruins the momentum built in the first episode.

No... There Is Another: Looking ahead to episodes 11 and 12 -- the halfway pont in season two -- you can see two unrelated loglines, one involving Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka, the other focused on Kenobi. While the last episode shows promise in the form of a story involving the Mandalorians -- Jango & Boba Fett's people -- don't expect a far-ranging arc like 2009's Geonosis engagement. That said, if Mandalorians are what's in store for the second half of season two, the best in the series is yet to come.

Tags star wars the clone wars