Transcript
Speaker: Hey there, everyone. Scott White, the voice of Dryden Valsen, Maul Shadowlord, and you are listening to Casual Nerdity, the nerdiest podcast around.
Speaker: Stay tuned.
Speaker: Casual Nerdity is a podcast celebrating and discussing the pop culture that we love. Movies, TVs, comics, books, games, you name it. Ari missed to talk about the good, what worked, and yeah, sometimes what didn't.
Speaker: All with an eye towards building up, not tearing down. Thanks for joining us.
Speaker: Welcome back to the Casual Nerdity Podcast, everybody. Hope you're doing well. I'm Daryl.
Speaker: And I have with me... Hello? oh my gosh! Dragon Ball called me out! I'm Daryl!
Speaker: They're all here for that! And I'm Lauren. and and that And that's Nick, who's losing his mind. Yes. e
Speaker: Yeah, I did not tell you about that.
Speaker: Precisely so that you could you know lose your mind. So, yeah, before we... Before we get into our subject matter here, my lovely wife, Stephanie, who does the voiceover that you hear every week, and I worked ah Rebel Scum Con, a local Star Wars convention, a couple of weeks ago. And she spent most of the weekend working the table of Scott White, the voice actor who works voiced dryden voss on mall shadow lord and he's also the voice of jazz in the war for cybertron video game among many other things that he has done and he was an awesome dude and uh offered up doing that bumper for us nice and he did it right there on the con floor
Speaker: And I think we've lost Nick now. Nick nick nick has lost all capacity for rational thought. Yep, yep, Nick is dead. yeah We're hearing his dying breaths right now. So, Nick, did I tell you that ah as he was leaving on Sunday, you gave he gave Stephanie a hug, he gave me a hug, and he said, we should do an interview on your podcast?
Speaker: He did tell me that. I did get... i did I was gifted a signed picture. i was not aware of this. yeahp now i need a moment to ah to reboot.
Speaker: ah Nick needs a moment to reboot, Lauren. Oh, okay. So while Nick is rebooting, um I will mention that we are here with another Clone Watch episode. And I will take the opportunity to explain what Clone Watch is for those who might be turning tuning in for the first time on our 31st Clone Watch yeah installment.
Speaker: the The best place to start. Yes. I mean, maybe they're big Clovis fans. Who knows? Maybe, maybe. But Clone Watch is what happens when you, Lauren, join our role-playing group, which is full of big Star Wars fans, and you had seen the original trilogy, and that was pretty much it.
Speaker: Yep, and ander Rogue One. And Rogue One. Can't forget about that one. And so... Some of our inside jokes were flying over your head. You wanted to familiarize yourself with those. And you're a huge animation fan. So after Nick ah showed you episodes one and two, you started watching Clone Wars in the worst way possible, chronological order.
Speaker: And ah we have been recording your reactions and responses to Clone Wars. And Nick and I are re-watching it and what we've noticed and all of those good things. And Nick, have you rebooted yet?
Speaker: I guess not. because Nick has not rebooted. I'm back. I thought you were sorry. ah and did did do Did you explain how i how i how I'm doing this wrong, Daryl, yet?
Speaker: Yes. yeah Yes, I did. I'm not going even correct you this time.
Speaker: yeah That's how discombobulated you've done. I... Well... You know how much I like Dragon Boss. Dragon Boss is cool.
Speaker: Yep. And so is Scott White. yeah This time around, yeah we are looking at old friends, dangerous alliances, and one very expensive case of political drama. This time we're watching An Old Friend, season six, episode five, The Rise of Clovis, season six, episode six, and Crisis at the Heart, season six, episode seven, as the Clone Wars gets tangled in intrigue, betrayal, and one very complicated friendship you know how on relationship status it's complicated yeah it's complicated and we continue into quote-unquote lost mission season yes yes season six the so-called lost missions i have some snark Related to that when we get to our wrap up of this storyline. Oh um
Speaker: But we will kick off with an old friend. Season 6, episode 5. Padme Amidala helps an untrustworthy friend from her past. Indeed. So...
Speaker: Padme's traveling to Scipio, the headquarters of the intergalactic banking clan, ah regarding funding for refugees displaced by the war.
Speaker: And to maintain an image of neutrality, transactions occur in a neutral zone on Scipio. And I just think that that's kind of funny, considering that the first time we learned that the banking clan exists at all is ah at a meeting of separatist leaders in Attack of the Clones. And so this whole neutral zone thing for transactions also reminds me a little bit of the planet Argyle from the original Marvel Comics run of the comic yeah back in the 70s.
Speaker: That is true, yeah. It's a similar idea, and like again that is based off of the notes that would become the West End games on how Lucas did describe like the rise of the Empire.
Speaker: Yep, and so... banking doesn bank Large banking groups was always like part of the beginning of the transition.
Speaker: And as Padme is getting off of her ship with her entourage and everything, hey, look, it's Embo watching. ah Dave Filoni original character. Do not steal. He will return.
Speaker: m The Mandalorian and Grogu. Oh, okay, cool. yeah I think this is his last appearance in The Clone Wars. I know that he was he was referenced a lot in the Aftermath novels.
Speaker: Yeah. Like, a lot, a lot. it for For a character who did not appear in like for the Aftermath novels... Honestly, I was expecting him to show up in, like, the third Aftermath after so many references.
Speaker: Yeah, after... For a character who was who did not appear, he was mentioned a lot. ah And it big reappearance in Star Wars as of now is the aforementioned The Mandalorian Grogu.
Speaker: Where he made the jump to live action. Mm-hmm. But yeah, then Padme goes to meet with the leaders of the Baking clans.
Speaker: And I will note that their meeting room has a really neat clockwork sort of aesthetic to it, which yeah sort of ah extends past just this room and to much of the architecture within the within the planet.
Speaker: And it's what you yeah need. lots Lots of gears, lots of bronze, A very neat aesthetic. And she is here to make a bank transfer that has apparently, as she says, not been forthcoming.
Speaker: Yeah, the banking clan ain't paying.
Speaker: they're they're They're not feeding the Republic the money for the Republic's loans.
Speaker: Or something along those lines. Yes. But the the negotiator for the transaction on the Banking Clan's part is, it's our old friend, Rush Clovis.
Speaker: Oh boy. Back from season two, the Senate spy that started the... The second battle of Geonosis arc.
Speaker: Oh boy. And Padme is just demanding that he be removed due to his lack of impartiality. Like he is a known traitor to the Republic. He's a known separatist. No, he did not get him out of here.
Speaker: bye. And I think we both noticed like her animation here is way more pronounced and character based. Oh, yeah. It's very precise.
Speaker: Very intricate. ah Very... much Much more detailed than most of the animation in the series, honestly. but to they They funneled a lot, as always, throughout the entirety of The Clone Wars. Money was being funneled in from Lucas, and these are the supposed final episodes, so he pumped in a lot into this. Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Now this was like a near quantum leak because clothes had actual movement on the characters. The characters had a lot more animation to how they walked and just gestured.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. Yeah, ah after Padme says that she doesn't want Clovis around, the banking clan tells her to get out because they trust Clovis. They think that he's the man.
Speaker: And as such, she leaves and returns to her room.
Speaker: And what does he do that's totally normal? Well, afterwards, he breaks into her room that night. Yeah, totally normal. Her handmaiden, which, again, we get to see Padme, this one's Talca, and she notices him before she does, and Padme Well...
Speaker: has learned a valuable lesson to just like pull out the gun. Oh yeah. She's got a gun. And Clovis is like, how'd you get a gun on the, in the neutral zone? She's like, I've got my way. It's, Yeah, and that's one of the things that you I was saying reminded me of Argyle from the Marvel comics. So just a a slight little tangent into... Oh, it's it's a very similar arc.
Speaker: It's a very similar arc. So there was an issue. it It wasn't even an arc in Marvel. It was a single issue. So Leia goes to the banking planet Argyle to...
Speaker: secure a loan for the rebel alliance to buy new x-wings and argow is like this banking world that every single visitor to the planet is prohibited from being armed and conversely and conversely every citizen of Argyle must be armed.
Speaker: a And you know it's a whole you know thing about, you there's there's a whole thing with ensuring that identities are who they are. And of course, Vader and a goon squad with special powers that are more comic book-y than Star Wars-y are there. um And...
Speaker: there's there's all sorts of twisteroos and Leia has... surprised you haven't said as that yourself yet. Or have you? my wife I have.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. oh I think it was in my Raggedy Edge campaign that I sent the players to Argyle. Oh, nice. Yeah.
Speaker: Oh, no, no, no. I have i have stuff for Argyle. But, you know, Long story short, there's shenanigans with Vader and Leia both smuggling planets on our weapons onto the planet, and the Rebellion ah Treasurer, or whatever his his official title was, turns out that he had he had been killed sometime before, and this was a droid replica that was smuggled on.
Speaker: And when you come onto Argyle, hey all they do is they they check you for weapons. But on your way out, you have to go through full body scans to make sure that you're not like smuggling out precious metals or anything.
Speaker: a Like when she arrives on planet, there's a guy who's like smuggling out some gold that he's had implanted in a rib and they they just gun him the hell down. o Right there in the spaceport.
Speaker: But but She has to, part of the whole thing is she's been planning for Vader to be there so that she can trick Vader into quote unquote killing the rebellion treasurer so that he's not detected as a droid on the way out.
Speaker: a Because if he's detected as a droid, then the transaction is fraudulent because he's not the real guy. Ooh. And then, you know Vader also pulled a little twist on it because what Leia had been using to secure the loan was the crown jewels of Alderaan.
Speaker: And Vader took possession of those. so So, yeah, nobody left happy except the Rebellion got the money for for their new X-Wings.
Speaker: well People say that Star Wars was weird when they've talked about, like, trade negotiations.
Speaker: yeah But, you know, hey. but So Clovis, after breaking into Padme's room, tells her that the banking clan is on the verge of collapse.
Speaker: The money that she's been promised isn't there. Mm-hmm. And so he's like, oh yeah, you know, there's there's all this embezzlement going on and all of this. So the reason that you haven't gotten that money that you're showing up to say, hey, why haven't I got the money is because it ain't there.
Speaker: That would be a bit of an issue. Yeah, it would. It definitely would. Especially since it's the intergalactic banking clan. Yes.
Speaker: And so about this same time, Embo opens fire and Clovis is like, oh, they're trying to kill me because I know what's going on with the banking clan. And that's why all of these shots are being taken at us.
Speaker: Mm-hmm. he makes a classic escape that's very reminiscent of Aladdin, where he drops off the balcony into a floating vessel.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: Meanwhile, afterwards, Padme calls up Palpatine and tells him what the situation is with the Banging Clan. And Padme, or Palpatine, tells her to trust Clovis.
Speaker: So, next yes, yes. The next day, she arrives to the vault and states that Clovis's presence is acceptable, but she demands to go inside the vault in order to ensure that ah the transaction can occur appropriately.
Speaker: Afterwards, Clovis takes Padme back to his private residence to help avoid the assassin. There, They create a plan to get the data from the vault where he will create an explosive to ah knock out the power and create a distraction, trapping her in there for a brief period of time.
Speaker: But wait, I've heard this before. A senator from Naboo traveling with a untrustworthy individual to a private residence.
Speaker: It's... The phrase is escaping me, but it seems like some sort of repetition. Yes, yes. well What? did it Are you saying that... Again, it's like poetry, so that they rhyme.
Speaker: Yeah. ah Yeah. ah they they're They're planning their heist. In front of a fireplace. That's...
Speaker: The least romantic place of any place of any location. Exactly. Oh, yes. Not not romantic at all. Mm-hmm. We'll so put a pin in that for the next episode. Yeah.
Speaker: ah ah How big of the pin are we putting in there? It's like ah roughly like a... It's like the size of the Washington Monument. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: So there we go. Then, at first, the plan seems to go off without issue. Clovis is not allowed to leave to plant the explosives, but it's okay because Padme's assistant goes off to do so instead.
Speaker: However, after she does plant them, she's taken out by the assassin. Now, she does manage to knock out the power, and in turn, Padme does manage to get the information and get out of the vault successfully.
Speaker: However, not too long after, she gets taken into custody ah under suspicion of espionage. That said, she does manage to get the info over to Clovis before ah before she's taken in.
Speaker: Yep. And what what could possibly go wrong with Clovis having the information? And what else could possibly go wrong from here? Oh, she's released into Anakin's custody.
Speaker: Well, first, we are given the bizarre false impression of to not know who this is. a a Jedi shuttle arrives.
Speaker: R2-D2 is there and large heavy boots are there. With red pants. ah Red pants. Oh, wow. I wonder who that could be. Who could it be?
Speaker: Who could it be now? oh we We get to reveal when we get an actual, at another ah sort of reinterpretation of the A New Hope scene where Padme is laid out. up Actually, much more comfortable.
Speaker: Well, Leia. Yeah. Originally it was Leia. Now it's a rhyme.
Speaker: And it's gasp! Anakin Skywalker! Whoa! Who could have guessed? And she's released into Anakin's custody.
Speaker: But wait, there's an exchange. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Speaker: It's a rather terse and very problematic exchange. Well, that's not quite yet. Well, this is one of them. is like that there there There are multiple. Anakin is... if we we talked about all If we talk about all the problematic exchanges, that we'll probably be here for like seven hours.
Speaker: But this is the first... and Put a pin in it. Yeah, needless to say, he's not happy to hear that Clovis is involved in all of this. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: So they go to retrieve the files from Clovis's house. They find him there, which if surprise Clovis is at his house.
Speaker: I don't know why Anakin seems surprised about that, but it goes over super well with Anakin. It seemed like his house was attacked. So it seemed like his house was attacked.
Speaker: So I think they're surprised that he's there because it seemed like he might have fled from his home after it was attacked. Yeah, but. it It's his... and That's the person you should be least surprised to see there.
Speaker: But honestly, Anakin's character here is what I'd say is compromised, especially based on what the previous arcs have been building to Anakin here.
Speaker: He is not on the ball. No. No, he is not. He is on a frail edge, and we'll get to that when the Dan Burke's iPhone 2.0-0-1.
Speaker: so yes and he and you know anakin and clovis argue embos off in the distance he starts taking shots at the three of them anakin saves them all and with r2's help they escape yes we're getting a really fun chasing but what were you saying lauren after ah after a toboggan scene of them getting away on the ice planet Yes. yes
Speaker: It's a really fun action sequence. Embo using his hat as a sled. Yeah. Shield surfing. And even suit shooting down icicles, Anakin using said icicles to block things off, or using the lightsaber to create it smokescreen to escape. It's a it's a well intent well-made and very well-animated action sequence. This is it a surprise.
Speaker: And we close out with Embo contacting his employer, Darth Sidious. Bum, bum, bum. And Sidious says that he'll deal with them personally.
Speaker: But he also says that Embo's mission was a success. Which implies that this wasn't a proper assassination i attempt. Perhaps this is a ploy, a scheme. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: A plot. A phantom menace, if you will. Oh my. A ghastly opponent. Yes.
Speaker: A mysterious enemy. But there's a story with children. It's not that deep. that takes us into the second episode of The Ark, The Rise of Clovis. Season 6. Episode 6.
Speaker: Anakin's hatred of Clovis strains his relationship with Padme. Hatred of Clovis? No. You don't say. Doesn't that be used for every episode of this arc?
Speaker: No. Not at all.
Speaker: Not at all.
Speaker: All right, but yes, ah we open up seeing that the moon are afraid of the info that's been taken. the the The moon are the individuals that run the banging clans. so I don't think we specifically mentioned names yet.
Speaker: But yes, Sidious is also in contact with one of the moon, who is ah worried about what will happen to him once the plan occurs. And Sidious says that he will be protected.
Speaker: mainly because at this point the banking clan is failing neutral support though many of their assets are being used by the separatists and this individual nix is basically the senate representative because that's not weird that the banks have a say in the galactic senate I mean, Phantom Menace established that the Trade Federation, a company, has a seat in the Senate.
Speaker: it's It's almost like it's all a lot about corruption and stuff. And him saying, like, where where would I be if certain things change in the galactic scale of the banks? Yeah.
Speaker: And Anakin, Padme, and Clovis arrive on Coruscant with the banking clan files to expose the corruption in the clan. Yes, yes, and Yoda is there to greet them upon their arrival. Apparently, Palpatine himself suggested Yoda do so.
Speaker: Hmm...
Speaker: that's not suspicious at all. Nothing about that is suspicious. And it's not suspicious when Palpatine puts Padme in charge of the investigation. And when he does that, ah here comes another wonderful, totally unproblematic Anakin moment when Anakin demands that she step down saying, you i am your husband. You need to do this. And I want to call this out exactly. this
Speaker: Multiple times Padme in this series has come to Anakin to speak to the Chancellor. To speak out against the Jedi, etc. etc And he said, no.
Speaker: But the minute the Chancellor asks Padme, and he's saying, don't know, you don't listen to the Chancellor.
Speaker: And he this conversation just does not go over well with Padme at all. It is. And do not blame her.
Speaker: And I'll give credit to the voice actors. It feels natural, but it's very uncomfortable. Oh, yes. Oh, it's a horribly uncomfortable scene. But it's meant to be. So it's... Yeah.
Speaker: It's... I get like, it's meant to be. Like, A lot of times I'll call out scenes that are like, unintentionally uncomfortable. But when it's actually uncomfortable, like, yeah that that's the intention here. Where it's supposed to feel like this this feels bad.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: but Yes, we do cut away for a moment where we see that Dooku is meant to entrap Clovis, putting him in charge of the banking clans while also making him reliant upon the Separatists.
Speaker: Basically to get control of the clans once more. Yep, get control of the entire galactic flow of money.
Speaker: But then we cut back to Coruscant once again, where we see Obi-Wan... go up to Anakin and talk about it. In his room, which is actually an interesting... We've not seen Anakin's chambers at the Jedi Temple.
Speaker: Yeah, I suppose we haven't. Yeah, We usually see him hanging out at Padme's. Yeah, we have the Boonta Eve poster, including Shibulba, who is the headliner of that. We have him...
Speaker: Fiddling with droids. His hobby.
Speaker: And, well, I think we have a clip for one of the most interesting parts of this entire saga. Yep, we do.
Speaker: I've been looking for you. Something wrong? You tell me. Not that I'm aware. Master Yoda feels that your judgments concerning Rush Clovis are clouded.
Speaker: I believe he can't be trusted. Yes, but there is more, isn't there? i sense a deep anger in you by my simply saying his name. He almost got Senator Amidala killed, and I would have been responsible.
Speaker: The Senator has risked her life many times. She's quite capable of taking care of herself. They had a relationship. Once, I simply feel she is vulnerable to her emotions.
Speaker: She is... or you. What are you implying? Anakin, I understand to a degree what is going on. You've met Satine.
Speaker: You know I once harbored feelings for her. It's not that we're not allowed to have these feelings. It's natural. Senator Amidala and I are simply friends. And friends you must remain.
Speaker: as a Jedi, it is essential you make the right choice, Anakin. For the Order. I understand my responsibilities. Responsibilities that must be observed whatever relationship develops between Clovis and Senator Amidala. They have no relationship.
Speaker: It is simply business between them. Then we should have no problems, should we?
Speaker: Now, before we chew on that scene a little bit, since Betsy isn't here, I'll say it for her. Obi-Wan, just tell Anakin you know.
Speaker: You're dancing around the subject, hinting that you know by bringing up Satine. Just fucking tell him so that maybe there can be some sort of healthy communication and relationship here.
Speaker: oh that's say I was going to say that Obi-Wan's ballet dancing around this, but ah no, no, yeah you you you you brought in the proper Betsy cadence and word choice.
Speaker: yeah did Did I channel my my inner Betsy well enough? Yes, I'd say so. But you... But you're correct. it did yeah I'd be a lot more gentle because I like to keep things...
Speaker: keep things it in pseudo-spoileter. He knows! He fucking knows! He fucking knows! And I'm saying, like, Anakin, Anakin, just talk to me! Talk!
Speaker: He's begging him to talk to him! Well, why doesn't he then just say, talk to me, I know what's going on? Because Obi-Wan's still part of a cult...
Speaker: He believes all the dogma. We have later produced media that's set before this that establishes, oh yeah, Obi-Wan knows.
Speaker: But again, he doesn't want to admit it because again, he he views that as a failure as a Jedi Knight. And if he views that as a failure as a Jedi Knight... then he's contributing to Anakin's failure, which is part of Obi-Wan's story arc.
Speaker: So, instead, keep quiet about it so that Anakin has no outlet and has no choice but to fail.
Speaker: Why do you think Obi-Wan feels that he's his failure? That he failed Anakin? he He eventually realizes it. He just... didn't know how it. He realizes it when it's too late.
Speaker: Yeah. Far too late. It's a tragedy for a reason.
Speaker: But yeah, just you imagine imagine how short Star Wars would be if you know the Jedi had actual therapists on payroll at the temple. ah Oh yeah, if the Jedi had therapists, we'd done.
Speaker: There would not be a Star War. there would not be a star war There would not. yeah and and And Yoda, meal i I'm looking at you and I'm giving you stink eye Yoda because more media produced later the High Republic. You had zero problem with Avar, Chris, and Elzar, man.
Speaker: Again, it's... No problem. The entire freaking council knew and is like...
Speaker: so far Again, like, it's everyone that says like, oh, the Jedi were great and all. and No, they they were basically a whole bunch of hypocrisy stepped up, steeped on property themselves into a house of cards.
Speaker: Yep. Anyway. And then it fell apart. Moving on. we We cut to Padme, and she's serving up some dinner after apparently going to the opera work with... As he was in the dress. god di di that that i i I have that later, hush.
Speaker: Okay. After going to the opera to work with Clovis on finding the evidence that they need... But I want to know why exactly all of her pro after all of her protests to Anakin about everything being just totally above board and professional and it's just ah just a working thing with her and Clovis, is she wearing a variation of the Naboo bondage seduction dress, TMCR, to do all of this?
Speaker: Yet I remembered this and saw that the our good contributor, Betsy, included this in our notes. But it was also the accent seated. When she served food to Clovis, she stepped in front of him and did well of the point of view camera was pointed at from his point of view. It was not the a non...
Speaker: pleasant view.
Speaker: I mean, she's wearing the Naboo-bonded seduction dress. That's what it's for. We all learned this in Attack of the Clones. And different from her role in the Senate spy, where she was meant to try and turn interrogate him.
Speaker: This is... I mean, currentlytley this is but this is basically the the most come hit one of the most come-hither outfits that she owns that she wore to try to brush Anakin off.
Speaker: And is now wearing it on a totally totally professional ah work evening with Clovis. With no intention of leading Clovis on.
Speaker: No, none. She's not spy. She's not trying to goose him for information. they're They're looking at the same information. They're just having food right now. And yet she's serving him food, leaning over in front of him to cut up the food.
Speaker: yeah Yes, Clones does keep trying to flirt and get intimate with her, and she continuously rejects the advances. Well, she did the same thing when she was wearing the dress with Anakin in Attack of the Clones, too.
Speaker: this is her This is her thing. This is her thing. It's weirdly in can again prepared for Padme, but it's weird that Padme's character is that. Because, again, she's not trying to entice him into anything right now.
Speaker: they're They're on the same page. All Clovis needs to do is commit a genocide. Oh, obviously. All he needs to do is kill is commit a genocide and not just kill the men, but the women and the children.
Speaker: And everything will be great. but know sorry it Is it a committed merit? Secret
Speaker: Yeah, yeah we that that goes well later on. So Padme and Clovis go over the records showing where the banking clan is losing money and having it stolen and...
Speaker: Eventually, Clovis notes that he is very close to the moon as a people, as he was raised by some. This is why the situation with the Bacon clans is so important to him. It's actually very interesting that an alien species adopting a humanoid human character is treated with such respect in a human being.
Speaker: There's an interesting story arc there of Clovis.
Speaker: yeah The idea that he is he is as respected as a moon. which Again, the moon are the bank are associated with the banking clan. He is basically a member of the banking clan despite not being a moon.
Speaker: it's it's It's fascinating, but also... The fact that his parents were killed in such a way, it makes me feel that this is yet another plot by the Sith.
Speaker: Was it a plot by the Sith? or you did I mean, Clovis ain't a great guy. Even at 12 years old, did he maybe do it? I don't know if I'd go that far. i don't know Even I wouldn't go that far. I'd say it's more like a a plot bied by the Sith than...
Speaker: He's not Hush.
Speaker: I mean, he could be. Have you ever seen Clovis and Hush in the same room together?
Speaker: They're two different continuity continuities and only Star Wars is is's crossing over with Marvel, Daryl. Yeah, but Marvel has crossed over with DC.
Speaker: It's only two degrees of separation.
Speaker: There are further degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon. In any case, in any case, after Padme keeps up the, oh, we're totally just friends cover about her and Anakin with Clovis, He tries to kiss her. And naturally, this is the exact moment that Anakin comes in right then and goes all possessive, jealous, angry man, beating the crap out of Clovis, force choking Clovis. um you know Clovis challenges his but him back. Oh, you know big man, you
Speaker: fight me without your your Jedi tricks and your lightsaber and Anakin throws the lightsaber on the ground like, fine, come at me, bro. And puns him straight with his robot arm.
Speaker: and even parries his fist with his robot arm. yeah So yeah it's never a fair fight. And Honestly, the fight is not glamorous. It's not stylized. It's brutal.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. It's intense. It is... the what The way I have always described the fights and the violence in the Watchmen comic, it's brutal. It's ugly. It's up close. And it is...
Speaker: basically shown to not accomplish anything. it's It's not cool. it does You don't feel good watching it.
Speaker: And so Padme calls her guard... Which is hard to do in a fight when you have like cool combatants and powers and stuff like that. It's like it's hard to make it like, no no, this guy is... You're not supposed to feel good about this.
Speaker: And, I mean, you as as much of an of an asshole as Clovis is, know... Anakin's the bad guy in the story.
Speaker: Well, Anakin's the bad guy in the story, but but Clovis, it is my dude, you are challenging someone who has been trained since he was nine years old fight people without using a blaster.
Speaker: And he's cheating with a robot robot arm. And even then, Sylvia uses the force to throw you into a table that could have, like, cut you in half. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: So Padme calls her guards and they come in, you know, they want to know what's going on. And despite everything, Clovis covers for Anakin and is like, oh no, we, we were attacked and, and Jedi Skywalker drove the attackers away.
Speaker: And this might have been like literally like a bruise, the size of his face. his freaking gloves the size of Anakin's robot fist yeah and so they're like well is that what happened and Anakin's if that's what he says happened that's what happened he he he walk me i walk he walked right into that fist he didn't see what happened ive i mean I appreciate Anakin's wording there. He doesn't say, yes, that's what happened. He says, if that's what he says, from a certain point of view.
Speaker: the Again, a lot of this is contributing to and building to the inevitable. What we know Anakin's
Speaker: fate is going to be yes these are crucial points and moments
Speaker: and so padme and anakin have another awkward uncomfortable conversation but one of the best the most honest conversation they've probably ever had on screen probably yeah And she tells him. Go ahead. She's scared.
Speaker: She's scared of him. of Of who he can be. If she even knows who he is. But I mean, she she dug it on Tatooine.
Speaker: Yeah, it's different seeing it in right in front of her.
Speaker: but he can justify see Again, like this is also a way to criticize Padme. He was seeking supposed justice for the death of his mother and it was in a moment of grief. This was petty jealousy and murder near murder in front of her.
Speaker: She never saw that side of him.
Speaker: She saw the regret, the conflict.
Speaker: And so she ultimately tells him that they should take a break, which we all know how well that worked for Ross and Rachel too, right? I definitely know what that reference means.
Speaker: Yep. And, I mean, ah I guess... I know that. I agree with that. i guess you were All kind of lucky, and they're all kind of lucky that there was no like copy girl at the Jedi Temple.
Speaker: da No, no, no, no, no. I think that would have ended with all of Coruscant dying then. Yes. And so Dooku contacts Clovis and offers to put him in charge of the banking clan and even starting to pay the interest on the separatist loans, which they haven't been paying, which is also part of why the banking clan is a about out of money.
Speaker: But for Dooku to do all of that, Clovis has to be Dooku's guy. And Clovis apparently accepts this deal as the episode ends with the Senate voting him in as an acceptable head of the Klan, with Palpatine himself vouching for him.
Speaker: Yes. So, this brings us back again to... Why does the Senate have control over who the banking Klan puts in charge?
Speaker: Again, it's also implied that the... the Sephardist Senate has also agreed with this.
Speaker: Yeah, it's just, it's it's a little weird. It's a bit weird. The politics of the galaxy far, far away is, it's kind of strange in that there's a few things that aren't quite interesting.
Speaker: The fact that the banking plan before this didn't have authority behind the major galactic government and it was in purely independent.
Speaker: And now the schism is now like, well, if we can fix, do reforms, we need to have an actual, like, coalescent. Well, the the other thing that I find kind of...
Speaker: odd and interesting about it all is that there's there's things that are different from our real world system like the trade federation and the banking clan having seats on the senate presumably on both senates but it's not so far out of place from where we're we seem to be heading right now
Speaker: Are you implying that Star Wars is saying something about our world?
Speaker: Foreshadowing is a literary device. It's also notable that while Clovis had the the acceptance of the Senate and the the Separatist Senate, he also had the the Moon themselves supporting him being put into this position.
Speaker: On account of the whole moon backstory that he talked about previously.
Speaker: Yeah, it's... It's almost like his his entire life has been leading up to this moment.
Speaker: Are you applying some sort of grand conspiracy, Daryl? That would just be crazy. Orgestrated by some sort of... like
Speaker: dark lord so crazy phantom menace no some spiritual rival
Speaker: Ted, that takes us into the final episode of the arc. Crisis at the Heart, Season 6, Episode 7. Rush Clovis' deal with the Separatists backfires. Uh-oh.
Speaker: So we go back to... well I'll go back to when I so when i talked about like with the Netflix descriptions of these arcs. like a Spoiler alert. Right.
Speaker: So ah we go back to Scipio, where Clovis is installed in charge of the banks. And we see Padme as representative of the Republic and a representative from the Separatist Senate.
Speaker: Yes, yes. And the Separatist representative is unsure about Clovis, but Padme states that she has trust in him.
Speaker: Does she have trust in him just because Anakin beat the ever-loving snot out of him? Because she didn't trust him, you know, did the last two episodes. Yeah, i think ah I think it's more... I think there are very many confusing emotions today. She understands that he does legitimately care about this particular element.
Speaker: Or, since we don't know you know, timeline of events is is the baby starting to eat her brain who knows Don't know.
Speaker: Who knows? Don't know. So Dooku is there and he's all like, yeah, no. So we're not paying that interest after all.
Speaker: And if you want the bank to regain its money and me not out you as getting the information that put you in power from me. Yeah. Just raise interest on the Republic's loans.
Speaker: So Clovis does. Yep, he sure does. He's at a rock and a hard place. And Yoda says that Anakin may have been right about Clovis.
Speaker: Hey, even in your but in your blind rage of jealousy, you might have been right about that guy who also tried to kill Padme. Yeah.
Speaker: you know the first time he showed up in the series. But one of the few times that Anakin was like, this doesn't make sense. Mm-hmm. One of the few times that Anakin's like, wait, this isn't... Like, I don't trust Clovis, but this is not what Clovis would do.
Speaker: Like, this is way too fast. And... As part of all of this, the Separatists attack the Republic delegation that's at Scipio for the transfer to make Clovis look like he's a strong Separatist.
Speaker: During the attack, Padme is told to evacuate as her guards are attacked, but she doesn't manage to do so. And, um, is one of my favorite clones, Commander Thorne.
Speaker: in a cool final stand. He has ah yeah has a big revolving gun. Big revolving gun and he... And he even slaps one and punches and is gunned down.
Speaker: but It does have like my favorite iteration of FOR THE REPUBLIC! and Before he goes down. He's wearing red. If this were Star Trek, he should have known he was going down.
Speaker: But it's not Star Trek. this is Star Trek. No, I said if it was. But it isnt if you shi the part of this It's only in Star Trek that people wearing red ever die. if you're ready If you're wearing red in any other context, then you're perfectly fine. We all know that.
Speaker: Wait... wait
Speaker: Red Squadron was in the was in a New Hope and a lot of them went down. so well Only two of them made it out. yeah so Those two are fine.
Speaker: So it's fine to wear red. But ten others of them, not so much. Eh, you know. there's you're really po Two out of twelve, that's fine. Are you discounting Porkins? Maybe.
Speaker: He died too, Nick. and I know. Are you saying that Porkins didn't matter? Maybe. And Biggs? Maybe.
Speaker: There's a whole comic about Biggs and Porkins taking a vacation together. Oh, boy.
Speaker: They go to the beach. Yeah, I think we failed. I think we failed this experiment. Yeah.
Speaker: But, uh, so Dooku takes Padme prisoner and she tries to, um, resist by grabbing a blaster from one of the battle droids and Dooku uses the force to make her shoot the Separatist Senator who's there. Ah, yes. so Murder. A classic.
Speaker: And I feel that's underclassic. A senator killed a fellow representative.
Speaker: But did she really? i mean... it could be easily played by Countu. Are you going to tell me that Countu isn't going to turn that into a propaganda video?
Speaker: It's never going to come up again, is it? It's never going to come up again. So apparently no, he isn't going to do that. But if like it's still like...
Speaker: It would if he used it to continue the war. It's like literally seeing Padme Amidala, the most peaceful delegate.
Speaker: The most peaceful delegate who somehow always finds herself in a firefight. Somehow. And single-handedly led her forces to retake her palace on Naboo.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Yes. After that, the Senate chooses to rescue the banks with Anakin in charge of the operation. Sidious tells... That's the behest of Palpatine. Palpatine.
Speaker: a Who's the Sidious guy? He's not here. Well, no, no I'm talking about Sidious. Sidious tells Dooku that this will lead to the banks being put in the hands of the Chancellor.
Speaker: Dooku then leaves without all of his forces, not going to assist Clovis in the oncoming battle.
Speaker: And I don't even remember the details of what happens here. I just put in my notes, fight, fight, fight! Yes, there is quite a bit of fighting. Yes. It's a good fight. it's is good Like, the action sequences are great. the The new models for all the ships and the battles,
Speaker: Animation-wise, you have things you want to say about, like, the action sequences were way better in this in this arc? You know, they were ah they were good.
Speaker: and i unfortunately, i don't really remember any specific moments in particular. But they were strong. yeah they They were very strong. But yes, ultimately, Anakin goes on his own to save Padme, and he enters Clovis's office.
Speaker: In response, Clovis uses Padme as a hostage whenever Anakin arrives, and he tries to explain how everyone has been tricked, but Anakin is very much unwilling to listen.
Speaker: Ultimately, Padme and Clovis begin to fall off of the balcony, as this obvious is very high up. Anakin manages to catch them, but it's one person in each hand, and he can't pull both of them up.
Speaker: After some attempts... Clovis is in his robot hand, which is stronger, and Anakin recognizes he can uplift Padme with his human hand. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Yes, after after a moment, Clovis drops willingly, allowing Anakin to save Padme, sacrificing himself. But I bet ro Rush Clovis will return Avengers Doomsday. I'm not sure. Like, Star Wars fall damage is a rather rather as difficult spot.
Speaker: I mean, Maul. was cut in half and fell. Into an infinite hole. Yeah, but he's got, like, the dark side.
Speaker: i mean, if who who knows with all the multiversal shenanigans? I mean, again, Star Wars and Marvel are crossing over. and I still have strong feelings about that, and I... I do, too, and they are not fit for even this show with an E.
Speaker: Oh my. ah um And it all ends up with Palpatine being put in charge of the banks. Yes, the leader of one of the two governmental factions is put in charge of all money in the galaxy. What could possibly go wrong?
Speaker: Nothing. It'll all be fine. Everything will be lovely and beautiful and perfect. And that is the end of the Clovis arc. And if you guys don't mind, i am going to go first.
Speaker: All right, sure. with my With my summary here. Yeah, this arc could have been an email.
Speaker: um we we didn't cover any new character ground that we haven't covered before. ah The only thing of consequence that really happened is in the final minute of the arc where Palpatine is put in charge of the banks.
Speaker: Probably, yeah. I mean, I'll disagree. I like the little Medusa. Maybe it's because of the enhanced art style, but I do like how there was a lot more character to Padme. The discussion in between her and Anakin really resonated with me.
Speaker: I mean, it, that was, ah was that worth three episodes?
Speaker: We can score two. I, it,
Speaker: i it Everything could have been accomplished in one. Everything could have been accomplished in one. And especially when you consider, as you mentioned at the top of the episode here, These are the lost missions that were completed for ne Netflix when Cartoon Network just kind of unceremoniously dropped it at what would have been a fitting finale for the series.
Speaker: yeah we We have limited number of episodes, and you these were lost missions that could have stayed lost for me. ah yeah it These three episodes...
Speaker: I say these, you're saying that above the next two episodes? No, I'm saying these three episodes were lost missions that could have stayed lost. But would you, we have two more lost missions that I think that should have been lost. They, it's sadless nothing. And especially in post-canon, can post to this period, add nothing.
Speaker: and i mean there's ah do you feel that do you again we can get to those episodes whenever we get to those episodes i say like i don't remember enough of them until i re-watch them so but i feel that these have some level of developing anakin padami and the galaxy as a whole the the arc of
Speaker: Of Palpatine's taking control of the galaxy. And making it feel more substantial.
Speaker: I'm glad you found more of value in these three episodes than I did. Will I say that they're great? No. The previous arc, the the the previous arc, way better.
Speaker: Amazing. Necessary. But I felt that there was some worth to this.
Speaker: And some emotional depth and some amazing work in animation.
Speaker: I am not sure that the story that these episodes told, despite all of that, was worth the yeah limited number of episodes that we had to revisit Clone Wars for what was presumably going to wrap everything up.
Speaker: Oh, I'd agree. There was supposed to be a Boba Fett arc. There was supposed to be arc about Kyber Crystals. There was supposed to foreshadow the Death Star.
Speaker: there There was the Dark Disciple arc. There was Dark Disciple, which was supposed to be like literally like a season worth of arcs.
Speaker: But i and i but we got we got you financial quagmire and Anakin being jealous of Clovis again. Again, i
Speaker: again we we do. did There are out there. Maybe we could do a whole arc about like seeing like these animatics and stuff like that. But we're forgetting the most important part of Clone Watch.
Speaker: Lauren, this was your first time seeing this arc. you know i am being that I'm being a grumpy old fan. Nick is being optimistic, ah glass half full.
Speaker: Where are you on this arc? Honestly, that's more important. and it that No particularly strong feelings about this one. It was fine. the the The moon planet was pretty neat. I liked their architecture.
Speaker: Skibb is cool. And a cool... bank planet and even the RPG system is like that. was like cool heist place. Yeah. Yeah. They they had a nice scene. That was nice.
Speaker: Uh, yeah, the, the, there was the relationship between Anakin and Padme, which has never felt like honestly that core of an element, despite the fact that it really should be one of Anakin's defining character traits in general.
Speaker: It's just Padme and Anakin don't show up in tandem that much. ah yeah have Having a final Padme episode is pretty reasonable. She's been a pretty substantial part of the series in general, but it feels like she kind of got shafted near the end, so this is sort of a final adventure for her, I imagine. Honestly, some of the best Padme we've gotten in the whole series. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: She's strong. She does things. and And also the shield hat guy showed back up again. And that was, yep, he's pretty cool. He's really cool. But yeah, just overall, it was she was fine. no No particularly strong feelings about it.
Speaker: Yeah, it's like, I have been very harsh about it. i i don't I don't hate these episodes because the opposite of love is not hate.
Speaker: It is apathy. And this is true i am apath I am apathetic to these episodes. Honestly, I have never felt this level of ha apathy from you. Because yeah I do like them, but they're not my favorite episodes.
Speaker: But I have never felt this level of apathy from you. i I just don't think i I saw anything new or enough new to justify squandering three episodes of your swan song.
Speaker: Honestly, even it even my my favorite part was the chase scene. mean, that's cool. It's really cool.
Speaker: It was any chase.
Speaker: It probably took a lot of effort from from animators and and and stuff. I was like...
Speaker: yeah Yeah, I don't want to, like, defend all that, but I did like it. and and i like ah Like I said, Nick, i am I am thrilled that you found more worthwhile in it than I did.
Speaker: Because, as I say quite often in conversations online and things like that, if we all liked exactly the same things, the world would be a really boring place.
Speaker: That's true. That's true. just I did did identify find enjoyment in and like small things. like I still have figured out like a proper reason why there was a clockwork theme to Scipio and the moons. Because it's cool.
Speaker: It's cool. It looks cool, but I kind of wish there was a little bit more to that. was like, I did like it. I don't remember if I said this since we started recording or before, but honestly, watching the first episode of this arc, I zoned out.
Speaker: It did not hold my interest. And when I watched episodes two and three the next night, I was making a concerted effort to pay attention because it wasn't, it just was not holding me.
Speaker: Yeah, that's fair. It's like, um honestly, I think this might be a good casual nerdy episode to describe. Like, you don't have to like everything in the franchise. Yeah.
Speaker: I used this line earlier today on the Discord server of our friend Nate from the Tabletop Empire YouTube channel. We were all talking about this same kind of thing, not Clone Wars specifically, but I use i repeated something that I've heard others say that I think is fantastic.
Speaker: Star Wars is a restaurant. You don't have to order or even like everything on the menu to say that you like Star Wars. You know, that they goes back to one of my best lines from many episodes ago where I talked about how one of the biggest strengths of Star Wars is that there's just a lot of it.
Speaker: So there's probably something out there for most people. I think that's what makes it a pop culture standard. It's like, The original Star Wars cast a large net by taking a lot of mythological and classic tropes.
Speaker: and Wait a second. Past everything that, it just casts a large net and everyone comes into it. I think I figured out why Nick likes this arc so much more than we do, Lauren. Oh, yeah? Nick ah nick is probably putting together a Clovis cosplay for celebration for next year.
Speaker: oh okay. Wait, wait, wait. ah and dare though Who's... with that's said I'm not doing that. yeah I don't even know how to do a cosplay at all.
Speaker: Obviously, you're getting Betsy's help with it. I mean, Nick, that's exactly what someone who wanted to make the Clovis cosplay a surprise would say. I'm not even seeing what you what your scheme here is right now. There's no scheme. I've just figured it out. You are you are a fan of this arc because you are using it as reference to figure out your Clovis cosplay.
Speaker: yeah And you're exposing yourself to it a lot, and you you really, really like the arc, and that's part of why you want to do the Clovis cosplay. I am not following you. What's it... I'll be completely honest with you. I am not.
Speaker: Uh-huh, sure. that That's okay. i I will act surprised when I see your Clovis cosplay at Celebration in April. Challenge extended.
Speaker: No, no, no, no. I do not want to be Russ Clovis. I have no... i yeah What the hell are you doing?
Speaker: I am sure you're doing. You heard it here first, folks. at If you're going to Celebration 2027, look for the Clovis cosplayer, and that will be Nick. Stop, stop, stop.
Speaker: Daryl, I have not even... i want i want to be that I want to be the stranger. want to have like the cool mask and the lightsabers and the abs. i' I'm working on the abs. No, no, no.
Speaker: Anyway, I've broken Nick again, Lauren. Of course, of course. I've got to be a stranger. I've got to be missing the masks. It's a little cool.
Speaker: Nick, you could have just bought the Black Series helmet. My head's a little bit larger, and it's is' comfortable. Okay. So, should should I bail you out by going to our to our closing notes now, Nick?
Speaker: Yes. Okay, so thank all of you for joining us for Casual a Nerdity and another episode of Clone Watch. If you're enjoying the show, there are a few ways to support us. Leaving a hopefully good review on your podcast platform of choice helps more listeners find us. And if you're listening on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe because those algorithms need their fuel.
Speaker: hey You can also support the show directly by grabbing a t-shirt from our merch store at store.casualnerdity.com. And of course, come hang out with us on social media. We're Casual Nerdity, all one word, on Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Twitter slash X. And we are casualnerdity.com on Blue Sky.
Speaker: So until next time, may the Force be with your hot takes and your Clovis cosplay. Yeah. and Goodbye.
Speaker: This has been Casual Nerdity. We hope you've enjoyed your time with us and look forward to having you back.
