“Truth enlightens the mind, but won’t always bring happiness to your heart.”

Dateline – Christophsis.  The Republic is in defense of the crystal world (so wouldn’t it be better to have the world name Crystosis or something?)  Obi-wan and Anakin are in the capital city occupying two tall towers.  They’re awaiting the approaching droid army and things go unexpectedly wrong.  Their positions are compromised and droids flood into Obi-wan’s tower.  Anakin and his clones zip-line across and help Obi-wan’s squad escape.  One clone tears the head off a tactical droid before the remaining troops are EVACed via a gunship from the roof.

Back at a Republic staging area, the Jedi and senior clones try to figure out how the droids knew they were there and figure there must a spy in their midst.  The rest of the episode has clone commanders Rex and Cody working with Sgt. Slick in trying to sort out who the traitor is.  Obi-wan and Anakin take a couple swoops behind enemy lines to see if they can find more information.  They are attacked by Asajj Ventress who’s only mission is to delay them.  Rex and Cody figure out that it’s Sgt. Slick who’s been feeding the droids information.  He temporarily escapes capture and blows up all of the Republics AT-TEs and grounded gunships.  He’s later captured and says Ventress offered him something he couldn’t find with his clone brothers; independence.

Of all the themes that run through The Clone Wars the facets of clone life are arguably the most interesting.  Star Wars has dealt with politics and underdogs and good vs. evil before with varied success so each time another story comes along with an embattled Senator or the Jedi defending a world from Separatist strife it feels like a retread of the same story.  The clones, however, feel like an untapped resource with each new story in which they are featured.  It’s not often, amidst the singular warrior mentality of the Jedi and the mindless horde of the Separatist droids, that we get to appreciate the near communal aspect of the clone army.  They are brothers and like the Marines of Earth value loyalty to their units before anything.  I suppose they would recite the axiom, “Unit, corps, Force, Republic.”

The fact that a clone betrayed his own really struck a chord this time around.  You have an idea that beneath the helmets and armor, they are all the same.  The longer they survive, the more they establish their own personalities and it’s a mathematical likelihood that some will stray from their ingrained teachings.  Of all the things that could bring down the Republic’s clone army, internal betrayal seems the darkest and nastiest.

On a smaller note, Obi-wan’s dialogue has got to change.  I understand that it’s stiff and monotone because it’s patterned after a certain character that was patterning his role on a certain actor, but Obi-wan was one of the better characters in the movies yet he’s nearly annoying in the show.  The only reason I can give for his lines and delivery is that he’s still playing the role of teacher to Anakin and instead of being charming and intelligent like we’re used to, he’s being a prompt for Anakin.  He’s pulling ideas out of Anakin, letting the younger Jedi learn and figure out situations for himself.  Imagine a teacher trying to get your to solve a math problem and how their speach becomes almost condescending.  I hope that changes.

“Hidden Enemy” is one of the best episodes to date.  Just when I thought Ventress was forgotten, she shows her lovely bald head to kick some Jedi butt.  From the opening salvo and ambush from the droids to the lightsaber duel to the pursuit of the traitorous clone, this outing proved that the show doesn’t have to survive on Jedi one-liners, cute nick names and trying to appeal to girl demographics.  It was a lot of action, testosterone and darker themes, something I hope they continue.

And thus it receives four and a half lightsabers.