Another week, another fun episode in the Younglings arc. We rejoin our intrepid young Jedi aboard their damaged spaceship trying to contact some help. Ahsoka's been kidnapped by pirates and R2 is busy repairing David Tennant so he can't help. It also means that he doesn't appear this episode. Awwww. The younglings finally get somebody on the other end of the phone and it's Obi-Wan! He says he'll be by to pick them up after he rescues Ahsoka. They protest and want to help, but Obi-Wan is the by-the-book cop so he tells them to sit and wait. But then a bunch of Separatist ships come out of hyperspace and start attacking his fleet. So he's going to be a little pre-occupied.
Of course, being kids, the younglings weren't going to listen to him anyway. With David Tennant still being fixed by R2, they get to work putting their lighsabers together for the coming rescue. And they do it with the Force. This is actually a cool scene, these kids sitting in complete meditation with all these tiny lightsaber parts floating around them and slowly coming together. Kudos to the animators. Jeff from American Dad! naturally takes lead and proposes going down to Florum (Hondo's hideout planet) to rescue Ahsoka themselves while Katooni says they should wait for Obi-Wan. But things are decided for them when Ganodi the Rodian comes in and says the ship has a coolant leak. If they don't land, they'll be permanently stranded.
More after the break,
Meanwhile, we check back in with Ahsoka. Hondo's holding in his stronghold on Florum, apparently rebuilt from when Darth Maul trashed the place back in Revival. He says he won't give her to Dooku and the Separatists because Dooku wants him dead for holding him hostage in Season 1. Oh no, he has another buyer lined up and it sort of sounds like he's selling her into sex slavery. Ewwwww. Anyway, the younglings land on the planet but in a surprising first for sci-fi, they aren't exactly where they need to be. You know, because planets are kind of big. But luck is on their side as the younglings run into a traveling circus on its way to Hondo's stronghold. Thinking quick and using a few Force tricks, Jeff is able to convince the Ringmaster he and the other Younglings are acrobats and to come with him to Hondo's.
By the time they get there, it's after dark and Hondo is drunk off his ass. My god, the only thing better than regular Hondo is Drunk Hondo. The younglings come in out in circus outfits to perform their act (which are so silly I wish I had a screenshot for you) and take advantage of Hondo's drunkenness to get Ahsoka's lightsabers back and free her. Eventually what's going on penetrates Hondo's grog-addled mind and he orders his pirates to attack. The circus runs off to avoid Hondo's wrath. Ahsoka and the younglings hold off Hondo's pirates for a little while until they steal one of the pirates' speeders and escape. With the other pirates chasing after them, Drunk Hondo is left to contemplate what the hell just happened.
While that's going, we also get a B-plot involving Obi-Wan. His fleet is getting the shit kicked out of it and before he can join the space battle, there is an awesome crash in the hangar. And his ship is boarded by none other than General Grievous, making his first appearance this season. I like the idea that Grievous is Obi-Wan's archenemy even though they're in this huge war and shouldn't meet this often. It's like how Spider-Man has a ton of villains but he always ends up fighting the Green Goblin. Grievous starts doing what he does best, killing dudes, until Obi-Wan decides the battle is lost. He orders an abandon ship but not before leaving Grievous a present. Grievous reaches the control room only to find a message from Obi-Wan. He may have taken the ship, but Obi-Wan has escaped and the ship is about to self-destruct. This forces Grievous to do the only thing he's better at than killing dudes, running away. Obi-Wan says the younglings are on their own. No shit, Sherlock.
Overall, another good episode in this arc. This is probably the funniest, what with Drunk Hondo and the circus antics. I'm not really sure what they're going to do for a finale but I'm sure it will be entertaining. I really only have two complaints for this one. One, the lack of David Tennant. He was another great addition to last week's episode and I was sad that he wasn't here. Hopefully, he'll be back next week. Second, the Obi-Wan and Grievous subplot didn't really add anything to the plot. It wasn't bad or unentertaining, it just felt superfluous to the overall story. While I always like a Grievous appearance, especially when he's actually cool, I'd like if he was more connected narratively.
All in all, a fun continuation of a fun arc. Looking forward to next week's finale.
See you next week.
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