5. The Droid Arc
Surprise, surprise! There has been a lot of mixed criticisms regarding this four-part arc featuring everyones favourite astromech R2-D2 and a squad of fun-loving droids. There was the side that reviewed them as a nice little break from the series consistency with its more serious themes, providing a bit of light humour and fun adventures while still remaining attached to the overall war of the The Clone Wars universe. However, there was also the side that criticised the arc for being drawn out, uninteresting and essentially a waste of time, one that wasted four weeks which could have been filled with more exciting and dynamic storylines. Now as this has been placed at the very bottom of the ratings list, you may be able to guess which side Im on, but in fact Im going to take a diplomatic stance and say that I didnt absolutely hate the droid arc, but I find it easier to sympathize with those that judge it. I understand that the series needs to take a break from the killing and casualties and provide a couple of episodes that cater for the younger audiences as they are aired on Cartoon Network. But there was no need to stretch such an arc over the course of four weeks. Season 4s child friendly episodes, Mercy Mission and Nomad Droids, managed to pack a whole lot of smaller plotlines into two weeks. Some may say that that is a criticism, that they tried to cram too much into small time slot, but for Season 5s Droid Arc, they managed to achieve the direct opposite by dragging out the story across the season break which ultimately ended in a poorly constructed arc. A Sunny Day in the Void in particular, though visually impressive, felt like a complete waste of time. Part of the problem may be the fact that the majority of the dialogue was between two characters, WAC and Gascon, which offered little development in their characters other than going from a strict authority relationship to a more equal, respectable friendship. There were just too few characters to keep me engaged. Im sad to say that not even Gregor, the Republic Commando, which has been a long desired wish from diehard fans, managed to save his episode Missing in Action. The entire episode simply felt like a wait until Gregor donned his Commando armour and went to war, which to be fair, was pretty damn good.
However, believe it or not, there were some positive aspects of the arc that I feel need to be credited. Considering this arc was intended to be light comedy, it succeeded without a doubt. The banter between Gascon and WAC did work (for a time until it ran dry by the third episode) and the usual comedic gestures from R2 echoed the humour of the character from both trilogies. The inclusion of the Buzz Droids in Point of No Return was a nice little feature, reminding us that we are getting closer and closer to Episode III, but what was most impressive about this episode was the scene at the Military Station in the concluding episode. Not only was it nice to see Anakin, Obi-wan and even Tarkin at the Military Council, but the sheer beauty of the animation in the explosion of the Republic Cruiser was one of the most spectacular things that I have seen throughout the entire series. The vibrant colours and the debris crashing against the station was clearly well thought out and heavily worked upon and is a moment that will be long remembered in the shows history. Overall, though Im sure the younger generations loved the Droid Arc as much as the others, for me its success was dramatically hindered by the fact that they decided to stretch it over four episodes. If they had squeezed and condensed it into two or even three episodes, then maybe it would have felt more enjoyable, but the humour and iconic appearances were not enough to save this arc from last place.