This is a full spoiler review for “On the Wings of Keeradaks” and may include spoilers for any previous episode of The Clone Wars.
Directors: Bosco Ng, Dave Filoni
Writers: Matt Michnovetz, Brent V. Friedman
Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, Matthew Wood, Tom Kane, David Acord
“On the Wings of Keeradaks” Air Date: 06/03/20
The Clone Wars: The Final Season is currently airing on Disney+.
The Mandalorian set a standard on Disney+: runtimes serve the story, not a timeslot. We learn the same applies here. At only eighteen minutes, “On the Wings of Keeradaks” flies by with action-heavy momentum, but ultimately feels forgettable. Without a network demanding extra minutes to squeeze in another ad break, at least the episode doesn’t drag.
Maybe in retrospect this chapter will feel more substantial, but I walked away disappointed by eighteen minutes of relatively un-exhilarating action. If the set pieces had been livelier I could forgive the brevity and celebrate a punchy action showcase; as it stands, the season premiere delivered far more excitement.
I did enjoy finally seeing some flippy Jedi action as Anakin swan-dives onto the walker, and Echo’s banter lands. The tightrope sequence works, and the reveal — “they can fly now?!” (we were all thinking of Poe) — is a fun meta wink.
The most interesting element is what might be coming. Is Echo actually okay? The episode ends with his slightly menacing “just like old times,” which makes me think the Separatists — or someone — have planted something in him. If he turns on the team on their way back to base, it would be a devastating betrayal for Rex, who’d blame himself even more than he already does.
There’s a brief brush with a compelling idea: Echo being turned into a machine by machines. Not to turn Star Wars into The Matrix, but there’s room for discussion. The episode quickly moves on, though: the locals clock what’s been done to him, share a look, and decide to fight for their planet.
I’m ready for this arc to wrap next week; it’s struggling to keep momentum. Let’s get to Ahsoka. As a final season installment, this felt undercooked — not the time to deliver lacklustre, shorter episodes.
