REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ Season 7, Episode 3 – “On the Wings of Keerdaks”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is back this week with episode 3, “On the Wings of Keerdaks.” The previous episode had us following Rex, Skywalker, and the Bad Batch as they traveled to Skako Minor, infiltrated the city of Purkoll, and found Echo, a clone trooper that was thought to be long-dead. Now,  “On the Wings of Keerdaks” picks up immediately where episode 2 left off. Wat Tambor’s forces are closing in, making the clones’ escape more and more unlikely. All the while, Tech works to disconnect Echo from the cerebral interface that has kept him under Separatist control. After disconnecting the clone, Echo reveals that he has all of the schematics of the tower at his fingertips giving him the ability to lead the group to an exit.

Overall, the plot is sound and entertaining if a bit simplistic. This may just be a symptom of the content of this episode which seems to be highly skewed to battle sequences. There also seems to be more to Echo than meets the eye but we’ll have to wait until the next few episodes to find out just what is off. There also doesn’t seem to be any logic jumps that tend to be a problem with many children’s cartoons.

The fighting sequences are as stellar as previous episodes. The animation is fluid and the use of POV makes for some dramatic scenes. The animators have done a great job in focusing on not just the use of facial expressions to emote the characters but also taking care of body language as well. Overall, the animation has few, if any, faults and makes for a great viewing experience.

The cohesion of the Bad Batch is also very apparent through the way they fight together. They know each other well which is expected given that they have been serving together since they were born. But their personalities are what set them apart. The Clone Wars has always had a way of humanizing the clones and the Bad Batch is no exception. They’re a quirky bunch whose interactions are entertaining.

Despite there being plenty of funny moments, some of them fell short. Some jokes and situational humor seemed forced or didn’t quite meet their mark. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m an adult watching a cartoon show or because the creators really are trying to force too much humor into the show.

On top of this, the pacing that was a problem in the last episode rears its ugly head again. The pacing of the episode suddenly lags when the clones reach the village of the locals. The main reason why the pace slows here is because of translating. Tech has to translate everything both the clones say to the aliens, and what the aliens say to the clones. This makes for some slow scenes that seem to be wasteful when these episodes are barely over 20 minutes in length. Could the creators not figure out how to speed these interactions up? Or at least make them more interesting?

Overall, the episode is entertaining mostly due to the fight sequences and the cohesion of the characters. The Bad Batch is a quirky group whose personalities are endearing and work well together to create some funny, wholesome moments. But there are a few hiccups here and there, between the forced jokes and the change in pacing, that really disrupt the experience.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars “On the Wings of Keerdaks” is exclusively on Disney+ now.