Holding down the number 10 spot of my essential Clone Wars arcs series is group of episodes I like to call Witches of Dathomir. Revenge is the central plot device in this arc, taking the form of former Sith assassin Asajj Ventress returning home to Dathomir in search of help in her fight against her former master, Count Dooku. What we get are stunning landscapes and design, badass witches, a new formidable Zabrak force user, and amazing lightsaber battles!
#10 // Witches of Dathomir
Season 3, episode 12 — Nightsisters
Season 3, episode 13 — Monster
Season 3, episode 14 — Witches of the Mist
Why it’s essential watching (without giving it all away….):
- Asajj Ventress – I never get enough of the villainous-yet-charismatic Asajj Ventress, and she really shines in this arc, as we begin to catch glimpses of her vulnerability that will be further explored as the series progresses. Returning to her roots on Dathomir with revenge in her art, Ventress was at the top of her game.
- A peek at Ventress’ mysterious past – speaking of her vulnerability, we get glimpses of Ventress’ past while under the spell of Mother Talzin. A past that includes being a Jedi padawan in the past and losing her way…..
- The Nightsisters – a group of force-sensitive witches hailing from the mysterious planet of Dathomir, the Nightsisters add a new dimension to the way we look at the Force and how it can be tapped into and used. Their design was awesome, as was the magic they used, and it was great to see them for the first time in animation and canon.
- Mother Talzin – so creepy, so believable, and so freaking awesome! Mother Talzin, the leader and Clan Mother of the Nightsisters brought a breath of fresh air to The Clone Wars with her introduction in this season three arc. We had always heard rumors of the Witches of Dathomir in Legends stories, so it was great to see them in the flesh so to speak. Plus,the design for Talzin was among the rejected designs for the Sith Apprentice for The Phantom Menace, and personally, I’m glad they saved the design, as it worked perfectly in TCW.
- The Nightbrothers and the introduction of Savage Opress – planted by Talzin as Dooku’s replacement for Ventress, Zabrak Nightbrother Savage Opress was a raw, bombastic Force user who destroyed everything in his path, reminding the audience of what we wished Darth Maul had been (patience, my apprentice, patience….). Bestowed with Nightsister magick’s, his true destiny wasn’t completely revealed in this arc, so stay tuned (although killing a Jedi and his padawan with a medieval axe staff thingy was rad as hell)…..
- Lightsaber battles – lots of good lightsaber battles in this arc, but the best was a three-way duel between Dooku, Ventress, and Savage Opress – with all three fighting one another by the end. The Clone Wars always excelled at how lightsaber battles were choreographed and animated (much more so than Rebels), and this arc is one of many that highlighted this fact.
- The hint of a returning villain – one of the raddest (and most unexpected) character returns in Star Wars history was teased during this arc, and fans didn’t know what to think at the time. Well, fast forward to today and I think it’s safe to say nobody was left unsatisfied…….
- Random, but who would I cast as Ventress in a film? – funny you should ask, check it out right here in one of the first Canon Casting’s I ever did….
Check out a few images from this arc below, and stay tuned for tomorrow as we cover #9 on my favorite TCW arc list, which teases a love interest for Obi-Wan?!?!