The wait is over for the last two weeks of Clone Wars season 4 and it seems like we’ll be waiting a little longer until next week to get a little more of Darth Maul onscreen. This episode deals mainly with Savage Oppress still searching for his brother, a search that takes him to the planet of Lotho Minor. Lotho Minor was a very interesting planet, akin to the junk planet of Raxus Prime,  and it had its very own collection of hazards and residents. One character who I really couldn’t stand was one of these residents in particular who guided Savage through the wilds of Lotho Minor, a snake-like alien that reminded me unfondly of an evil Jar Jar Binks. I still cringe at the thought of him.

The reveal of Darth Maul of course was the best part of the episode. He was very dark and menacing, though more along the lines of a rabid dog than a carefully calculating Sith Lord. Maul has definitely gone through some mental wear and tear over the years and it shows through Sam Witwer’s voice acting of the character as he moves fluidly between sobs of sadness into yells of rage. His body itself is quite the mess with his upper torso being covered in dirty bandages and his legs replaced by an amalgam of metal parts to form spider legs. It appeared in the trailer as if we will get to see him next week with a little more functionality in the form of two sturdy legs instead of the nearly broken down spider body he was sporting this episode.

Other than that, there isn’t really much else to say about the episode. I’m putting all of my hope into the finale next week since this one was a bit of a letdown. Mother Talzin is clearly still alive, and Ventress isn’t out of the game yet as she is still hanging out with the bounty hunters on Tattoonie. The Jedi are also very much aware of Darth Maul’s return as Yoda very ominously warns Obi-Wan at the close of the episode. The showdown between Obi-Wan and Maul next week will no doubt be fantastic. I remember reading the Star Wars: Visionaries graphic novel short story where Obi-Wan and a half mechanical Darth Maul dueled on the sands of Tattooine and that was tension filled, even though at that point it wasn’t continuity as this portion of the Clone Wars is.

I give the episode a 3 out of 5 bears. I enjoyed seeing the planet of Lotho Minor and the return of Savage Oppress who is still just as brutal as ever. I mean, the guy was choking some random lady in a diner and jettisoned a guy out of the airlock of his own ship!

And Darth Maul goes without saying that I enjoyed seeing him back as a twisted shell of his former silent and stoic self. Sam Witwer is definitely bringing new life to the character with his portrayal of him. I can’t wait to see how Maul uses his rage as a weapon in the coming episode. Until next week!