Anakin, Rex, and the Bad Batch continue the hunt for Echo. Rex remains certain his friend is alive, even as the others present mounting evidence that Echo’s survival is unlikely. Despite having a very bad feeling about Echo’s chances and what discovering the truth will do to his friend, Anakin stands by Rex until the end of the mission. There are delightful moments of levity in this episode, most of which revolve around Anakin and Rex being tandem idiots and thinking they are Very Sneaky. I cannot help but stan Rex making a valiant and hilarious effort to lie to Obi-Wan about what Anakin is doing in the Clone barracks.

What I Liked

• Thank you, The Clone Wars for making Star Wars funny again. Yes, the sequel trilogy had its moments, but the flow is so effortless and natural here. Yes, the characters have known one another for years, but the voice actors have too, and it’s clear how comfortable they are with one another… and how much they like one another. Also, let’s all take a moment to pause and worship at the alter of James Arnold Taylor’s masterful Obi-Wan sass. Many have sought to dethrone him as Snarkmaster General, but the only one who has even come close is Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Kanan Jarrus.
• Obi-Wan: “Did you at least say hello to Padme for me?” 
  • For everyone complaining about this being a continuity slip? Of course Obi-Wan knew. He always knew. Kenobi was many things, but an idiot was never one of them. He was Anakin’s master and close friend. They called each other brother. They lived together, ate together, trained together, and fought together. They almost died together on the regular. And even though Ahsoka was Anakin’s padawan, they taught and raised her together. How could he not know?
  • This one line does, however, prove a theory I’ve had for years, which 100% stabs me in the heart. Obi-Wan knew and still followed the Council’s orders regarding Anakin, which means Obi-Wan may have been able to save Anakin but didn’t. There are a couple of ways that could have gone down, but the important thing is this: Obi-Wan betrayed Anakin, even more so than the rest of the Order. Although Anakin was just a tool to Yoda and Mace and the others, he really was family to Obi-Wan, who let his devotion to an ideal get in the way of his love for a brother. Anakin would never have let that happen if the situation were reversed. And that’s something he may have learned, in part, from Rex.
• You’d think I’d be used to caring about Matt Lanter’s Anakin by now, but every week I’m struck anew by what we could have had in the prequel trilogy.
• New creatures and species, yes. More and more and more. It’s a big galaxy. FILL IT UP.
• I’m eagerly awaiting Ahsoka and Anakin’s reunion, but I love the focus on the Clones. I love watching them build rapport with one another and seeing new individuals brought into the family. The beginning of Season 7 is serving as a reminder that they may have all started from the same DNA, but each individual fought to become his own man, which makes the loss of their individuality and free will to Order 66 as tragic as the slaughter of the Jedi.
• I think I said, “I can’t believe how beautiful this is,” to husbando approximately 57 times in the 24 minutes of this episode. The detail in every frame is blowing me away, the colors are rich and so tonally specific. On another show, this might detract or distract, but here it bring the frames together in a way that’s truly remarkable. It’s akin to watching fine art scroll by, but the art moves and speaks and breathes.

What I Didn’t Like

Can we please not call people primitives? That’s… not a thing. Also, it’s gross. It is, additionally, xenophobic and racist. And considering the garbage sector of the Star Wars fandom insisting that an entire galaxy should be full of cis het white people, we need actual Star Wars to do better.

For the most part, The Clone Wars continues not only to stun visually but also to dig deep into the most important and emotional parts of the saga. I’m looking forward to more Kenobi wit and Ahsoka and Anakin tear it up side by side.