Clone Wars Recap S4 E20: Bounty!

As we edge ever closer to next week's long-anticipated return of short-lived, severed scary-clown Darth Maul, this week's Clone Wars continues to follow the wacky misadventures of scorned Sith witch Asajj Ventriss. This week she teams up with Boba Fett, Bossk and - would you believe - bandaged, loafer-wearing deadweight Dengar, now inexplicably voiced by Simon Pegg!

Asajj is rapidly becoming the breakout character of the entire series so if you miss this one you should be publicly shamed. And probably shaved.

TEH BOYZ R BACK IN TOWN BOYZ R BACK IN TOWN YEEEAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
(That's Boba's fashion-forward new helmet on the right).

Join me after the jump to find out why this episode rocked not one, but both of my socks...



Again, this episode has a pretty simple premise, but the execution is typically spectacular.

Asajj is still adrift, betrayed twice now by her master, and is travelling planet to planet to apparently drink beer and scowl. In a familiar cantina on a godforsaken dustball, she has an unwanted encounter with an alien rapist and I'm pretty sure she ignites her lightsaber into his crotch! Watch the episode and judge for yourself, but I think that this might be a bold Star Wars first. Walrus Man was lucky that he only lost an arm!

Well, it just so happens that best bountyhunting lizard ever, Bossk, is also knocking back beer and he witness the whole de-dicking and summons Asajj to his table. You see, it turns out that the freshly neutered drunk was actually part of a mission-ready team led by Boba Fett and, impressed by her skill with a lightsaber, Bossk expects the pissy Asajj to take the deceased alien's place. Assaj grudgingly agrees because I guess somebody has to pay for all this beer.

When she meets baby Boba Fett though she is less than impressed that he's a mere child - not to mention that she has to be on a team with constant disappointment Dengar. Other members primed for the mission include alternative model Latts and an awesome killbot called Highsinger.

You know, I really dig that we're seeing characters like Bossk and Dengar in the Clone Wars, although it's weird to think that not only are they alive and active some twenty years later in Empires Strikes Back, but they're also wearing the same clothes! This kind of makes them the Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble of the Star Wars universe.

Anyway, they're all being hired by creepy aliens to accompany a mysterious casket on a subterranean train. There's an extremely high chance of the train being hi-jacked, so as is weaves through glowing rock formations deep underground, the six hired guns will patrol the carriages and ensure the cargo's safety. The only catch is that they're not allowed to peek at what's inside. I'm sure it's nothing we should be concerned about, right? Probably just full of potato chips or something.

Sure enough it's not long before the train is attacked, by glowy fantasy ninjas riding giant millipedes no less! They all flip out all over the train and use electric daggers to mess everybody out. The bounty hunters start out by fighting pretty well, but their clumsy blasters are not a great match for well-timed gymnastics and one by one the hunters are ejected from the train. Not without some impressive fight sequences though - even Dengar holds his own with some hand to hand combat before getting his arse kicked off the caboose, and Highsinger does an amazing spinning laser trick which is a highlight of the episode.

Oh yeah - Dengar? Simon Pegg does a great job, and he's not jokey and wise-cracking as I feared. In fact Pegg plays it pretty straight and deep, and his voice isn't even really recognisable. Which makes me wonder why they hired Simon Pegg at all? Still, it's a fun bit of trivia.

Eventually it's just Boba and Asajj left as the ninja boss somersaults onto the train and kicks everybody off. Boba almost holds his own against him, but it's Asajj's use of the force that finally brings him down. They don't kill him though - because in the ruckuss the mystery cargo pops open revealling - a young ninja princess girl! Who is the Ninja Boss' sister. AWWW, SNAP!

Well this changes everything, right? Well, no kind of, but not really, because our "heroes" this episode are bad guys and Boba still wants to claim the bounty. Probably so he can buy more fashion-forward armour, like the new helmet that he wears in this fashion-forward episode. I dub thee Fashion-Forward Fett. But when the kidnapped princess attempts to appeal to Asajj's better nature, Assaj makes the correlation that she too - as a child - was snatched away from loved ones, and does not want to now do this to somebody else. She pulls Fett aside and the two of them go at it, but baby Fett is kind of a pussy and submits to a well-timed force choke. Will she kill him? And... cut to...

The train finally reaches its destination and the gross Alien King greets Asajj who delivers the cargo. She buggers off on the train with a hefty suitcase of gold and the King opens the casket to lay eyes on his "bride." But oh shit you guys, it's a tied up, gagged and pissed off Boba Fett! And now he'll have to marry the gross alien king and get pregnant with an alien prince. And have to attend royal alien events! What a sucker!

Meanwhile, Assaj goes and visits the ninjas and hands over the princess in return for ANOTHER lump of gold. So now she can buy ALL the beers. She's managed to get two bounties and totally come out on top. Although there is a final act of kindness before she jumps planet. She returns to Dengar, Bossk, Latts and Highsinger and give them their share of the bounty, along with baby Boba's share should he survive the honeymoon. Ventress for the win, and that's a wrap, folks!

I think that anything involving either Asajj or the bountyhunters is worth checking out, so the fact that they're teamed up in this episode makes it well worth your time. I like following the bad guys and wonder if this is a taste of what the long-awaited and much-delayed live action TV series Star Wars Underworld might be like. Check it out!