“Love comes in all shapes and sizes.”

Uproarious. “Hunt For Ziro,” the latest installment of The Clone Wars is pure fun, pure adventure, pure entertainment. Oh sure, it’s not the deepest, most meaningful installment of television the world has ever seen. But for an episode which wants, more than anything, to successfully combine tongue-in-cheek sensibilities with an action-driven plot, the results are, well, successful — a classic Clone Wars.

In terms of the series timeline, this episode takes place soon after the Season 1 finale, Hostage Crisis. Ziro the Hutt has been freed from prison on Coruscant and is now being held by the Hutts on Nal Hutta — they want Ziro to hand over incriminating information about their dealings, while Ziro realizes that he will only stay alive as long as the information is hidden.

The setup provides an opportunity to make a number of whimsical and highly entertaining references to the many “mob” movies we’ve seen over the years. Many of the Hutts are modeled after famous film mob bosses (the Don Corleone character is noteworthy). There are skimpily dressed dancing showgirls. And the whole thing comes off as a bizarro Space Vegas. The addition of the homage helps make the episode’s necessary exposition nearly as entertaining as the rest of its story.

The story itself begins to unfold with the introduction of Sy Snootles. Yes. Sy Snootles. What’s particularly enjoyable is her portrayal as just another one of the “lady performers” — which is a fascinating contrast to the half-naked Twi’leks who are also part of the show. In fact, before it’s all over, Sy plays the role of femme fatale — a premise that wonderfully turns the archetype on its head because Sy is … well, because she’s Sy Snootles, afterall.

As it turns out, she and Ziro had a past relationship. Now that’s he’s on Nal Hutta, she goes to him and breaks him out of prison — all the while proclaiming her continued love for him. As it turns out, though, Sy is just using her feminine wiles to get Ziro to retrieve the incriminating evidence. Once he does, she shoots him. In cold blood. She will later tell her employer, Jabba the Hutt, that she can do any job a bounty hunter can do. And the thing is, we believe it. Everything about Sy’s character in this episode is plausible and compelling. It makes for a fascinating story, to say nothing of the cold-blooded execution of the victim!

And all of this doesn’t even touch what is the most entertaining element of the story: the addition of the much-discussed Quinlan Vos. He’s a rogue. He’s irreverent. He annoys Obi-Wan Kenobi to no end (in a good way, of course). He’s the kind of character many people wish had been part of the prequel trilogy. And his presence in the episode is something like a breath of fresh air for The Clone Wars series, as well. If there are those who might think that the Jedi tend to be a bit too stodgy to be particularly engaging, here’s the antidote. Master Vos certainly doesn’t cop to stodginess.

From his leaping introduction, to his tracking skills, to his dry wit, to his frenzied battle with Cad Bane, Vos manages to steal every scene he’s in, upstaging the powerful-yet-restrained Kenobi. The pair are determined to hunt down and recapture Ziro, as well as bring Cad Bane to justice. And Vos makes the whole quest hilarious and adventurous through the sheer force of his personality and skills. It’s true that a character like Vos could wear a bit thin if he’s overused. But hopefully he’ll be enough of a recurring character to shake up the status quo from time to time — just as he does here.

Of course, the action in the episode focuses squarely on Vos, Kenobi and Bane. The trio arrive at Ziro’s death scene long after Sy Snootles has departed. Their battle is brief, but intense. It wouldn’t make much sense for Bane to hold his own against two Jedi Masters, but his gadgets, his confidence, and his gunslinger mentality are just enough to see him through the encounter — to escape to fight another day.

Overall Grade: B

“Hunt For Ziro” is a thoroughly entertaining episode of The Clone Wars. Between its mob-movie homage, its dark “romance” between Ziro and Sy Snootles, and the appearance of Quinlan Vos, there’s more than enough to enjoy.

Featured Article: The Clone Wars Episode Timeline
Topics: Arok the Hutt, Cad Bane, Commander Cody, Fantasy, Gardulla the Hutt, Gorga the Hutt, Jabba The Hutt, Mama the Hutt, Marlo the Hutt, Nal Hutta, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Oruba the Hutt, Quinlan Vos, Rang Thang, Sci-Fi, Sy Snootles, Teth, Todo 360, TV Reviews, Ziro the Hutt
Filed under: Clone Wars

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