RJ Writing Ink

Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 5 Review

You know, for a show that takes place in Gotham City and has to do with some of Batman’s biggest enemies, Harley Quinn doesn’t really use Batman a lot. He’s more of an ever present force of good than a main character, with the focus being on the villains. However, that gets upended when Harley and Ivy do not appear in this week’s episode. Instead, it focuses on Batman trying to get back in fighting shape.

After being stuck in a coma for months, Bruce Wayne wants to get back to being the Bat. This time, though, it feels less like he’s doing it to be heroic and more because of his ego. He doesn’t want admit that he’s in no shape to fight, and going out now will provide false hope to Gotham. In true Harley Quinn fashion, we see the hilarious results of said false hope, as civilians start standing up to villains, with terrible results.

Ultimately, Batman gets a beatdown from Bane and accepts the fact that he has to focus on healing. In the meantime, Alfred and Batgirl look after the city.

Enough about that, though. Let’s talk about the real highlight of the episode: DC ripping on toxic fandom

Take That, Toxic Fans

The episode starts and ends with two pop culture fans hanging out in the basement and debating on how Harley Quinn is good.

Every fandom is going to have its fair share of toxic fans; it’s a fact of life. Lately, though, it seems like this small, vocal minority is getting a lot more attention than the entire fanbase and dragging everyone down. I especially like the jabs the show takes at two fandoms with notably toxic fans: Star Wars and DC themselves. Apparently, people think there’s a Zach Snyder cut of Justice League and want it to come out. As for The Last Jedi guy, the shirt is self-explanatory. So many people had problems with that movie and complained about it. As a result, they changed the ending to The Rise of Skywalker, which was just as bad. I didn’t like The Last Jedi, but you don’t see me complaining about it or acting like it ruins the whole franchise!

I honestly thought the fanboys scenes were the best parts of an episode that I’m probably not going to remember. However, I’m curious how Warner Bros was able to make references to Family Guy and Star Wars. They’re owned by Disney; how can they do that?

I Give “Batman’s Back, Man” a 3.5/5. Bonus points for ripping on their own streaming service.

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Star Wars: History Abridged Pt 5

Continuing our countdown to ‘May the Fourth’ and ‘Revenge of the Fifth,” I keep covering the Old Sith Wars era of Star Wars. My last three posts were about the Great Sith War that saw the return of the Sith and the Jedi put to the test. In the end, they won the won, but at a high cost. As they and the Republic looked to rebuild, though, a familiar threat emerged beyond their borders. That of the Mandalorians Wars.

Rise of Mandalore the Ultimate

In my last entry, I wrote how the Mandalorians got their butts kicked at Onderon in the last days of the Great Sith War. Now I wish to elaborate: after being pushed back, Mandalore the Indomitable had his warriors retreat to Dxun. However, he crashed far from help and got killed by the local predators. A scout out searching for him found his remains helmet. In accordance with his people’s customs, he claimed it for himself, becoming the new Mandalore, Mandalore the Ultimate.

As his first act, Mandalore the Ultimate sought to wipe away the stain of defeat from the Great Sith War. He united his scattered people and grew their ranks by recruiting warriors of all races and creeds. Beyond the borders of the Republic, he trained his new armies in the Mandalorian way. Then, around 3,976 BBY, he sicced them on the Outer Rim. 

For the next ten years, the Mandalorians took every world they could get their hands on. With each victory, they grew in size, strength, and skill. By 3,966 BBY, they had reached the borders of the Republic. Battles between the two sides broke out along the border world of Taris. It was only a matter of time before the Mandalorian Wars would escalate.

The Mandalorian Wars Proper

After several months of stalemate, the Mandalorians broke through Republic lines around Taris and forced the Republic into retreat. Multiple fronts were opened along Republic space as Mandalore’s warriors struck deep into Republic territory. Entire worlds were nuked, burned, and otherwise wrecked.

Now, you’re wondering where the Jedi are during all this? Protecting people is part of their job. Well, after the Great Sith War, they didn’t want to get involved in another war. They were still healing from the damage Exar Kun did. However, not all of them thought that way.

The Rise of Revan

One vocal critic of the Jedi’s neutrality was a young Jedi Knight whose name remains unknown. What’s known is that he was one of the most powerful of the Jedi, was very charismatic, and had a strong moral compass. And with his best friend, Alek, he began to draw other Jedi with similar feelings. 

This “Revanchist” as the media dubbed him, gained more and more traction as he spoke out against the Jedi Council. Frustrated, the Council confronted the Revanchist on the (abandoned) planet Cathar and told him to stand down. That’s when he found an old Mandalorian mask in the dirt, and when he picked it up, it triggered a mass Force vision.

In the Great Sith War, the feline-like Cathar had bested the Mandalorians, and they held a grudge for it. When they reached their planet, they proceeded to kill every last Cathar they could find; 90% of them, wiped out. That mask belonged to a Mandalorian warrior who objected to the genocide and was killed for it.

Outraged beyond all reason, this Jedi donned the mask, took on the name Revan, and vowed not to rest until the Mandalorians were stopped. 

The Tide Begins to Turn

Meanwhile, the Mandalorian Wars were not going well. Despite a few victories, nothing seemed to be able to stop them. By 3,962 BBY, they had gotten as far as the Core. That was as far as they’d get. Under the leadership of Revan and Alek (now called Malak), the Jedi joined the war effort and began to push the Mandalorians back.

As it turned out, Revan was a genius at the art of war, creating masterful strategies and meeting the invaders with such aggression, even the Mandalorians were left in awe. Under his leadership, the Republic began to push the enemy back, retaking the worlds they had lost before pushing the Mandalorians back into their own territory. 

These actions made Revan and Malak heroes to the Republic, but as the war dragged on, it began to change them. Every battle would harden their hearts, making them more ruthless. Eventually, they became almost as violent as the enemy they sought to defeat. Years later, this would cost the Galaxy in ways few could imagine.

Final Victory at Malachor V

By 3,960 BBY, Revan had thrust deep into Mandalorian territory. At the ancient Sith world of Malachor V, Mandalore the Ultimate and his people made their last stand. Revan personally boarded the Mandalorian leader’s flagship and slew him in single combat. Meanwhile, as the battle began to reach a stalemate, one of Revan’s generals activated a device that weaponized the planet’s own gravity. Thousands of ships were pulled down from the sky, driving themselves deep into the planet’s crust. Battered and beaten beyond measure, the Mandalorian people unconditionally surrendered. 

The Mandalorian Wars ended in victory for the Republic, with the Mandalorians being dealt a blow they’d never recover from. Their people scattered across the Galaxy to survive, with their descendants becoming the bounty hunters and warriors we know from the films.

As for Revan himself, he didn’t return from Malachor V. Instead, he took his fleet into deep space in search of remnants of the Mandalorians. For a time, they were not heard from, with many fearing the heroes of the Republic to be dead. They weren’t. A year later, they would return, but not as heroes. But that’s a story for another day.

Pretty amazing story, huh? I like this because it introduces my all time favorite Star Wars character Revan. Come back tomorrow to learn why he’s my favorite.

If you want to learn more about the start of the Mandalorian Wars, read the Knights of the Old Republic series by Dark Horse Comics.  

May the Force be with you!

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

Click here to see more of my Star Wars Stuff. Especially my posts on the Siege of Mandalore, the final arc of Star Wars the Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 11

From the moment The Clone Wars started, we knew this moment was coming. With three words, Darth Sidious almost wiped out the Jedi Order: “Execute Order 66.” Now fresh off the heels of its best episode, we get the saddest moment in Star Wars history.

I could not keep my eyes from getting misty, and neither could most fans, it seems. An entire generation remembers the collective horror of seeing Order 66 on the big screen, and “Shattered” reopens that old wound anew.

From the start, the episode is fraught with tension. We know what’s coming, but can’t stop it. Not when we see the Council talking about Palpatine. Not when we hear what’s happening to Anakin. And not when we see Rex turn his blasters on Ashoka.

Seeing Rex being forced to turn on Ashoka reinforces the tragic genius behind The Clone Wars for me. Before this show, the Clones were just one of a million faceless soldiers. As we watched them fight and grow, alongside the Jedi, though, they became human. Which only makes seeing Order 66 even more heart wrenching than the first time around. They were pawns of Darth Sidious, pieces in a game that only he knew was being played!

Thankfully, Ashoka is able to remove the inhibitor chip in Rex and snap him out of it, but that’s of little comfort. We know there are thousands of Clones who will come out of a trance and realize “what have I done?” Any surviving Jedi will be left with feelings of betrayal. That’s the tragedy of Star Wars. And The Clone Wars plays it for all its worth.

It’s hard to follow up on a show’s best episode, but “Shattered” more than does so. It’s not grand or epic, but personal and emotional.

On May the Fourth, we have the final episode of The Clone Wars. With Order 66 in full swing, we’re going to need a lot of tissues. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go cry some more about this. #ScrewYouDarthSidious

May the Force be with you.

I Give “Shattered” a 4.8/5

Stray Observations

• “I’m sorry, citizen. These matters are for the Council to discuss.” Not even a sorry from Windu. There goes any sympathy for him
• Hearing the remix of “Anakin’s Dark Deeds” is the icing on the cake.
• Anakin’s password is 8-1-0-8. August 10th, 2008 was the day the show premiered
• Had Ashoka told the Council about what Maul said, or tried to tell Anakin, it could have stopped him from doing what he did.

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

Click here to see more of my Star Wars Stuff.