Crisis at the Heart (The Clone Wars - S06E07) - Animated Series

Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Title: Crisis at the Heart

Season: Six

Episode: 7

Original Air Date: March 7, 2014 (Netflix)

Runtime: 23 minutes

Credits: Review & Text: Mike Taber; Page layout & Design: Chuck Paskovics

Deceit is the weapon of greed.

While “Crisis at the Heart” was far from a perfect episode, it had some great action sequences and it finally established why this story was even being told. The episode opened with Separatist and Republic delegations arriving on Scipio to oversee Clovis’ appointment as the new head of the Banking Clan. Clovis reiterated that he isn’t seeking power and will be impartial. Dooku contacted Clovis in his new office and demanded to be rewarded for helping Clovis get there. Clovis was resistant but Dooku threatened to stop paying the interest on Separatist loans which would collapse the Banking Clan. Clovis agreed to raise interest rates on Republic loans only, much to the chagrin of Padmé and the Republic Senate. Yes, I probably had as much fun watching those scenes as you did reading my recap of an argument over interest rates on bank loans.

The episode started to pick up when Dooku sent the droid army to attack Scipio in order to make Clovis look like a staunch Separatist. In what was probably the stand out scene of the episode, shock troopers lead by Commander Thorn attempted to repel the droids. When all of his men were killed, Commander Thorn made a last stand. He managed to destroy several droids before he was shot four or five times and his lifeless body fell to the ground. It was great action sequence in what has been a fairly slow story arc and was one of the most memorable moments from season six. Following the Separatist attack, Dooku arrived and Padmé was captured. Padmé was brought to Clovis’ office. When Padmé grabbed a blaster, Dooku used the force to have her shot and kill the separatist senator that was there. On Coruscant, the Senate decided to send Anakin and the 501st to Scipio to reestablish control.

Dooku contacted Darth Sidious as he was leaving. Dooku reported that it now looks like Clovis masterminded the attack and everything has gone according to plan. As a result, the banks will be turned over to the Chancellor. That’s what this was about. All of this was just a play so Palpatine can gain control over the banks as the Clone Wars come to a close. The Republic task force arrived and Dooku and the Separatist fleet pulled out. Anakin decided to go after Padmé while Captain Rex and the clones finished off the remaining droids. Clovis watched helplessly as the battle raged around him. Clovis really is a tragic character. He honestly was trying to do the right thing but just went about it the wrong way. Clovis asked Padmé what his legacy would be and held her at gunpoint when Anakin arrived. Just then a vulture droid crashed into the building and Anakin grabbed Padmé and Clovis before they fell. The big climatic moment came Anakin couldn’t hold them both and Clovis let go to save Padmé and fell to his death. Why didn’t Anakin use the force? Nothing would’ve stopped him from using the force to lift both Clovis and Padmé to safety. If this was a deliberate act by Anakin to let Clovis fall, it didn’t show in the animation or voice acting. As a result of the Clovis’ actions, the Banking Clan forfeited the control of the banks to the Chancellor. “Crisis at the Heart” brought a relatively satisfying end to the weakest story arc of season six.

What Worked

• Commander Thorn’s last stand
• Clovis turned out to be a tragic, believable character
• Palpatine’s ultimate goal

What Didn’t Work

• Why didn’t Anakin use the Force to save both Padme and Clovis?
• Plot still bogged down by bank loans and interest rates
• Did this story really need three episodes?

External Links:

• StarWars.com Episode Guide
• Wookieepedia Episode Summary