Maxance Vincent
After Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire, one would think that the pocket of stories in this side of the Star Wars universe would be pretty much exhausted, though one also understands that the possibilities of filling in the gaps on specific characters of this ever-expansive universe are endless. Enter Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, the third entry in the anthological animated series, which focuses on two of the most compelling antagonists the animated side of Star Wars has ever created, with The Clone Wars, Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman), and Cad Bane (Corey Burton).
The first three episodes focus on Ventress being resurrected by Mother Talzin, as she chooses to live in the mortal world instead of taking her place as one of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. The conceit itself is interesting, but the actual story it tells isn’t remotely as good as her appearances in The Clone Wars and even The Bad Batch. We essentially have a buddy-type story, where she teams up with a Jedi Padawan still learning the ways of the Force to obtain information on the Path, a place where young Jedi go for their safety.
We do get a bit of development on the softer side for Ventress, which is appreciated, especially when The Clone Wars developed her as one of the show’s most morally complex figures. However, what comes before is incredibly bog-standard in its conventional storytelling and rudimentary action, despite staggering animation that has improved each year. The action itself is pretty exciting, especially the climax of the second episode, though the emotional investment is relatively minimal.
It may be because directors Saul Ruiz, Steward Lee, Nathaniel Villanueva, and writers Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz are drawing on material already explored in other, better titles, even beyond Star Wars. That said, I appreciate how it ended and gave the audience a conclusion that will ultimately prove fruitful for Ventress’s future “redemption arc.” Even after she has killed countless Jedi and was on the wrong side of the Force for so long, her acceptance in saying “May the Force be with you” proves that she wants a better life for herself, in the new path she will take.
Where the show begins to get intriguing is during its last three episodes, as it shifts gears and focuses on Cad Bane, from his dark childhood to an event that has shaped the rest of his tragic life forever. Giving this backstory is crucial for understanding the character, and it hits like a massive punch in the gut. It repurposes the antagonist in ways I never imagined would happen, and practically saves Tales of the Underworld from being a forgettable bore. Giving away the pleasure of discovering this arc would rob you of seeing the character in a whole new light, but let’s just say you’ll never forget it and will likely think about Cad Bane differently than before.
The first episode of this arc is extremely dark, far darker than anything we’ve seen on this side of the Star Wars animated anthology title before. It imbues Bane’s arc with as much complexity as it can, developing a character as a victim of his own unfortunate decisions. Burton is as strong as ever as the antagonist, even during scenes that track his younger years, but it’s in the final episode where the emotional crux reaches its apex and tracks his development in the further years of The Clone Wars as a more devastating fate than a purely evil one.
Because of this, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld makes it worth the hour-and-a-half binge of its six short stories on Disney+. It may not be as psychologically active as Andor, but it certainly is way better than it has any right to be. The animation is frequently jaw-dropping, and the compelling characterization of Cad Bane practically saves the entire show from falling apart. Perhaps it may not be as psychologically active as Andor is, at the moment, but I’ll take each win where I can get them, with a franchise in such a sorry state as Star Wars has been over the past few years.
SCORE: ★★★
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