Season Four of Star Wars: The Clone Wars opened with a visually impressive set of underwater battles, along with an introduction to the Mon Calamari who will eventually become Admiral Ackbar (now only a Captain). And while that was entertaining to watch, the fundamental drama of the series involves preparing Anakin for his transformation into Darth Vader, and for his slaying of Count Dooku. The original Clone Wars movie prominently featured Anakin's clash with Dooku, and any time the two are on screen together, the stakes for that episode go up.
As you can see from the above still, this conflict is at the heart of this week's episode, called "Shadow Warrior." In last week's episode, the Mon Calamari prince Lee-Char argued that the conflict between his people and the Quarren was entirely manufactured by the Separatist provocateur Riff Tanson. Similarly, this week finds the Gungans somewhat inexplicably marching on the Naboo capital city of Theed. When Padmé Amidala returns home, she finds Grievous's droid army ready to swoop in. Anakin's investigations, meanwhile, lead him into a confrontation with Dooku.
Here's a clip from the episode:
And here's another still, of Grievous and a Gungan warrior.
