The Clone Wars is certainly living up to its name in Season 7. This first story arc is very heavy on both clones and wars. But as is too often the case with arcs that stretch out into four full episodes, the formula is starting to wear thin as we get closer to the end. Even as it finds new ways to spice up Captain Rex and Bad Batch's mission, "On the Wings of Keeradaks" misses some key storytelling opportunities.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Final Season Gallery 69 IMAGES

The good news is that this episode doesn't fall into the same patterns as the previous two chapters when it comes to the action scenes. Rather than showing scene after scene of Rex's team shooting down ineffectual droid enemies in narrow corridors, Episode 3 focuses on both opening up the scale of the action and mixing up the scenarios facing our heroes. Where Episode 2 sometimes struggled to create a legitimate sense of danger (particularly with a Jedi as powerful as Anakin backing up the team), this followup is much better about creating a sense of a small team facing overwhelming odds.That's especially true in the climax of the episode, where our heroes join forces with the Poletecans to face the full might of the Techno Union. That battle scene is pure Star Wars, with heroes triumphing against a vastly larger force and causing plenty of destruction along the way. This sequence, as much as any other, really showcases the improved animation style in Season 7. Especially comparing the series as it is now to the original Clone Wars movie or Season 1 episodes, it's amazing to see how far the technology powering the series has come.That same sense of danger and overwhelming odds is also apparent in the opening sequence, as the clones stall for time while Rex and Tech liberate Echo and Wat Tambor's minion's cut their way through. The opening is vaguely reminiscent of the cellblock shootout from A New Hope in that regard. Wrecker is even teed up to make a heroic sacrifice here. While that death doesn't come to pass, the possibility is upsetting enough. This Bad Batch storyline has done a very efficient job of introducing these new characters and making us care about them in a short span of time. What are the odds all four of them make it out alive next week?Unfortunately, this episode's relentless focus on action and lopsided battles prevents it from accomplishing the one thing that's most important right now. "On the Wings of Keeradaks" does surprisingly little to actually take advantage of Echo's return. Echo himself seems to shrug off his long captivity with ease, reverting almost immediately to his old dynamics with Rex and Anakin. We don't get a clear sense of the psychological toll of his captivity or what Rex is feeling now that his hopes have been realized. As long as this story arc is, you'd think there'd be more time to slow down and deliver those little character moments that made the first two episodes so enjoyable. Hopefully Episode 4 can make up for lost time on that front.It's also disappointing how this episode deals with the notion of the Poletecans being caught in the crossfire. There's something tragic about the way the way they've been unwillingly dragged into the Clone Wars despite their best efforts to remain safe and isolated. But rather than treat them as unfortunate collateral damage in Rex's selfish rescue mission, this episode depicts the Poletecans as reluctant soldiers who just need a good pep talk. It feels like there should be a little more nuance to this conflict - a greater emphasis on how the heroes of the Republic can bring devastation despite their best intentions. But that's always been a flaw with The Clone Wars. For all its efforts to make good on the idea of there being "heroes on both sides," too often it reverts to a "Republic good, Separatists bad" mentality.