Tonight on Clone Wars: Lair of Grievous

December 12, 2008 by Cynthia

Jedi Master Kit Fisto is walking into a Separatist trap on tonight’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars titled “Lair of Grievous.”

Ooh, spooky, pic. Huh?

In the episode Count Dooku (not to be confused with Count Chocula) lurs Jedi Master Fisto and Nahdar Vebb to Grievous’ retreat for a bit of sport. Sport? Sounds like the sport is ‘the most dangerous game.’

Episode writer Henry Gilroy says he’s always been intrigued by the concept of “where evil actually lives,” and this tale of attempted redemption for General Grievous presented the perfect opportunity to explore the idea.

“I went back to the old serials of the 1930s and looked at the terrible old places they used to create for the villains,” Gilroy says. “They were houses full of booby traps and monsters, with eyes knocked out of the paintings so the villain could look through and spy. It was fun to explore the home of the bad guy, to create a place so terrible that even the hero doesn’t want to be in there.

“It’s a great set-up because when the Jedi arrive, they’re expecting to find Nute Gunray – they don’t realize they’re in the lair of Grievous. From that point on, once they’re inside and realize they can’t get out, it’s basically a struggle to survive.”

This episode also gives the writers a chance to work with another background character from the Star Wars movies and bring him into the limelight.

“Kit isn’t one of the most serious Jedi. He tends to be more jovial,” Gilroy says. “To put him in a dire, life-or-death situation makes for a fun adventure because he tends to look on the more positive, naturally humorous side. Dread kind of rolls off him.”
“Kit is great for this episode,” says supervising director Dave Filoni. “He has an excellent fight with Grievous, and the episode is brilliantly directed by Atsushi Takeuchi. While we had quite the challenge deciding what Kit Fisto’s voice would actually sound like, once it was determined he would have a bit of a Jamaican accent, Phil LaMarr really made it his own.”

The many faces of evil are on display, all with the visage of General Grievous, in “Lair of Grievous,” an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Dec. 12, on Cartoon Network.