Truth can strike down the spectre of fear.
After the bombing of the power grid, Padmé is still trying to prevent an escalation of the war by stopping an emergency appropriations bill that would take a loan from the Banking Clan to fund more clone troopers. But the death of Mina Bonteri by what Count Dooku claims were Republic forces further destroys any hope of peace negotiations, and her enemies aren't just going to stop there...
Tropes:
- Action Girl: Padmé shows she can handle herself just fine with bounty hunters after her, even without her usual Jedi companions around.
- Alliterative Title: "Pursuit of Peace".
- Anachronic Order: Onaconda Farr and Mee Deechi are still alive, setting this episode before "Senate Murders" (2:15).
- Assassination Attempt: Bounty hunters Chata Hyoki and Robonino make one against Padmé, and another against Bail Organa in the Senate hangar that prevents him from making a speech to the Senate.
- Blatant Lies: While engaging in war profiteering, the Banking Clan senator tells Padmé and Ono that his organization has no stake in the war and that "War is distasteful to all of us".
- Call-Back: Robonino, one of the bounty hunters attacking Galactic Senators, previously participated in Cad Bane's storming of the Senate.
- Deadly Euphemism: Count Dooku orders Chata Hyoki and Robonino to "take [Padmé] out of the game", instead of just having "a talk" with her.
- False Flag Operation: Count Dooku claims that Mina Bonteri was killed in an attack by Republic forces, and uses said attack as a pretence to rescind the Separatist Senate's offer to negotiate peace. However, Bail later tells Padmé that, according to the Republic's spies, the hit was carried out by Dooku's thugs.
- Foregone Conclusion: Since the Republic and Separatists are secretly led by the same individual, whose plans require the war to be dragged out for as long as possible, Padmé isn't going to convince the Senate to re-open peace negotiations. Also, the bounty hunters aren't going to succeed in assassinating Padmé or Bail.
- Hero Stole My Bike: Padmé steals a speeder bike while escaping the bounty hunters trying to kill her. She ends up getting stopped by the police because the bike was reported stolen, while angrily demanding they go after the bounty hunters, who bailed the instant they saw the cops.
- Killed Offscreen: Mina Bonteri is murdered offscreen on Count Dooku's orders.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In the last scene, Palpatine turns to the screen and starts talking. It's shortly revealed he's addressing Mas Amedda.
- Pacifism Breaking Point: Played With. Portraying himself as the Confederacy's humanitarian Head of State, Count Dooku was aghast by the Republic's "retaliation" against them that resulted in Bonteri's death following the attack on Coruscant's power grid, and rescinded any and all peace talks between the two parties. However, he is revealed to be behind both incidents from the getgo.
- Police Are Useless: The police droids stop Padmé for riding a stolen speeder, while ignoring the bounty hunters that led her to steal the bike for her own safety in the first place.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: One of the police droids who sees Padmé speed by apparently spills a cup of coffee in their flying car, despite the fact that these are droids.
- Rousing Speech: Padmé gives an impressive one that manages to convince the Senate to vote against the appropriations bill for the time being. She even manages to put a snag into Palpatine's plans, for which he is grudgingly impressed.
- Sacrificial Lion: Mina Bonteri was introduced in the last episode before being Killed Offscreen in this one so as to establish her as just as much an idealist as Padmé.
- Secret-Keeper: If it wasn't obvious before, the last scene makes it clear Mas Amedda knows exactly who Palpatine really is.
- Slow Clap: Halle Burtoni and Mee Deechi are both seen doing this after Padmé's speech, though they're drowned out by the much more sincere applause from pretty much every other Senator.
- What a Drag: Chata Hyoki ends up getting dragged behind Padmé's speeder when he latches onto it with a cable, and she arranges for him to smack against a series of lights attached to a long railing.
- The X of Y: "Pursuit of Peace".
