Anything that can go wrong will.
With Even Piell and Captain Tarkin free from their cells, the rescue operation splits up into two teams to allow for a stealthier escape from the Citadel. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Captain Rex guide Captain Tarkin throughout the Citadel's abandoned catacombs, while Obi-Wan and Commander Cody escort Even Piell through the upper levels of the prison. While all this is happening, R2-D2 and his three reprogrammed battle droids try to land the ship the Jedi need to escape from the planet, only to lose the ship and end up scrambling through the Citadel.
After a few close encounters with the prison's security force, the entire security team ends up under fire from a droid battalion that's standing in the way of the last ship off the planet. In a Heroic Sacrifice, ARC trooper Echo of the 501st makes a wild run for the ship and is killed as the droids destroy it. With no ship left, the rest of the rescue team retreats from the Citadel into the wilds of the planet Lola Sayu.
Tropes:
- Air-Vent Passageway: Subverted yet again — not only has Osi Sobeck thought to send at least one probe droid into the vents, they have lethally effective security doors.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Tarkin expresses a disparaging view of the Jedi, believing their code stands in the way of victory at times, Anakin turns round and gives him a look, leading Tarkin to assume he's taken offence, only for Anakin to explain he's often thought the same.
- Boom, Headshot!: Sobeck executes a clone trooper in Obi-Wan's group this way. He also attempts to do this with a second trooper, but gets interrupted by K2-B4 before he can do it.
- Chekhov's Gun: Anakin orders his men to secure their weapons and not use their lights while they're inside the pipeline since any electrical spark might set off the fuel. Later, after they've left the pipeline, Anakin throws a detonator into the pipeline's open hatch to destroy it and the Separatist droids attacking them.
- *Click* Hello: Ashoka gets greeted exiting the pipeline by two battle droids with blasters to her head. She promptly draws her lightsabers and scraps them.
- Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Tarkin frequently has complaints about the Jedis' strategy for breaking out.
- Dead Hat Shot: After the shuttle is destroyed, there's a shot of Echo's damaged, smoking helmet lying on the ground. (A few seasons - and even more real-life years - later, it will turn out he was Only Mostly Dead.)
- Dispense with the Pleasantries: When Dooku contacts Sobeck.Sobeck: Count Dooku, my lord. How unexpected.
Dooku: You may cease the propriety, Commander Sobeck. I understand there is a problem with the Jedi prisoner. - Dwindling Party: Domino Squad loses another member, Echo.
- Finagle's Law: Referenced in the opening quote - and sure enough, the episode mainly consists of the Jedis' plan falling apart around them, primarily because Osi Sobeck is better at predicting their movements than they'd expected.
- Gory Discretion Shot: As Obi-Wan's team climbs up the prison tower, the prison's security systems activate and a blast door closes up the tunnel just as a clone trooper is halfway out of it. Another blast door closes in front of the camera just before, so we only hear the scream.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: One of the clone troopers is sliced in half by a security door that closes before he can get through.
- I Was Never Here: Osi Sobeck orders his staff to tell Count Dooku he's not around to respond to communications. He's hoping he'll be able to capture the escapees before having to talk to Dooku about his failures.
- Liar Revealed: Ahsoka is trying to sell that she was assigned to the prison break mission, even though she really just stowed away on their ship. She does a good job passing it off, until she stops at what she thinks is a dead end when really it's a thin wall that the rescue team had plans to destroy with grenades. Since Anakin is protecting the team's flank, Ahsoka has no one to tell her to blow the wall, leaving the team twiddling their thumbs at a dead end until security droids arrive. Anakin is furious, but the situation at hand is too dire for any real discussion of the issue.
- Neck Lift: Sobeck gives one to K2-B4 when ordering the droid not to surprise him with a transmission from Dooku again.
- One-Word Title: "Counterattack".
- Senseless Sacrifice: Echo's desperate charge for the shuttle accomplishes absolutely nothing save for getting him blown up along with the ship itself.
- Sole Survivor: With Echo's death, Fives is now the sole remaining member of Domino Squad (Droidbait, Cutup, and Hevy died in the attack on Rishi Base).
- Strange Minds Think Alike: One thing Anakin and Tarkin agree on is that the Jedi's moral code is too restrictive and prevents them from taking more extreme measures to achieve victory.Tarkin: The Jedi code prevents them from going far enough to achieve victory. To do whatever it takes to win. The very reason why peacekeepers should not be leading a war. Have I offended you?
Anakin: No. I've also found that we sometimes fall short of victory because of our methods.
Tarkin: Well, I see we agree on something. - Time for Plan B: Said word-for-word by Anakin when their plan is compromised.Anakin: Let's go! Time for plan B.
Tarkin: There's a plan B?
Anakin: There's always a backup plan. We'll meet Artoo at Obi-Wan's position. - Trojan Prisoner: In order to get into the Citadel without suspicion, R2's droids pretend that he's their prisoner. Since they didn't have the opportunity to inform him beforehand, he's a bit annoyed. After rescuing Obi-Wan's group, they try the ploy again to get into the attack shuttle, but this time the Separatists have figured out that they have reprogrammed battle droids and it doesn't work.
- Villainous Breakdown: Osi Sobeck is clearly on the verge of one throughout the episode, as he tries to stay one step ahead of the escapees and keep Count Dooku off his back. Downplayed in that he succeeds and just about manages to keep his cool, but he's still no longer the Smug Snake he was at the start of the previous episode.
- Writers Cannot Do Math: In the previous episode only three clone troopers of the 212nd, aside from Cody, were seen. One of them was electrocuted to death and another was cut in half by the security door, which would mean that by the point Sobeck captures Obi-Wan's team in this episode only one should be left. And yet there's two of them in that scene.
