Tensions between the Naboo and the Gungans have increased as the Gungan leader, Boss Lyonie, has openly shown Separatist sentiments. Seeking to prevent any type of conflict, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, and Jar Jar Binks investigate the Boss to discover that he has been put under a mind control spell by an evil minister. They undo the curse, but not before the minister stabs Boss Lyonie and flees, with Anakin giving chase.
With Lyonie unconscious from his stab wound, Padmé tries to save face by having Jar Jar dress up as the Boss and take his place to keep peace until he recovers. Thankfully, Jar Jar looks like the Boss' twin, so even when Jar Jar shows up at a funeral for the Boss, everyone buys it. Problem is, General Grievous arrives at the funeral to talk with Boss Lyonie about a Separatist invasion of Naboo. Terrified, Jar Jar tells General Tarpals of the Gungan Royal Guard to rally the army to capture Grievous while he stalls for time.
Jar Jar, despite fumbling through the conversation, actually manages to convince Grievous he's Boss Lyonie for a good amount of time before the General figures the ploy out and chases Jar Jar off his ship. The General finds himself surrounded by the entire Gungan Army, who throw every man, spear, and bomb they have at Grievous en masse in an attempt to defeat the living war machine, but none of it works. Grievous drives his lightsaber through General Tarpals and brags about killing the Gungan, only for Tarpals to shove his spear through Grievous' shoulder and give the rest of the army the opportunity to break Grievous down and capture him.
Meanwhile, Anakin hunts down the evil minister who brainwashed Boss Lyonie, arriving just in time to see Count Dooku impale him. Dooku explains that the Separatists want to retake Naboo since it was where the Sith started the war, after all, and insults Anakin again for not realizing the Sith's control over the conflict. The two duel, with four MagnaGuards helping Dooku, until the Count lifts Anakin into the air and electrocutes him into submission. This gives Dooku all the leverage he needs to arrange for Grievous' return, while offering Anakin's freedom in exchange. War has been averted, but the Separatist threat lives on, and a hero is dead.
Tropes:
- Arc Welding: Count Dooku's comments make it clear that he was with the Sith even during the events of The Phantom Menace, ten years before he publicly became known as a Sith Lord. Tales Of The Jedi elaborates that while he was their ally, he wouldn't join the order in full until after the Naboo crisis.
- Beware the Silly Ones: A species-wide example for the Gungans who, in spite of their goofy ways of speaking, are deadly warriors when push comes to shove. Grievous doesn't take them seriously in the least when they confront him despite them outnumbering him and having shut down his entire droid force, only to get his ass handed to him with minimal casualties on their part.
- Continuity Nod: When Jar Jar arrives at the rendezvous in a sub, he mentions that his ears hurt from the change in pressure from heading to the surface too fast, a problem he also had when going too deep too quickly two episodes ago.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Anakin puts up a very strong fight against Dooku and his four Magna-Guards, and keeps fighting even after he's been disarmed, but ultimately, five-on-one is too much for him to handle and their combined strength brings him down.
- Emergency Impersonation: Jar Jar is forced to dress up as Boss Lyonie in order to stop the Gungan Grand Army from marching on Theed, which was ordered by the mind-controlled Boss.
- Fallen Hero: Of a sorts, but when it is revealed that the reason for Boss Lyonie suddenly becoming a Separatist firebrand and agitator is because he is wearing a Mind Control necklace which was given to him by Rish Loo, Jar Jar can't believe it because, in his own words, "hesa only use [his power] for good!" Apparently the offer of power under the Separatists was too tempting for Loo to pass up.
- Foregone Conclusion: The Republic manages to capture General Grievous. Naturally, this doesn't last.
- Functional Magic: Rish Loo is stated to possess "Gungan sorcery". What it is or how it works is never revealed, but it apparently can make use of magical artifacts, as well as apply a much fuller form of Mind Control than even the Force can create (since the necklace causes Lyonie to make complete speeches—albeit in a slightly-stilted tone and different from his usual voice—rather than merely parrot the last words spoken to him).
- Hypno Trinket: Rish Loo's talisman forces Boss Lyonie to conspire with General Grievous to plan an attack on Naboo.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
- Rish Loo's reward from Count Dooku.
- Happens several times during the capture of Grievous; Grievous runs General Tarpals through with a Gungan spear, only for the dying Gungan to return the favour vertically with his own spear, and once he's been shocked to the ground, the Gungans impale each of his limbs to immobilise him while they drag him away.
- Lampshade Hanging: The plot point that Jar Jar looks exactly like Lyonie while wearing his clothing is lampshaded by Jar Jar's protests when Anakin and Padmé come up with the idea (especially since Jar Jar and Lyonie actually do re-use the same character model, and many of the Gungan soldiers also have recycled character models to save the series' budget):"But wesa all don't look alike!"
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The Gungans shut down the entire droid army in a few minutes offscreen.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Jar Jar's entirely justified reaction upon seeing General Grievous.
- Rish Loo's expression is this when Boss Lyonie (actually Jar Jar) shows up while Loo is attempting to rile the Gungans into attacking Naboo.
- Prisoner Exchange: Dooku forces Padmé to give up General Grievous to the Separatists by torturing Anakin and threatening to kill him. Even though Grievous' capture likely means the end of the war, Padmé loves Anakin too much to see him killed because of her.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Dooku kills Rish Loo in payment for his services.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: Let's just say there's a reason Sidious is confident that Padmé will agree to a prisoner exchange with Grievous if Dooku captures Anakin.
- Senseless Sacrifice: General Tarpals sacrifices himself so the Gungan army can capture Grievous. Unfortunately, the Republic is forced to exchange him for a captured Anakin Skywalker, reducing Tarpals' death a moral victory as one of the few warriors ever to defeat Grievous, even at the cost of his life.
- Shout-Out: Rish Loo's name is a reference to Cardinal Richelieu of The Three Musketeers, who plays much the same role.
- Taking You with Me: General Tarpals sacrifices himself to get close enough to Grievous to impale him with a spear, and while this doesn't kill Grievous, it does incapacitate him enough for the Gungans to defeat and capture him.
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: As it turns out, the Gungan army, whose primary weapons of choice are EMPs are perfect for taking out cyborgs like Grievous, who is lucky to have made it out alive.
- Underestimating Badassery: Upon seeing himself surrounded by Gungan warriors, Grievious actually laughs in their faces and expects to slaughter them. In less than two minutes they have him helpless on the ground, losing only four of their numbers.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Grievous's reaction when he's confronted by an army of Gangans outside his ship. They prove him wrong really fast.Grievous: (laughing) You can't be serious!
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Dooku murders Rish Loo after the Gungan lures Anakin to his laboratory.
