Deceit is the weapon of greed.
Elected head of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Rush Clovis returns to Scipio as the transfer of power begins, with Republic Senator Padmé Amidala and Separatist Senator Bec Lawise there to oversee the process. But after he's been confirmed, Clovis finds himself being blackmailed by Count Dooku, who had earlier given him the data key to bringing down the old Council of Five, into raising interest rates on the Republic despite his desire to be neutral. As the Republic begins to investigate, Dooku has the Separatists invade the planet in order to make Clovis look like he's allied with them. As Republic forces led by Anakin Skywalker prepare to counterattack the planet, Clovis' position becomes increasingly precarious...
Tropes:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Although it looks like a Republic victory to the characters, the audience knows that the Sith's plan to place the Banking Clan under Palpatine's control has succeeded completely.
- Big "NO!": Padmé when Clovis chooses to let himself fall.
- Blackmail: Dooku does this to Clovis by threatening to expose the deal he made with the Separatist leader in the previous episode. This is all part of the Sith's plan, of course.
- Call-Back:
- Clovis' past allegiance to the Separatists comes back to haunt him as the Sith set him up to make him look like he's still allied with them as part of their plan.
- Palpatine's "promise" to relinquish control over the banks once the war is over echoes his claim from Attack of the Clones that he would relinquish the emergency powers the Senate granted him at the start of the war.
- In addition to the above, Padme telling the Republic that Dooku and the Separatist Droid Army are invading Scipio before she is taken away by a Commando Droid mirrors Obi-Wan Kenobi informing Palpatine and the Jedi that Dooku is building a Droid Army with the Trade Federation, Intergalatic Banking Clan, Techno Union, Commerce Guild, and the Corporate Alliance before his capture.
- The Cameo: Mon Mothma is seen crossing her arms in disapproval while most of the Senate applauds the Supreme Chancellor being placed in control of the banks.
- Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit: In the end, only Dooku and Palpatine know that Clovis was innocent of the charges levied against him, being a pawn in their plan. The only other one who knew he was innocent was Clovis, and he's dead.
- Disney Villain Death: Clovis isn't precisely a villain, but he falls to his death from the heights of his damaged office.
- Downer Ending: Palpatine's plan to seize control of the banks succeeds, meaning he can wipe away any debt he has and has access to all the funding he needs for the Empire's hungry war machine. Clovis' efforts to bring about positive change in the banks have failed, and he dies with the Republic viewing him as a traitor.
- Dramatic Irony: Palpatine's speech to the Senate about the Separatists having manipulated them by having them support Clovis is really rich since he's the one manipulating everyone else, including into this situation. Later, Palpatine even tells the Senate that they cannot risk having the banks fall under the control of a "madman".
- Every Man Has His Price:Dooku: (to Padmé) Everyone has their price, my dear.
- Evil Plan: It's revealed that Palpatine's plot in this arc was intended to place the Banking Clan under the control of people loyal to him, while using Rush Clovis as a scapegoat.
- Forced Friendly Fire: When Padmé grabs a blaster from a battle droid to defend herself, Dooku uses the Force to make her shoot Bec Lawise with it when the Separatist senator protests just duly arresting her.
- Forgot About His Powers: The Take My Hand! scenario mentioned below is similar to the one Ahsoka encountered with Steela Gererra the previous season. On that occasion, Ahsoka simply used the Force to lift Steela up, and only failed because a Droid Gunship shot her and broke her concentration. Here, Anakin doesn't even try to use the Force, leading directly to Clovis' Heroic Sacrifice. Granted, he hates Clovis' guts, but still...
- Given the circumstances of Anakin’s environment (the damaged structure of Clovis’s office and grabbing onto both two people) there was no time for Anakin to concentrate and pull both of them up.
- Futureshadowing: When Palpatine is granted control of the banks, Padmé is wearing the same outfit she will wear when he declares himself Emperor and she delivers her famous "this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause" line.
- Genre Blindness: It didn't occur to Clovis that accepting Dooku's information last episode would not only put him under the Separatist leader's thumb, but that he could never tell the Republic about this even if he intended to — which Dooku mocks him for.
- Heroic Sacrifice: A Vulture Droid crashes into Clovis' office, causing him and Padmé to fall. Anakin tries to save them both but can't pull up Clovis and Padmé. Clovis figures that he's a dead man anyways and allows himself to fall so Anakin can save Padmé.
- Hollywood Economics: Governments relying on loans from banks to finance their wars was a thing back in the 17th century. Not so much in the modern era, where money is recognized as a dream created by governments.
- Hostage Situation: Confronted with Anakin, Clovis takes Padmé hostage.
- I Warned You: The reaction of many members of the Galactic Senate, most noticeably Meena Tills, when interest rates on the Republic's loans are hiked after Clovis takes office, with no corresponding hike for the Separatists.
- Last Stand: Commander Thorn and his clone troopers make one when the Separatists attack Scipio.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Yoda tells Anakin early in the episode that he was probably right to mistrust Clovis, but none of the Jedi know that he's being blackmailed as part of a Sith plot.
- Even Anakin admits that something is up in the same scene.
- The Scapegoat: Clovis' ultimate role in the Sith's plot to control the banks.
- Shout-Out: Commander Thorn was intended by the creative team as a congratulation on the success of Marvel's The Avengers.
- Take My Hand!: Anakin manages to grab both Padmé and Clovis when the office collapses after a droid starfighter crashes into it, but he can't pull both of them up. Clovis chooses to let go, apologizing to Padmé before he falls.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Dooku and his super tactical droid Kraken leave mid-battle since they've done what they came to Scipio to do.
- Villain Reveals the Secret: Dooku is only too happy to tell Padmé that Clovis made a deal with him to get control of the Banking Clan.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Clovis says the phrase word-for-word when Anakin confronts him in the tower, and he's mostly telling the truth, but the circumstances set up for him by the Sith mean that no one believes him. Also him taking Padmé hostage and pointing a gun at her head didn't really help his case.
