In the episode, General Grievous must prove himself worthy of the Separatists after repeatedly being defeated by the Jedi. As a test for his cyborg subordinate, Count Dooku lures Jedi Master Kit Fisto and Fisto's former Padawan, Nahdar Vebb, to Grievous' enclave as deadly sport for the Separatist general.
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."
The episode also provided the perfect vehicle for the series introduction of Kit Fisto, a popular Jedi Master who appears in both Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Like many other Jedi, his character was relegated to the background in the films -- but is now more deeply realized through animation in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
"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."
