Dooku's performance against Anakin in TCW

Dooku's performance against Anakin in TCW seems to be at odds with how their other fights are portrayed. In the TCW movie, which takes place mere weeks after AotC, Anakin and Dooku are just about even, which frankly, makes no sense. The novel does have Dooku outmatching and basically toying with Anakin, whilst the junior novel has Dooku driving Anakin back all the while and Anakin just running away after the hologram.

Skip ahead to Season 4, and you have Anakin appearing to be stronger than Dooku. In both fights on Naboo, he's driving Tyranus back and the Count's clearly straining against him. Of course, there are other circumstances in the fights which make it muddier, but in any case, I was expecting more of an edge in the Count's favor.

Then we hit Season 6, where Dooku is stomping Obi-Wan and driving Anakin back. Suddenly his performance has done a 180 and he's the one driving Anakin back as opposed to the other way around. Then in DD, of course, they're equal.

So what we have is Dooku beating Anakin decisively in AotC, then weeks later, Anakin is matching Dooku (per the TCW movie, anyway). Two years after that, Anakin's driving Dooku back, and you'd expect him to improve more than the Count since he's younger and has more potential. Yet another year later, the tide reverses, and Dooku's suddenly driving Anakin back. A later fight in 19 BBY has Anakin matching Dooku. Then we have RotS, where Anakin's driving Dooku back again.

Did Dooku end up improving a good deal himself over the course of the Clone Wars? Or is this just the product of shitty TCW writing?

The only way I can reconcile the TCW fight is to say that Dooku was toying with him the entire time (it's also suggested that Dooku toyed with Anakin in AotC). That doesn't reconcile Dooku constantly being on the back foot in S4 and suddenly being superior to Anakin in S6, though.

I believe it was you that said to me, Filoni wasn't one for consistency/continuity.

I know. I'm wondering if people here think it's just inconsistency or if there's something else.

I'd say he has an amp on Oba Diah — the oh sh1t Sidious is going to kick my ass/kill me if they find out about order 66.

You say Dooku was straining, but Anakin was straining just as hard if not harder.

The chancellor Naboo fight Dooku was clearly holding back being on the defensive the entire time by choice; the plot called for the capture of Palpatine.

The other fight with the magnaguards, he disarms Anakin pretty handily so I don't know what you're talking about. Plus his objective is to capture and Anakin's is to kill so don't forget that—people use that all the time as an excuse with Maul vs Sidious.

TCW movie only had Anakin matching Dooku in Sabers. In the Force Dooku was clearly stronger.

Yes it's possible Dooku grew as well during TCW. Or perhaps Oba Diah was just a really good performance for him, and a mediocre one for Anakin.

What's actually not daft with TCW is the idea that sometimes the same combatant just fights better or worse than his usual level.

@Thor - I'm discussing sabers only, of course.

In any case, the disparities are far too great for someone just having a good or bad day, lol.

Eh, I wouldn't say so. But if you want a different excuse, Obi-Wan being there may have neutered Anakin somewhat as he would likely be less willing to tap into the dark side.

Tapping into the dark side was a thing for the duel on Naboo with Palpatine, but not the other Naboo duel.

If we disregard the shitty writing, I consider Anakin to be borderline superior to Dooku but more inexperienced and inconsistent, especially in a saber duel against someone as powerful and skilled as Tyranus.

It's a elegant excuse that enhances the unfariness of the Chosen One.

Originally posted by ares834
Eh, I wouldn't say so. But if you want a different excuse, Obi-Wan being there may have neutered Anakin somewhat as he would likely be less willing to tap into the dark side.

IIRC Hidalgo said TCW movie was 0.5 year after AotC and well Anakin's Naboo performance seems to be an outlier (perhaps him tapping into his anger?) rather than the rule itself especially if you also take the novelization (TCW movie) into account which describes the duel better

The novel says it takes place mere weeks after AotC.

Hmm odd, I'll search through Hidalgo's twitter

its almost as if tcw is shit

Originally posted by Nephthys
its almost as if tcw is shit

👆

But then, you like the Bane trilogy. So 👇

I don't actually. I liked the 1st one when I was like 14. Never reread it to see how it stood up. RoT was poor and I never even bothered to read DoE.

Don't know how old you are right now so I can't compare you to your 14-year old self.

In any case, they're all shit. Also, you never read DoE? Did you just get your info from there from RT's or something?

I'm in my 20's.

And skimming the relevant stuff, yeah. I know all the important feats.

Well, obviously you're in your 20's. I meant a precise date. I'm guessing 23 or 24?

If you survived RoT, you can survive DoE. It's a little bit better. But not by much.

Revan remains Karpyshyn's magna opus, however. Of course, Karpyshyn's works can only be ranked in order of how terrible they are.

25.

I have no interest in reading it. I already know everything that happens in it regardless and it's too shitty to put the effort in. I have far better things to do with my time. Like reading about homebrew D&D classes all night till 1am when I don't actually play D&D and I have work tomorrow. Important stuff.

I hear the Baldur's Gate book he wrote is even worse. Though to give him credit, he was writing the 3rd book in a trilogy that was already utter pigshit.