The tenth installment of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television program's premiere season is "Lair of Grievous". Serving as the series' tenth episode overall, it brought to a close a narrative arc spanning three episodes that began with "Bombad Jedi". Atsushi Takeuchi was the director. This episode marks the initial appearance of the Nautolan Jedi Master Kit Fisto within The Clone Wars.
Upon receiving news of Nute Gunray's departure, Jedi Master Kit Fisto, together with his previous Padawan Nahdar Vebb, pursue the tracking signal emitted by his hijacked vessel towards Vassek. The Jedi, accompanied by their clone contingent, unearth a concealed entrance to the fortress, which Fisto manages to unlock. Their intention is to surprise Viceroy Gunray, yet they only encounter a taunting hologram of the Neimoidian. This soon transitions into a hologram of Dooku, who informs them that while Gunray is unattainable, he presents an alternative reward. Dooku then gets in touch with General Grievous, cautioning him that his prolonged stalemate in the war has become unacceptable and that Darth Sidious desires more impactful outcomes, notably the demise of additional Jedi.
Realizing that the castle serves as the lair of Grievous, Fisto formulates a strategy to waylay Grievous upon his arrival. After his ship touches down inside the castle, Grievous is met by the Jedi and the clones. A battle erupts, resulting in Grievous losing his legs above the knees. As Grievous makes his escape, he eliminates two clones before retreating to his control center for repairs by his medic droid, EV-A4-D, and commands his MagnaGuards to seal off the area. Meanwhile, Fisto, Vebb, and the remaining clones attempt to leave the castle, but Grievous initiates a lockdown. Clone Commander "Fil" instructs the clones stationed outside, Niner and Bel, to notify the fleet at Bestine for reinforcements, but the MagnaGuards detonate the clones' transport, severing their escape route and communication with the fleet. They also try to destroy Fisto's starfighter and his droid, R6-H5, but Fisto directs the astromech to evacuate the area, and R6 pilots the fighter away from danger.
As they navigate the fortress, a concealed trapdoor on the floor activates, plunging one of the remaining clones into the molten incinerator vat below, resulting in his death. Fisto and Vebb jump just in time to avoid the same fate, while Fil employs a cable to secure himself to the pit's edge and ascend. After being mocked by a hologram of Grievous, they encounter Grievous' pet roggwart, Gor. In a brief confrontation, Fisto slays Gor, but Fil also perishes during the skirmish, fueling Vebb's desire for vengeance.
Following Grievous' repairs, he decides to investigate whether Gor has eliminated the Jedi, only to discover Gor's demise. He then receives communication from Count Dooku, who confirms that this is a test for Grievous, as his repeated defeats by the Jedi have eroded Dooku's confidence in him. Grievous decides to comply, and he and his guards embark on a hunt.
Fisto and Vebb soon locate the entrance to Grievous' control room, but as they attempt to infiltrate it, Vebb opts to confront Grievous directly, despite Fisto's attempts to dissuade him. Amidst their disagreement, EV-A4-D isolates Fisto from Vebb, and the Mon Calamari Jedi adeptly defeats four of Grievous's guards. With Fisto confined to the control room and unable to assist Vebb, he locates EV-A4-D and bisects him. Vebb engages Grievous, but the general shoots and kills the young Jedi. Fisto summons R6-H5 to meet him at the south landing platform.
After an intense lightsaber battle with Grievous, Fisto begins to gain the advantage, but the arrival of some of Grievous' MagnaGuards shifts the odds against him. As R6-H5 arrives with his starfighter, Fisto makes his escape and returns to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
In the meantime, Dooku contacts Grievous, who recounts his victory over the Jedi. Dooku anticipated success against the young Jedi and the clones but acknowledges that defeating a Jedi Master is a commendable achievement. Grievous then clarifies to Dooku that Fisto escaped. Dooku, disappointed, informs Grievous that there is still room for improvement, which angers Grievous.
Upon returning to Coruscant, Kit Fisto briefs Yoda and Mace Windu on the events of his mission. He remarks, "Nahdar's intentions were noble, but he sought to match Grievous' strength with his own." Yoda cautions that "in this conflict, a risk there is of losing our identity."
Dave Filoni, the director of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, addressed concerns about inconsistencies with established material from the Star Wars Expanded Universe in an interview conducted by TheForce.net.
The Episode Guide uncovers a few lines that were absent from the episode's broadcast on television. In addition to a humorous exchange between battle droids concerning the elimination of Jedi, another instance of the well-known phrase "I have a bad feeling about this," uttered by the Jedi Nahdar Vebb, was omitted due to time limitations. These previously removed segments were reintegrated into the "Director's Cut" edition of the episode, which is featured on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One DVD and the Disney+ streaming platform.
The lightsaber that Kit Fisto examines in Grievous' castle, which had been captured, once belonged to Jedi Master Neebo.
During Grievous' repair sequence, as his mask is removed, his death cry from Revenge of the Sith can be heard.
This particular episode was honored with a Golden Reel Award recognizing its outstanding sound editing in the realm of television animation.
The narrative titled "The Dueling Monstrosities," as recounted by Vaneé in the 2021 motion picture LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales, drew inspiration from both this episode and the 1931 cinematic masterpiece, Frankenstein.