Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) in Lucasfilm’s OBI-WAN KENOBI, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
While not quite as good as the first two episodes, this week’s Obi-Wan Kenobi still manages to deliver in a pretty big way. The episode itself isn’t quite what I’d consider a filler episode. But in many ways, it’s the calm before the storm. One of those episodes in the middle of a season that’s only real job is to set up plot threads and character arcs for later episodes to pay off. And in that regard, this episode succeeds with flying colors. Featuring some excellent character work and a lot of tantalizing teases for the rest of the season, this episode pushes our hero to the brink. Meaning he can only go up from here, right?
Obi-Wan and Leia on Mapuzo
The episode picks up shortly after last week’s, with Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) arriving on the mining planet of Mapuzo, looking for Haja’s (Kumail Nanjiani) contact who’ll help them get back to Alderaan. After getting picked up by a seemingly friendly transporter, Freck (Zach Braff), the pair quickly find themselves on the run from the Empire, doing their best to survive. That is until Tala (Indira Varma), an Imperial officer turned freedom fighter, rescues them and leads them to her base camp. A camp where she helps other Jedi and refugees from the Empire find better, safer lives. Put simply, this whole plot feels like the kind of thing that would immediately be cut were this story not being told over the course of six episodes. There’s not a lot here that happens that couldn’t be told more dynamically elsewhere.
However, this lull in the action does provide ample time for some meaty character work. From Obi-Wan’s total lack of trust in literally anyone to Leia’s striking ability to put almost everyone she talks to at ease, this episode is stuffed full of nice character beats. Even Obi-Wan gets to go on a bit of a journey from feeling hopeless at the beginning of the episode to slowly starting to trust and believe in Tala. Something about her resonates with him – her knowledge of her past misdeeds and her desire to make up for them by helping out where she can. In a way, her journey mirrors the one he’s on. Their scenes are touching, as are the moments when Obi-Wan finally starts opening up to Leia about his past. If nothing else, this show is nailing Obi-Wan’s characterization. And that’s something worth celebrating.
Petty Infighting Amongst the Inquisitors
The Inquisitors, on the other hand, continue to be a mixed bag. Reva (Moses Ingram) remains the only one of the bunch that’s remotely interesting – especially after the untimely death of Rupert Friend’s Grand Inquisitor last week. And the show continues to not know what to do with them. The bulk of their screentime this week is spent bickering amongst one another, each of them trying to gain Vader’s favor and become the next Grand Inquisitor. Perhaps that would be interesting if the show spent any time developing the Fifth Brother or the Fourth Sister into anything more than generic baddies. But as it is, Reva is the only Inquisitor getting any real focus, and this episode continues to keep her motivations shrouded in mystery.
It’s a shame none of the Inquisitors really do anything this week, either. Reva starts the episode by contacting Vader (Hayden Christensen/James Earl Jones), telling him they’ve found Obi-Wan. Then, later on, she forces the other Inquisitors to send out all their probes to find Obi-Wan’s exact location. But once they do find him, all three of them take a pretty big backseat to Vader, basically fading into the background. Reva does discover Tala’s secret tunnels and nearly captures Leia at the end of the episode. But if the show’s trying to position Reva and/or the other Inquisitors as proper secondary antagonists, it’s gonna need to spend a bit more time developing them into something more compelling. Especially if they’re gonna have to compete against Darth Vader for airtime.
Enter Lord Vader
And speaking of Vader, this week also sees the long-awaited return of Hayden Christensen to the Star Wars universe. Sort of. While he’s reportedly the one wearing the Vader suit, James Earl Jones is credited with providing Vader’s voice once more. Whether that means Jones actually recorded new dialogue or if his voice was merely recreated by the same technology they’ve been using to recreate Mark Hamill’s voice in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett remains to be seen. But either way, Vader is proper intimidating here. Much like his appearance in Rogue One, this is a brutal Vader, one who’s constantly inches away from pummeling anyone that gets in his way. And it’s quite a sight to see, especially as he walks down the streets of Mapuzo, attacking various bystanders to lure Obi-Wan out of hiding.
But the highlight of the episode is, obviously, the battle between Obi-Wan and Vader. Perhaps not the explosive rematch some fans were hoping for, it’s the perfect rematch for these two on a character level. On the one hand, you’ve got Vader at the top of his game. And on the other hand, you’ve got a very out-of-practice Obi-Wan, reluctant to even try to fight Vader and freshly surprised by his existence at all. So naturally, Vader wipes the floor with Obi-Wan, taunting him endlessly and, in an act of breathtaking cruelty, dousing him in flames. And it’s horrifying in the best way possible. Given how their last encounter ended, this rematch feels like a pretty natural evolution of their conflict. And while it’s over all too soon, it sets the stage for a potentially thrilling rematch in a later episode.
Final Thoughts
And that’s sort of the best way to describe the episode as a whole. For what it is, it’s pretty solid. The plot itself isn’t the most interesting, but the character work is excellent. And the episode ends on a pretty high note with that thrillingly brutal showdown between Vader and Obi-Wan. But what it does best is lay the groundwork for the second half of the series. We have an Obi-Wan who not only knows of Anakin’s survival but has been bested by him pretty spectacularly. Vader’s gotten a taste of vengeance and will be eager to get more. And Leia’s on the run from Reva, who’s looking for her own vengeance too.
At this point, all the pieces are laid out on the table and it’s up to the remaining three episodes to bring it all home. But for now? This week’s episode was a fun watch and it’s got me eager to see where things go from here.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
Part III of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" delivers a brutal rematch between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan and lays the groundwork for the rest of the season. While not quite as good as the first two episodes, it's still an enjoyable watch that promises a bombastic finale over the coming weeks.
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GVN Rating 7.5
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