Obi-Wan Kenobi - Season Finale - Review

When Lucasfilm announced that Obi-Wan Kenobi was getting a tv series, there were a lot of questions about it, how would it deal with him be in self-exile and he oversees Luke. What role would Darth Vader have in the story and of course, the big one, would the two actually fight on screen. Now that the final episode has aired, most of those questions were answered, though a few remain open.

Full Spoiler Warning Below

It was quite intense to see the ship that Obi-Wan was, along with countless refugees being blasted by the Imperial Star Destroyer, not only because of the striking image of a small ship and the countless guns being fired upon it. But more because it shows just how determined Darth Vader was in his pursuit of Obi-Wan, willing to devote an entire ship to the capture or destruction of one man. After the flashback sequence of the fifth episode, it was quite interesting to see this play out, as it not only gave Obi-Wan another chance to prove that he knows Darth Vader, but it also provided context for the final fight. There was very little chance that Obi-Wan was ever going to personally deliver Leia back to Alderaan, simply because it would have messed with the pacing, but him abandoning her in the middle of a space battle, one side as it was, felt a little harsh and made Obi-Wan seem self-serving. While Leia did make it home, having decided what type of Princess she wants to be, seeing the return of her would didn’t need to happen on camera and I am glad that they didn’t show it.

Of course, there was the fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader and having had his faults exposed and then given numerous pep talks by a few people, including one precocious 10-year-old girl, Obi-Wan finally was willing to commit to the fight. It was a slow building up, seeing Obi-Wan get ready as Darth Vader descended to the planets surface and while they could have milked it out a little longer, I was really happy that they opted to go with a more western style, where one awaits at the end of town, so to speak. This put the fight in Obi-Wan’s advantage, as he was waiting for Darth Vader, something that I am sure that the Sith Lord was none to happy about. Seeing Obi-Wan bust out a classic pose from the Soresu fighting style was awesome, not only because it was a pose he regularly struck during the movies, but it also meant that he was willing to fight this time. Though Darth Vader clearly didn’t care about any form and was just mashing all the buttons in order to try and fight back and even though Obi-Wan did break out some force powers, it wasn’t much against the rage of Vader.

That is where things got a little weird for me, not only was Darth Vader to confident in his victory, a sign of the Sith to be sure, but walking away when he was so determined to see Obi-Wan suffer, just seems like a weird way for him to think he has won the fight. On the other hand, having Obi-Wan have flashes of his life, or at least the past few days of it, felt stupid and there is no other word for it, we could have seen moments where he was down in his padawan days, some battle during the clone wars, but no it was only the last few days that made him realise he still had some fight left in him. Round 2 though proved to be even more brutal, with Obi-Wan willing to let loose and while he didn’t stray into the dark side of the force, there are times when some of his moves are far more aggressive than we have ever seen from him before. Then casually lifting up countless rocks and pummelling Darth Vader, before gaining the upper hand and devastating the suit, going so far as to expose the face beneath the mask, showed just how strong Obi-Wan can really be.

That lead into what I think was the entire point of the show, one final confrontation between the master and the former apprentice, a proper chance to say goodbye. Now we knew going in that Obi-Wan was not going to die, nor was Darth Vader, given that we had seen them in other properties, in the timeline order, but the ending still satisfied. Many people may feel like Obi-Wan walking away was weak, but it was the perfect end for their connection, as Obi-Wan no longer cares about Darth Vader, while he still carries a torch for vengeance against his former master, something that is clearly apparent when he screams for Obi-Wan, even though he can barely breath.

While all that takes place, we get to see that Reva survived her lightsabre induced aeration, ie stabbing and that her revenge, which has changed targets and is now against Obi-Wan and by her killing the boy on Tattooine will be fulfilled. Seeing her essentially stalk the Lars homestead, being assaulted by Owen and Beru, was interesting, not because she was getting shot at by some moisture farmers, but that even with her injuries she was still able to push forward, but as the Grand Inquisitor said, revenge is a powerful motivation. The fight, as one sided as it was, gave Reva a chance to hunt Luke down and while he eludes her for a while, she soon pulls him down to her level, knocking him out in the process. The flashbacks to seeing a form of her younger self on the ground and her fighting against her desire to do something and not being able to do it, was well executed and leaving it for a few moments on screen, until we learn she didn’t, was well done.

Where Reva fails as a character though, is that in her path to redemption – which she was always going to be on, there never felt like there was any specific reason for it. Star Wars has always been about redemption, it is something we see all the time, sometimes those moments are massive, like Darth Vader throwing his master into a massive pit, or as small as a former Jedi willing to train someone else. Reva though, never had a reason to redeem, yes her inability to kill a single child is a big reason to want to turn, but until this point she was happy go lucky in the slaughtering of anyone who pissed her off. Her path to redemption is not finished of course, but how that shapes up will likely be something for the comics or books to finish off.

The final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi was perhaps the most visually impressive episode of TV Star Wars yet, there were countless times when I could tell they were on the Stagecraft set, but it never felt like it. The location of the fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader was done wonderfully, the stalagmites, or whatever those specific rock formations were, broke up the screen that the actors were in front of and made it feel like a place that you could visit. Deborah Chow managed to keep a consistent tone across all six episodes as well, with camera moves that were long and slow when needed, but easily swapped to a shaky cam when the action called for it to be. Combine the wonderful visuals on screen, with the amazing score from composer Natalie Holt and it felt like no Star Wars story before it.

Ewan McGregor has done a phenomenal job of bringing Obi-Wan to life again, not only because when we see him at first, he is a broken man, a shell of the Jedi he once was. But then over the course of the series, we get to see him pick himself up, with some support by a host of characters and become a more accepting man, someone who can finally let go of what he perceives to be, his biggest failure. While Hayden Christiansen didn’t get as much screen time out of the suit as one may have expected, he still managed to make Darth Vader his own, which is saying something. The final moments between him and Ewan, with the broken mask, gave the actor a chance to show the crazy that Darth Vader is beneath the helmet, something we never really get to see, outside of him force choking people.

With the ending of the episode coinciding with the hero literally walking off into the sunset, it is clear that there is much more that we could see happening with the character of Obi-Wan. Reva now has a new path to follow, whatever that is and while I doubt we will see her in live-action anytime soon, there could be times when she pops up elsewhere and yes, Darth Vader being all whiny about not getting his win was great, but the refocusing of the character means the two are unlikely to meet again until the Death Star. It is clear that the show has an end, but at the same time, they have left it open for more, should they want to and if they elect not to do that, I would be ok. Obi-Wan Kenobi told a good story, brought closure to some characters, helped establish a few threads to better connect Episode 3 to Episode 4 and of course, showed off more of a galaxy far, far away and with some four hours of content, I am happy.

The Score

9.0

The Pros

+The final fight between the Obi-Wan and Darth Vader was satisfying and more grounded than the last time they really fought

+Seeing Obi-Wan finally let go of the past, helps make the character stronger and was something to be seen in Ewan’s performance

The Cons

-Reva’s change of heart, whilst predictable, never really felt justified

-Things feel a little to open ended for the series, as if there is more to come