– Spoiler Review –
After an exciting and promising start, Maul: Shadow Lord returns for its third and fourth episodes, “Chapter 3 – Whispers in the Unknown” & “Chapter 4 – Pride & Vengeance”. Of the two, “Chapter 3” was my favorite and is already easily my favorite of the season, as Maul hones in on Devon and pieces shift into place for Janix’s answer to Maul’s incursion, though “Chapter 4” is no slouch, ending on an ominous arrival that’ll change the show going forward, though it does help raise some questions about the show’s timely nature (and lack thereof). Buckle up, let’s dive into what made this another memorable double release!
Chapter 3 – Whispers in the Unknown
The interactions between Devon and Maul was my favorite aspect to the opening pair of episodes, but “Chapter 3 – Whispers in the Unknown” absolutely blows what came before out of the water. Part of it is simply the design of the sequences between them, from the calm tea serving moment, Devon’s frantic attempt to escape in utter darkness as Maul’s voice surrounds her, and the frantic battle at the end, sound and visuals combine into someone absolutely special. The utter darkness surrounding Devon, the glow of one half of Maul’s blade lighting her, and Maul’s voice appearing closer and further away as if it has a mind of its own, is a chilling and unnerving presentation. The lightsaber clashes in their duel, so close and heavy, our view almost always at their connecting points, the angry swings screaming like Devon ends up doing in frustration, were jaw-dropping animation moments. Yet these moments excel even more because of the script and performances, Maul’s switch from friendly tea server to menacing presence in the darkness is on the top of Sam Witwer’s work as Maul, while Gideon Adlon’s growing annoyance despite her resolute beliefs as Devon feels so relatable, so raw, you almost want her to give in to what he’s saying. Their time together is what I’ll be looking forward to the most throughout the season, just on these aspects alone.
Yet it’s Maul’s tactics, and what they mean for Devon, but also for our current times, which leave a lasting impact and make this as my favorite episode of Shadow Lord so far. After Devon broke free at the end of “Chapter 2”, she’s herded towards Maul, who awaits her in a big chamber, deep in the complex they are hiding in, with some tea service. Devon’s wary of his calmness, the soothing ritual of the tea and his niceties about her injury, as the stories of his actions during the Clone Wars far outweighing his words and gentle actions now. Yet much like in “Chapter 2”, what Maul says here isn’t without a kernel of truth to it. They have a common enemy now, Darth Sidious, who both robbed them of their destinies, of their families, and he wants them to team up and do what must be done. She’s obviously not okay with that, so she grabs the lightsaber he has sitting temptingly at the side of the tea and ignites it. These sections are a lot of fun, Devon lit only by the lightsaber’s red blade, the immediate area barely visible, and Maul’s voice bouncing around hers and our heads, with little spooky appearances of him before he’s gone again. It’s a gambit meant to pry at her frustrations and desperation, giving her no way out, forcing her to fight, while his words sting throughout, how she’s disappointing as she runs and weak and never going to have what she wanted. While Maul’s not right there, he’s not wrong in other areas, like how both of them had their destinies taken from them, his being at his Master’s side (and maybe taking his place) and Devon from being a protector of peace and justice in the galaxy, of being the shining beacon she always wanted to be. I believe Devon knows he’s right, deep down inside, that she craves being the Jedi she was meant to be, and I left “Whispers of the Unknown” really curious how her return to Daki would go, if she’d be more changed than either of them would’ve imagined.
Devon’s resourceful and manages to find a way up and out, but Maul’s still a step ahead of her, igniting his own blade and facing her in a duel. It’s one of Star Wars animation’s most memorable duels, not because it’s some big spectacle, but because it’s small, focused, intense. It’s mainly intense because Maul’s pushing as hard as he can at what he perceives are Devon’s internal cracks, that if pushed enough will lead her to his side, as he wants. He gets pretty far it seems, her letting out a scream of frustration at one point, but she’s still holding on, still clinging to what she wants to be and believes still can be, despite the situation, and she manages to push him out of the way and make her escape. In a great moment mirroring the end of “Chapter 1”, the episode ends with one word, a name, yet where it was Devon speaking Maul’s, it’s Maul speaking Devon’s. Yet she never shared his name and if he managed to pry that loose from her head, how far did he really get with his tactics to twist her to his ways? It brought me chills hearing it and thinking about it now again! And it also left me wishing The Acolyte wasn’t taken from us before it was meant to be, as it was already on the way exploring an interesting path towards the dark side with nuance and subtly, much like Shadow Lord is trying to do here. Beyond Maul’s attempts at training and Devon’s evasion, one of the things he says very early on this episode has a ring of familiarity to it for viewers watching. Maul mentions how they now realize how fragile the very institutions they depended on were once they’ve crumbled and hot damn, has it been a shame to watch as the fascist Trump Administration does this to the United States. It’s not been hard to see the warning signs, but even then, for most of us it felt like it could never happen, but as our standing in the world crumbles away, as local restaurants and farms and businesses shutter their doors, as the country’s programs to aid others around the world lead to unnecessary deaths, and as our Congress and its laws are trampled in the name of the Fuhrer and keeping power, it’s a stark reality that we can’t always depend on institutions to be there when we need them most. While “Chapter 3” is timely to the world we live in, “Chapter 4” isn’t, but we’ll talk about that, and how The Acolyte once again was ahead of its time, in its section of the review.
Lawson tries to be a good dad in “Chapter 3”, showing up to his son’s botekin game (aka space lacrosse), but the fact he doesn’t take a seat, preferring to stand in the walkway, says a lot about his real intentions. He’s just there to make a good show, but is ready to run the moment he’s needed. Rylee is left disappointed after scoring, looking over to see his dad gone, and one has to wonder if chasing after Maul is really worth hurting one’s own family so much. Before Lawson leaves, he actually spends some time with a familiar face, Jedi Master Daki, who claims to be Devon’s uncle (which isn’t too far off, in a sense). They discuss avoiding Imperial entanglements and how dangerous Maul can be, yet much like Two Boots arguing to still call in the Imperials or other warnings about Maul, they fall on Lawson’s deaf ears. A raid to stop Maul’s group hitting the Pykes at the ports doesn’t manage to bring much success and the Defense Force is as far away from bringing Maul down as they were at the start. How much longer can Lawson keep this up without getting the Empire involved?
It’s appreciated that Rook Kast gets to do some work on her own again, using their captive Vario to set up a meet and greet with the current leader of the Pykes, Marg Krim. He can sure sell the story she cooks up for him to push and Krim is willing to have him come, bring what credits he can to make up for the Pykes being hit twice. I definitely left this episode sure that we’d visit this storyline later in the season, and that it might not work out as well as Maul and team wanted, but “Chapter 4” proved me wrong on both accounts.
Bonus thoughts:
- Shadow of Maul #2 came out 4/8/2026 and, between getting these reviews done, my new job, and my commitment to my creative writing and family this year, I just couldn’t get around to it. But it’s another solid issue! As always, remember, the Manor’s doors are always open for new writers, and maybe you can review of the comic series if you’d like! Otherwise, I’ll be back to review the entire miniseries when it wraps up in July.
- As a reminder: Richard Ayoade, who voices Two-Boots, Lawson’s droid partner, and has voiced another droid in The Mandalorian, has some concerning anti-trans actions in his history and this Medium post breaks it down really well. Hopefully one day he’ll make his endorsements and statements a little more clear.
- A lot of people were intrigued to see Maul’s latest return I guess, turning in a lot of views!
Chapter 4 – Pride and Vengeance
Like I said, “Chapter 4 – Pride and Vengeance” proved me wrong very quickly, as it opens with Vario already on his way to Marg Krim on Oba Diah. I liked the bait-and-switch of their plan, as I initially fell for it until Vario was able to stun ‘Maul,’ and then it all made sense. It’s a deliciously dark opening scene, Maul swiftly ending Krim’s time as the leader of the Pykes as he takes back over and installs a puppet leader before heading back to Janix. I’ll be curious if we’ll be revisiting Oba Diah more this season, or next, and how much this little maneuver will help Maul’s plans going forward.
After escaping Maul, Devon works her way back to her and Master Daki’s hiding spot, where he’s joyful to have her back at his side. It doesn’t take long for Daki to initially disappoint her, as he warns they must leave immediately as Maul’s presence will bring the Empire. I was curious if this was going to happen and how Devon would react, and I wasn’t disappointed with how the scene plays out. Devon’s response is her jumping right into all the things Maul’s forced even closer to the forefront of her mind. Yet where Maul is looking for vengeance, Devon frames it in a way Daki can understand, that they are here and probably the only people capable of helping stop Maul before his grip widens and innocents end up hurt. Is she saying these things because she sees this as her chance to grab her robbed destiny as a Jedi Knight or because she really believes in those principles? I’d argue she believes in it still, which is how it sways Daki to change his mind and recruit Lawson and the police force to bare down on Maul’s location too, that way they only have to deal with the former Sith Lord. But how much longer will she believe in it, before she just says things like it to make her actions okay? As the police raid on Maul’s location begins, the Jedi confront him, and he continues to twist at Devon’s mixed feelings in his conversation before their duel. Daki has a great counter for all of Maul’s points, how they are doing the right thing for not using their powers to help themselves in this time of need, as Devon found out the hard way when trying to steal, or that they aren’t weak for not rising up above those who are, in a way, inferior to them but now rule. While Daki makes a good case, the last point, how they are weak for not stepping up to their destiny, continues to whittle away at Devon’s concerns. The two Jedi do their best to hold their own against Maul, but he manages to injure Daki though doesn’t take advantage of the moment, letting them both live before he sneaks away as Lawson grows near. How Daki and Devon will be now, as he claims he failed her, should be an interesting change to the momentum of the show, as Maul’s work so far and Daki’s likely unwillingness to pursue any further, especially as the Empire makes its presence known, will leave some big choices coming Devon’s way.
Lawson goes as far as deactivating Two Boots to prevent the droid from calling in the Empire as they follow up on ‘Uncle’ Daki’s tip about where Maul is located, with the Chief basically warning him to get Maul or else she might just call them herself. When they arrive at the safe house, Maul, Kast, and their team is ready, with Vario there to ease tensions first so Maul can make his offer to Lawson and the police. Of course Lawson turns it down and an all-out firefight begins, with Maul’s group having the upper hand (they do have the higher ground to start!), mowing down the officers while Lawson tries to locate Maul in the fracas. As the defense force’s numbers are dwindled, the arrival of back up with the Chief leads Maul and team to flee the scene, yet it’s what comes down from skies itself that concerns everyone: Two Boots managed to call in the Empire and, with much haste, they’ve arrived on Janix, changing everything. It’s a great ending, as everything’s set to change as we head towards the second half of the 10 episode season.
Yet this ending sort of crystalized something that was sitting in the back of my mind, something I’ve been thinking about and was worming its way to the forefront. Whereas the writers managed to make a timely statement in “Chapter 3,” it’s here in “Pride and Vengeance” where Shadow Lord misses the mark of speaking to our times. Lawson, while a flawed father and his only dark traits barely hinted at in the show (but more so in the prequel comic), is basically a Commissioner Gordon character, someone good within an institution like the police force which has many issues, a truth in the real world and most fictional stories to boot. However, Janix’s Defense Force, besides in the prequel comic once again, is sans any bad influences or internal problems or questionable officers. The police here are the good guys, to the point Maul has more nuance then their overall development. Heck, the threat of the Empire’s arrival has been hanging over everyone’s heads, with the police force then positioned as the leaders of good against the evil, scary, big Empire as they finally arrive. A mitigatable factor here would’ve been some nuance to the police force, either some corrupt individuals that shows it’s as much of a problem as the very thing it’s fighting against or someone who is very pro-Empire, not because of protocol like Two Boots, but because they see it as the natural next step of the order they want to bring against the chaos of the galaxy. Why the police force being shown as totally good and great, without question, stings a lot during a time like this ties into the many months of ICE’s authoritarian proliferation, with their wanton disregard for human decency and human rights, backed up by an Administration and media empire eager to paint innocent victims of police violence as the real agitators. And that’s not even to include the long-history of police violence that has come with little to no repercussions besides for the victims. The Acolyte dared to cover such a topic, as it showed the Jedi had their flaws, that this intergalactic police force for good might not be flawed in its ideals, but because of the people who make it up and cover up those faults. Yet Shadow Lord doesn’t even dare try to enter the conversation, yet, and it makes for a concerning downside to a great show, as while it doesn’t need to be prescient, it should be more mindful.
Bonus Thoughts:
- Also, nice to see the show’s first speaking Black character, Wade, even if he is a cop!
- The trivia post on the official Star Wars blog was updated with some insights into the latest chapters!
- They also updated more the article with little short interviews with the cast to include Pamela Adlon, Gideon’s mother!
- And now there’s a bigger interview with Maul himself, Sam Witwer!
- What a wonderful deep dive into the creation of Janix by the visual effects teams!
Maul: Shadow Lord‘s second batch of episodes “Chapter 3 – Whispers in the Unknown” & “Chapter 4 – Pride & Vengeance” starts with all-time high for the series and of animation in a while, and though it has some concerning connotations with one aspect, the change of status quo should make for an even more thrilling season!
+ Devon and Maul once again is the highlight, thanks to animation, sound, writing, and acting
+ Putting on the pressure as the status quo is set to change
+ Making a timely comment…
+ Absolute visual and sonic delight across the board
– …but looking to miss a bigger way to speak to our world
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky and Instagram @mynockmanor.