– Spoiler Review –
With the Empire closing in on all sides, alliances new and old are tested like never before, while Maul confronts his past to see if he’s worthy to move forward or not in the penultimate batch of episodes for Maul: Shadow Lord season one. Check out our reviews of “Chapter 7 – Call to Oblivion” & “Chapter 8 – The Creeping Fear”!
Chapter 7 – Call to Oblivion
The Inquisitor-led hunting over for now, the various players in Maul: Shadow Lord regroup and look for a way to get off Janix. Maul’s eager to see his vision come to life, pushing himself, Devon, and poor Rylee along to his hideout in hopes he can force Devon to be his apprentice rather than wait around for her Master. Where Maul’s made progress in Devon’s point-of-view, she’s less further along than I was expecting, not resistant to Maul’s way, but steadfast in her focus on the Jedi way of life in what lies ahead. With Rylee there, who keeps looking like a deer in the headlights and certainly gets the short stick these two episodes, Devon’s instinct to protect him seems to help push her away from Maul. Yet it doesn’t help Maul’s offered choices aren’t really as free to choose as he’s trying to make them appear, as like I said earlier, he’s trying to force her hand by leading them away from her Master and towards only one way out. But as the net seems to be tightening, his carefully crafted calmness cracks, his less measured self getting the best of him as Devon attempts to flee with Rylee, away from Maul. Despite his outburst, Maul still holds himself back, not contributing much to the confrontation Devon forces by taking out her lightsaber, but it’s clear he’s frustrated and eager to see his vision come to fruition. Stormtroopers arrive and bring the moment to an end, with Rylee taken and Devon unable to stop them, but at least she escapes Maul’s presence for now and rushes to meet back up with her Master.
As expected, Captain Brander Lawson’s mind is set only on rescuing his son, ensuring he’s safe, something Daki has no trouble going along with given it would reunite him with his Padawan. Their scenes together, including when Devon finds them, are some of my favorite for Lawson, Daki, and “Chapter 7 – Call to Oblivion” itself. Daki providing the tools of the Jedi to help stop Lawson from spiraling about Rylee’s fate was a nice touch, as it goes a long way in showing how vital it’s to not let emotions control you, yet it shows both how the Jedi obviously aren’t emotionless if they know how to temper them all the time but also how it’s okay in general to have them, to express them. Lawson reveals he worked with Jedi before, showing the breadth of his experiences could make for some intriguing publishing stories. And I appreciated how Devon’s arrival heralds how she’s holding fast to the Jedi way, as Daki’s concern their presence has only made things worse shows him letting his own emotions rule him, letting fear take the wheel, and Devon’s rebuttal is both some of Maul talking but also what a Jedi Knight would’ve done, would want to do, no matter the cost to themselves if it means helping others. Daki trusts in his Padawan though, and he’s ready to team up with Brander and Devon to get Rylee back. Things don’t get too much more philosophical after these moments for this group, but it was some great interactions which fit both perfectly for this moment and also how far or how little these characters have come since we first met them.
Things are cracking at the seams because of Imperial pressure on two different fronts. For the Janix Civil Defense Force, Two Boots learns the hard way what his choices have wrought. Protocol, his preferred answer to anything and everything given he’s a programmed droid, is out the window when it comes to whatever the Imperials want. Between his boots being unacceptable and his concerns for Rylee falling on deaf ears, especially as what the officer wants to do with the boy isn’t part of protocol, the droid is finding out for fucking around. Also, these two episodes made me feel really bad for Rylee, whose father didn’t tell hm about his feelings on the Jedi and is often dismissed by everyone else besides his dad, while he really does look so totally lost in all of this. The other area things are cracking at the seams is the Mandalorian in-fighting. There were hints of discontent amongst Rook Kast’s people in “Chapter 5,” but it all comes to a head in “Chapter 7.” I’m really glad the show didn’t let this thread go and brought it to the forefront, yet it all sort of resolves itself too quickly for it to make much of an impact. Maul pushing things to force Devon’s hand not only backfires with her, but it creates other problems, as Kast forces Kebris and his fellow followers to leave their credits behind as the stormtroopers close in. They think such a choice was a mistake and it completely upends their loyalty, as Kebris seems poised to leave the crew without more credits coming, though it seems Kast is able to squash this mindset in what felt like the most appropriate manner. As more stormtroopers and the Inquisitors arrive later in the episode, Kast’s words aren’t enough as Kebris and team see it as the time to flee. They rush off to steal Maul’s ship but meet their maker shortly after, as they don’t get far flying away before the Empire’s gunships swoop in and blow them out of the sky. Fear and greed are dangerous choices, as Two Boots finds out it means their authority is being swept away because he was fearful of breaking the rules/this threat felt too big for them, while Kebris and group’s greed forced their hand and left them blind to the bigger picture, both of which are what authoritarians want us to feel and think so we feel powerless to resist them.
As Daki, Devon, and Lawson work to save Rylee, Maul and his group not only have fleeing Mandalorians to worry about, but also the Empire’s overwhelming forces. This includes not only tons of early T.K. stormtroopers, but now TWO Inquisitors. The Eleventh Brother arrives to help the First Brother, aka Marrok, and they rush off to attack Maul. The former Sith Lord holds his own against the two combatants, but his still wobbly robotic leg doesn’t help matters, leaving one to almost imagine he’d have handled them far better if he wasn’t hobbled. It’s a good, yet short battle with the three fighters, and the first really to feel more like a traditional lightsaber fight for the show. The camera is pulled out more to show all three fighters, and they move across big, open spaces unlike the tight confines of previous fights in Shadow Lord. While Maul does his best, the injured leg leaves him on the defensive too much and the two Inquisitors move in the for the kill, revealing Darth Sidious sends his regards, requesting Maul’s death. This comes into play for a very introspective “Chapter 8,” but for now, it spurs on Maul’s anger and he brings the cavern they are down around them all, the episode cutting to black.
Bonus thoughts:
- Oh, Eleventh Brother, how I’m both excited to see you because of your sick design, but also a little sad given what his first appearance even meant. The first time he shows up, it’s Ahsoka Tano’s Tales of the Jedi episodes. Though his appearance seemingly overrode the novel Ahsoka, and while the powers that be are trying to play the novel and episode as two separate events, given there’s no active attempt to remedy that, it’s still an overriding moment in most fans’ minds and hearts given Dave Filoni’s history doing so. I’m not going to go over what made it all such a problem again, though that’s in my review of those episodes.
- There’s something about steam rising from a lightsaber blade after water hits that’s just a wonderful little visual.
- Scorn’s death, one of the two Nightbrother’s with Maul’s crew, didn’t make any impact, as we never got learn much about him, what his connection was to Maul, and why he and his brother joined up. Heck, I had to look up which one died, I barely remembered who was who. But I did appreciate Rook Kast patting Icarus over his loss in “Chapter 8.”
- 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.
Chapter 8 – The Creeping Fear
For a show about Maul, he’s not totally felt like the focus at times, and is rarely on-screen alone. It’s not really been a problem, his chats with Devon have been insightful enough as is, but there are still questions I’ve been curious about, like who is he now and how has he coped with all that’s happened to him? “Chapter 8 – The Creeping Fear” not only finally digs into Maul, but it does it in such an incredible, nuanced, and fitting way, long-time fans, and even new ones, will be more than pleased. But before we really dive into that, I wanted to jump ahead towards a moment later in the episode, where Devon and Rylee get a chance to talk after he’s been rescued, and it’s actually right after Maul returns to his group after going through the mental crucible. Devon apologies to Rylee for not protecting him and he talks about his time in custody, how he’s worried he’d have said everything about Daki and Devon had he actually known anything. Devon responds with a quote worthy of the Jedi point-of-view and something anyone can apply in their own lives, but it also touches on Maul’s mental journey in the episode. She says, “Fear is natural. We just can’t allow it to control us.” Fear can come to rule anyone’s lives, from the fear of something as small as a spider, fear over passing your next big test, fear over a new role or failing at a job, to fear of anyone who isn’t like oneself. This last part is a dangerous cancer spreading through the world, especially here in the United States, where fascists prey on everyone’s fear of the ‘other’, of those who we don’t know or don’t understand, and is using it to push people apart, sowing division and chaos, and trying to create an atmosphere where marching SS soldiers like ICE is seen as a necessary step for the sake of safety and security. If you let fear control you, these are how people will manipulate your fear, making you even weaker than you were before. It’s a powerful bit of words that reaches far beyond the show, yet it does a lovely job of touching on what Maul goes through here too.
Beaten, broken, and alone, Maul has to face the voices in his head, like the cackling laughter of Sidious, his brother, and even himself, both current and a younger, more unsure and weak version of himself. We get a fascinating glimpse into his past, like the moments when Sidious took him away and some early training, but also some key scenes from more recent events. Yet while these are neat to see and do a lot, especially for new viewers, to glimpse inside him, what Maul does in these scenes, how he responds to seeing it all played before him again, is exactly what the show needed. Whereas Devon and the Jedi don’t let fear control them, Maul wallows in it to start. He’s fearful he’ll not get his revenge, for his mother and brother, and that Sidious will win. These memories only serve to feed into the fear, pointing out how powerless he’s been against Sidious’ machinations so far. Yet as the visions clear, Maul sticks to the Sith way of emotions, taking his fear and bleeding it into anger, which gives way to hate. In a way, he doesn’t let his fear control him either. Instead, he embraces it and uses it to stoke the fire inside, rekindle it after the loss he just took. As he stumbles his way back to his group, he falls, exhausted, and confronts the fearful little Maul deep inside. But instead of hating him like he did at the start, Maul consoles his past self and promises him, and therefore himself, his brother, and his mother, that Sidious won’t be able to do this to anyone else ever again (and damn Witwer for a helluva performance during this scene!). Maul’s story is nothing but a tragedy, especially as we know now how it ends, his revenge painfully unsuccessful, and this moment adds even more emotional depth to his final ones in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s arms. Now we see Maul wanted to prevent more people being hurt in the way he was, and while it might mean others would be hurt along the way, so be it, just as long as no more poor little Mauls and their families were harmed. And no one breaks down this moment in a little Bluesky thread better than James, who famously gave “Twin Suns” one of the most intense, insightful, and loving break downs ever imagined. In the end, while we might not get something like this for awhile, it’s everything we needed anyways.
A smaller observation, but I adore Shadow Lord‘s choice to have Daki so confident in Devon. It’s a refreshing difference in a Master/Padawan relationship, as we’re often trained to see the Master as the admonishing adult and the Padawan as the reckless student, buckling against authority, but not the case with Daki and Devon. Heck, the show started with Daki trusting Devon enough to be taken into police custody. And not questioning her too much despite her time with Maul. And in “Chapter 8”, we hear more of his confidence in her and see more of why he’s so confident. In terms of examples, the Rylee rescue sequence is some top-tier Devon content, as it showcases why she’s an excellent Jedi no matter the circumstances. Tasked with finding a speeder to flee the scene with, Devon encounters a group of big, imposing aliens when she finds what she’s looking for. While we don’t get to see her knock them out, her little satisfied grin moments before she does, as well as the playful music choice, tell us all we need to about it and her confidence in even herself. The entire chase sequence, much long Devon’s flying, shows her deft skills and improvisation. The moment Devon and Daki team up to take out the two speeder bikes chasing them, including Daki launching one at a pursuing gunship, was brilliant and had me shouting. Nothing like seeing a Master and Apprentice working in lockstep, even in the darkest of times for the Order. And as for hearing more of Daki’s confidence in Devon, towards the final moments of “The Creeping Fear”, as Brander, Rylee, Two Boots, Daki, and Devon approach a rendezvous point with Rheena Sul, Devon senses the trap, maybe by sensing the Inquisitors, and Daki supports her suspicions. It turns out to be true, as much as Brander didn’t want to believe it, and the group manages to avoid it, just barely. Where will they go from here? How else do the expect to get off-planet and away from the Empire?
The same question remains for Maul and his crew, yet even as the Empire closes in and his options seem limited, Vario gets an interesting call. Its Dryden Vos, the head of Crimson Dawn who worked under Maul before the end of the Clone Wars, and he’s looking for a meeting. Maybe Vos’ connections will allow him to get to Janix and take Maul away, right under everyone’s noses. Or else whomever Marrok called is still on their way, ready to throw one more wrench into Maul’s plans. We’ll just have to wait and see when the final two episodes premiere on May the Fourth aka Star Wars Day!
Bonus Thoughts:
- The POV shot for Rheena turning on the Imperials was a neat choice and gave a little more tragedy to her potential final moments. Hope it’s not truly the last of her for the show!
- Glad Two Boots got his programming out of his rear socket and helped Rylee escape.
- Good little insights into Spybot’s noises, how they recorded a whole police radio for the show, and the overall sound design from Sound Supervisor David W. Collins!
- The updated trivia page reveals an American Graffiti reference, how Joel Aaron made the flashbacks in the smoke (literally), and more!
- I’ll be curious where season 2 of Shadow Lord goes, as focusing on the tragedy of Maul’s life and plans means we might get to see him come to find out about the Fermata Cage and conceive of his grand plan, one that Qi’ra does her damned best to fulfill as seen in the big crossover events of War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, and Hidden Empire.
Maul: Shadow Lord‘s “Chapter 7 – Call to Oblivion” & “Chapter 8 – The Creeping Fear” keep up some palpable tension as the Empire continues to overwhelm, causing fractures big and small amongst the shows many characters. Things get downright memorable as Maul must survive a trip down memory lane, while Devon’s confidence shows in exciting ways, while her comment about fear reflects on the show and the world around it. How will Shadow Lord‘s first season all wrap up? We’ll know very soon!
+ Maul exploration and how he deals with his fear
+ A vote of confidence in Devon
+ Lovely performances and neat visuals, especially for the lightsaber battle and Maul’s memories
– Scorn, schmorn, but Rheena gone too soon
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky and Instagram @mynockmanor.
MAUL: SHADOW LORD REVIEWS
Season One: Series Premiere “Chapter 1 – The Dark Revenge” & “Chapter 2 – Sinister Schemes” | “Chapter 3 – Whispers in the Unknown” & “Chapter 4 – Pride and Vengeance” | “Chapter 5 – Inquisition” & “Chapter 6 – Night of the Hunted”