– Spoiler Review –
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s premiere episode beat expectations and brought promise, which adds even more pressure to its second episode, simply titled “Part II,” that it catapults with ease as it builds on the opening’s themes and story threads.
Pulled out of his hermitage and miasma of defeat and guilt by the call to action to save Leia Organa in “Part I,” Obi-Wan arrives on Daiyu, her kidnappers’ last know location, at the start of “Part II.” While Obi-Wan here feels closer to his Attack of the Clones detective days, from how he gets acclimated to the planet and its ways, uncovering a con-man Jedi scheme, and sneaking through the glitterstim facility where Leia’s being held captive, the rust is hard for him to shake, as he struggles in a fight, using the Force in a pivotal moment, and…needs to work on his manners. There’s a roughness not just to his actions and methods, but the way he is with the people he meets and eventually with Leia, his usual charm and smile replaced with a gun (so uncivilized, dude!) and a desperate look, causing Leia to doubt the benevolence of her rescuer and shaking our confidence in the man to pull off this mission (despite knowing the outcome); you’d never think the guy worked with younglings! Ewan’s performance in the opening episode is what anchored the show, his stoic, nervous energy displacing him from the Obi-Wan we knew, and I love what he brings here once he starts interacting with Vivien Lyra Blair’s Leia and as he begins to brush off the rust by being out on a mission of life and death importance again. His struggle to use the Force, to grab Leia in its embrace before she falls to her death, looks almost painful, like reaching back into a nightmare-filled memory, as I imagine the Force must feel like to him knowing what it can bring, the Inquisitors, and how he likely feels it didn’t help him with Anakin. But it’s his banter with Blair that really brings out the best of Ewan, and really proves how amazing a pick she was for the role, and I look forward to them being companions on the journey ahead. When Obi-Wan finds himself comparing Leia to Padmé, the melancholy laden smile Ewan breaks out hit me in the gut while making so excited to see this show dig into even more of his emotional trauma, the ending of the episode promising more.
After some interactions with young street urchins, looking for any leads, Obi-Wan’s pointed towards the planet’s supposed Jedi, Haja (Kumail Nanjiani). I don’t want to ever type cast the comedian, like look at The Big Sick, but it doesn’t take long to see through Haja’s act, though he plays the con man ‘Jedi’ so well it’s easily forgivable, especially since his tricks are all in an effort to help people…and taking most of their credits. When Obi-Wan confronts him, he initially plays into the charade, but then he pulls a gun on him, calling him a vermin, a bottom-feeder, and while he’s not terribly wrong, it also felt like Obi-Wan confronting himself. The Jedi who died in the opening episode was at least trying to help people and now this con man is trying to help people and help himself by pretending to be a Jedi, but together haven’t they done more than he has these past 10 years? He’s hidden for so long, who has he helped, how has been a Jedi like he used to be, so adherent to the code? Seeing someone use the goodwill of the Jedi to their advantage rankles him, but the idea Haja’s done more than Obi-Wan probably hurts most. Haja points him in the right direction, leading him to the facility Leia’s held in, and later when the Inquisitors know Obi-Wan’s there, he comes to their aide again, giving them a way off planet the Empire hasn’t blocked yet. There’s a heart underneath those credits Haja rakes in, and I hope seeing how even this supposed vermin can be helpful, without even using the Force, without really calling attention to himself, will help Obi-Wan see how he can still make a difference even after this current mission.
Reva’s ambition, while normally a requisite for dark siders, is causing problems within the Inquisitorious. The Grand Inquisitor sidelines her after she hired the crew to kidnap a Senator’s daughter, even if it seems he’s happy with the results, but that doesn’t stop her from going on the prowl to locate and get Obi-Wan herself. The Fifth Brother, who cautioned her in the opening episode, isn’t as chummy this time around, while we only really get to see the Fourth Sister (Rya Kihlsedt). The Grand Inquisitor wants them to hunt Obi-Wan down themselves, even if he really is on the planet, but Reva lacks any patience, having the crew she hired send out a bounty on Obi-Wan to all the hunters in the city, which is the exact wrong time for Leia to doubt her protector and suddenly he’s chasing her down while being chased down. It’s chaotic fun to watch but very stressful to Obi-Wan, Leia’s defiance hard for him to deal with. Reva awaits on the rooftops to see what her actions have wrought on the city and spies Obi-Wan and Leia fleeing. While she doesn’t get to them in time, she finds Haja and interrogates him Kylo Ren style, alerting her to the cargo transport space he sent them to. She goes alone, eager to prove herself, eager to taunt Obi-Wan, whose actions, or the fallout from his actions she perceives to be his fault, have brought her to where she is today. She stalks him in the hanger, giving me Vader wandering around the throne room in Return of the Jedi while Luke hides, and she drops a bomb on Obi-Wan: Anakin Skywalker is still alive…and he’s the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader. Frozen by this news, Obi-Wan manages to sneak away thanks to interference by the Grand Inquisitor, whom Reva confronts and…stabs through the chest?! We know ol’ Grandy survives, but this was quite the surprise, and maybe it’s the first hint he gains of learning there are fates worse than death? I’ll be curious to see if Reva will face any repercussions for her betrayal, as I suspect Vader will reward her actions, not reprimand her…and now I really need to know how/why she thinks Obi-Wan hurt her so (and if it connects to those younglings in Part I)! And also…how does she know Vader is Anakin? Does he know she knows?! So many great questions expanding an already fascinating character! Moses Ingram is a blessing to have bring Reva to life, as she imbues her ambition and anger, her desire to make Obi-Wan pay, it’s a little unsettling (in a good way) to watch.
Obi-Wan looks shaken to his core at the knowledge his greatest failure can haunt him physically now, not just in his dreams. And as he mentally confronts the possibility, we see Darth Vader for the first time in the series, menacing even though he’s in his bacta tank, his iconic breathing taking over until it’s all you can hear. Now that the can of worms have been opened…when will we see the Dark Lord confront his old master, friend, and brother?!
Here are a few other things:
- Deborah Chow needs all the Star Wars live-action directing gigs after her amazing showing so far between this show and The Mandalorian!
- Natalie Holt’s score has been slaying it these first two episodes, driving a lot of the tension and action here, feeling dynamic even though it’s all prerecorded!
- How cool was it to see Temuera Morrison as the disheveled and abandoned clonetrooper Obi-Wan runs into?! I have a good feeling, or at least a lot of hope, it’s not the last time we’ll see him in clone armor…
- Is this lowkey going to become the reason Leia wants to name her son Ben?
- As far as musician cameos on Star Wars TV, Flea’s felt the most extensive, but it got cut short (get it?…sorry, not sorry).
- Leia’s little droid, Lola, is already a toy you can preorder! This is giving me BB-8 Sphero toy vibes from 2015, I need this so bad!
- The street urchin who offered Obi-Wan drugs, Tetha Grig? Played by Ewan’s daughter!
- Kumail took to Twitter to show off his character’s poster!
- I mean, this is no surprise that none of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be from the beautiful Kenobi Legends novel, but director Deborah Chow read it to help establish a tone she was going for, which is very fitting!
- I want more of these: a video of Ewan, Hayden, and Moses guessing if a word is just a word or one from Star Wars!
Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part II” expands on all the promise of the premiere in every way and ends with more to look forward to!
+ Leia and Obi-Wan clashing and bonding
+ Reva’s ambition
+ Exploring Obi-Wan emotional cracks
+ Con man Jedi
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
OBI-WAN KENOBI SERIES REVIEWS
Part I | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI