The Short Take:
A tense and terrifying episode with emotional heft to match. The superb writing and direction show no signs of slowing down.
[The SPOILER fight is done. I lost and cannot discuss this show without spoiling it for you. Please watch the series to date and return for an in-depth breakdown.]
The Long Take:
My pulse quickened and never slowed.
The suspense in this episode, especially considering the context, is miraculous. This is a sequel to The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith and a prequel to A New Hope. We know what happens to Obi-Wan Kenobi on either end of the timeline. And yet.
And yet I was still on the edge of my seat, stressing about these characters. I know Kenobi must survive to meet Luke on Tatooine in A New Hope, but that did not stop me from genuinely fearing for his life as he faced an indomitable Vader. Similarly, I know that Leia must survive to reappear later in the Star Wars timeline, and yet I still worried for her safety. I was legitimately scared during this episode. This is an amazing feat, and is what I would consider this third episode’s biggest strength.
I largely credit the brilliant suspense to Chow’s direction. Earlier in the episode, I was already concerned about the Empire discovering Obi-Wan and Leia, but the camerawork in the scene at the storm trooper checkpoint stood out to me as an especially effective way to build tension before a sudden release of action. A probe droid slowly approaches to scan Obi-Wan’s face and the camera cuts to the silhouette of a hooded Obi-Wan in the center of the frame. The camera floats towards him, imitating the movement of the probe droid, as he pushes Leia behind him and shifts his weight between his feet, almost like a boxer preparing for a fight.
The camera then cuts to a side angle so we can see what’s at stake: Leia is behind Obi-Wan and the threat — two storm troopers and the probe droid — is in front of him. Then we get an extreme close-up of the menacing probe droid, in Obi-Wan’s face as the storm troopers tell him to lift his head. We then get quicker cuts between the probe droid and a literal target on Obi-Wan’s face until he fires at the probe droid and the fight for their lives begins. Thrilling! (I’m going to try really hard not to say “thrilling” too many times during this review.)
And, of course, the fight between Obi-Wan and Vader later in the episode is as beautiful as it is devastating. The shaky cam and the jump scares start to push the episode towards horror. The sequence in which Obi-Wan spins around and around and we see extreme close-ups of either his face with the lightsaber in front of it or just the tip of the lightsaber is expertly shot and edited because it creates a sense of disorientation and frenzy. The whirring of the blue lightsaber no longer registers as a sound of confidence and control, but as a panicked buzzing.
As a minor complaint, the logistical sense in some of these scenes gets a little too muddy, perhaps in an attempt to disorient the viewer and create this surreal horror effect. My friend and colleague P.T. McNiff very astutely pointed out that the blocking in some of the action scenes is a little clunky. While, like P.T., I was confused about the logistics of the tunnel — how did Reva manage to avoid Tala but get in front of Leia? — I did not notice on a first pass that Obi-Wan running from Vader wasn’t particularly coherent. Again, this may have been deliberate for effect, but I think we could have kept the shaky, frenetic camerawork that I loved in these scenes while still staging the fight in a way that was edited more legibly.
Regardless of any minor notes, Chow’s ability to create suspense and horror is especially impressive when I consider what we could have easily gotten instead: the epic, spectacular lightsaber duel that I thought I wanted in anticipation of the series.
In general, I have appreciated the restraint Deborah Chow and Joby Harold have exercised throughout the show so far. In Part 1, for example, Bail Organa’s final line to Obi-Wan could have so easily been, “you’re her only hope.” My fan receptors would have enjoyed that callback, of course, but that would not have made for better storytelling. Chow and Joby knew that a direct callback in that moment would cross a fan service or nostalgia line.
In this episode, I see that same restraint at play. When Vader first arrives on the scene, we get the tell-tale exhalation, a shadow of him on the wall, and then finally see him brutalizing the villagers. But we never hear the Imperial March that so often accompanies his entrances. Again, I can see how some may be disappointed that we didn’t hear John Williams’ iconic melody, but I thought the silence made Vader that much more terrifying. As a viewer I like the foreboding music, but Vader doesn’t need it because he is powerful and frightful enough on his own. Later on, we could have gotten a very different match-up between Vader and Obi-Wan, one in which Obi-Wan looked cooler and stronger. He could have struggled for a minute or two and then conveniently rediscovered his link to the Force in order to give Vader and us a grander duel, more in keeping with his peak form from Revenge of the Sith.
By making it clear that Obi-Wan stands no chance against Vader at this point in the timeline, Chow says, “I know you think you want Obi-Wan to fight Vader, but here’s why you don’t actually want Obi-Wan to fight Vader.” Vader even says to Obi-Wan that “The years have made you weak.” This reflects a thoughtfulness and care with the narrative of this series and how it fits into the larger context of the franchise.
Ewan McGregor plays this scene in a way that supports Chow’s more grounded vision for the duel because he looks like a scared old man who knows his limits. He knows he can’t fight Vader, and yet he must distract him by running from him long enough to allow Leia to escape. He constantly looks over his shoulder to figure out the next place to run and hide. He uses his lightsaber to burst a valve that releases gas to confuse Vader in a way that exhibits intelligent strategy and a lack of hubris. Incidentally, Ewan McGregor has said in interviews that it wasn’t very difficult for him to act scared because being on set with Vader was actually intimidating in real life. He says, “It was like I was six again…It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.’” Me too, Ewan. Me too.
I’ve focused on the suspense and action thus far, but I should note that I care about the outcome of these intense, well-constructed action scenes because a compelling emotional subtext bubbles underneath. The episode very smartly opens with Obi-Wan meditating and remembering key pieces of dialogue uttered by various characters. He rehashes the information Reva gives him in the previous episode, he hears Anakin expressing anger towards him in Revenge of the Sith, and remembers Qui-Gon Jinn asking him to “train the boy” in The Phantom Menace. He finishes by saying (presumably to Qui-Gon), “He’s coming master.” So all of the psychological trauma of Obi-Wan’s past, which the first two episodes sufficiently recap, becomes intertwined with the dread of physical facing and fighting Vader.
During the duel, one of the few things Obi-Wan says to Vader is “What have you become?” His response is simple yet indicting: “I am what you made me.” The guilt and shame from the first episode comes flooding back in this moment, and it’s gut-wrenching. Similarly, when Leia asks Obi-Wan about her biological parents, his answers re-contextualize his self-sacrifice to save Leia (trying to bait Vader into chasing him) as an attempt to make amends. He can’t go back in time to prevent Anakin from becoming Vader, but maybe he can save Anakin’s daughter.
In spite of all the violence, darkness, and terror from the Empire and Vader, this episode in many ways is about how Obi-Wan finds hope again. He sees the underground network, the proto-Rebellion, risking their lives to ferry fugitive Jedi and Force-sensitive children to safety. He recognizes fellow Jedi Quinlan Vos on the walls of the secret tunnel’s entrance and realizes that the path of isolation he has chosen is not the only one. Quinlan Vos, by the way, most notably appears in Season 3 Episode 9 of The Clone Wars animated series, “Hunt for Ziro.” Vos and Kenobi work together to track down Ziro the Hutt after Cad Bane (the infamous bounty hunter we recently saw in The Book of Boba Fett) breaks him out of prison.
The strength and charisma of a new character played by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Tala, seals the deal here, though. Her character introduction was a clever surprise, as she looks so imposing as an imperial officer. She’s extremely capable, no-nonsense, and fearless, and yet when Obi-Wan asks her why she does this she replies with “I joined up when the Empire stood for something. By the time I realized what they really were…it was too late. I made some mistakes.” Obi-Wan says, “We all did.” It’s very clear that the writing here intends to draw a parallel between Tala’s and Obi-Wan’s guilt and amends. While he chose to shut himself away, she has chosen to forgive herself and act. She’s the one who convinces Obi-Wan that there are people who want to fight the good fight, and that he does not have to go it alone.
This show — which, again, could have easily fallen prey to empty fan service at the expense of telling a compelling story — has blessed us with so many new characters like Tala. Reva is the next who comes to mind, especially after this episode, when we see her once again showing up her fellow Inquisitors by sussing out the secret path that Tala and her compatriots have established to undermine the Inquisitorius’ Jedi-cide. I thought Moses Ingram’s fuming when she realizes what has been going on right under their noses was great. Peak villain stuff right there. She’s clearly the smartest and most ruthless in the room, and Vader recognizes this. I am an utter wreck contemplating what she’s going to try to do to little Leia next week.
And yet, I’m still kind of rooting for her to one-up the other Inquisitors. Moses Ingram recently shared a sampling of racist hate DMs that she has received since the series premiered, and, for me, the strength of her performance — the fact that I am interested in her character’s motivations and ambitions — underscores how these messages are not about her work at all. If others have not connected with Reva as a villain and as a character, that’s, of course, fine, as long as they are respectful about it. But there’s no denying that the Yale-trained actress isn’t giving her all in every episode.
The conversation Reva and Vader have on Mustafar makes me suspect that Reva isn’t the only one at odds with the Grand Inquisitor. Perhaps Vader himself doesn’t see eye to eye with him and uses Reva to knock him off the board. There’s clearly admiration on her face when she sees Vader snapping necks and choking innocents to find Obi-Wan, indicating that they share a hatred and more extreme approach towards the Jedi. Vader also says that he doesn’t care about avenging the Grand Inquisitor, but that he only cares about Obi-Wan. This supports the idea that he’s given Reva her own orders to track down Obi-Wan, counter to the Inquisitorius’ and the Empire’s priorities. Vader says, “I’ve been watching you, third sister. I know what it is you seek. Prove yourself, and the position of Grand Inquisitor is yours.” This tells me that a.) Reva’s pursuit of Obi-Wan isn’t personal; she just wants to be in charge and b.) that Vader sees her as at best an ally and at worst a means to an ends, leveraging her ambition to fulfill his own personal vendetta.
I think this personal vendetta and Anakin/Vader’s personal issues will emerge more in the coming weeks. This first encounter between Vader and Obi-Wan feels like just the first of several (or at least two) because they didn’t actually get to say much to each other. An action-heavy demonstration of Vader’s power this time forces Obi-Wan to confront the monster he has created with his mistakes. Their next meeting will hopefully include more of that emotional reckoning. Considering previous films that take place after this series, we know that Vader will likely not forgive Obi-Wan. His reconciliation will have to wait until Luke brings him back to the light in Return of the Jedi. But perhaps what Obi-Wan can say to Vader in this series will help him forgive himself.