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Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will forever be a fan favourite. But it feels like other characters are outshining him in his own series, and this week’s episode is no different. Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part IV” stars Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Indira Varma, Vivien Lyra Blair, and Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones. It is directed by Deborah Chow and written by Joby Harold & Hannah Friedman.
Some Things Can’t Be Forgotten
Episode 4 starts with Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) getting some time in the bacta tank after the end of “Part III”. There’s a fantastic parallel here between Obi-Wan and Vader healing. They are separate, but they are both healing from something they have each done to the other. It shows the struggles they are both facing to try and live with what they have done in the past.
This episode has its moments that can be a little slow, but these are balanced with some action-packed and tense scenes. Kenobi and Tala (Indira Varma) work together and carry us through the slower scenes well. Varma is great as a double agent and her character makes sense. She is brilliant at portraying the strength and fear that would be present in that position.
McGregor is his usual self in this show; he’s great at showing a broken and struggling Kenobi. We can see how painful his past is, and how he’s still not come to terms with everything that has happened. Although we know he is not at his strongest, this episode also shows how he is trying to heal from what’s happened – both in his body and his mind.
There are times, however, when McGregor’s acting falls a little flat. It’s difficult to tell if this is an intentional choice to show that Kenobi has changed. It could also be that he is being overshadowed by the other actors in the show. Either way, for a show named after him, he doesn’t seem to be the one we’re most excited for.
The Braver You Seem…
While Obi-Wan doesn’t seem to be the main character anymore, there are a couple of characters who are. One of these is Vivien Lyra Blair as a young Princess Leia. As in all of the episodes so far, she’s still a scene-stealer and has a fantastic way of capturing the essence of Leia. The strength and stubbornness she has matches that of Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and she has really mastered this character.
In this episode, she has some incredible scenes with Moses Ingram as Reva Sevander, the Third Sister. Ingram is another actress who steals the show, and to see these two on-screen together is fantastic. Moses is brilliant at playing the manipulative, frightening inquisitor. She is chilling, cunning, and plays the part incredibly well. As much as we love Kenobi and Leia, when Reva is on screen, she’s the main character.
…The More Afraid You Are
So far, Obi-Wan Kenobi has been a different kind of show from what we’ve seen in the past from Star Wars. This episode takes a turn again, away from the crime/espionage drama we’ve seen so far. Parts of this episode feel like they would work well in a horror series, and these build up the tension nicely. A particularly intense scene comes from Obi-Wan hiding from a seeker droid. This is one of those scenes that definitely shows you that this series isn’t for kids!
While this is a solid series that has some great chills and an interesting story, there is still something lacking. Although the tension builds up well, it never really hits its full potential when Obi-Wan or Leia are involved. Maybe it’s because we know the fates of these characters, or maybe it’s something else. But so far, something is missing.
Guess You’re Soldiers Now After All
With only 2 episodes left, it will be interesting to see how they end the series. Unlike a lot of Disney+ shows, it doesn’t feel like there’s too much to cover for the last two episodes. The pacing of the show has been good, and it’s filling in some blank spaces that we all wanted to know more about. But I also feel like we’ll need to get something spectacular at the end for this series to stand out from everything else Disney is giving us at the moment.
Obi-Wan Kenobi episodes 1-4 are now available to stream on Disney+.
Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
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