Warning! Spoilers ahead for episode 4 ofObi-Wan Kenobi.
Lucasfilm’s latestStar Warsstreaming series,Obi-Wan Kenobi, is past the middle of its six-episode run. At this point in mostStar Warsor Marvel-based Disney+ shows, there have usually been a couple of duds that let down the consistency of the story. But, so far, every episode ofObi-Wan Kenobihas been a strong piece of television and a vital juncture in Kenobi’s journey. Last week’s cliffhanger risked repetitive storytelling with Leia once again being kidnapped, this time by Reva, and Obi-Wan once again setting out to save her. Fortunately, “Part IV” avoids feeling repetitive with all-new stories, stakes, and settings.
The fourth episode ofObi-Wan Kenobiis essentiallyaMandalorian-style standalone adventure. Obi-Wan sets out on yet another Leia rescue mission, infiltrating an underwater Imperial facility to save her from an Inquisitor interrogation. Despite the standalone nature of the story, director Deborah Chow keeps juggling all the show’s running threads. Obi-Wan is still a rusty Force user re-learning his clairvoyant abilities. Leia remains as plucky as ever, although her fearlessness is tested by Force-brainwashing and torture droids. Vivien Lyra Blair continues to knock all the one-liners out of the park (i.e. “Is this a staring contest?”), but she also conveys the terror of a 10-year-old being strapped into a torture machine.
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“Part IV” maintains the series’ tricky tonal balance between telling a fun-filled space adventure story andexploring a darker, more grizzled Kenobi. There are some truly powerful, poignant moments in this episode. Ewan McGregor beautifully captures the immense pain behind Obi-Wan’s eyes as he stumbles upon the Empire’s mass Jedi grave, like Mr. Incredible finding out Syndrome killed all his superhero buddies.
Chow makes dazzling use of light and color when Obi-Wan saves Leia from a darkened torture chamber. The ominous red glow of her Stormtrooper guards is disrupted byObi-Wan gloriously igniting his blue lightsaber, illuminating his own thrilling return to action. This mixture of red and blue light continues in the hallway shootout. The flurry of blue and red – red lasers flying past a swinging blue lightsaber blade – can be seen to represent the blurred line between the light and dark sides of the Force. This is arguably the central theme of the series, as that dichotomy has always been best exemplified by the complicated rivalry between Obi-Wan and Vader.
“Part IV” doesn’t have nearlyas much Vader action as “Part III,”but after his shocking brutality in that episode, audiences needed a break. Structurally,Obi-Wan Kenobihas taken an interesting approach to Vader’s return. Instead of saving the Kenobi/Vader rematch for the finale, Chow made it the midpoint of the series (and made it a hopeless defeat). After 10 years out of the game, Kenobi didn’t stand a chance against Vader in last week’s episode – his fallen padawan literally wiped the floor with him. Now, in the second half of its run, the series is building to another Kenobi/Vader standoff as Obi-Wan recovers from his injuries, retunes his Force powers, and prepares for a second, more evenly matched fight.
O’Shea Jackson, Jr. and Maya Erskine join the cast this week as a pair of Jedi sympathizers. The massively talented stars ofStraight Outta ComptonandPEN15, respectively, are massively underutilized in this episode with what are basically bit parts. Hopefully, these actors are being set up for a larger role in the series’ remaining installments. Still, in lieu of developing the supporting characters, Chow is focused on developingthe heartwarming father-daughter dynamic between Obi-Wan and Leia. Their sweet, endearing friendship is stronger than ever in “Part IV.”
The closer Obi-Wan gets to Leia, more and more minor plot holes keep cropping up in the originalStar Warsmovie. InGeorge Lucas’ 1977 classic(which was made half a century ago when shared cinematic universes didn’t exist outside the James Bond andPlanet of the Apesfranchises), Leia’s message to Obi-Wan and her limited emotional response to his untimely death seemed to imply that they’d never met before. But these little inconsistencies are more than forgivable, because in the context of this story, Obi-Wan’s growing bond with Leia is giving the series a compelling, heartfelt emotional throughline.
The episode’s use of a “deus ex machina” ending is pretty disappointing. Obi-Wan, Leia, and Tala aren’t saved from the Third Sister by any decision or feat of heroism by one of them; it’s just dumb luck that their reinforcements happen to arrive at the exact right time. But the three heroes did so much to get themselves that far that a little outside help can be allowed. On top of that, the rescue turns out to be meaningless as Reva has put a tracking device on their ship so they won’t haveescaped the Empire’s clutchesfor long. Overall, “Part IV” is a fun, emotional standaloneStar Warsadventure, but with just two episodes left, the series needs to start building to its resolution next week.
