Part VI
**The following contains spoilers through Part VI of Obi-Wan Kenobi**
Let the record show that I may have overreacted at times during the finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi due to some overtiredness and nostalgia bias, and those overreactions may bleed over into this review.
But, amidst some of the mess and clutter of the plot of the series (which although being extremely straightforward still manages to be hard to explain?), the finale delivered some fantastic moments and an incredible showcase of some of the talent involved.
Firstly, kudos to Deborah Chow for making each lightsaber battle in this series memorable, and not just memorable but memorable in its own way. Starting with the 40-point blowout of Vader over Obi-Wan in which the latter didn’t even record a first down, through the raid on the Imperial fortress and the underwater corridors, right down through to Vader vs. Obi-Wan part 3 (I’m including Revenge of the Sith‘s Mustafar duel), each action sequence featuring lightsabers is different from the other, and has plenty of unique and memorable moments. One of the strengths of the sequel trilogy was the ability to create new and unique settings and action for the lightsaber battles, and while I do worry that at some point they will begin to feel familiar and repetitive, in this series they certainly eased my worry for now.
The highlight of the finale, and in fact the entire series, was the duel on the rocky planet between Vader and Obi-Wan, concluding with Obi-Wan rising to his peak power again, once again claiming the high ground and defeating Vader, slicing open his helmet to reveal the charred husk of a man who remains inside. This Vader isn’t conflicted, he’s not sad about what he has done, unlike Anakin still seems to be at the end of Revenge of the Sith, this Vader is angry and vengeful, with no remorse for any actions, and this scene leaves you truly believing he cannot be reconciled and there is no Anakin left inside the suit.
Hayden Christensen presumably didn’t have a whole lot to do in the six-series run – he’s openly said in interviews that some scenes featured taller doubles wearing the suit – but man, the scenes he does get, he nails. The flashback from the previous episode was awesome, and in the climactic duel when the helmet gets partially sliced open, he really gets his moment to shine. Displaying the anger and rage that he only partially got to tap into in the prequels, his “Anakin is gone, I am what remains” is equally chilling and heartbreaking, and as I said above, almost makes you forget that in Return of the Jedi he does find his redemption and returns to being Anakin.
The anguish and rage that Christensen puts on display is magnified by the blending of his voice with James Earl Jones’s; a sound choice that really amplified (pun intended) how chilling the scene was. While it kind of echoes and pays homage to Revenge of the Sith in many ways, it still feels different, in large part because of the suit, but also because Obi-Wan now fully realizes that all hope is lost, and that’s why we don’t get any redemption attempts when they face off on the Death Star in A New Hope. We understand Obi-Wan’s perspective now, and don’t have to wonder “hey why didn’t Obi-Wan try to save Anakin one last time before giving himself up to the Force?” And while I’ve mentioned it already, the sound mixing which combines Christensen and Jones’s voices is one of the most chilling and goosebump-inducing things in any Star Wars production, and left me breathless.
As for the duel itself, the action was incredible. The rocky setting played well to the action Chow put into play, and the light of the lightsabers lighting the scene made for another visually great scene. It does lend itself a bit to the classic “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie” meme as Obi-Wan had to stage a big comeback after almost being buried alive, but I think it works in the setting of the show. Vader is discovering and beginning to display just how dominant he can be, but he’s not quite polished yet and so still has his weaknesses, allowing Obi-Wan to defeat him in the end. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan has gone from tired, aging meat farmer (remember that was a thing in Part I?) to being completely demolished and almost killed by Vader, to rediscovering his form as a superstar lightsaber wielder. The arc of the duel reflects the arc of the show in this way, so while I am really tired of “oh here’s the hero almost dying but coming back to win the day” I am fine with how it plays out here.
As for post-duel, Vader’s interaction with the Emperor reinforces that he’s not yet at the height of his real power as the Emperor’s number one enforcer. When Palpatine questions his loyalty, Vader doesn’t hesitate and we know this time he means it, while in Revenge of the Sith, as I said, Anakin still seems conflicted by who his friends are and should be. I wonder if this is going to lead into a Vader spin-off series which shows him working out the kinks in his physicality and rising to the height of his power, which is clearly where he’s at when Rogue One takes place (Exhibit A: Corridor scene).
As a sidenote, I kind of wish we do get a Vader spin-off series; Christensen helming it would be ideal, and gives us more opportunities to dive into Order 66 flashbacks, or other Anakin moments, and he and Iain McDiarmid have long spoken fondly of each other, so do the right thing and reunite those two please Disney, thank you.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan returns to Alderaan in what feels like a super ill-advised visit, but it gives us a chance to see him and Leia interact one more time (remember, they don’t actually see each other in A New Hope). When he tells her all of her best qualities come from each of her parents, it was a super emotional moment which we truly 100% believe.
Then, upon his return to Tatooine to check in on the Lars family, Owen asks him “Do you wanna meet him” in a gruff but heartfelt way (classic Uncle Owen, oh how little we knew ye), and then just as we’re ready to see this timeless relationship begin, OBI-WAN SAYS THE THING! Yes, his “Hello there” is a classic meme but it feels totally earned and deserved here. And getting to witness his meeting Luke for the first time is incredibly rewarding, especially considering we know how their relationship gets expanded upon in the original trilogy. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a bit emotional in both of Obi-Wan’s encounters with the Skywalker kids, as they both felt like the ending and the beginning of beautiful friendships.
Speaking of beautiful friendships, the Qui-Gon cameo which was teased throughout the series finally arrived. It wasn’t a huge shock to me because of how often it was teased, and was maybe shorter than I hoped but the payoff was still really great. Seeing Liam Neeson return to the body (well, ghost body) of a fan-favourite Jedi was really awesome, and his exchange with Obi-Wan was perfect. These are two actors who have really found themselves since 1999’s The Phantom Menace and it was fun to see them interacting again.
I’d like to pick some nits with Reva’s B&E at the Lars farm; you’re telling me Owen and Beru can hold off a lightsaber-armed Inquisitor with a couple of blaster rifles, but nine years later can’t do the same against a few Stormtroopers, the guys who are notoriously infamous for being terrible shots? I get that they need to defend Luke, where in A New Hope they’re trying not to give up information, but still, I’d like to think that they’d be a little more incapable in the show.
Speaking of Reva, I’ll be interested to see if she has more of a storyline moving forward. It would make sense for her to pop up in shows like Ahsoka or even Andor, but I’d be curious to see what state she’s in after her failed attempt to…capture? Kill? Save? Luke from his home on Tatooine. It’s interesting that there is another person with a potential for evil who now knows that Luke Skywalker on Tatooine is the son of Vader, and it means if Reva were to appear in other shows she would be an incredibly complex character. I think it would make sense for her to show up in Ahsoka especially given their shared history of being former Jedi who have some darker tendencies.
I’m also interested to see if Rupert Friend’s Grand Inquisitor re-appears in any productions. There was no real reason for bringing him back in this show, other than because he’s Rupert Friend and he’s amazing. If there’s no spin-offs or no further appearances by the Grand Inquisitor, then the whole resurrection was super pointless and is kind of a weird black mark on the show. However, I think he’s poised to pop up in other shows – and on that note, I think he’d make for a great adversary-but-not-enemy of Vader if he ever got his own spin-off.
Obi-Wan Kenobi as a whole was a pretty great series. It was great to live in the nostalgia of having Ewan McGregor return, and seeing Hayden Christensen back in action was phenomenal too. But the show itself was well made, with great sequences, characters and acting in every episode we got.
Now, let me be clear that I have seen and read many of the gripes and complaints about the show. The continuity it might ruin for Episode IV, the slow start, the lull in the middle, etc etc. These are things fans are just going to have to deal with the more we get pulled back into the middle of the Skywalker saga timeline. I feel like I need a separate blog post with Andor around the corner about the problems that diving back into this timeline creates, but giving Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen another chance to portray these beloved characters was not a misstep, in my opinion. Chow’s penchant for directing high stakes action and making each sequence feel different was definitely a strength of the series, but I wish we had seen more of Anakin either through flashback or mirage – and I wonder now that he’s back in the fold, if we’ll see him pop up in any of the upcoming series.
Is this show top-tier Star Wars? No, the quality isn’t top-tier. But it is very good, and definitely good enough to keep me coming back for more. I know I will continue to dive head-first into any and all Star Wars content they give me, whether it be on Disney+ or in theatres (whenever that latter one happens, I’ll be first in line).
Talking Films 