Sunday, July 3, 2022

What I’m Watching: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Series Finale)

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Season 1, Episode 6 “Part VI” (B-)

Well, here we are, and there wasn’t ultimately a point to all of this. Reva went to the trouble of terrorizing people on Tattooine and tracking down Luke only to decide to leave him alone and then carry him back to his aunt and uncle. The only thing this really did serve to explain is why it took Darth Vader so long to find Obi-Wan since he was told by Palpatine that his obsession with his old master was making him weak. I am impressed that Ian McDiarmid continues his streak of playing Palpatine in so many projects, and it’s crazy to think that the actor is only seventy-seven, which seems young given how old and frightening he looked when he first made an appearance in the original trilogy. Ultimately, this was all just about bringing back characters for another filler adventure, one whose nostalgic nature was only emphasized by the ending scene with Liam Neeson reappearing as Qui-Gon. There are worse ways to spend time, to be sure, but I’d rather follow new characters on other adventures, or at least have something like “The Mandalorian” or “The Book of Boba Fett” which have their own character arcs and subplots that exist separate from this established mythology. Reva and the Grand Inquisitor were worthwhile enough additions, but they never had an opportunity to do much other than exist in Vader’s shadow. I’d be fine with a pre-prequel that looks at a time when Jedis thrived or even before they were renowned for their abilities, and I have a feeling we’ll see that at some point down the road. I just wish this had felt more transformative.

Series grade: B-
Series MVP: Moses Ingram as Reva

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