What I’m Watching: History of the World Part II

History of the World Part II: Season 1, Episode 6 “Part VI” (B)

I didn’t enjoy the Jesus recording sessions as much as the previous skits with Quinta Brunson, J.B. Smoove, Zazie Beetz, and Jay Ellis, but I did appreciate the obvious reference to Mary as Yoko and Judas pointing out that the shofar was broken. We also got the conclusion to the Civil War, which ended with the three dim-witted soldiers venturing left to California only to encounter terrible traffic on a Tuesday afternoon as they were on their way to a Mel Brooks TV show audition. I was pleased to recognize Jack McBrayer as General Lee by his voice since it was hard to tell who he was with the beard, and Jason Alexander was a fun choice to play the late-arriving notary who accidentally brought his mohel kit. I saw Hannah Einbinder’s name in the credits and couldn’t figure out who she was but realized that she played Amelia Earhart in the Bermuda Triangle sketch where “pilot” was evidently code for lesbian. I appreciated the tie-in with Khan from a few episodes ago with Khancestry.com and the drive to be “the spawn of Khan,” and it was fun to see it end up as a thread in the Steven Santelmo Statue Removal and Supply ads. The “topping tools you need” and a thought that “maybe you love statues” were fun excerpts from a running segment that did a great job poking fun at the symbolic nature of removing a problematic figure and the aftermath no one asks about which could certainly lead to the repurposing of something in a completely new way for an entirely different audience.

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