Warning! Spoilers ahead for episode 3 of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Most Disney+ miniseries start to drag in the middle of their run – after the premiere has made the introductions and before the finale brings everything together – but Obi-Wan Kenobi’s third episode is even stronger than the first two. The latest installment of the Deborah Chow-helmed Kenobi spin-off is fast-paced, action-packed, and it’s already delivering on the show’s most exciting promise with plenty of Vader action. When Lucasfilm first announced that Obi-Wan Kenobi would feature a rematch between Kenobi and Vader a decade after their duel on Mustafar and a decade before their duel on the Death Star, it seemed likely that the showrunners would save that clash for the finale. But “Part III” is already there, and the stage is set for the second half of the series to get even bigger, even bolder, and even more cinematic from here.
A lot of recent Disney+ I.P. expansions, like Star Wars’ own Book of Boba Fett, have felt more like corporate shareholders cashing in on their valuable properties than storytellers telling stories that really need to be told. But Obi-Wan Kenobi is shaping up to be a crucial stepping stone in the legendary Jedi’s decades-spanning character arc. The mythic, archetypal storytelling draws on all of George Lucas’ original influences: Obi-Wan is a grizzled ronin seeking redemption, Leia is a subversively fearless damsel in distress, and Vader is a black-clad western villain striking fear into innocent villagers.
But on top of that, the emotions resonate. Obi-Wan sees flashes of Padmé’s plucky spirit in the daughter she never got to raise because of his worst mistake. Leia wonders what her parents are like, oblivious to the fact that her biological father is the notorious Sith Lord hunting them. The characters’ goals and the stakes of the story are crystal clear: Kenobi is determined to return Leia to her home on Alderaan, and Vader is determined to exact vengeance against Kenobi.
Leia Keeps Stealing Every Scene
Star Wars fans were excited to see Ewan McGregor’s reprisal of the eponymous Jedi-on-the-run in Obi-Wan Kenobi – and he’s giving a fantastic performance in the series, combining the wholesomeness he brought to the prequels with the nuance Alec Guinness brought to the original trilogy – but Vivien Lyra Blair keeps stealing every scene as a young Leia Organa. Like Carrie Fisher’s iconic original turn, Blair’s 10-year-old Leia is equal parts cutting and caring. She’s as rebellious as she is compassionate – especially to droids. After meeting a loading droid who isn’t programmed to speak, Leia wonders, “What if he has something to say?” This signature generosity serves Leia well, as later on, that same speechless loading droid is prepared to fight patrolling Stormtroopers to protect her.
From Marvel’s Disney+ series to The Walking Dead, a lot of TV shows annoyingly drag out their reveals. A teaser at the end of one episode won’t necessarily be paid off in the following episode. The third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is the opposite of this; it follows up on last week’s Vader tease and then some. Not only does “Part III” treat fans to the promised rematch; it seems to be the first of a few Kenobi/Vader standoffs throughout the series’ run.
The Show’s True Big Bad Is Here
The innocuous Inquisitors were one of the low points of the two-episode premiere. Last week, they never seemed like much of a threat. All three of them failed to stop Nari when they had him cornered and none of them spotted Kenobi as he hid in a stable several feet away from them. This week, not only has Reva become a more tangible threat to the heroes without the Grand Inquisitor around to rein her in; the series’ true villain has emerged.
In “Part III” alone, Chow has already provided Star Wars fans with all the Vader action they could hope for. There’s a suiting-up montage, a village massacre, and a brutal showdown with Kenobi. The dialogue between the estranged student and master is much more poignant and less on-the-nose than the oft-memed lines from the Mustafar duel. A haunted Obi-Wan asks the Vader-fied Anakin, “What have you become?” to which Anakin powerfully responds, “I have become what you made me.” In their first duel since Mustafar, both Obi-Wan and Vader’s fighting styles have become very different. The dark side has made Vader more powerful, while a decade in exile has made Obi-Wan weaker. He won the Mustafar duel pretty effortlessly, but he barely stands a chance against his former apprentice this time.
After seeing his agony in the bacta tank, Vader’s motivation is understandable: he’s bent on exacting eye-for-an-eye punishment against Obi-Wan so that he feels the same pain. Before the episode’s end, Vader starts a fire and Force-drags Obi-Wan through the flames. Chow delivers more Vader fan service in this episode alone than the whole of Rogue One. This is a great sign for the rest of the series, because the Kenobi spin-off is only halfway through its run; the infamous Sith Lord’s glorious return is just getting started.