Warning! Spoilers ahead for episode 6 of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The six-episode run of Obi-Wan Kenobi hasn’t quite been a home run. There have been a lot of things to love in this series, like Vivien Lyra Blair’s pitch-perfect performance as a 10-year-old Leia Organa, but also some drawbacks, like the recurring trope of characters getting stabbed in the stomach and surviving. But, overall, director Deborah Chow and co. have done a great job of filling in a gap in Obi-Wan’s history. In the finale, now streaming on Disney+, Chow sticks the landing with a thrilling conclusion that pulls all the storylines together.
Like every other episode to date, the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale exhibits the biggest problem with prequels. Right off the bat, the audience knows who’s going to survive. Obi-Wan’s sacrifice has no dramatic weight and Reva’s attack on Luke has no tension, because their endings have already been determined. Star Wars fans know they’ll be fine, no matter what.
From the beginning, Obi-Wan Kenobi has managed a tricky tonal balance. The series explores a more grizzled incarnation of its title character, but it also has Star Wars’ signature cuteness in spades. In the finale more than ever, Chow perfectly balances the light with the dark. Obi-Wan’s brutal showdown with Vader is one of the show’s darkest sequences, but the episode also has some really sweet moments that tug on the heartstrings. Leia gives LOLA to Obi-Wan so he won’t be scared. As he sees flashes of Luke playing pilot on the farm and Leia holding his hand on the Path’s getaway ship, Obi-Wan is inspired by his determination to keep the Skywalker twins safe to rise from the pit where Vader has trapped him.
Plenty Of Fan Service
Ewan McGregor continues to knock it out of the park with a lead performance that combines Kenobi’s familiar warmth and humor with the depth and nuance of a traumatized war veteran being forced to face his worst fears. Moses Ingram finally gets some stronger material to work with and nails Reva’s breakdown after realizing she’s become what she hated. O’Shea Jackson, Jr.’s Roken is no longer relegated to just delivering exposition; he gets his own “We don’t trade lives” moment as the Path flees from the Empire. Joel Edgerton brings his usual pathos to Uncle Owen, while Bonnie Piesse emerges as a surprisingly badass Aunt Beru who’s ready to take on an Inquisitor alone to protect her adopted son.
Chow includes all the fan service that audiences could ask for in the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale, and it works beautifully because it’s never at the expense of story. The meme quotes in The Rise of Skywalker and No Way Home felt forced, but Obi-Wan Kenobi’s use of prequel memes like “I will do what I must” and “Hello there” don’t feel like forced nostalgia-baiting at all; they fit beautifully in the context of the scenes they’re in. Obi-Wan uses the former line to, once again, warn Vader of his intentions, and he uses the latter line to introduce himself to Luke.
Like some episodes of Moon Knight, “Part VI” of Obi-Wan Kenobi is let down by some gloomy compositions. Reva arrives at the Lars homestead in the middle of the night. Most of the time, it’s too dark to tell what’s going on. Obi-Wan and Vader’s rematch is as intense as fans had hoped, but it takes place on a dreary planet full of big rocks. This is nowhere near as visually interesting or thematically relevant as the backdrop of their last big showdown, the volcanic landscapes of Mustafar.
Character Over Story
The storytelling in “Part VI” could’ve been spruced up with some twists and turns and interconnectivity. The episode follows two disconnected narrative threads that only come together at the very end. There’s no dovetailing; Obi-Wan just heads over to the B-plot after resolving the A-plot. But this is a minor gripe. Star Wars has always been defined by traditional, archetypal mythmaking, and while the series’ plotting might not be perfect, the poignant character beats are all there. The culmination of the show’s run provides an enormous sense of closure. The series comes full circle with Kenobi getting his groove back and Vader calling off the search for his old master. Everything is back to normal and some truly meaningful relationships were forged along the way.
From bidding Leia farewell to meeting Luke for the first time, Obi-Wan has plenty of emotionally engaging moments in this episode. But the most moving sequence is an incredibly powerful scene between Obi-Wan and Vader at the end of their duel. Obi-Wan smashes through Vader’s mask, allowing him to look his fallen apprentice in the eye and hear his real voice as he apologizes for his failure. A similar interaction at the end of their Mustafar duel was let down by meme-template dialogue, but here, the tragedy rings a lot truer.