Last time, we got a little worried about Vader’s character assassination.
Ah, they put in Obi-wan’s little rebreather thing! Now that’s the kind of pleasing callback I can really sink my teeth into.
Otherwise it’s another frustrating week on the television front, with Obi-wan continuing to threaten and not deliver a really good time. Without competition, the high point here is Tala’s “you will address me as ‘Sir’” conversation when passing the security checkpoint at the Inquisitor base. The Empire is a model of technocratic bureaucracy and the weakness of such systems is deference to hierarchy and unwillingness to shake the boat. All that plus it gives us a proper insight to how Tala has maintained her cover as an Imperial Officer who can both walk the walk and talk the talk. Tala also has a good showing in her scene opposite Reva.
I could continue in this vein — I’ve got notes for the rest of the episode, things I liked and things I didn’t, little moments to love (mostly Tala) and little moments to laugh at (dead Jedi frozen in amber for), but the jig really is up at this point. Four episodes into the six episode run of Obi-wan we can say that — even assuming a two-part finale of ferocious individual success, which seems improbable — this has largely been a waste of time. Would I have been better off writing up the first season of The Mandolorian?
Obi-wan has shown promise throughout, but ~3 hours of television with only promise to show for it is not a success. The concept was originally for an Obi-wan film in the vein of Solo, before that film underperformed and the idea of minor Star Wars films was written off. This story seems like it would have worked better as a film. Or rather, the shape of the film this story used to be is readily apparent: Leia is kidnapped, Obi-wan is enlisted to find her, he rescues her from Imperial custody and in the process comes face-to-face with his old friend, now unrecognisable. Uncertain and defeatist at first, Obi-wan cowers before Vader and his hot-headed new apprentice, but the nascent rebellion and plucky young Leia inspire him to see off a pursuing Vader in a way that appropriately tarnishes the Emperor’s lap-dog for the status quo of A New Hope. Obi-wan retreats back into the shadows, convinced that Luke and Leia can bring the Empire down when the time comes.
This film would not have been groundbreaking, even in the limited sphere of Star Wars media. It is wholly made up of the kind of A->B plotting between existing states that caused Lucas to leave the first half of Revenge of the Sith on the drawing board. It’s enough to know that Obi-wan ran, bode his time, isolated, and struck when the time was right. Those events are described in the existing films and the story between them is superfluous. But it would function on a basic story level and crucially, the neat details that prove to be the enduring charm of Obi-wan would maybe tide it over to some success. A single film, received as one experience, can lean harder on the appeal of Obi-wan’s Jedi Breathing Device. It can lean harder on the surprise of young Leia. And tedious characters like the non-Reva inquisitors and also Reva the inquisitor can fade into the background easier.
Obi-wan suffers hugely from the sensation of returning to the same limited buffet every week. The treats are always the same. References to the original series. References to the prequels. References to the TV shows. Ewan McGregor. The weaknesses fester: the aforementioned Inquisitors, the warped characterisation of Vader, the curious cheapness to what is undoubtedly a very expensive show.
Worse, some of the elements on offer go away. No more Jimmy Smits or Joel Edgerton to sweeten the deal. The limited set of episodes means that despite being a decompressed film, nothing has time to develop. The moment with Tala asserting rank stands out not only because it’s an audacious, charismatic move that hasn’t been telegraphed in advance, but because there are precious few scenes in this show where people hold a basic conversation. Last week’s episode had a similar drip-feed, with Leia asking if Obi-wan was her real father. What a concept! But alas, there is no time for such frippery when we can be staring at woodcuttings of the Rebel alliance branding set.
Everyone’s always very busy making things move along, but the things that happen are on loop. Ambush, kidnapping, stealthy escape. The last-minute confrontation that goes unresolved. Cells of downtrodden rebels experience heartbreak. Ewan McGregor is mirrored with Vader in some odd way — he looks ridiculous coming out of that fish tank, by the way. Extending the show from a film to a series, although it probably gave us that fun sequence where Zack Braff is a weasly empire guy, ultimately turns these irritations into turn-offs.
Just by way of example, consider the exchange of dialogue from before the final duel in Revenge of the Sith:
Obi-wan: I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you.
Anakin: I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over.
Obi-wan: Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!
Anakin: From my point of view, the Jedi are evil.
Obi-wan: Then you are lost!
Now, Shakespeare this is not. Lucas only cares about establishing the broad strokes of the conflict here: Anakin and Obi-wan hold two different views that are incompatible. Anakin’s being a real idiot but also Obi-wan is quick to write him off.
Take the dialogue from before and during episode 3 of Obi-wan:
Darth Vader: You cannot run, Obi-Wan.
Obi-wan: What have you become?
Darth Vader: I am what you made me.
Darth Vader: The years have made you weak.
Darth Vader: You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.
Darth Vader: Now you will suffer, Obi-Wan.
Darth Vader: Your pain has just begun.
Again, it’s not Shakespeare — and it doesn’t have to be — but where it’s really struggling is that the two characters aren’t really talking at all. Vader is narrating the scene to the audience and Obi-wan basically isn’t saying anything at all. Why does Vader care if the years have made Obi-wan weak? Why does Vader want Obi-wan to suffer? These are not obvious conclusions to draw and the show gives no indication as to how we should interpret these statements other than as part of a generic video-game-boss villainy on Vader’s part. “From my point of view the Jedi are evil” is a famous all-time clunker. No-one is going to remember “Your pain has just begun.”
I am, or was, a big fan of classic Doctor Who. The strength of that show, and the strength of cheapo British TV through the ages, is finding good actors and good scripts and that being enough. Obi-wan has the actors, and for brief moments it has the scripts. But there’s precious little time spared for the cheapest, most compelling moments.
The rebels and their whole deal with anti-Jedi prejudice is still a terrible fit for Star Wars. It’s like watching a show centred on Constantine the Great’s anti-Praetorian-Guard prejudice. The force is meant to flow through everyone! It doesn’t manifest in an ability to make rocks float! The making rocks float is actually a very small part of it!
I’m still hoping for a high end point for the Obi-wan series. The ultimate frustration, as I said right back at the start, is that after four out of six episodes there’s still promise.
Ranking, best to worst:
- Flashback recap of the prequel trilogy
- Obi-wan: Episode 3
- Obi-wan: Episode 1
- Obi-wan: Episode 4
- Obi-wan: Episode 2
If you like my writing, please subscribe to my Letterboxd reviews or watch Sixteen attempts to talk to you about ‘Suicide Squad’, available on Youtube now. Previously I watched and wrote-up season 1 of ‘Invincible’, in reverse order.
