So we got our first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi a character return I’ve been waiting nearly two decades for at this point and overall really enjoyed intrigued to see where this goes.
But I also admit… it’s a little (okay maybe a lot) uneven.
SPOILERS BELOW OF COURSE!
What I Loved:
Well I loved Ewan as Ben and just the look at what his life is like now. I’ve seen some people upset that man living in a cave sad is another retread of Luke but no (that would have actually been Luke taking a page from Ben’s book) the difference is we know exactly why Ben is the way he is, we saw it play out, we understand his enormous loses.
I also liked the bit we got concerning his (not great) relationship with Owen.
I am so happy we aren’t stuck on Tatooine with Luke!
I love the actress, Vivian Lyra Blair, playing kid Leia. She is, for the most part, knocking it out of the park. I loved seeing her relationship with her parents (and its seeming contrast to what we’ve seen of Luke with his Aunt and Uncle in A New Hope) and just seeing Alderaan overall was something I’ve always wanted.
Loved the way Vader appeared at the end and like I said I’m very much excited for next week.
Iffy:
I liked the idea of Kumail’s character being just a Jedi fraud even though he did come through in the end. I don’t know though he didn’t feel that different from The Eternals I think at this point all I ever see of him is Kumail.
Did NOT Like:
Actually the scene I disliked the most in both episodes was one that so easily could have and should have been cut…
Basically when Bail SHOWS UP AT Ben’s cave and I’m like isn’t this a secret??? Isn’t he in hiding? Did he leave the dude his address? Oh it’s the third cave from the sand dune shaped like a tree? I don’t know.
Also I’m sorry but to have not one but two scenes of kid Leia escaping full grown adults that didn’t look very good in the first place and okay I can understand Ben not wanting to make a scene in the crowd but how the hell did they wind up on a roof??
Unfortunately I didn’t like anything about the Inquisitors.
(Well at least I did buy that Reva was reckless enough to try the kidnapping plot but I’ll get to that.)
Their lines were, to me, generally the most cringe inducing and that could have also been the delivery. But the in-fighting and the insubordination that just generally look massively incompetent. I’m not understanding at this point why Vader would put up with any of it for a second. I don’t know maybe the Emperor told him not to kill this bunch? Who knows? They aren’t scary. They aren’t intimidating. All I can say on that account is I hope with Vader back in the mix next week things get less bumpy.
And as to the kidnap Leia with the hopes his father will actually contact the long thought dead Jedi friend of his from the war plot??? (Despite the fact that Bail very well knows the stakes and technically Ashoka would have been an easier ask for him at the time period but fine.) Like I said I believed she would do it but it would have been so much easier than to monitor Bail especially since he would have taken her right to Ben!
So I think the script is uneven and little Leia while adorable can stop running away from adults that could easily catch her now but I’m still enjoying it. I was smiling the whole time and I’m looking forward to getting some Anakin/Vader meat in the weeks ahead!