Unlucky in Raffle Draws

Kenobi Kicks A**!

The show finally tied up some loose ends, and probably gave too much to serve the original trilogy. But I loved it, and I'll probably watch this particular episode again.

Kenobi Kicks A**!

Pardon my language there, but I think this perfectly sums up the finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I will probably focus most of this article on the encounter between Kenobi and Darth Vader, but I will also touch up on Reva's redemption arc.

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This is my review of the final episode of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Needless to say, SPOILER ALERT! Watch first before you read on.

Owen Got Burned

I find it funny that memes have come out about how Owen roasted Kenobi when the latter tried to convince him to get Luke trained in the ways of the Force. Some came up with some clever ones:

Source: Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/ui7pig/ouch/)

This is good and tasty (heh), until Aunt Beru roasted him back when they learned that Reva is coming to hunt them down and Ben is MIA. It's also a badass move for Aunt Beru to immediately go for rifles and to hold their ground instead of fleeing.

Solid Burn, Beru. He needs some aloe vera.

This Ends Today

With a small ship trying to escape a Star Destroyer, Kenobi realizes that Vader will go after him if he breaks from the group. The group wants him to stay, but our old man is tired of hiding. He decides that no matter what the outcome of this confration would be, he knows that he must face Vader and be over it.

Leia tried to throw a tantrum to keep Kenobi, but she eventually settled down after receiving an empty holster from him. This scene is probably one of the things that made Leia root for the resistance - she was given a holster, and as Kenobi puts it, while he will not give him a blaster due to her young age, she won't be 10 forever.

Haja made his last appearance, giving his word that he will safely return Leia back to Alderaan. That planet is so peaceful it's a shame that they will later be obliterated. Damn you, Tarkin.

I didn't know that that ship can still contain a dropper ship - I thought it was already small on its own. But true enough, when Vader saw a smaller ship come out of an already small ship, his focus went to the smaller one - at that point he had the chance to obliterate the resistance once and for all. But instead his obsession in defeating his former master lures him away, as Kenobi expected.

This shot of the Destroyer is really a win.

The Chase

Now, I have seen Episode IV and am well aware of the fate of Owen and Beru. But even if I know they will survive this encounter with Reva, I am still feeling uneasy with how unmatched they are with the saber-wielding, disillusioned and angry Inquisitor, who only wanted to avenge her brothers and sisters.

Although what I found sweet and endearing in this chase is that Reva could have easily killed Owen and Beru. Even if she's limping, she has a freaking lightsaber. She could have easily struck them down with one swipe. But her fixation on Luke must have clouded that and just aimed to disarm and disable them to let her chase him.

Reva was still confused on what to do with her anger. She has nobody else to blame for her misfortunes other than Vader. She wanted to kill Luke but how can you think of that as a revenge, when even Vader didn't know he has a kid?

I am glad to see Reva eventually redeem herself in this series. It's too bitter to see the tragedy that is Anakin and I just want to see a bit of hope of seeing Reva gets clarity.

The Fight

The last time Kenobi and Anakin really fought (on equal footing) was in Mustafar. I remember this because of words that Vader and Kenobi have spoken right before they fought now:

Vader: Have you come to destroy me, Obi-Wan?
Kenobi: I will do what I must.

This is the same words that Kenobi said right before when Anakin considered him an enemy if he chooses to oppose him. In all his duels against Sith Lords, he never intended to kill. With these words, he never said that he will destroy Vader, but he will let the Force to decide their fate. This is possibly why Kenobi has regained his strength, because he finally put his trust back to the Force as he have done during the Clone Wars.

When I saw Episode IV, I was disappointed with the amount of fight scenes between Vader and Kenobi, maybe because at the time, time has finally caught up to them that their movement were restricted. This episode gave me great joy because it was only ten years since their last duel, and they are still both physically able to do this fight. Although we might not see Vader do much acrobatics here as we have seen in Episode III since he's mostly reliant on his life support.

When Vader dropped Kenobi into a pit he created with the Force, I was half expecting Vader to tell Kenobi that "who has the high ground now?". Sadly, they didn't come to that. He just went ahead and buried Kenobi with rubble.

"Who has the high ground now, bitch?"

Good thing Kenobi managed to create a Force bubble to push the rubble out as he fights not only gravity but the thoughts and discouragement he have received from both Anakin and Vader who keeps telling him he will always lose. But if you think about it, he only lost to Vader because he refuses to fight him. Even before getting buried in the rocks Kenobi was the only one who can fight Vader without much struggle, unlike Reva who can't even make swing at him.

At this point, we see a different Vader, much different from the feared one we used to see who randomly chokes people. This one got pushed, dropped on his knees, and hammered with boulders.

Kenobi kept his control all through the fight, going only as far as prying Vader's mask to show the face of the one he called a brother. We see Anakin's voice mixed with Vader's voice saying:

Anakin is gone. I am what remains. You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.

Somehow this helped reinforce Kenobi's words in Episode IV when he explained to Luke what happened to his father.

Leia's Last Goodbye?

We still don't know if there will be Season 2, but if not, then this will be the last time Leia will see Kenobi before his eventual demise on Episode IV. If that's the case, this will be her last goodbye to Kenobi. The next time they would see each other (or rather, Kenobi see Leia) is when he finally see the twins together in Dead Star and let Vader strike him down to join with the Force.

See that Vader? You only won because he let put out his lightsaber.

His Cameo was indeed short

We see the quick cameos of Emperor Palpatine (because we just need to), somehow giving a small glint of hope for a second season, although that could be just a minor fluke that we can overlook should they decide to discontinue the series. But regardless, I am just glad to see Obi-Wan finally meet Qui-Gon and the promise that they will continue their training.

The show also did a good homage to Kenobi's classic catchphrase "Hello, there" when he met Luke for the first time. At least that will somewhat cement that relationship between Luke and that old, Uncle Ben.

Finally, I did it!!

I am happy that I was able to finish writing up reviews for all the episodes of this series. Overall it's a good watch, although its replayability might vary depending on our level in the fandom. I for one might wait a little longer before going back to this series. The struggle is real for the most part of this show, but I just feel rewarding seeing everything getting tied up in the end. Now that I mentioned it, I might re-watch the sixth episode especially the Vader-Kenobi duel.

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Jamie Larson
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