Kenobi dropped episodes 1 and 2 last Friday (and episode 3 as of this post) and like many I found myself drawn into the nostalgia web Dickney weaved. Obi-Wan Kenobi has been my favorite Star Wars character (next to Boba Fett) since I was a little girl. His “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for” still remains one of the best lines (followed by a sassy “Hello There” from Ewan McGregor) and best scene (next to the fabulous “You were the Chosen One!” from ROTS).
I honestly had zero hopes for Kenobi when it was officially announced. Kathleen Kennedy made it clear years ago she had no interest in giving us Obi-Wan Kenobi. She shutdown the series many times and said in interviews they had no interest in telling his story.
Only reason we got Kenobi now is $$$
Dickney loves money and they need ways to draw in new subscribers and keep what existing ones they have.
I’m not here to talk about any of that, though. This is about Kenobi as a show and my impressions of it after watching the first two episodes (I will post my thoughts on episode 3 soon)
This Scorp!talk will feature spoilers so if you still haven’t seen these episodes be forewarned!
Kenobi opens with a nice montage reminding us about who Obi-Wan is and why he ended up in exile. I liked that little nod as it was a way of reorienting fans and foreshadowing how this Kenobi is not the Kenobi of that series.
It’s been ten years and our Jedi Master has settled into a routine of sorts in his exile on Tatooine. I liked the fact he took a job as a butcher. It’s as far from being a Jedi as one can get. His daily stealing a slice of bantha meat for his eopie is also classic Obi-Wan.
The scene in his cave (illogical but sure, we’ll roll with it) with Teeka is by far my favorite of the two episodes. I love how he made friends with the Jawas. It’s a slight nod to the Legends books we are not supposed to treat as existing because Dickney has told us not too. I honestly did laugh about them stealing his parts and selling them back to him (and him just going along with it).
I will pause here to issue my first complaint of the show: no damn Kenobi shower scene! Or even just a shirtless scene following his waking from his nightmare!! Missed opportunity here! Ewan has zero problem with getting naked on screen (Young Adam folks) so we should have gotten a shirtless Obi scene!
(For those lacking a sense of humor… that was a joke, not a real complaint. Well… not a big one anyway 🤣)
Obi-Wan having PTSD and nightmares is something I definitely love seeing. It shows the impact of the war, the toll it took on him, how even a stoic man like Obi-Wan Kenobi can be traumatized by what he’s been through. Plus factor in Anakin, Padme and his guilt, grief, anger over that entire situation and you’ve got some deliciously emotional whump going on here.
This is also a great bit of character development for a character we already know so much about. He suffers from self-doubt, has skills fade, lost his way in the darkness. He’s not General Kenobi any longer. He’s not Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s Ben. No more, no less.
I also love how he seeks out his master when he’s confused/sad/lonely/needs a sign he’s on the right path. It takes us and Obi-Wan on a journey. Ultimately, that’s what this story is supposed to be about: a lost Jedi searching for his way back.
Again, missed opportunities here. There’s a section in one of those books we’re supposed to ignore where Qui-Gon comes to Obi-Wan. In fact, the passage is this one (from Jude Watson’s, The Last Of The Jedi):
They should have included this. It works so perfectly to setup how Obi-Wan has lost his way, he’s not as attuned to the Force as he once was, and he has to regain that in order to learn how to be a Force Ghost by the time of ANH.
Now, people have commented about his going out and digging up his and Anakin’s lightsabers without any landmarks around and honestly, I think that has to do with the crystal in his lightsaber. My memory of how kybers work (and this is based on information pre-prequels era) is that when Jedi go to Ilum to seek their crystals, a bond forms between them and the crystal. It’s similar to how wands choose their wizards in Harry Potter. The crystals are sentient beings so Obi-Wan likely felt where the box was buried the closer he got to it. Bit far-fetched maybe but it’s a better explanation than the show gave us (which is little to nothing).
Bail Organa and the look at Alderaan were also nice touches. Wherever they filmed or chose as their model is absolutely gorgeous.
The appearance of Temuera Morrison as a rando clone took me by surprise but it was a welcomed one since it showed the clones didn’t all get old and fat like Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe did in Rebels (🖕🏻Shitoni)
However… and this is where we start getting into the parts of the show I found bad/preposterous/horribly written.
If you have no desire to read my criticisms of the show, I advise scrolling on by now…
Okay, Obi-Wan being found not once but twice really breaks all logic. Nobody should have been able to find Obi-Wan on Tatooine. Not when his job is to protect Luke. A strange Jedi walking up on him in the desert was beyond stupid. More stupid? Reva not getting that from the guy before they hung him or from Owen who literally just spoke with Obi-Wan three seconds before her ass showed up (we’ll come back to Reva in a moment).
Bail knowing Obi-Wan is on Tatooine was established in ROTS. However, he had no idea where Obi-Wan lived. Plus, at this point Reva has had Leia kidnapped because she learned about Obi-Wan and Bail having a connection. But she doesn’t think to have Bail followed or to monitor his comms? (🖕🏻)
This leads me to the 501st soldier again. His appearance actually makes no sense and serves as a bit of a McGuffin (he’s a plot device) and red herring (has no real significance or impact on the story). Kenobi was considered the top general. Under Palps in terms of authority. Helmed the 212th. This soldier not recognizing Obi-Wan? Nope. Not even drunk. Also, he would have been part of Vader’s Fist. With him at the Temple. It’s not gelling for me. I feel this was a missed opportunity (and part of me hopes this still does turn out to be true in the remaining episodes but I have zero hopes for it at this point). This is where they could have setup that this clone was a plant, an insider working for the person who Bail should have turned to for help instead of risking Luke’s location being revealed (another bit of stupidity): Ashoka Tano. Seeing Kenobi out of hiding, said clone contacts Tano who dispatches help in either the form of Rex or The Bad Batch (tying those shows together). Would make sense and set the stage for Ashoka’s show (my excitement for it is such I’m falling asleep). Nope, instead we got a lame kidnapping arc that culminates in a ridiculous scene where Reva reveals information she absolutely should NOT have before she runs the Grand Inquisitor through with her lightsaber in order to “free herself from her white oppressor” and establish dominance (because she’s not already entitled enough as is).
Leia’s “kidnapping” was another missed opportunity to me. Dickney could have brought in Cad Bane (who has history with Kenobi) or even Hondo Ohnaka (who also has history with Kenobi) to kidnap Leia. This would have put the screws really to Obi-Wan because not only does he have Vader on his heels but he has to deal with characters who were challenges for him at his best. Nope, instead we got a rescue mission that had some good moments in them (Obi having to fight and being rusty, Haja stepping up and helping him, Obi-Wan struggling to use the Force to save Leia) but which got overshadowed by the dumbest scene ever.
Also, sorry, Obi-Wan not knowing Anakin was alive at this point is absolute bantha spit (small insignificant spoiler:
he reveals knowledge about the Empire’s movements in episode 3 which debunks his not knowing about Vader being alive).
This brings us now to Reva, a character who is yet another in a long line of poorly designed, terribly executed, and underwhelming ones created by Dickney (Rose Tico, Rey, Kylo Ren, Vice-Admiral Holdo, and Omega all qualify here for this position). We get no development from the onset. Just dumped into a town where the Inquisitors are dispatched because they heard a “rumor” about a Jedi being there. Immediately, Reva takes charge, force throwing a knife at the cantina owner to lure out the Jedi. Okay… whatever, I’ll roll with it. Might have been better to open with the Inquisitors receiving this rumor and Reva demanding to handle it alone but being rebuked but hey, let’s not worry about stuff like that.
It doesn’t get any better from there and only gets worse as we go on, honestly.
Moses Ingram simply lacks the ability to create a rich and dynamic villain (which subpar writing and poor directing doesn’t help). Her character reeks of nothing but entitlement, acts as a Woke Savior (oppressed, victim, glass ceiling), knows all without any justification for it, has zero actual struggles beyond being “reckless”, and is more of a low grade DC villain than a Star Wars villain (her posing like Batman on the roof and that horrendous parkour scene didn’t help that opinion any).
Also, the flashback to the Temple (because they will tie back to her, guaranteed) doesn’t impress me any in terms of Reva’s character. That flashback doesn’t explain her high opinion of herself, her hatred and fixation with Obi-Wan or her skill level in general. She was only 7-8, a youngling, not a padawan being trained by a master (but we’ll ignore that, too, Dickney) and it’s only been ten years. The Grand Inquisitor even said she was the lowest of them so she wouldn’t have received any special training. Least of all to achieve the skill level she displays. Maul and Ventress were both older and had personalized training given to them. Y’all really think the big bad “white” Inquisitor or the other brother who isn’t a stereotype at all (ignore that, too, Dickney) would really be giving her special training based on how they spoke to her in these episodes?
Making Reva a messy, one-dimensional and flatly portrayed character. One who is either reeeeing all the time because she angry or giving people what we call the resting bitch face.
Closing this off (because it’s long as it is), I just want to say I did enjoy parts of Kenobi. I think the show had all the potential in the world but in typical Dickney fashion they slammed together a half-ass storyline, shoehorned in an unnecessary character, and relied on nostalgia bait to draw in the fans. That plan is backfiring because many of us are smart enough to see the bantha poodoo smeared on their screens and call it out.
