The latest installment of Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Part V,” picks up where the last episode left off with Obi-Wan escaping from the Empire with a secret tracking device planted on Leia’s droid. This week, Deborah Chow dives right into the action with another classic archetypal story setup: the enemy at the gate. Reva brings an army of Stormtroopers to the Jedi hideout and Obi-Wan galvanizes his fellow Jedi fugitives and their loved ones to fend them off long enough to plot another escape. There’s much more of a sense of urgency here than in the similar enemy-at-the-gate sequence in the third act of The Last Jedi.
“Part V” has a writing credit for Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi head writer Joby Harold. Their script is tightly structured, with an action-driven narrative that constantly raises the stakes. Viewers can’t get too comfortable at any point in this episode: Reva arrives at the gate, Reva breaks through the gate, the Stormtroopers kill a key character, and eventually Vader shows up. It’s a non-stop thrill-ride, but it always remains focused on the internal conflicts at play.
Hayden Christensen finally gets to perform an entire scene with his face in this episode, unobscured by lava-burn prosthetics or an iconic black helmet. The whole episode is intercut with prequel-era flashbacks to Anakin training with Obi-Wan on Coruscant. This flashback isn’t just shoehorned in for fan service; it serves a purpose in this week’s individual narrative. The training flashbacks spliced into the present-day action serve the themes of the story and reflect the characters’ ideological dichotomy. Anakin’s fighting style shows glimmers of the rage, aggression, and lack of mercy that would eventually become his downfall.
As always, Ewan McGregor anchors the series with an incredible performance as Obi-Wan. He’s just as lovable and easy to root for as he was in the prequels, but thanks to sharper, more substantial writing, he also has much more capacity for depth and pathos in the series. McGregor’s turn as Kenobi strikes the perfect balance between the wholesome, unwaveringly noble hero that fans recognize from the movies and the trickier nuances of a jaded, grizzled veteran who temporarily gave up the fight against evil. In this episode in particular, McGregor captures Obi-Wan’s character beautifully: a cunning warrior who’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and refuses to leave anybody behind.
10-year-old Leia Organa has similarly been characterized perfectly throughout this series. Once again, “Part V” showcases all the familiar traits of Leia’s personality: her pluck, her fearlessness, her grace under fire. When the Path needs somebody small enough to crawl through the vents and rewire the hangar door, Leia doesn’t hesitate to spring into action. Vivien Lyra Blair continues to knock the role out of the park, especially the sassy one-liner deliveries: “I’m going to need a ladder.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi is still underutilizing two of the best actors in the cast. O’Shea Jackson, Jr. is again relegated to delivering exposition, while PEN15’s Maya Erskine is basically playing a bit part. In lieu of their characters being developed more, Reva’s motivation is finally revealed this week – and it’s surprisingly sympathetic. As expected, she’s an ex-Jedi youngling. She wants revenge against Obi-Wan because, like Uncle Owen and Obi-Wan himself, she blames him for Anakin’s turn to the dark side. This is a great manifestation of the guilt that the series has explored. There’s brilliant interplay between McGregor and Moses Ingram when Obi-Wan confers with her from the other side of the door.
As it turns out, on top of her predictable motivation for vengeance against Kenobi, Reva also wants revenge against Vader for the Great Jedi Purge. Much like It’s Always Sunny’s Mac, she’s playing both sides. It’s a shame that it took until the fifth episode to reveal it, but this is an interesting character dynamic: the Third Sister is in a moral gray area with a vendetta against both the hero and the villain. The episode’s climax is a stunning fight scene that doesn’t involve Obi-Wan at all; Reva tries to kill Vader and, much like Kenobi back in “Part III,” finds herself hopelessly outmatched. With Reva surviving this duel and the Grand Inquisitor reappearing, fake-out character deaths are becoming a problem in this series. Vader is sparing far too many lives. He used to casually Force-choke his Imperial underlings to death for the smallest mistakes. Now, when he’s betrayed by his own footsoldiers, he’s uncharacteristically merciful (despite dismissing the concept of mercy in a flashback within this episode itself).
Still, it makes sense to keep the Third Sister alive for the finale – she’ll likely team up with Kenobi to fight Vader after they both failed to defeat him alone – and it’s still a mind-blowing lightsaber clash. Reva fails to land a single blow as Vader effortlessly deflects her blade with the Force. He’s so powerful that he doesn’t even bother to draw his own weapon; he doesn’t need it. At least Tala’s death is definitive – and it’s a tearjerker. She’s been nothing but helpful to Obi-Wan and Leia since her debut, and this week, she gives her life to ensure their survival (and takes out a hallway full of Stormtroopers with a grenade on her way out). Going back to Tatooine to check in on Luke, the stage is set for a thrilling finale next week.
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