Obi-Wan Kenobi Show Finally Shows Life, Only Its 5 Episodes Too Late

Where has this episode been hiding?!! Why have the directors and producers of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show waited until its second to last episode to show us an Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan flashback? Why has it taken them this long to bring out real, meaningful character growth for Reva? And why has it taken them this long to REALLY show us Darth Vader?

Episode 5 of the Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff show was by far the best episode of the series to date. It finally gave us what it promised when the show was initially announced. We finally got to see a flashback of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi during the height of the Republic, and when Anakin’s only true hatred in the world was sand.

Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Star Wars Episode II: Attack of The Clones Trailer)

The training sequence between Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor was fantastic to watch.

It brought me back to the great feeling I had of watching the prequels all over again. And the show finally used Hayden Christensen and his understanding of the Anakin Skywalker character to its fullest potential. Watching that fighting sequence was the second-best moment in the episode.

The best moment in the episode involved Reva and a very angry Darth Vader. Yes, the show, at long last, finally gave Reva some character growth, and showed her backstory and her history in becoming an inquisitor.

Reva is…one of the younglings in the Jedi Temple during Order 66. As seen in the beginning moments of the series, she was directly confronted by Anakin Skywalker as he and the 501st Clone battalion slaughtered every last Jedi in the temple. Her face to face with the man who slaughtered her youngling friends was brilliant.

Her character could have had so much more growth and characterization if the show did not wait until the second-to-last episode to reveal her true backstory. Personally, I believe it could have been so much better if Reva just revealed her backstory to Obi-Wan (and the audience) while she was trying to capture him on the shipping docks of Daiyu.

It would have given a lot of clarity as to why she knew Darth Vader’s true identify, and as to why she was trying so desperately to rise the ranks of the inquisitor hierarchy to get closer to the Sith Lord.

(Also, quick side note, I still don’t understand how Reva immediately knew the Anakin Skywalker=Darth Vader secret. I’m sure Vader and the Grand Inquisitor did not tell her, so how did she put two-and-two together? Did she sense that Vader had Anakin’s force signature while in his presence? I don’t know.)

I’m almost positive if Reva’s backstory was brought out early on in the story, then gradually built on through her involvement with Obi-Wan and Vader, she would be a far better character.

Plus, I never understood the hatred Moses Ingram (Reva’s actor) got for her portrayal of the character. It was never her fault the writers were FAR TOO CAUTIOUS when writing 90% of this show.

As for Darth Vader, seeing his current broken, soulless state contrasted with the eager, arrogant, and likeable personality of when he was Anakin Skywalker was fantastic.

His total rage and hatred that he harbors for Kenobi is perfectly displayed as he takes out his anger on the innocents of the different world’s he travels in search of his former master.

The scene where he stops the ship in midflight, to then rip away the entire middle-section of the vessel using only the force was awesome to watch. But, better yet, his confrontation versus Reva was the greatest thing to come out of this show to date. The way he casually and nonchalantly thwarted away Reva’s attacks wonderfully showed his utter mastery of the force.

The reveal of the Grand Inquisitor still being alive was not much of a reveal as we all knew he was not dead. Also, Vader’s revelation to Reva that he knew who she was, and he knew that she knew who he was, strikes me as being a somewhat odd creative choice.

It is established in Star Wars lore/canon that Vader killed everyone and anyone who ever found out his true identity as soon as he could. Why did he wait around to kill Reva (if she is actually dead, but more of that in a moment)?

He didn’t need her to track down Kenobi, so why not just finish her off before she could possible tell other of Vader’s identity (like she did when she told Obi-Wan Kenobi)?

Despite this being the best Obi-Wan Kenobi episode yet, there was still some drawback that I had with it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Obi-Wan Kenobi Promotional Poster)

#1: Why was Leia completely neglected by Obi-Wan Kenobi? For the entire episode, Obi-Wan leaves Leia in the care of some guy he only met a few days ago, only to then ensure her care to said guy if his plan to trick Reva and Vader did not work. Hasn’t this whole series been about him trying to save one of the last two hopes the Jedi has left from the clutches of Vader and the Empire?

#2: The episode once again uses plot contrivances to further the story along. First, it was an offscreen tracking device planted in LOLA that saved Reva from getting Admiral Ozzyeled (see beginning of Empire Strikes Back if you don’t know who that is) by Vader.

The second is either Reva (if she makes it out alive) or Vader who will learn of Bail Organa and Obi-Wan’s connection, as well as Luke Skywalker’s importance, because Kumail Nanjiani’s character (Haja) leaves Obi-Wan’s ONLY communicator with Bail behind.

Come on, Disney! There must have been some other way to reveal that information other than Kumail Nanjiana blatantly leaving the only thing that would have informed the Empire of that connection.

#3: Okay, people really have to stop coming back from DIRECT lightsaber stab wounds. There cannot be plot armor for characters who get directly impaled in the chest by a lightsaber. Especially if the guy holding said lightsaber is Darth Vader.

First, it was the Grand Inquisitor (which was just dumb, because he appeared in Rebels which takes place AFTER this show), and now it looks like Reva is going to do it as well.

For the person who says that Vader did not stab her in the chest, but rather some other part of her body that would not instantly kill her, my responses is that makes no sense. Why would Vader let a person who not only tried to kill him, but also knows his true identity live?

Even if it is a small chance, why would he allow Reva the possibility to recover and spread the word that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. It just doesn’t make sense for any other reason than the plot using Reva later on.

But, seeing as how it was Reva who found the communicator after Vader and the Grand Inquisitor left, I’m guessing she is still alive. Hmph, yet again Disney is being too cautious and not creative enough with story decisions.

Nonetheless, like I said earlier, this was by far the best episode of the series to date. It had everything I wanted from the show (apart from a real Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader duel), and only a few recurring issues. I’d give this episode a very good 8.6/10.

Hopefully Episode 6 is just as good.

Image Sources: Featured Image: (Screenshot) (Obi-Wan Kenobi | Official Trailer | Disney+ – YouTube)