Much better than last week, but again my complaint is the writing and direction feels rushed and lazy. This would have benefited from expanding the series to 8 or 10 episodes as opposed to 6.
Spoiler!
- The Reva reveal fell a little flat as it came without enough buildup within the episode. The payoff should have been huge, but it just felt like the show was rushing to get that story beat out.
- While Vader holding a ship with the force was awesome, the plan felt a bit too convenient. How could Obi-Wan have known that Vader was powerful enough to do that and plan for a decoy? He's never seen Anakin, Vader, or a force wielder outside of Yoda unleash that much power before.
- I groaned a bit when Bail Organa sends Obi-Wan explicit exposition of the plot just so Reva can now go to Tatooine and find Luke. Also, Tatooine is a massive planet and there's likey more than one Owen. Again, very plot convenient.
I hope if they do decide on a season 2 they look at the mistakes they made here.
I liked it
Spoiler!
Having Vader/Anakin and Ben having flashbacks to that training fight, was great, they had to de age Hayden quite a bit so it looked a bit jarring at certain times. But I love the Kenobi finness vs Anakins power. You could see the seed of Vader during that fight as Anakin wanted to be respected by his master. The key lesson being what Kenobi said. That Anakin could only see victor and it blinded him.
So in this final confrontation with Vader, Obi-Wan knew that he would see that decoy ship and go for victory instead of sitting back and seeing the bigger picture.
I would assume that Obi knew Anakin's power as the choosen one, which was peerless and comparable to Yoda for example.
Vader pulling the ship down and ripping the side out of it looked awesome, in Vader's casualness. But what came next was even better. His casual and simple defeat of Reva. A Inquisitor is nowhere near strong enough or trained enough to take on a Lord of the Sith of Vader's level. She was doomed from the start and Anakin showed the strategic side of things like he did in ANH with letting the rebels escape from the Death Star. He knew who she was and what she was planning and baited her out into the open. Then beat her easily and with distain and left her to die in the dirt. It was awesome and dark and powerful.
Oh and I made a wrong assumption earlier, I forgot about Rebels. I said that Obi would have to fake his death in a duel so Vader believed he was dead. But Vader in rebels knew that Obi-Wan was alive but hiding, it came out in his conversation with Sidious after his first discovery that Ashoka was alive.
So this is probably the end of the Vader Obi-Wan confrontation. Obi-Wan gave a last reminder to Anakin that because of his need for victory that he was blinded and still a Padawan.
So the last episode is strictly going to be Obi's final transformation to Ben and his return to Tatooine to stay. Vader will probably be assigned to another task to focus his skills by his master and I hope we see that.
The question is. Why would Reva want to return to Tatooine. For revenge. To ask Obi why? Is she feeling betrayed by Obi for not helping her with Vader even though she refused his help? Will we have a Maul vs Obi moment like Rebels between her and Obi with her redemption coming in death.
Its clear that she knows that she can't get her revenge on Vader, but does she see Obi running out on her as another betrayal by her Jedi family?
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Great episode, really enjoyed watching Vader toy with the third sister. His power is incredible.
Even saw a saber throw in there!!
The best part was him catching the transport though mid air then ripping it open like a loaf of bread.
Awesome stuff. If you would have told me a few years ago we'd have Jedi Luke and Darth Vader back in the media, and actually back with a purpose/good portrayal, I would have called you a liar for sure.
What a time to be alive!
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Huh, I just noticed this on Hayden Christensen's imdb listings for previous shows/movies he has been in.. prior to Episode 2 he was in:
Higher Ground (TV Series)
Scott Barringer
- Because I Love You (2000) ... Scott Barringer
- Mended Fences (2000) ... Scott Barringer
- Falling Up (2000) ... Scott Barringer
- Because It's There (2000) ... Scott Barringer
- One of Those Days (2000) ... Scott Barringer
Show all 22 episodes
Oh the irony.
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Vader is awesome. Love watching him so pissed off.
There is still unnecessary, fixable silliness that takes me out of it. 100 Storm Troopers. No cover. And no one dies? I know the Troopers have notoriously bad aim but come one. An no one standing within 10 feet of them can hear Reva and Obi Wan talking?
These are easily remedied errors that are super annoying to me.
Vader is awesome. Love watching him so pissed off.
There is still unnecessary, fixable silliness that takes me out of it. 100 Storm Troopers. No cover. And no one dies? I know the Troopers have notoriously bad aim but come one. An no one standing within 10 feet of them can hear Reva and Obi Wan talking?
These are easily remedied errors that are super annoying to me.
Yeah, I do get what you're saying, especially when the Star Wars guides, list them as the elite assault troops of the Imperial Military, and by assault they weren't taught to take cover and even care that much about aim. They were the zerg rush of the empire firing from the hips and flooding the area with blaster bolts.
They're not like Clone Troopers who were exceptionally well trained soldiers. For the most part Storm Troopers were more scene as visual intimidation tools of the military.
The problem is that we got used to the extremely effective Clone Troopers from the PT and from the TV series. And the surviving Clone Troops looked on the Storm Troopers as inferior and poorly trained.
Its why the First Order Troopers were such a surprise because they moved like troops took cover and could hit stuff.
I would have liked to have seen more from the Purge Troopers, or to see some Imperial Commandos.
BTW interesting tidbit. The homeless clone trooper vet was wearing the armor coverings of the 501st which was Anakin's unit in the Clone Wars and who had been a part of the assault on the Jedi Temple.
I didn't mind the conversation between Reva and Obi-Wan. The whole people over hearing didn't really occur to me at all.
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To me it feel very much the same as The Mandalorian (corral shootout), Boba Fett (street shootout), and now this. Out gunned, fight together, seemingly impossible survival metrics. And overall feels drawn out, slow and (I think again because of the size of The Volume), just not very grandios.
I loved the Anakin vs Obi duel, two old friends in a duel that became a contest of wills.
Or the casual taking apart of Reva without even lighting his own light saber. It was a moment of sheer contempt.
The absolute domination on Reva. It was like the martial art master handicapping himself and then still knocking an upstart down a couple of pegs. Really reinforced the difference between a true Sith lord and an average dark side force user in my mind.
Then the cherry on top, Vader knew exactly what Reva was up to and revealed the Grand Inquisitor still alive.
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Considering how much I love The Empire Strikes Back I can’t complain too much that this episode felt a lot like the first act of that film. The scenes with Anakin/Vader were excellent and I’d love to see the uncut version of the light sabre duel flashback.
Still some issues with the plot. The plan to kill Vader needed to be a lot more complicated than you sneak up behind him after we run away. Also a bit strange the series has been a galaxy hopping mission to rescue Leia but the final episode is taking us back to Tatootine to save Luke.
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Considering how much I love The Empire Strikes Back I can’t complain too much that this episode felt a lot like the first act of that film. The scenes with Anakin/Vader were excellent and I’d love to see the uncut version of the light sabre duel flashback.
Still some issues with the plot. The plan to kill Vader needed to be a lot more complicated than you sneak up behind him after we run away. Also a bit strange the series has been a galaxy hopping mission to rescue Leia but the final episode is taking us back to Tatootine to save Luke.
Reva justifying her plan to everyone else...
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I didn't mind the conversation between Reva and Obi-Wan. The whole people over hearing didn't really occur to me at all.
That's such a common trope now that I barely even notice it any more. I just take it as a given that no one can hear a conversation unless it's directly shown that someone is listening.
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Considering how much I love The Empire Strikes Back I can’t complain too much that this episode felt a lot like the first act of that film. The scenes with Anakin/Vader were excellent and I’d love to see the uncut version of the light sabre duel flashback.
Still some issues with the plot. The plan to kill Vader needed to be a lot more complicated than you sneak up behind him after we run away. Also a bit strange the series has been a galaxy hopping mission to rescue Leia but the final episode is taking us back to Tatootine to save Luke.
Reva under estimated Vader at every turn. She also showed the true difference between a Jedi who has fallen to the darkside with thoughts of revenge and anger and hatred. And a true Sith Lord who is a master of revenge and anger and hate and the force itself.
Quote:
“Remember why the Sith are more powerful than the Jedi, Sidious: because we are not afraid to feel. We embrace the spectrum of emotions, from the heights of transcendent joy to the depths of hatred and despair. Fearless, we welcome whatever paths the dark side sets us on, and whatever destiny it lays out for us.”
― James Luceno, Darth Plagueis
Sidious mused about the difference between a dark side user and a Sith Lord in Dark Lord Rise of Dark Vader.
Fear, Anger Hatred, Jealousy, the need for revenge were all the entry point to power. But a true Sith surpassed those emotions and only used them to call the darkside. Sith were not bezerkers. driven by emotions. They were the masters of those emotions and because of that the masters of the Force.
Reva was basically a creature of rage and revenge, and it drove her to under estimate Vader. The emotions and rage that she felt and need for revenge, made her feel strong. Probably stronger then she felt as a Jedi. But as her passions drove her. Vader was a master of the force, and in far more control then her.
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Some really good and some really bad in that episode. But overall, more good than bad.
Spoiler!
Loved the flashback sequence and how it wove into the episode. Felt straight out of the prequels despite the ineffective de-aging. Layered the story progression nicely and gives gravity to the history between Kenobi and Anakin. Bravo.
Loved the development of Reva. Makes her much, much better and she was well acted here too. Big kudos to Ingram. The haters were dead wrong.
Vader was great here. At moments didn't feel like Vader though? Not sure what it was. The ship-sike was kind of dumb.
Liked the return of the Grand Inquisitor (who I thought was way cooler than the trailer made him out to be), and that end reveal. This late in the game it gives me the strong sense that we're getting a second season. It feels kind of like things have just begun, rather than being wrapped up.
The soundtrack for this episode was AWFUL. All over the place, over-dramatic and didn't help build any tension. Who greenlit that?
The supporting cast minus Talla has been terrible. Ninjiani doesn't belong in this show, same with the other guy. They don't come across as Star Wars characters in the slightest. Great for something else, not this. (maybe a bit of forced ethnic representation going on too? whatever)
The sets looked small and cheap through this entire episode, emphasized by the vingette effect and edge blurring. Not cinematic quality or even at Mandalorian's level, what's up with that?
A lot of corny moments and the plot is mind-numbingly convenient at times. Leia opens the door just in time with the help of Lola who she turned back from red to blue! Hooray (shades of the worst bits of Phantom Menace and Anakin in his N-1 saving the day). Oh and - How long until you can override the door? 4 hours (how does he know this out the top of his head without doing any diagnostic work to see what happened?) You have 1! (because that's how long this episode is). Will they stop with these lazy eye-rollers in the script? Jesus H. ..
The unmistakable undertones of Disney throughout this show have subtly undermined the few really Great things it is managing to do, which is such a shame. It's odd that the worst technical episode had the best scenes and character development. The whole product could be great if they just leaned into the Star Wars stuff, and stopped with this trying to insert Disney-isms everywhere.
The fact that they were surrounded by stormtroopers helped the not overhearing the treasonous exchange bit.
I've always percieved stormtroopers as deaf, blind and dumb minions ever since the OT films, so I didn't mind that too much.
Also quite a few movies and shows do this exact thing, so.. meh.
I still remember that in ANH Luke talked about how he couldn't see in the stormtrooper helmet.
And Rex when disguised as a Storm Trooper helmet took it off and threw it away because he couldn't hit anything while wearing it. I always go with the whole, Stormtroopers like pilots are viewed by Palpatine and the Imperial Command as expendable so they went to the cheapest contractor who was probably a friend of Palpatines.
So likely they were deaf as well as
Armor that couldn't defend troops from simple arrows and spears and rocks
Where you couldn't hit the broad side of the barn.
For all of its guadiness, the Empire was probably worse equipt then the Canadian Military
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Some really good and some really bad in that episode. But overall, more good than bad.
Spoiler!
Loved the flashback sequence and how it wove into the episode. Felt straight out of the prequels despite the ineffective de-aging. Layered the story progression nicely and gives gravity to the history between Kenobi and Anakin. Bravo.
Loved the development of Reva. Makes her much, much better and she was well acted here too. Big kudos to Ingram. The haters were dead wrong.
Vader was great here. At moments didn't feel like Vader though? Not sure what it was. The ship-sike was kind of dumb.
Liked the return of the Grand Inquisitor (who I thought was way cooler than the trailer made him out to be), and that end reveal. This late in the game it gives me the strong sense that we're getting a second season. It feels kind of like things have just begun, rather than being wrapped up.
The soundtrack for this episode was AWFUL. All over the place, over-dramatic and didn't help build any tension. Who greenlit that?
The supporting cast minus Talla has been terrible. Ninjiani doesn't belong in this show, same with the other guy. They don't come across as Star Wars characters in the slightest. Great for something else, not this. (maybe a bit of forced ethnic representation going on too? whatever)
The sets looked small and cheap through this entire episode, emphasized by the vingette effect and edge blurring. Not cinematic quality or even at Mandalorian's level, what's up with that?
A lot of corny moments and the plot is mind-numbingly convenient at times. Leia opens the door just in time with the help of Lola who she turned back from red to blue! Hooray (shades of the worst bits of Phantom Menace and Anakin in his N-1 saving the day). Oh and - How long until you can override the door? 4 hours (how does he know this out the top of his head without doing any diagnostic work to see what happened?) You have 1! (because that's how long this episode is). Will they stop with these lazy eye-rollers in the script? Jesus H. ..
The unmistakable undertones of Disney throughout this show have subtly undermined the few really Great things it is managing to do, which is such a shame. It's odd that the worst technical episode had the best scenes and character development. The whole product could be great if they just leaned into the Star Wars stuff, and stopped with this trying to insert Disney-isms everywhere.
I think we're spoilers aloud here, but that's cool.
Yeah, in terms of the effects that you're talking about.
For some reason the show outside of a couple of times has felt like its cramped in small spaces, even the hanger scene in the Inquisitors fortress which was an absolutely huge area felt really kind of cramped and not do to the sheer number of people in the screen, I can't explain it.
The scene that really dissapointed me was when we saw the assault craft leaving the Star Destroyer, for some reason to me, it looked fuzzy and didn't feel like the scale of a Star Destroyer. When you watch a New Hope or ESB or the opening scene of ROTJ, you're intimidated not only by the sheer size of a Star Destroyer, but the perceived mass of the Star Destroyer.
For some reason the de-aging process made Anakin look almost animated, especially when he smiled. But I want to emphasize that I loved the scene. The major complaint about ROTS's duel was it was too stylized and lacked heft. The choreography took the required emotion out of it. In this one it was brilliant because it started as two old friends in a very stylized fight that was a sparring match and evolved as Anakin desparate to be declared the victor and better warrior went to a heavy style where he tried to just batter Obi-Wan into submission. The lesson at the end about Anakin having to be able to look past winning being the thing that would always make him a Padawan was so great. And in the end we saw the whole when I left you I was the learner, now I am the master, as it was never about the Force and about victory at all costs and we saw a bit of that again when Obi sacrificed himself on the Death Star.
Yeah Ingram was truly great in this epsiode. I figured that would happen as we got the pretty obvious backstory. And seeing the cruel disposal of the younglings without apology was a great touch instead of just seeing the light saber ignite and the scene moves on like they did in ROTS. That suddenly gives a whole lot of weight to Anakin's turn and how easily he was seduced by Palpatine.
So how does this season end?
I think outside of a quick finish to Vader pursuing the hyperdrive less hero's ship where again Obi-Wan will outsmart Vader pounding the master student relationship is what we're going to see.
Obviously Ben's return to Luke and Reva's hunting of Luke. I think the question is, and has been. Does Reva really want revenge on Obi-Wan and is she willing to become Anakin and kill a child to do it?
Or will she go there and give up her pursuit of Revenge after realizing that its something she really doesn't want, and will Ben encourage her to go into exile?
Or will she truly die?
I do want to give credit to the writers. They've truly made Vader terrifying in this show. The way he easily handled Kenobi and contemptuously handled Reva has been an awesome bit of writing. At this point there's no question of that good in him that we saw in ESB and ROTJ. This is still more Anakin then Vader, impatient, impulsive and a black hole of rage and hatred. We are also seeing a still relatively powerful Sith Lord who even crippled is truly the chosen one and several steps above anyone else not named Sidious. Not the somewhat slowed down older man in the OT.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
The best part was him catching the transport though mid air then ripping it open like a loaf of bread.
This bugs me a ton because if that was they case why didn't he hold back the Millenium falcon 2-3 times in the original movies? Why didn't he hold back the Tantive IV at the end of Rogue One? Maybe they are bigger ships but he didn't even try? The transport he caught and ripped open in this episode sure looked pretty big with a ton of thrusters.
I know they are doing this in the new series (Rey did it) but it seems way OP or out of his character.
