Obi-Wan Kenobi Double Take: Part V

The penultimate episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is everything prequel fans have been long awaiting. Finally, our prayers have been answered, and a series of surreal flashbacks have been sprinkled throughout Part V by director Deborah Chow—with Hayden Christensen front and center as he reprises the role of young Anakin Skywalker. Not only did we get a continuation of the Jedi Purge flashback from Part I but also an unbelievable lightsaber training session between Master and Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, approximately dating back to Attack of the Clones. These training moments (shot in the same balcony of the Jedi temple on Coruscant from Part I) brought this reviewer to tears as Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor engaged in a heated lightsaber exchange, which looked so incredibly authentic in terms of physicality and dialog. Hardcore fans probably recognized many lightsaber moves and poses that are straight up a homage to the work that Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard has implemented for the prequel movies. Adding to the surreality of it all was the actors’ chemistry, which feels like it really never left them since Revenge of the Sith.

On the other hand, the Revenge of the Sith flashbacks of the Jedi Purge at the temple in Obi-Wan Kenobi Part V are brief but provide a very much needed connection to the new characters of the show, in this case Reva. I think many fans already speculated that one of the younglings from the very first flashback in Part I was her, but in this episode most questions are answered. This is probably the most intriguing part of Part V (besides the lightsaber training flashbacks), as we finally get a better understanding about Reva’s characterization—from ruthless Inquisitor determined to become the next Grand Inquisitor to Jedi youngling in search of revenge. Her plan to kill Darth Vader by using Kenobi as bait is not successful, and still leaves some questions about her motivations moving forward. Her lightsaber duel with the Dark Lord of the Sith is almost as pitiful as Obi-Wan’s first encounter in Part II, with Vader clearly toying with her—revealing that he knew all along about her agenda. Now that she knows about the boy on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker, will Reva attempt one more sneak attack to finally satisfy her revenge? Or will the finale of the show be an eventual redemption for the former Third Sister?

Part V was not just about Force wielders. The siege of Jabiim had so many strong, emotional moments—and it was very reminiscent of the Battle of Crait from The Last Jedi, although on a much smaller scale. Undoubtedly the saddest and most upsetting moment was the death of Tala and her droid friend, NED-B which once again was an interesting parallel to another Star Wars story, in this case Val’s sacrifice in Solo. Seeing Tala perish so soon is sad, but again this is not her story. Hopefully we will get more of her in future Star Wars books and comics!

The Path escapes, the Grand Inquisitor regains his title (did he ever lose it?), and Reva is left on the sands of Jabiim to die but with a crucial clue that might either redeem or bring her to ultimate death. The final shots of the episodes take us back to Tatooine, where we finally see an up close glimpse of young Luke Skywalker. The season finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi is setting up to be an explosive one. Will all the key characters meet once again on Tatooine for one final showdown? How will Luke’s story be impacted by the events of the final episode? And most importantly, will we finally get to see Bonnie Piesse as Aunt Beru? Hopefully all the questions and much more will be answered in Part VI. What did you think of this incredible episode? Share your favorite moments with us on our social media channels.