After “Part III” of Obi-Wan Kenobi ended with the Third Sister recapturing young Princess Leia and Ben Kenobi being severely burned, “Part IV” continues these storylines as Kenobi is placed into a Bacta tank. After the extended Bacta tank flashbacks in The Book of Boba Fett, it may be easy to feel disappointed that Kenobi only has flashbacks to “Part III” rather than a newly filmed flashback to the Clone Wars era. Despite the overall episode feeling underwhelming for a show of this caliber, “Part IV” serves as a flawed, satisfying continuation of this story.
Kenobi and Tala seek the assistance of Roken (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), who doesn’t want to help them. He talks about how he lost his Force-sensitive spouse to the Empire, another example of how this show has been expanding the galaxy. While “Part III” featured Freck, an average Joe who supported the Empire and their order, the character of Roken shows the exact opposite and the negative ways his life has been affected. As Kenobi and Tala travel to Nur to rescue Leia, we see Kenobi practice levitation, showing how he is out of tune with the Force and this show will be about he must reacquaint himself with the Force.
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The scenes where the Third Sister interrogates Leia are one of the weaker elements of the episode. This is the fourth episode of a six-episode miniseries and the Third Sister has done little to make herself into a more captivating villain. The idea of a Jedi turning to the Dark Side and wanting to hunt down Kenobi is fascinating, but that backstory has already been accomplished with Darth Vader one of the most famous villains in movie history. Unfortunately, the Third Sister does not hold a candle to Vader’s menace, especially while sharing the screen with him. She has the potential to be a more interesting villain, but we may have to wait a little longer for that to happen.
Furthermore, the episode’s story lacks creativity. “Part II” featured Leia in captivity while Kenobi snuck around and rescued her. This episode repeats the same storyline. The show was off to a strong start, and while it remains incredibly exciting, the story is getting repetitive while not going anywhere more interesting than the setup was. What made this episode different was the inclusion of Tala, an Imperial officer who secretly helps Kenobi. Her scenes have the most tension in the episode as she must avoid getting caught assisting Kenobi in rescuing Leia, and her quick-mindedness and ability to lie are prominent.
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It’s always fun to see Kenobi with his lightsaber again and “Part IV” does an excellent job of using his abilities with the Force to fight the Stormtroopers. The sequence where he holds the glass until the right moment and floods the room of Stormtroopers is excellent, as well as his brief lightsaber dueling. The moment near the end when T-47 airspeeders arrive and save Kenobi, Tala, and Leia feels like a deus ex machina with very convenient timing, but it is an exciting escape nevertheless.
When Vader Force chokes the Third Sister, it is once again clear how much more investing of a villain Vader is. A show that could have had Vader as the main antagonist puts a new, less interesting character as the primary villain instead. The episode ends on an excellent cliffhanger when we realize that the Third Sister is using Leia’s droid to track them. Obi-Wan Kenobi remains an exciting addition to the Star Wars franchise and this episode delivers on the entertainment audiences are looking for. Will the writing ultimately be strong enough to make this show the all-timer that it could be? We will have to wait and see.
SCORE: 6/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 6 equates to “Deent.” It fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience
