I was getting a little concerned as we are at the cusp of the show’s finale. Maul’s wooing of Devon to his side has taken a break here, as the Empire brings another hammer down on Maul and his outliers with the arrival of a second Inquisitor: the Eleventh Brother. Another character that gets the Shadow Lord polish after an embarrassing 10-second defeat to Ahsoka in Tales of the Jedi. Ah, Ahsoka—she can do anything. There was a time when I was actually excited about her character, but I digress. Let’s get into this week’s review.
The Inquisitors and the Imperial forces strike a major blow against Maul’s forces, forcing the protagonists—both Sith and Jedi alike—to scatter by the end of Episode 7. Maul’s organization takes some tragic losses and betrayal. What can we say? Mercenaries are only so loyal. Episode 8 is where our heroes regroup and get down to business with heroic rescues and a buildup to another showdown with the Inquisitors, which I assume will happen in our final two episodes. It’s time for our cast to leave Janix.
A simple synopsis, sure, but the show still shines in filling that simple premise with action and drama. We get some insight into what drives Maul’s quest—a short and sweet explanation for the uninitiated. For those in the know, it adds a nice drop of depth to the tragedy that is Darth Maul the Abandoned. What we get is a glimpse into Maul’s doubts and fears. And like any good Sith, he uses them as fuel for his revenge and ambitions.
As far as the battles go, this show still gives me hope that there are those in Lucasfilm who know how to weave the Force and lightsaber combat seamlessly to make it both entertaining and deliver a real wow factor. Jedi Master Daki (Dennis Haysbert—you are in good hands) has a moment in Episode 8 that just made me gape at how the creative team made use of the Force. You’ll know it when you see it. Even as the noose closes around our heroes, the Empire is shown to be relentless, especially in its use of hordes of Stormtroopers. The combat feels deadly, despite the plot armor of our protagonists—and that’s how it should be.
I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with Sam Witwer as a voice actor. You can feel Maul’s guttural screams of pain and anguish, each agonized grunt as he struggles with damaged prosthetics. During those moments when Maul remembers what he’s been through under the tutelage of Darth Sidious—and the broken mind that resulted—Witwer easily switches from wounded puppy to frothing rage at the drop of a hat. He’s definitely made Maul his own. It’s especially great when the supporting cast voices their respective characters with competence as well.
Shadow Lord continues to do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to repairing the damage done to characters and factions in the past. It’s even trying to redeem Maul’s tie-in to the, uh, troubled Solo movie at the end of Episode 8. If you recall, he did have a random end-credits scene where he menacingly ignited his lightsaber. With efforts like these, will it be enough to fully redeem the franchise? No, I suspect not. As great as the show is, I think it would take a herculean effort from a big-screen feature. But the show is doing something that the EU has done well: it’s doing its best to keep interest in the franchise by hooking the audience with a great side adventure.
It’s a hope—but a small one. Speaking of hope, I do hope that we get a Season 2 with this same quality or better. I’ve got some speculations, but we’ll save that for the finale.
See you for the final two episodes!
****
English (US) · 