StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Well, that was anticlimactic.

Another disappointment.
There is no reason for Ezra to be in this episode. He serves no purpose in the story and him even knowing about Tatooine is a plothole. Obviously his actions will not result in any consequences and he probably won't even tell anyone about Kenobi.

Cutting Ezra from this episode would make it better.

Which means it has no place in Rebels. Maul was a mistake. He should have died in TCW

He will report about Kenobi, and that information will reach Leia Organa

Maul finally bought it? Was the body destroyed to make sure this time?

This was a pretty great episode. The visuals were fantastic and top notch, Tatooine is beautiful at night! Kevin Kiner outdid himself on the musical front, both with original material and weaving in themes from the PT (Maul's chanting theme from TPM) and the OT. And the plot resolution was...superb, in an unexpected and yet completely gratifying and logical way.

I know a lot of people were hoping for an epic lightsaber fight, but this just fit so much better than any amount of acrobatics ever could. Star Wars has always been inspired by Kurosawa and Westerns, and the final duel between Obi-Wan and Maul would have fit well in both. Obi-Wan is a true Old Master now, in a way Maul never could be, so that sort of focused, precise and utterly final kind of finish is just what Old Masters do in these situations. Plus, like a Western duel at the end of the movie, all the length is in the buildup - which this duel had, with Maul and Kenobi squaring up to each other - but then ends in a pair of gunshots, with one person falling and the other still standing. Just like that. The review on IGN says it better than I can:

• There were some excellent touches done here with Obi-Wan, even in his limited screen time. I absolutely loved how when he ignites his lightsaber, he first makes a prequel era/Ewan McGregor pose, pointing the saber and his two fingers forward like he did when he fought Grievous… and then changes his pose into a less flashy, more Alec Guinness-type style. It’s like for a moment he was going to try and fight like he used to, but then realizes “No, I’m different now.” It both gives us a character choice/change to show the transition into the slower lightsaber fight style of the original trilogy and also sets the stage for him beating Maul so quickly. This is an Obi-Wan who is not looking to have a prolonged fight but simply end things as efficiently as he can. - Eric Goldman, IGN Star Wars Rebels "Twin Suns" Review

Also, it goes back into character for Maul as well: he was broken and defeated long before he ever faced off with Kenobi. He was already dead, Ben's lightsaber didn't kill him, it just made final what was already the case. Maul had nothing, even if he (somehow) won, he had nothing to live for. He went to Tatooine to die, one way or another. Obi-Wan, of course, still had plenty to live for in Luke, which is why he was going to always win, his presence in ANH notwithstanding. That duel was already decided on a metaphysical level long before either duelist drew their lightsabers - there was no point in drawing out what had already been decided before either man got there.

It's also impactful that Obi-Wan clearly has no desire to fight, and only draws his blade when Maul implicitly threatens Luke. It also gives a lot of character to Maul, because despite his clear descent into madness, he's still smart, capable and calculating as he intuits just why Obi-Wan is here he is, as it's not just because he's "in hiding" after the Republic's fall. Because he knows Obi-Wan better than that.

There's also some grumbling about Ezra being there. Well, he fits in well, actually. This was an episode all about closure and not just between Obi-Wan and Maul. But also for Ezra, and his undeniable connection to Maul. Ezra needed to be there so he could finally walk away fully from Maul's influence, cast aside that weakness and vulnerability Maul had created in him, so he could move on and realize what was actually important: his family, as we saw at the end. So aside from the show's conventions mandating him being there, his conflict with Maul also required his presence to fully wrap things up for him, and give him a final closure with Maul. Him being there made perfect sense within the context the show gave us starting back in the season 2 finale.

All in all, it's a pretty great episode and I can't find much, if anything, to really fault it for. An easy 10/10, and a perfect resolution for the Maul/Kenobi conflict started back in Episode I, done in a way I never knew it needed to be done until I saw it today.

There were some excellent touches done here with Obi-Wan, even in his limited screen time. I absolutely loved how when he ignites his lightsaber, he first makes a prequel era/Ewan McGregor pose, pointing the saber and his two fingers forward like he did when he fought Grievous… and then changes his pose into a less flashy, more Alec Guinness-type style. It’s like for a moment he was going to try and fight like he used to, but then realizes “No, I’m different now.” It both gives us a character choice/change to show the transition into the slower lightsaber fight style of the original trilogy and also sets the stage for him beating Maul so quickly. This is an Obi-Wan who is not looking to have a prolonged fight but simply end things as efficiently as he can. - Eric Goldman, IGN Star Wars Rebels "Twin Suns" Review