Look What I've Risen Above
The final scene with that special Motiv music from A New Hope brought tears to my eyes.
That said, Ezra is so young and inexperienced and lacks so much training in the force that it was obvious to all but him what was happening. I'm glad the battle wasn't drawn out or Kenobi in any actual danger.
Probably the only time I agree with Ezra being Ezra. Even if it meant he ultimately led Maul to Kenobi. But it had to happen. I admit I was skeptical when Maul got raised from the dead. I liked him in Phantom but I did not see the possible potential he could have. I'll also admit that he brought a lot to the table during the course of Clone Wars and Rebels.
I am not sure if I am dissapointed or thrilled by the way Obi-Wan was able to finish Maul off. You could make an argument for both. There was a lot of anticipation on my side and the scene was building up strong. And if you'd blinked in the wrong moment you might miss it.
I read the other comments right now while writing this and ultimately have to agree it was the right way to do. We know wo wins this fight anyway so why stretch it out.
The final scene was again heartwarming for an old Star Wars fan (of course it could also be for any younger fan).
After all these years that showdown with Maul is hella disappointing…
Brilliant episode. The absolute best in the whole series. I really love that they didn't make the fight between obi-wan and maul long and unnecessary. The connection to "A new hope" is absolutely brilliant. And applause to the person doing the voice of obi-wan. Really good and really close to Sir Alec Guinness.
Maul had no chance against Obi-Wan, a fitting end to an iconic character. Great episode!
What a wonderful ending they've made. I loved it!
Best Star Wars animation episode
As if we didn't already know, Ezra is an idiot. Was anybody else kind of hoping he'd die?
The big draw is of course Kenobi and Maul's rematch. There are a few ways this could have been approached and I think the show did the right thing. We obviously know that Kenobi can't lose, so why draw it out? Any tension would have been artificial, but I can imagine that some viewers will be disappointed that it was over instantly.
The final moment with that music did give me a bit of a chill!
that luke moment while a new hope played was everything <3
The final scene with that special Motiv music from A New Hope brought tears to my eyes.
That said, Ezra is so young and inexperienced and lacks so much training in the force that it was obvious to all but him what was happening. I'm glad the battle wasn't drawn out or Kenobi in any actual danger.
really wish that Kenobi Maul fight was a little longer tbh
Well it was underwhelming for sure.
Goosebumps! What a nice ending!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2017-03-19T06:34:21Z
[8.7/10] The natural inclination in an episode like this is to go big, to make it loud and exciting and epic. It is the Original Trilogy meeting the Prequel Trilogy meeting Rebels, and so the powers that be could be forgiven for turning that encounter into an epic confrontation, full of fireworks and piss and vinegar.
Instead, “Twin Suns” is a quiet, deliberate, almost melancholy episode. That is a bold choice, one that pays off for Rebels and delivers one of its most meditative, understated episodes in a way that does justice to the various major figures it invokes in the effort.
It opens on the holy site of Star Wars, the deserts of Tatooine. There in the swirling sands, Darth Maul wanders the arid wasteland, searching in vain for his mortal enemy. “Twin Suns” commits to the desolation of the planet. Many times, it frames its character in wide shots, often at a distance, showing how small and insignificant they are on that vast landscape between those dual radiating stars. While there are moments of action, most of the time is spent with the characters wandering through those miles of nothing, contemplating what’s calling them there.
Of course, it’s not enough to just have Maul stalking the specter of Obi Wan, so Ezra Bridger feels the call to Tatooine as well. The reasons for his being there are thin, but adequate. He is, essentially, bait. Maul uses the same visions and hallucinations to draw Ezra to the desert planet so as to put him in danger. If Obi Wan is there, Maul reasons, he’ll be unable to stop himself from emerging to save the day.
So foolhardy Ezra heeds the call, follows the visions, and gets both Chopper and himself lost and desperate amid the sands of Tatooine. Despite the half-plausible excuse, Ezra doesn’t have much of a place in this story. It gives the character a bit of nice material, with deliberately disorienting edits creating his sense of being at a loss and in peril as the amount of time he spends out there remains unclear. But on the whole, his arc, to the extent it exists, is merely a familiar epiphany that he’s turned his back on his newfound family and should return to them rather than taking things on his own.
But it’s the man who offers him that advice who matters. Rebels realizes the Ep. IV-era Obi Wan Kenobi well. The franchise has yet to address the awkward business of bridging the gap between the Ewan McGregor/James Arnold Taylor incarnation of the character, and the version that started it all. But Stephen Stanton (who also voices Tarkin and AP-5), does his best Alec Guiness and it scans as true to one of Star Wars’s founding performances.
The Obi Wan Ezra meets in the desert is of a piece with one Luke meets in A New Hope. The years have blunted the edges of the reserved but adventurous man who fought in the clone wars. In his place is this wise old monk, one who has the zen and worldly perspective that Guiness and George Lucas imbued in the role. Rebels attempts to revive characters who’ve gone unseen since Return of the Jedi have been hit or miss, but kudos belong to Stanton and writers Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy for capturing the spirit and demeanor of the character we know from Star Wars’s first act.
It’s not, however, inter-generational crossovers and desert-worn wisdom. Obi Wan’s time with Ezra is mercifully short, just enough to give him the lesson he needs and send him on his way before Maul arrives. Maul explains his manipulation in a suitably villainous fashion, and trades insults with Obi Wan as he gears up for a confrontation greatly hyped and long in the making.
When Obi Wan faces Maul, the scene is tense. Maul is inquisitive, probing, challenging his wizened adversary. He sniffs out why Kenobi is on this backwater planet, and the Jedi Master’s eyes subtly react with concern and awareness of what he’s revealed. Only then does Obi Wan ready himself to fight. The two men hold the tension, stand their ground, letting the potential of this grand clash linger in the air before the first, tremendous blow is struck.
Instead, it simply ends before it barely began. A few swift moves is all Obi Wan needs to fell his opponent. He moves slowly but decisively. Anything more would be a betrayal of the warrior we saw in Episode IV. There is mercy in his blade and in the way he cradles Maul in his arms after the deed is done.
But the purpose of that anticlimax is not simply fidelity to the source that began it all. It is a reveal, a demonstration, that these are not the fiery young men who clashed on Naboo. They are not the hardened warriors who met in battle on Mandalore. They are broken down old men, the last of a generation, finishing the last vestiges of conflicts that were already lost before they’d even started.
These are the last gunfighters, drawing one last time, because what else is there to do? As Maul seemingly dies in Obi Wan’s arms, he asks Kenobi if his task is to protect the chosen one. Obi Wan admits it, and Maul says the most curious, revealing words as he leaves the living force – “He will avenge us.”
Maul and Kenobi have stood on opposite sides of the battle lines for decades. They have seen the fall of republics and the rise of empires. They have done this dance across the ages, each taking pounds of flesh from the other. And yet, when the final blow is struck, the clarity of the last light reveals a simple truth. They are both victims of the same tormentor, the same individual who took away all that they had and believed in.
As Star Wars has gone on, it has evolved, showing more shades of gray within the hero’s journey that started with A New Hope. Before that little boy running across the horizon could rise up and strike down the evil that took so much from so many, too many had to suffer, both the good and the bad. The distance between the two seems as small as the distance between Maul and Kenobi. They are the twin suns, intertwined, eternally circling ‘round these same events, pulled by the same force, until they are snuffed out, ready for a new light, a new beacon, to sweep the galaxy, and wipe away their shared regrets, mistakes, and pain.