[kscherer]

Fun episode. Posting before reading the RDV* above.

Obi-Wan is clearly suffering from some serious PTSD, a total lack of confidence, and "I ain't practiced since you was knee-high to a grasshopper". The dude is messed up, and clearly the loss of his "brother" has impacted him in ways we never imagined. He is suffering. He's lonely, he's angry, and — uncanny for Obi-Wan Kenobi — he's scared. That really shows itself when he is forced to confront Anakin Skywalker aka, Darth Vader. Obi-Wan is truly a shadow of his former self. Yet, methinks something is coming in episode 6 that will demonstrate he hasn't lost his chops with the trusty, ol' saber. Darth Vader is as intimidating as ever. (FWIW, I'm trying really hard to instill in my brain the Darth Vader of Episodes 4-6 and Rogue One, rather than the whiny bitch of Episodes 1-2 & 3/4.) Good ol' Darth isn't even trying when he faces Obi-Wan, and it's clear that he has truly become the master. His use of the force to torment civilians for no reason whatsoever, his Vader-walk, his easy handling of his light saber. He's just … all the things. Powerful, sinister, mean, evil, Darth Vader. Obi-Wan is no longer a challenge for him, both because Obi-Wan has let his powers go and because Anakin has been hard at work mastering his skills. It's very clear from this episode that he harbors a great deal of hatred toward Obi-Wan for that slice-and-dice-and-roast he got all those years ago. He wants his revenge, and he wants it bad — bad enough to force-choke his old master and hold him over a BBQ. Holy cow, what an enraged bastard he's become! The former Anakin Skywalker has had plenty of time to just soak in his bacta tank and think of 10,000 ways to torment Obi-wan. It's a great story line, and it demonstrates why it was so easy for him to "strike down" his old friend in A New Hope. The poor guy was just enraged and had lost any and all compassion. He was so focused on revenge that he's become a tyrant, and perhaps that's not a strong enough word. He's an arrogant asshole, and I think this series is placing him squarely back on top as Hollywood's most despicable villain. There are elements in here that are kind of slow and wandering, but I think it ads to ObiWan's sense of fear and confusion. He's lost in his own mind, and he's lost on the ground. He no longer has a complete grasp on the force that would lead him to his goal. Rather, he's stumbling around, needing help from all corners, and relying on a stinky, little curtain-climber to knock a bit of sense into him from time to time. Oh, and he doesn't seem to have forgotten how to use one of those uncivilized blasters. Dude is damned good with that thing. And now we have to wait to see how the "crazy old man" reacquires the prize, who will likely get to meet her real father after all. Also, Wilhelm screen! It isn't Star Wars without one. Originally Posted by psmith2.0 Good stuff. I'm enjoying this series every bit as much as The Mandalorian, probably even more just because of the timeframe involved, and all the familiar faces I've got so many decades of familiarity or investment in...Obi-Wan, Vader, Leia, Bail, Owen, etc. It's all making my inner 8-year-old happy. To me, this is Star Wars. It’s hitting those marks that the OT does, and it’s also making me appreciate/think back on the prequels more than I ever thought I would. It’s bridging those two trilogies really well, in a way I wasn’t expecting. A foot firmly planted in each saga, and filling in those in-between blanks nicely. Until today, I just assumed Vader and Obi-Wan fought only twice...Mustafar and the Death Star. Nope...they went at it on some little backwater mining planet too. All of this. Oh, and remember this quote from Episode IV: "I sense something. A presence I've not felt since …" We were lead to believe that was from the battle on Mustafar, but now … * Reader's Digest Version