[psmith2.0]

The only thing I have the slightest with (isn't huge, I suppose, but it seems a tad "easy" or underwhelming, big picture). Interesting to see what others here think after they watch, if they agree or not...

I've wondered, all along, how they're going to make it to where by the time Episode IV rolls around, Kenobi isn't on Vader's radar in the least...he's not still hunting for him, etc. So, because of that, I've thought that this series must've ended in such a way that Vader believed Kenobi was somehow dead (but then that opens up the whole "but he would still sense him in the Force, wouldn't he?" can of monkeys), so Vader no longer considers Kenobi a threat or is consumed with revenge/payback for that little "higher ground" stunt on Mustafar 10 years earlier. As it turns out, none of that happened. Instead, Palpatine, of all people, kinda shuts down Vader's desire to pursue/destroy Obi-Wan, wondering aloud if Vader's mind was clear on the matter, and if his focus/obsession with Kenobi isn't weakening him. I would've thought that anger, obsession and desire for revenge would've made Vader even stronger in the dark side, which would please Palpatine and make Vader an even better sidekick/enforcer. Palpatine, as we saw in all three prequel entries (and, I assume, in those animated Clone Wars shows), is more than aware of Obi-Wan Kenobi...his powers, skills, allegiances, selflessness, etc. and surely would consider him a major threat/pain-in-the-butt if left alive. I just find it odd that Palpatine would put the leash on Vader, being okay with Kenobi besting Vader and still being out there somewhere. That's the only thing in this episode that kinda jumped out at me, and as a bit of an easy, out-of-nowhere fix/solution to the question that I've chewed on for the past 5-6 weeks. That didn't seem to be a very Palpatine response. I assumed he would've rubbed his hands together maniacally while hissing orders to Vader to "hunt down your former master, once and for all. Kenobi must be shown no mercy!" or whatever. But then that wouldn’t have tied in to Episode IV, where Vader and the Empire were clearly not thinking about/pursuing Kenobi. As I said in my previous post, that's going to come back as a pretty bad miscalculation on Palpatine's part. It's because Obi-Wan was left alone (and lived another 10 years) that all the events of A New Hope, and beyond, came to be. "Oops...it was I who made such a foolish error, and not foreseeing all that was to come as a result! Hey, we all have our off days...". One of the takeaways from this show, then, is that Palpatine is a bit of a chump, and actually played a not-insignificant part in the fall of the Empire!

Other than that one little nugget, it was a good episode and I enjoyed it.