While the first episode of Disney's Obi-Wan Kenobi was sufficiently impressive with its well-paced premise, the second episode took a narrative leap in favor of the show, dealing with things in a more gripping and rewarding way. The second episode premiered with the first one on May 27, 2022.
In what could be the best Star Wars prequel on screen, film and television, Obi-Wan Kenobi's most recent episode saw the broken Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) take up another mission and make his way to the beautifully lit streets of Daiyu in search of young princess Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair).
Read on for a detailed review of Obi-Wan Kenobi's second episode.
Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1, episode 2 review: Neat action, frightful pace, and a harrowing revelation
The second episode picks up right where the first one left, with Obi-Wan, who now goes by the name Ben, going to the planet of Daiyu in search of Princess Leia. The beautifully lit streets of Daiyu almost gave off a vintage Blade Runner aesthetic, something we have already seen in Ron Howard's Han Solo (2018) but even grander and more prominent.
While the first few minutes were spent on world-building, the short and effective tour did not yield the results as one would expect but rushed to introduce the next prominent character for the particular episode, Haja Estree (played by the brilliant Kumail Nanjiani).
Kumail was exceptional in the short screen duration, perfectly portraying his own lack of conviction as a pretentious Jedi, and later on the conviction of someone who wanted to help. He ended up being of major use in the latter part of the episode.
Obi-Wan's multiple encounters across the planet were fascinating, even if they were too brief. Perhaps this is not yet time for some serious action sequences. It is a good idea to save it for later because this episode worked really well with the brief but crisp action sequences, generating just enough intrigue to keep things interesting in the backdrop of massively escalating character arcs.
Blair's incredible portrayal of Leia after being rescued is reminiscent of the brilliant Carrie Fisher, something only hard-core Star Wars fans would notice. A narrative twist also helps the plot of the episode when it is revealed that Leia was just the bait and not the target.
Things only get more and more engaging from here on with the constant thrill of the chase, facilitated by many bounty hunters, the Inquisitors, and an overly motivated Reva Savender/The Third Sister (Moses Ingram), who will definitely be a key part of the season.
All of this culminated in a final scene where most viewers were expecting Obi-Wan to pick up the old lightsaber and engage in a furious battle. By not giving in to this set path, Obi-Wan Kenobi once again proved why it is a worthy successor of the Star Wars franchise. It is the uniqueness of this show that sets it apart from anything we have seen on screen before, much like the original Star Wars trilogy by George Lucas, the ones that dared to dream.
The rather complicated ending saw Reva revealing the truth about Annakin Skywalker to Obi-Wan, opening up an array of doors that would be difficult to shut. The upcoming episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be largely impacted by the news, and it is possible that it could form the foundation for the rest of the season.
The second episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.