Obi-Wan Kenobi: Season 1/ Episode 4 “Part IV” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

As Reva uses Leia as bait for not only Obi-Wan but to learn more about “The Path,” Obi-Wan and Tala hope that Vader’s fortress is as penetrable as most Empire structures.

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Aired (Disney+)	6/8/2022
Director(s)	Deborah Chow
Writer(s)	Joby Harold, Hannah Friedman
Introduced This Episode
Roken	O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Sully	Maya Erskine

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Recap

I’m Not As Naïve As I Look – Leia, Reva

With Leia being a child, Reva expected getting information out of her would be easy. However, what Reva doesn’t know is this is Vader’s child. She can not be tricked with moments of kindness, nor have her mind penetrated. She is a stronger fortress than the place she is held in, hence Reva being willing to incase her like a fossil and add her to Vader’s collection.

You Can’t Be Part Of A War And Not Be A Soldier – Obi-Wan, Tala, Roken

While it can be seen as the Jedi losing the war with the Empire, with people like Tala and Roken assisting those who still exist, and the Empire still hunting Jedi, you could say the major battles are over, and now it is just a genocide. But, Tala, Roken, the others? There are mixed feelings about what they do. They want to help and contribute, but they aren’t soldiers and don’t want drastic changes to their life.

Hence why, Obi-Wan and Tala end up, originally, on their own. Despite Obi-Wan trying to play a victim and the guilt card that one of Tala’s associates, Roken, notes won’t work on him. After all, Obi-Wan isn’t the only one who lost something when the Jedi Order fell.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished – Reva, Darth Vader, Leia, Tala, Obi-Wan, Roken, Sully

Thanks to the rank she has built up, Tala is able to get in deep enough into Darth Vader’s fortress to help Obi-Wan get Leia. However, Reva learns of Tala in the process, which leads to Tala losing her status. Also, during the escape, Sully and Roken lose a member of their team who was providing a distraction.

But what matters most here is Darth Vader nearly killed Reva for failing him multiple times in a public and embarrassing fashion. However, with her putting a tracker in Leia’s Lola drone, now she’ll not only have Obi-Wan but also what is known as “The Path,” which is Tala’s underground railroad for what remains of the Jedi.

Things To Note

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. What is the daily life of a stormtrooper like?
2. How big is the ego of the Empire to not have their structures properly defended?
3. What was the point of all those people imprisoned? Including a child?

What Could Happen Next

1. Reva and the rest massacring members of The Path
2. Leia not getting home till the final episode

Collected Quote(s)

I don’t know if you’re lying to me or for me.
— Reva

Review

Highlights

Reva and Leia’s Chemistry

Reva is a complicated villain, writing-wise. She is shown to be formidable, but you cannot deny her desperation and failures undermine her. Reva seems willing to do what it takes, even hurting a child, yet she fails repeatedly, and it’s clearly due to a lack of support. Yet, when she does have some sense of power, there is no denying she seems more than capable at her job.

However, with Leia and Reva, things were different. You can almost tell that Reva genuinely liked a kid who showed no fear and was loyal to the end. Hence some hesitation on her part, for maybe she saw herself in the rebellious Leia. But Reva’s brand has always been whatever it takes, and while the banter tickled Reva, Leia had to be the sacrificial lamb in the long run. Which Reva might have been, thus the trauma she keeps hinting at.

Low Points

A Reminder The Empire Beat The Jedi Seemingly Due To Quantity, Not Quality

Even with Tala having executive access, you have to admit, her ability to knock out an officer and return to helping Obi-Wan go through the fortress was ridiculous. The fact Obi-Wan even was able to get in, with him perhaps being at the top of Vader’s bounty list, is absurd. I mean, he has been chasing the man for ten years at this point. Are you telling me there are no security cameras, just droids, that could see him?

Never mind, at the end, two foreign aircrafts with weaponry were able to enter the fortress’ airspace without it causing issues? Then, they only sent out one drone entity in terms of taking them down? I get for story purposes, they couldn’t go all out, but this is ridiculous with how much Vader and the Empire let Obi-Wan get away.

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