Chat corner 89: Obi-Wan Kenobi

[annathecrow]

Welcome to the Monday chat corner!

This week, the topic is Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Disney live-action show. It’s been out long enough now, so spoilers are allowed, although you’re welcome to use the <details> tag to hide them:

<details> <summary>spoiler</summary> Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father.</details>

Have you seen the show? What did you think? Would you recommend it? Any fic recs?

Comments

[cofax7]

I really appreciated the character work on the show: it wasn't what I expected, but they really leaned hard into Obi-Wan's trauma after the events of RotS, and how hard it would be to come back from that to a place where he could value himself and do good in the world. I thought that was really valuable, and it was clear they had thought hard about how to get him from RotS to that one scene in Rebels: this got him most of the way there. And of course the acknowledgement that Anakin was responsible for his own choices was vital, although I would have appreciated some textual indication that he had also been failed by both Obi-Wan and the Jedi.

I liked the brief time we got with Owen and Beru, and with Bail and Breha: both loving and caring parents, with wildly-different attitudes towards Obi-Wan and the Jedi.

Many of the secondary characters were too briefly-drawn and needed more time to breathe, time which I thought was wasted in extended action sequences.

The plot and the writing I thought were pretty weak, however. It was a lot of running around with fairly poor logic underpinning it all, and people made stupid decisions for the purposes of the plot, which always annoys me. They had the time and money to do this better, and they didn't.

The scene where Obi-Wan shoots the gate lock and then the camera shows you that they could have just walked around it? Or the one where Obi-Wan sneaks Leia out under his coat? That was nonsense and also a pretty damning indication of failures at the directorial/show-running level. That was the kind of scene you can get away with in animation, but not live-action.

After Andor, we know that D+ can make an excellent SW show, with great writing, subtle characterizations, and a plot that holds together. So as much as I liked seeing Obi-Wan and the others, and appreciated the introduction of Reva, and I adored little Leia -- I'd rate it at no better than a B.

Sorry to be a downer!

[vysila]

Although I would give this show an A- score, a little higher than the two previous posters, I do have to admit there were issues.

spoiler

I was confused right from the start with the Inquisitors. They were completely new to me and the weird naming convention made them ridiculous rather than fearsome to me. But seeing Obi-Wan so tired, so defeated and using his duty to Luke as an excuse to not help others was chilling. Had I not seen TCW before this, I would have wanted to kick him. But understanding now how close he and Anakin were and how much betrayal and guilt Obi-Wan wears at this point helped me get through his struggle and that painful, painful first episode.

Little Leia annoyed the hell out of me at first. Too precious, too precocious for my taste. But by the end of the second episode I was in love with her. "Grandfather, maybe?"

I was intrigued by the idea that using the Force comes with a 'use it or lose it' clause. Obi-wan was really struggling there for the first three episodes.

It took me a while to realize that Reva was the little girl from the opening scene. The fact that the other Inquisitors actually refer to her by name a couple of times finally pinged on my brain.

And... wait, there were not just one but TWO direct encounters with Vader? Two lightsaber/Force fights? But at least they did retro-fix how Obi-Wan addresses Vader as Darth in ANH.

Gotta agree that there were places that dragged because the plot was advanced by bad choices and unimaginative writers, but it did not bother me as much as it might have, because this show was primarily a character study of a once great man rebounding from absolute devastation. He found his purpose, his self again, and I loved that.

Also, I loved the final episode. Luke! Reva's reasoning in coming after him was flawed, I thought, but in the end she did the right thing. And Leia's adorable holster and boots outfit at the end, how cute was that?

Maybe I liked it better because I haven't kept up with all the newer media? I've started Rebels now so whatever y'all are referring to from that show went right past me.

[fleurviolette]

I really wanted to like Kenobi but the show overall was messy and nonsensical. The writers should have followed the Kenobi novel, or Leia should have had her own show.

Fic rec

[ironymaiden]

Best if you have seen TCW, but The Mandalorian may be enough. Tags are full of spoilers so I would ignore them if possible. Chapter 1 stands alone; if you read the full work it has an alternate (happier) ending.

Mar’eyce Summary:

An alternate take on Part V of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

What happens after Obi-Wan, Leia, and Tala make their escape from the Inquisitor’s fortress? With the Empire surely on their tail, Obi-Wan soon finds himself relying on the aid of an old acquaintance who is less than thrilled to see him. Canon-Divergent starting immediately after Part IV of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rated T for a few harmless swear words.

A one shot first chapter that can be read alone and is now being expanded into a full-fledged arc.