The following recap contains spoilers.
Last week, viewers were treated to the presence of Darth Vader in his prime as he roasted a powerless Ben Kenobi on Mapuso. This week was a very different episode, somewhat mirroring A New Hope with infiltration into an enemy base to rescue the exact same person (Leia at 10, rather than Leia as a late teen). ‘Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope’ makes more sense now – she knows he can rescue people from the clutches of evil, and luckily for our hero he didn’t run into his old apprentice to meet his demise.
The (short) episode begins with Ben healing from the burns and damage inflicted by Vader. We see them compared in Bacta tanks, wounds aplenty, before plans are set to rescue Leia from the Inquisitors. We see the return of an underwater breather most memorable from A Phantom Menace, and tight corridors reminiscent of the end game in Jedi: Fallen Order. There is also a throwback to a prominent Jedi from Clone Wars, and a similar scene to A Force Awakens where Reva tries to mentally extract information from Leia (Kylo Ren to Rey). It is very easy to notice these Easter eggs as there is not as much happening in episode 3 compared to episode 4 – though that is not all bad.
One of the best elements to the episode is Ben’s return to force abilities and the use of his blue lightsaber. Whether it’s slashing Stormtroopers in the dark or blocking blaster fire right back at the shooter, we start to see the skills that were on show in the prequels (including a signature twirl after a hit). What isn’t so enjoyable is Tala’s role, undercover and openly coaching Ben from a control room full of other high-ranking officers in earshot. But her inclusion remains a highlight to the series and there is no doubt she has a key role to play in the final episodes.
The touching moment of Leia holding Ben’s hand also adds weight to a rewatch of A New Hope. That they had been on such adventures or held such a bond was never explored, in the assumption that Ben focused only on Luke in the years between the trilogies. It’s somewhat depressing knowing how it all ends – perfect emotion for this series. With Reva failing to stop the escape, Vader adds presence and intimidation by threatening her with all his force tools. But as we’ve seen with Reva, she finds a way out through deception – Leia’s droid is bugged and the biggest showdown of all awaits.
There was talk of the episodes running for an hour each when announced, but episode 4 was lucky to go past the half-hour mark. It indeed flew by, but with only two episodes left there feels like a lot to touch on to ensure the final battle lives up to ‘rematch of the century’. Now that Ben is back with the force, will we see his old master Qui-Gon Jinn show up in episode 5 via force ghost communications?
Here’s hoping.
