Obi-Wan Kenobi 1×05 Review: “Part V”

Obi-Wan fights to fend off the Empire’s attack as Reva’s tragic backstory is revealed in “Part V.”

After a daring rescue in “Part IV,” Obi-Wan must help a group of refugees escape as the Empire closes in on their base in “Part V.” The episode has exciting action throughout, but the most memorable highlight of the episode is the reveal of Reva’s (Moses Ingram) backstory that makes her a more sympathetic villain than previously thought.

Interweaved throughout the episode is a flashback set sometime around Attack of the Clones where Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) spar in a training session. Though the prequel trilogy is notoriously polarizing, it’s great to see Christensen get the opportunity to reprise his role as Anakin. The duel and rapport between the two are fun, and Obi-Wan eventually winning the fight by outsmarting Anakin ties in nicely to the present-day action.

In the present, Tala (Indira Varma) and her crew look to help a group of refugees escape through their underground network. The most notable of these refugees is Haja (Kumail Nanjiani), last seen in “Part II,” and his reappearance is a welcome sight. Unbeknownst to everyone, Leia’s (Vivien Lyra Blair) droid has a tracker inside it which brings Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) and the Empire towards them.

The tracker also hijacks the droid, which sabotages the wiring and locks them inside the base. As Obi-Wan senses the Empire’s impending arrival, he formulates a plan to hold off the Empire long enough so that the refugees can escape. Leia is tasked – as the smallest person – to fix the wiring, while Vader promotes Reva to Grand Inquisitor as they make their way to the base.

As Obi-Wan attempts to stall, he speaks to Reva through a door at the edge of the base. Through thinking about their previous encounters, he puts the pieces together and realizes that Reva was a youngling that escaped Anakin’s slaughter in Revenge of the Sith. Reva confirms this and admits that she hid among the dead bodies to survive, a detail that unfortunately draws a connection to current US events. The backstory is tragic, and many moments in previous episodes now make more sense with the revelation.

Obi-Wan assesses that she became an inquisitor to get revenge on Vader, which she confirms. She rejects his offer to help her, not sure he’d be willing to kill Anakin. Even more, she blames Obi-Wan for being the one to train Anakin and not being there to stop him from the slaughter. The truth about Reva’s past makes her into an even more interesting character, and Ingram’s ability to showcase both Reva’s anger and vulnerability is on full display.

Reva and her Imperial army burst into the base as Obi-Wan’s attempts to reason with Reva fail, and a battle ensues. The action is exciting, and Tala’s decision to sacrifice herself to protect the others is an emotional moment through the battle. Once Leia fixes the sabotaged wiring and the hijacked droid, Obi-Wan attempts to appeal to Reva again and manages to convince her to let everyone go. Once Vader marches into the base, he attempts to stop the ship using the Force in an impressive show of strength. However, his attempt fails as a smaller ship emerges from inside the bigger one, planned by Obi-Wan, and eludes his grasp.

In the aftermath, Reva attempts to fight Vader, but he easily overpowers her and reveals that he knows who she really is. Even more so, the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) that Reva supposedly killed is alive and takes his title back before Vader stabs Reva and leaves her. The sequence is thrilling, and the revelations are nearly as riveting as Reva’s backstory. However, it’s strange that Vader stabs Reva and leaves without confirming that she’s actually dead.

Reva finds Obi-Wan’s communicator left behind, which Obi-Wan had previously used to view a message from a concerned Bail (Jimmy Smits). Bail tells Obi-Wan that he plans to go to Tatooine to rescue Luke after not hearing from him. In the ship of refugees, Obi-Wan senses that something is wrong. Though it was an inevitability that Obi-Wan would eventually make his way back to Tatooine, the penultimate episode’s ending sets up a thrilling conclusion where Obi-Wan will have to protect both Leia and Luke from Reva.

While there have been some good episodes in this season, “Part V,” is one of the strongest in both action and character moments. With one episode left, it will be exciting to see how Obi-Wan will protect both Leia and Luke, and the final showdown between Obi-Wan and Reva, and possibly Vader will hopefully improve on previous encounters. Hopefully, the season will end on a satisfying note, whether there will be more seasons or not.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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