But somehow strangely enjoyable.

Let me explain.

Okay, as everybody who watched the first two episodes can verify, they were weak. Nicely done – there is real money in the production – but badly written and characterized. Aren’t Empire Inquitors supposed to be dark threats, very cool n stuff? Disney shows them as a bickering clique of jealous bastards. That’s atypical and not what we expected or wanted to see. Particularly Moses Ingram as Inquisitor Reva takes up too much screentime … for no reason.

She’s a Kylo Ren type of evildoer, driven by ambition and nothing else. Impatient, illogical, hotheaded, killing people left and right just for fun n giggles. And Disney tries to sell her as the greatest character ever … even doubling down and shutting up all critique. And didn’t she say she’s the first black character in Star Wars or something to that effect? Lando Calrissian and Mace Windu beg to differ. Terrible character, ruined by bad writing and SJW marketing.

Let’s quickly take a look at the second big female role in this series: Vivien Lyra Blair doesn’t help making the preadolescent Leia Organa any sympathetic. She’s just a cheeky little brat. I don’t know nothing about child actors but I guess she played her role quite fine.

Of course, well, ever since Trainspotting I’m a fan of Ewan McGregor. I mean, who isn’t? He plays his Obi-Wan in the usual quality. Nothing to complain. In his place I’d show my disdain for the screenplay … but not so Ewan. He plays Obi-Wan like it matters or sumfink. Gives his character some earnesty the series doesn’t deserve. 😦

Hayden Christensen left a very good impression as Darth Vader. We only get to see his crippled face for a second and I doubt that Vader’s voice is his own but to make up for that we see a lengthy light saber duel between him and Obi-Wan. And that’s what SW fans wanna see, no? Of course Obi-Wan loses and gets a little bit burned but not as bad as Annakin did. But at least Ani got his revenge, kinda.

Of course Obi-Wan had to survive, else the Obi-Wan Kenobi show would’ve been over after only 3 episodes. 😉

The production design is good and expensive looking, but not very creative. Nothing we haven’t seen before in SW or other SciFi shows. In contrast to the planetwide cityscape of Coruscant in Obi-Wan we are in a more Blade-Runner-ish, almost Asian, city. Rest of the builds and landscapes is the usual SW fare.

Then there is the big fat, unwieldy elephant in the room: The screenplay. Fukkit. As so often in the last couple years it’s the greatest shit imaginable. Probably scribbled by a committee of non-experts and younglings so wet behind the ears they have no clue about how real people talk … or act. Things happen because they had to happen. Chars are in places only because the script needed them to be there. At exactly the right time. This is all so poor. Written by children for children. 😦

And that is a real shame since Obi-Wan Kenobi has all the right ingredients to be a Star Wars show for adults. But they had to muck it up in typical Disney fashion. Okay, let’s see how it’ll go on, if they’ll eventually find their footing and manage to deliver a good series. The Mandalorian was a decisive step in the right direction, The Book of Boba Fett went two steps back. And I don’t put too much hope in the upcoming Ahsoka series neither.

CONCLUSION: After the first two episodes I was hesitant to go on with Obi-Wan, am now rather happy I did. Epi 3 was much better and the show seems to accelerate and gives us some friction and tension. In a nice, slow burn way. Could it be Disney is really trying to make a Star Wars show for adult fans?