WARNING! FULL SPOILERS AHEAD!
Well, that was rather epic. Before we go on, I'd like to request you take a quick moment of silence for Savage Opress. Yes, he was a terrible person, but there's no denying he was crafted into an interesting (and intimidating) villain. He could have easily been a cheap attempt at duplicating his brother's style, but thankfully he felt like his own unique character. Opress, maybe you can live on in the comics or novels... but if you're going to go down, then I'd say there's no shame in having it happen against Darth Sidious. At least you force pushed him over a ledge. Sure, he took you down with him, but A for effort.
I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing Mandalorian battles. There's a full fledged war going on as Obi-Wan arrives and attempts to rescue Satine and it looks fantastic. From the way they rocket through the skies using numerous weapons to the colorful explosions, it's simply spectacular. It's just too bad all of the Death Watch crew that decided to stay with Darth Maul are total chumps compared to the "rebels."
There's plenty of references to the earlier films that are definitely appreciated and this episode has thrilling action, but it was also an emotional powerhouse, too. Maul slaying Satine right in front of Obi-Wan was surprisingly powerful thanks to their history and his controlled response. Although, having Obi-Wan then escorted around by two guards and thinking he couldn't escape that scenario is a little difficult to swallow. Additionally, having the reveal that Bo-Katan is her sister was certainly an unexpected and nice twist.
I can't be the only person who had their jaw dropped or muttered, "Wow" when those giant blast doors opened in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Seeing the massive scope of Death Watch vs. Death Watch was staggering and the devastating impact it had on the city was a stunning visual.
But when it comes to action, the real treat here was seeing the Zabrak brothers take on The Emperor. It's clear they stood no real chance of winning, but they still put on quite a show and truthfully I thought it was far more electric than Maul vs. Pre Vizsla. I loved when they force pushed Sidious off of a ledge and then the future Emperor brought them down with him. It really hit home the point that he's in complete control of this battle. That said, seeing Maul give into his rage as he flails wildly with a darksaber and red lightsaber was thoroughly awesome. I still have mixed feelings on his final moments in this episode. On one hand, it was a vulnerable moment that absolutely called for such a response. He has a strong sense of self-preservation and knew there was no way he could physically escape the scenario, so pleading for his life was a great way to show that above everything else, he wants to live and isn't above begging. On the other hand, after seeing his brother slain like that, part of me believes that instead of pleading, he would have essentially cursed the Emperor and let his anger dictate his emotions.
Simply put, this episode was truly epic and I cannot wait to see what stems from this. Will the Emperor merely use Maul as a pawn to divert the Jedi Council's attention from his own actions? Regardless, it's clear we will see Obi-Wan and Maul go face-to-face again and it'll be interesting to see how that unfolds after everything Maul has put him through, First he killed his master (Qui-Gon), now this? I'm psyched to see what happens.
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