Rachel Clemetson

I find it amusing that half of the criticisms of the plot for this show are from people who seem to be looking for one of 2 things: A. The version of Obi-Wan that existed in RotS, powerful, dynamic, sure of himself; untouched and unchanged by the events and traumas of the last 10 years on Tattooine (not to mention, the already present trauma of the Clone Wars, Order 66, and various missions gone wrong as his time as a Jedi). OR B. The same boring, overused dynamic of "the main man, tho broken, makes a comeback when he sees a threat, musters up some willpower, trains hard enough, and defeats the enemy with little to no lasting consequences, bringing peace to himself and others, proving he is the best beyond question. TLDR: those scenarios would make quite boring plot lines IMO and do a huge disservice to Kenobi's character and the SW franchise. What I love about the Kenobi series is that it glimpses into the mind of a man who lost so much in such a short time. I want to watch the man pick up the pieces of his life that shattered well before he could even blink. Living a slow life on Tattooine (in comparison to the whirlwind chaos of being a Jedi), we get to see how Obi-Wan has had to transform out of his former Jedi Master self and into just "Ben". I've been wanting to see how he copes with his inner demons. How he's being ripped apart by his own guilt and suffering, how he's managed to keep it together, or not, and how he managed to stay hidden while protecting what he believes to be the last few embers of hope that could bring balance back to The Force. I think the writers and directors have done a marvelous job bringing these themes to the screen and I am quite enjoying them. However, this series is not without its hiccups. Parts 1-2 were a struggle to watch because of a few moments that took me out of the story. Namely the interactions between Reva and the other Inquisitors and the infamous chase to capture Leia. However, Part 3 proved to be emotionally impactful, filled many gaps and kept me in the story. I am looking forward to the next 3 parts and how this adventure unfolds. BONUS: we finally get to see Leia in her youth! And Vivyan is doing such a great job portraying her. There are many child actors at such a young age that I feel would struggle with this role but she is absolutely nailing it and we (the fans) should be proud of her. Some may say that focusing on Leia's character is redundant since it's yet another plot line that centers around the "found child & the parent/protector figure" dynamic. But isn't that dynamic present in every bit of Stars content we've received thus far????? (QuiGon found Anakin, Obi-Wan and Anakin, Anakin & Ahsoka, Kannan & Ezra, Omega & Hunter/The Bad Batch, Mando & Grogu, etc) It seems to be a dynamic that works really well and it's a great vehicle for exploring the human condition. I also feel like Luke's character has been thourghouly explored across several movies in the SW universe and will continue to be explored as The Mandalorian series continues. So I don't mind that the directors didnt focus on him.