Obi-Wan Kenobi Part IV Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

By Aidan Whatman / June 8, 2022

Following what was surely one of the most crowd-pleasing and shocking chapters of the Star Wars saga, Obi-Wan Kenobi has returned with an episode that, whilst gorgeous and thrilling enough, is far from the great follow-up it should have been.

After his violent, heartbreaking confrontation with Darth Vader, this week's episode finds Obi-Wan quick to shake things off and move onto his next mission, which this time involves breaking into the Inquisitor's fortress to rescue a captive Leia.

Introducing a host of new characters to Obi-Wan's journey, Part IV noticeably lacks the development and hard-hitting twists of the previous three episodes, but there's still plenty here to love, especially for fans of the original trilogy and those who watched The Clone Wars.

Taking all of this into consideration, from its rushed pacing to effective franchise call-backs, here are 4 Ups and 6 Downs from Obi-Wan Kenobi Part IV. As with previous reviews, this article contains major spoilers.

DOWNS...

10. Last Week Has Been Brushed Aside

You'd think, after Part III treated us to such a devastating confrontation between Obi-Wan and his fallen apprentice, that the show would take a step back to explore the effects it had on the already traumatised Jedi master.

But no. Instead of getting any real insight into how seeing Anakin again has struck Obi-Wan mentally, Part IV casually brushes over it with an admittedly chilling opening scene, and then ceases to allow either character to mention or even reference their clash again.

On top of this waste of emotional impact, the episode also glosses over Obi-Wan's injuries, his burns and exhaustion mentioned fleetingly before never being brought up again.

The episode isn't a total failure on its own merits, but Deborah Chow's decision to give audiences an episode of action with minimal insight into the effects of last week's drama on its characters is a tough one to overlook.