Obi-Wan Kenobi Part V Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

Last week's episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi was, all told, a bit of a mess. Though littered with the odd burst of technical brilliance, Part IV struggled to add much depth to its characters' journeys, opting for rushed plotlines and exposition that overshadowed its promising and subtle drama.

Luckily, though, this seems to have been just a brief drop in quality, because Part V has actually given us the show's best episode to date.

An epic collage of intimate character development, epic action sequences, emotionally charged twists and effective fan service, it's an episode that succeeds on almost every front, and in turn sets up a finale of great potential.

Of course, it's not without its issues, but the few weaknesses it exhibits are only minor when compared to how much the episode gets right. This is Star Wars at its most exhilarating and surprisingly daring, holding nothing back as it barrels through well-placed fan service that will even the most cynical viewer easily moved.

With that in mind, here are 7 Ups and 3 Downs from Part V of Obi-Wan Kenobi. This review contains major spoilers.

DOWNS...

Unlike previous episodes, Part V feels like the first time Obi-Wan Kenobi has really struggled to give Leia anything to do, so much so that it probably would've benefitted from side-lining her from the action entirely.

Trapped in a hidden base used by the Path, Leia is (apparently) the only person capable of saving everyone, by fixing a cable needed to open the hangar roof and grant their getaway ship an escape route.

Taking up a large portion of the episode, this benign subplot takes an hilariously long time to reach its end given how little work Leia actually had to do to save the day.

On the plus side, she got reunited with her droid Lola. So it's not all bad, even if it is wholly forced and stretched-out to its breaking point.