Welcome back to the blog readers. I have been teetering on the seesaw of excitement for this series, and I was slightly rewarded with a solid foundational premiere (of which the review will be posted simultaneously with this one). Filled with engaging characters and an interesting plot, I was definitely curious to see what the next outing of this series would give us. With that being said, would I be happy with this two-episode premiere as a whole? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
Like I said above, the first episode definitely had some promise and I found myself invested in what Lucasfilm was initially throwing down. And I think I am on the thumbs up train because I thought this episode was just as solid as the previous one. The characters continue to intrigue me and the main story is starting to unfold in front of us. And I am really starting to like Lee Jung-jae.
I actually want to start with the performance of Lee. As Master Sol, Lee is proving to be the heartbeat of this show this far with a masterful and honest performance, one that I think he definitely has more to give us. Especially in his scenes with Osha, you feel a connection between the two almost instantly. And the way that Sol fights, it is incredible. We do get to see a glimpse of his abilities in a showdown with Mae that ends when she retreats, and I was absolutely obsessed with this fight. I will go more in-depth regarding this fight later on, but just know if we get more of this throughout the season, I am so down for this.
I also want to shout out Amandla Stenberg for their dual performance of Osha and Mae. In the review for episode 1, I mentioned that they played a duality very well, almost like she was playing two different characters. Since we know that is now the case, I definitely believe she is quickly becoming the MVP of this series. Osha is like that cool friend you want to have and that really knows what she wants, and is determined to get that whatever it takes. And Mae is the second side of the coin, the yang to Osha's yin, and the way Stenberg can switch is up on a dime is impeccable.
I mentioned that fight between Sol and Mae earlier in the review and I want to elaborate a bit further on it. I can at least hope that by now, you should know that I will prefer a character-driven story over an action-driven one any day of the week. So getting this little bit of action, especially when it is as solid as the scene in this episode is, then I am absolutely in. Although I do believe there is a downside to this, and that is this. They have set a high bar on the action for the series, and I fear that if it does not meet the standard they have set, it might just fail.
Now I want to mention the story that is brewing up here. It seems as if Mae is trying to get revenge on the four Jedi that were stationed on her planet when she was presumed dead in that fire. Two are already gone: Master Indara in the last episode, and Master Torbin (played by Dean-Charles Chapman). There must be something more to that fire that we are not aware of yet, and it is clear that someone is setting up Mae to be able to go after these Jedi she believes wronged her. Who that someone is, I really would like to know becase this sets us up for some major intrigue in the near future.
The final point I want to make about this episode is that I agree with John Campea in the sense that the episodes should be a bit longer to have a little more meat to them. These other streaming services know how to make 45-minte episodes and they are jam-packed with development and story. I just wish that these episodes could be longer so we could get a little more to them, because it feels like an episode is over just as it's getting going. I hope Daredevil: Born Again (2025) can begin to change the narrative about these Disney+ shows. Just look at the final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019-23). There is only one episode shorter than 40 minutes and it works extremely well.
So we are rewarded again with another solid episode that builds on the first episode's strengths, but also falls victim to Disney+'s weaknesses. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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