Summary: Devoted Dan runs some sort of money laundering scheme with Hoski. Joe and Chee track down Raymond and have him hunt for the helicopter in the lake, but have no success. Joe meets with Whitover about the new missing persons case. Joe gets to keep it and brings Anna and Hosteen's bodies back to the reservation. He begins to get suspicious abotu Father Tso (Hoski) and brings his concerns to Chee. Chee meanwhile grows closer to Bernadette and they both share parts of their past with each other. They find Wanda and question her about the cactus paintings, but she lies and tells them nothing. Wanda is taken care of by Sally's mother who uses witchcraft to have a poisonous spider bite her. The community comes together for a Kinaalda ceremony and Sally sees Hoski. She panics and is taken to a clinic. Emma asks Joe to allow Sally to live with them.
The Good: This was more solid story progression. The scenes here are pretty good individually, and I continue to enjoy the acting, dialogue, and mystery. Smaller moments like Chee and Joe recruiting Raymond, Emma asking Joe to let Sally stay with them, and Joe's brief interaction with Whitover are all enjoyable simply due to there being passion put into crafting these scenes. The acting is good, there's some nice humour, the performances are strong, and the story and dialogue are very well written. Even though these scenes are far from mindblowing, they are enjoyable. The whole show has been consistent like this so far. I was pleased to see Chee and Bernadette developing a connection. If these two are going to be leading characters, then they certainly need to develop some sort of relationship to keep things interesting, and I was pleased by how natural this was. Their attraction could have felt forced, but there was obvious chemistry and I was pleased that we were given a chance to learn more about both characters through their interactions with each other. I liked this budding romance and I am interested to see how the relationship between these two continues to develop. Despite this only being a six episode season, the patience in building this relationship is reminiscent of some of the best character work that you can see in procedural television. It's possible that after a couple of seasons, this show can become a perfect blend of procedural and serialized television. If there's one complaint I have about this show, it's that the directing hasn't been anything special the past couple of episodes. However, that changed here as we had some really nicely edited scenes with some dynamic camera shots. The highlight is the opening montage with Devoted Dan. This character is a mysterious enigma so far (see: The Unknown), but we're introduced to him in such an engaging way. The operation that he is running is shown to us in a visually exciting way, and I loved that. I'm excited to see more from him, and it certainly helps that he's played by Rainn Wilson, who looks to be doing a great job with the role with what limited screentime Devoted Dan has had so far. The Bad: The kinaalda story is a bit dull. I'm not fully on board with Sally as a character yet, and I struggled to care much about seeing this menstruation ceremony. It's cool to see the show putting a focus on the Navajo culture, but there was a bit too much time spent on this storyline without enough interesting character work or plot development happening. Emma and Sally have been the weak points of this show so far, hopefully they grow more interesting. I'm not entirely on board with the witchcraft stuff. The witch character is cheesy and uninteresting to watch. So far she doesn't do a whole lot for me, and I feel like a "less is more" approach would be much better for this character. The show gets uncharacteristically overdramatic whenever she is on screen. I like the unnerving presence of Jeremiah Bitsui's Hoski, but the character doesn't offer anything more in this episode. I hope that these villains get better development as the show goes on. The Unknown: Who is Hoski? Is he Father Tso's brother? Why is he back? Why is he posing as Father Tso? What is going on with all of this? Why does Sally know him? She seems to be very afraid of him. Why? Also what did Sally tell Emma? Why did Joe pull over Yazzie? Was he suspicious about something? What? We know that Yazzie is working with Devoted Dan on his scheme. Is Joe suspicious at all? Who is Devoted Dan? Is he the man behind all of this? What is he up to? It seems like he is running some sort of scheme, but the details remain unclear to me. Why go through the trouble of the cactus paintings? Where does this money come from? Is it from the robbery? Is he laundering the money through his car store? How does the witch do her witchcraft? Does she only require the hair of her victims? Why does she need that? What is the extent of her powers? Best Moment: The montage with Devoted Dan to start the episode was a lot of fun. Character of the Episode: Joe. Conclusion: Another solid episode as the characters start forming connections and the plot continues to develop. Score: 60
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Summary: Flashbacks reveal that Joe's son Joe Jr. died in a drilling accident that Guy was warned about, so he wasn't at work. In a confrontation with Guy, Joe shoots him in the leg. Anna was Joe Jr.'s girlfriend. In the present, Joe figures out Chee is an FBI agent and sends him to analyze the water samples. Chee gets it analyzed and meets with Whitover. Chee confirms that there was hydraulic fluid in the water, and learns that Anna's autopsy suggests that she died of cardiac arrest. A Mormon family buys the cactus painting, but it has the money that the truck robbers had stolen. They track down the family and get the money back, but the family is missing. Bernadette finds their car on the side of the road and investigates it with Joe.
The Good: This was more solid stuff. I enjoy the Joe/Chee dynamic a lot. They are both well defined characters and I enjoy seeing them clash in their beliefs. Chee has his roots in the Navajo culture, but after going to college he believes to have grown past needing them. Meanwhile Joe has had the same college experience, but decides that there is some virtue to be found in these silly traditions. It's interesting to see them discuss the culture, and I appreciate that this isn't done in an overly melodramatic way. I was delighted by Joe discerning that Chee was an agent. It makes Joe look impressive for considering all of the evidence he has seen in previous episodes to make this guess and have it pay off. What's nice about this reveal is how it changes their dynamic. Joe kept most things secret from Chee before this moment, but afterwards he opens up to Chee about his connection to Anna and they both begin to trust each other more. The relationship is developing naturally and I like that. I enjoyed the flashbacks as they deepened our understanding of Joe and his relationship with Guy. The tensions between them now have more meaning than they did in the first episode, and I liked the slow reveal that Joe lost his son in the drill site explosion. Furthermore, I always appreciate it when TV shows use a different filter on the flashback scenes to make it obvious when we are watching a flashback scene. This prevents things from becoming confusing, especially when we are flashing back and forth as often as we do in this episode. The Bad: Joe tracking down what happened to the Mormons isn't very interesting because we know exactly what happened to them. It's less interesting to follow a mystery when we have the answers already and the characters are just playing catch-up. The abduction scene was cool, but the mystery would have played out better if we hadn't seen it. The plot isn't the most interesting. The robbers are already starting to seem like bland bad guys, and I am not interested in seeing more of them. Sally's storyline is curious but feels too extraneous to get me to care about it. I'm not a huge fan of her mother being an evil witch, and the scene with her at the end of the episode was cheesy. In an episode that mostly takes itself seriously, such a cheesy "supernatural" scene is needless. The Unknown: Why didn't Guy tell Joe not to send his son in to work that day? It seems like there was already bad blood between them before this incident. What happened to the Mormon family? Were they killed or simply abducted? Why did the robbers leave the cactus painting in the hands of someone else? That seems pretty silly. What will Chee and Joe do with the information about the helicopter crash? How will they investigate this? Will the FBI find out that Chee lied to them? What will be the significance of that? Anna's death was cardiac arrest? I don't buy it. How can that be explained? What happened to her? Best Moment: Joe getting the truth from Chee that he is an FBI agent was a delight. Character of the Episode: Joe. Conclusion: Another solid, unremarkable episode of the show. I'm not sure that this is going to be a special show judging by what I've seen, but at the very least I hope that it continues to be harmless entertainment like it is right now. Score: 60 Summary: Men in a helicopter do a robbery and fly over Navajo land. A grandfather, Hosteen Tso, sees the helicopter and starts feeling sick. He goes to see a healer but is murdered, along with the healer's granddaughter Anna. The murders are investigated by police officer Joe Leaphorn who knew Anna. He is forced to call in the FBI, and they are suspicious since the helicopter from the robbery flew over Navajo territory. Joe has a new deputy, Jim Chee, but he is secretly an FBI agent looking for the helicopter. Joe's wife Emma tells him to check up on a pregnant girl, Sally. He sends Chee and his number two Manuelito to investigate. Manuelito discovers that Sally's mother has some sort of witch powers. They are hiding a man that neither cop discovers. Joe discovers that Hosteen's water was contaminated, a result of the helicopter crashing in a nearby lake.
The Good: I enjoyed this pilot. The concept of the show is interesting. It's a typical mystery and those are always fun to uncover. This episode has the unique niche of spotlighting the Navajo people, which I really appreciate. Native American people have long been overlooked in film, so it is fresh and significant to see a notable TV show centered around them. This gives the show a memorable identity as it takes place in a reservation area and takes the time to incorporate some Navajo traditions, creating a unique sense of worldbuilding. I can't attest to its accuracy, but considering that the show is being developed by Native Americans, I do expect that this is fairly accurate. I appreciate the attention to detail. Thankfully this show does include a lot more than just something for Native Americans to enjoy. So far, this show isn't just pandering to Native American people, and it seems to be telling a good story. The characters have been intriguing so far. I like Joe and I think that he is an effective main character. Zahn McClarnon is an excellent actor, and he plays this tough, yet witty and intelligent officer brilliantly. Joe is not perfect and this episode intriguingly hints at a dark past (see: The Unknown), but he embodies character traits that make it easier to connect with him. The supporting cast is less spectacular (see: The Bad), but I was interested by Jim Chee. Chee immediately makes a decent connection with Joe, but we get a strong reveal that he was an FBI plant all along. This reveal is a bit predictable, but it is no less effective as an early shake-up in the story. It also makes perfect sense, explaining away Chee's strange arrival without any prior communication. I'm pleased that this twist was not withheld for a long time and that the show got it out of the way quickly. I'm curious about Chee as he seems to be an interesting character. Evidently he still has some ties to his heritage, so I wonder if that will be a cause for some inner conflict where he may have to choose between the FBI and the Navajo people. I was gripped by his introduction scene. Chee is supposed to be a Navajo native who cares for his people, and yet his introduction has him happily speeding along and ignoring a family in need of help on the side of the road. Perhaps he is a more sinister character than what meets the eye. I like the minor detail that Hosteen's sickness was due to contaminated water, but he thought it was because of the helicopter, which is technology he did not understand. A perfect portrayal of how humans tend to fear other cultures that they do not understand and view their practices as supernatural in nature. The Bad: The supporting cast concerns me a little bit. Manuelito has been flat so far, and I'm concerned that she may end up being a forced strong female type without any depth. I definitely hope not. The FBI agents were another red flag for me. This show should avoid painting caucasian people in such a bad light as that can make things feel rather one-dimensional. The show has done a good job of pointing out the subtle prejudice against the Navajo people, but it abandons its subtlety a few times. The FBI agents is one such case, as these people are condemned as moustache-twirling racist villains in this first episode, and that is a boring way to handle these characters. Giving depth to both sides would make for a much more interesting show. While I enjoyed this episode, this was not the most exciting pilot ever. The pacing is methodical and there isn't much excitement here in terms of action and thrills. This show isn't coming out of the blocks swinging. The Unknown: What is the significance of the opening robbery? Did the people get away with it? How did the helicopter crash in the lake? Why? What happened? How does the crash tie into the murders? Who is the murderer? Why kill Hosteen so brutally? How did Anna die without any noticeable cause of death? Why was the grandmother spared? Why is she unable to speak? Was witchcraft involved? What's the significance of the missing token? The token was the glasses, so what is the importance of that? What's going on with Sally? Who is her mother? Is she a witch? Is she involved with this robbery? Who is the man they were hiding? Is that the father of Sally's child? Is he involved in the robbery? What happened in Joe's past? Clearly he had some sort of connection with Anna. What was it? Anna's father suggested that Joe let someone else die before. Who? Why is Joe so reviled? Was he involved in this death? Why is he viewed as a traitor? Where do Chee's true allegiances lie? Will he betray Joe further down the line? This episode showed us recurring dead dogs. What is going on with that? Best Moment: Chee ignoring the family in need of help suggests some depth to this character, and it got my brain going more than any other scene in this episode. Character of the Episode: Joe. Conclusion: This was a good pilot that did a lot of things right, even if it was unexceptional. I'm curious to watch more of this show. Score: 62 Summary: Obi-Wan leaves The Path and Vader follows him. They battle and Obi-Wan finds his power to defeat Vader. He senses something and returns to Tatooine where Reva is hunting down Luke. Owen and Beru are warned and they fight her. Luke runs away and Reva gives chase, but she ultimately chooses not to kill him. Obi-Wan meets Luke, he visits Leia, and returns into hiding.
The Good: Obi-Wan and Vader’s fight is fun to watch, and it addresses their troubled history nicely. I liked the suggestion that Anakin still had some feelings for his old master which may have subconsciously weakened his ability in this fight. The Bad: The biggest issue was how familiar this felt. Instead of crafting its own thrilling moments, this episode leeches off of nostalgia and references to the past. It’s cheap, it’s empty, it’s lazy, and it’s devoid of substance. Major offenders are Obi-Wan’s “hello there” to Luke, and the forced callbacks to the first Obi-Wan/Anakin duel from “Revenge of the Sith”. Obi-Wan’s confrontation with Vader ended up feeling like needless filler because it adds nothing to the overall “Star Wars” universe. It was inconsequential. The writing was terrible as ever. Obi-Wan’s plan counts on Vader making the stupidest possible decision to send his entire fleet after him (where did they go anyways, why was Vader the ONLY one to get to Obi-Wan??). Reva is such a poorly defined character. She played being evil to get closer to Vader, but after failing to kill him, her thought process is to go kill the son he doesn’t know about? Why? I don’t understand her at all, and her logic is laughably bad. It plainly sets up a moment where she realizes how far she has fallen, but the moment fell woefully flat. There’s also no suspense because we know Luke isn’t going to die. I’m also displeased that the final climax of the show has Obi-Wan being nothing more than a bystander to what’s happening. The Unknown: What happened to Reva after this? Will she appear again? Best Moment: Obi-Wan appealing to Vader’s humanity. Character of the Episode: Obi-Wan. Conclusion: A fittingly dull and uninspired finale to cap off a dull and uninspired series. For thoughts on the season as a whole, click here. Score: 48 Summary: Flashbacks show Obi-Wan training with Anakin. In the present, Obi-Wan is tracked to Jabiim and Vader follows. After a fight that ends with Tala’s death, Obi-Wan surrenders. He speaks with Reva and offers her vengeance. The Path escape on a ship and Reva attacks Vader. Vader defeats her comprehensively. Reva finds Obi-Wan’s hologram device and learns about Luke.
The Good: There was some good thematic resonance in this episode with the flashbacks. Obi-Wan’s training is reflected in the past with Anakin’s need for victory. We get a way to see how this has shaped Vader and how Vader has learned from this. It was good to finally get Reva’s backstory. It was a bit predictable, but it makes sense and explains a lot about her. The ensuing fight with Vader was fun. The Bad: Many problems again. The characters look so old in the flashbacks and it is distracting. Vader knowing Reva was out for vengeance makes little sense. Why did he keep allowing her to work and rise up the ranks? It seems very pointless. I guess he’s just that evil, but it’s not a satisfying story. It feels like surprise for the sake of surprise. Reva’s plan to attack Vader is completely terrible. After all those years, all she could do was a surprise attack against an alert and unweakened Vader? That’s terrible. She may as well have just attacked him years ago. Lots of garbage writing again with the rebel escape. Why the hell did they send up a dummy ship? They had no reason or time to do so, and it makes no sense why Vader didn’t just bring down the second ship as well. Bad, inconsistent writing. Why the hell didn’t Vader finish the job with Reva? He’s not the kind of villain to leave his victims for dead and not ensure that they are finished. The action sequence was weak. A bunch of people in close proximity shooting lots of shots and hitting nothing. These are the worst kinds of action scenes. Tala’s death… happened. The character never did much for me, and I felt nothing when she died. The Unknown: How did the Grand Inquisitor return? Did he just heal? That’s weak. Is Reva going to survive? That would also be weak. What happened at the end there? Reva found out about Luke, how will that affect the story? We know Vader doesn’t find him, so what is the significance here? Best Moment: Vader fighting Reva was exciting and enjoyable to watch. Character of the Episode: Reva. Conclusion: A bit better than the past few weeks, but this was another messy and uninteresting episode. Score: 50 Summary: Obi-Wan befriends Roken and gets his help to save Leia. With Tala on the inside, Obi-Wan infiltrates the inquisitors’ fortress. He saves Leia after Reva is distracted by Tala. Obi-Wan and Tala escape. Vader is furious, but gives Reva another chance when she reveals she is tracking them.
The Good: Obi-Wan still being traumatized is decent stuff. I’m pleased that the child actor playing Leia is quite good. This show would be much worse if she wasn’t good. The Bad: The Path is boring to me. Roken is hardly a character, and everyone else is boring. The show said Wade’s name half a dozen times with the hope that I would care when he died. I did not. The main characters do not fare much better. Reva is a bad villain. The actress does not do a very good job and she is completely flat and uninteresting in every scene. The writing doesn’t give her much of a chance though. Reva interrogating child Leia so seriously is laughable, and it is pathetic that she can’t use the force on the mind of a child who has never used the force before. Obi-Wan sneaking through the fortress is bad. The sets are designed specifically so that he can get away and there are many laughable moments of pathetic security. This place is unbelievably poorly guarded. The glass apparently is not bulletproof, which would never be the case in an underwater fortress. Even the blast doors aren’t water proof! What the hell were the designers of this place thinking? Outside of the lax security, we have Tala who somehow hasn’t been brought in despite being the main officer on Mapuzo. The things she does in this episode are unbelievable, such as knocking out that one officer without any of the others noticing, and even finding a station without being questioned by any others. None of this should have worked. As for actual character development, there is zero in this episode. It’s a flat spectacle with poor writing. The Unknown: Is the tracker inside Lola? Best Moment: Obi-Wan’s trauma in the bacta tank. Character of the Episode: Leia. Conclusion: Another dull episode with smoke and mirrors but no substance. Score: 43 Summary: Obi-Wan and Leia arrive on Mapuzo and try to get out but are exposed at an Imperial checkpoint. Haja’s contact Tala meets them and gets them out. Vader and Reva arrive on Mapuzo. Tala takes Leia and escapes while Obi-Wan fights Vader. Obi-Wan is easily beaten and Tala goes back to save him. Reva gets Leia and kills the pilot that was supposed to get her off Mapuzo.
The Good: The scenes on Freck’s transport were solid. Obi-Wan and Leia were given some decent bonding and there was some good suspense. Freck is especially fun because he seems likeable despite working for the Empire. Obi-Wan seeing what became of Anakin was effective. The Bad: So much of this was bad. Obi-Wan is a bystander in his own show. Every problem he gets into is resolved by other characters, and we never get to see him develop or even behave like the person that we know he is. While it is cool that he confronts Darth Vader, it takes away from their reunion in “A New Hope”. Furthermore, Vader looks like an incompetent fool for letting Obi-Wan get away. And how does he get away? He’s carried off by a slow moving droid and Vader can’t get to him because there is fire? The same fire he just extinguished with the force seconds ago? Terrible writing. He could have just used the force on Obi-Wan or the droid to get him back, but instead he lets him get away for no reason at all. And Tala is somehow able to get away too. What the hell were they doing? Even worse is Reva entering the tunnel to go after Leia and Tala. Somehow Tala gets out of the tunnel without running into her, and somehow Reva gets to the end before Leia. What kind of sorcery happened in that tunnel for this to even be possible? This episode had abysmal writing. The conflict between Reva and the Fifth Brother is poorly acted and I have no interest in it. It’s bad. The imperial checkpoint is a joke. You can literally walk around it! The ease with which Tala covers up what happens makes it impossible to invest in the Empire as a legitimate threat. The Unknown: What will Reva do with Leia? Will Obi-Wan finally get in touch with Qui Gon? Did Obi-Wan really get away from Vader just like that? Best Moment: Darth Vader killing innocents to draw out Obi-Wan. Character of the Episode: Darth Vader. Conclusion: A badly written episode with nothing going for it. This show is rapidly going off the rails. Score: 39 Summary: Obi-Wan arrives on Daiyu and quickly recruits Haja, a man posing as a Jedi, to help him. Obi-Wan gets Leia away from Nokru. Reya arrives and goes after Obi-Wan. The other inquisitors tell her to stop but she doesn’t. The grand inquisitor kills Nokru. Leia doesn’t trust Obi-Wan and runs away, but when he saves her with the Force, she trusts him. Reva tracks down Obi-Wan as he tries to escape but he is given a chance to escape when the grand inquisitor arrives and Reva kills him.
The Good: This episode had its moments. Haja was a fun character. I like the idea of a conman posing as a Jedi, and the concept was realized beautifully. It’s a delight seeing Obi-Wan interact with Haja. Reva telling Obi-Wan that Anakin survived feels like an important moment. I wonder what role Darth Vader will play in this show. The Bad: Leia is problematic. She is not very convincing with how she sharply switches from being childish to having extreme unrealistic wisdom. The trope of a super profound child is never very interesting to follow. I am amazed at how good this small child is at outrunning adults. That should never happen. Reva is a flat villain. The inquisitors continue to disappoint, and I’m not convinced by the actress playing Reva, or the writing of the character. Scenes of her doing parkour are a total snooze. There is little tension throughout the episode, so the action scenes don’t amount to much. I’ve already forgotten them. The Unknown: No real questions. This episode didn’t do much to captivate my imagination. Best Moment: Obi-Wan learning that Anakin survived. Character of the Episode: Obi-Wan. Conclusion: This was okay story progression, but there isn’t much for bold storytelling, pleasant surprises, or interesting character arcs going on. Score: 57 Summary: A flashback shows order 66. 10 years later, inquisitors arrive on Tatooine hunting a jedi, Nari. Nari gets away and finds Obi-Wan, who tells him to lay low. Obi-Wan continues to watch over Luke but Owen doesn’t want him trained. The inquisitors, particularly Reva, question Owen but he doesn’t give anything up. The Inquisitors find and kill Nari. Reva sends Nokru to kidnap Leia from Alderaan to lure out Obi-Wan. After being met by Bail, Obi-Wan decides to go save Leia.
The Good: The episode is presented well and visually appealing. I particularly like the cinematic feel of it, and there is some superb editing. Ewan McGregor is great back in the role as Obi-Wan and he has some good moments. I enjoy his scenes with Owen, and there is good conflict in him contemplating between living his quiet existence and rising up to become a Jedi again to save Leia. It was a pleasant surprise to see Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers playing Nokru. The Bad: This all feels so simple and uninspired from a storytelling perspective. This episode doesn’t offer us much new information about Obi-Wan and only serves to set up the main plot. Seeing Leia’s childhood is a story that doesn’t feel necessary, so it isn’t very interesting to follow. The inquisitors did not make much of an impression on me, and they also look quite goofy. I am not interested in them as villains. The image of Nari being hanged could have made an impression, but that was inexplicably censored which ruined the moment. The Unknown: Why is Reva so fixated on Obi-Wan? Why does she want him so badly? Why doesn’t Leia seem to remember being saved by Obi-Wan in the future? Best Moment: Owen sternly refuting Obi-Wan’s offer to train Luke was an effective moment. Character of the Episode: Obi-Wan. Conclusion: This was a fine premiere. Nothing special here, but it was a decent time. Score: 60 Summary: Inquisitors arrive on Tatooine hunting rogue Jedi, and Obi-Wan is in hiding. He comes out of hiding when Leia is kidnapped and goes to find her. The kidnapping was ordered by Reva to lure out Obi-Wan. It works and Obi-Wan is found. He gets away with Leia, but Reva tracks him down. Obi-Wan has an encounter with Darth Vader, but manages to get away with the help of Tala, who is an undercover imperial officer assisting Jedi in a group called The Path. However, Leia is captured by Reva. Obi-Wan and Tala save her, but Reva tracks them to their base. Tala is killed in an attack, but Obi-Wan is able to turn Reva against Vader since Reva was always after him. The Path gets away and Reva fights Vader but loses. Vader hunts down The Path but goes after Obi-Wan when he leaves on an escape craft. Obi-Wan fights and defeats Vader but doesn't kill him. Reva learns about Luke and tracks him down, but is unable to kill him. Leia returns home.
The Good: I suppose there was some fine entertainment throughout this show. The cast is mostly solid, the production value of the show is good, and there are a couple of fun moments across these six hours. It was cool to see Flea in the "Star Wars" universe. The Bad: What is there to say about this show that I didn't already say when I reviewed "The Book of Boba Fett" a few months ago? In that review, I mentioned that we needed to move away from these aimless, garbage stories centered around side characters. This show is another one of those awful side stories and it did nothing to correct the concerns I had before. In fact, I think this show was even worse than the last one for many reasons. I'll be keeping this review short because I honestly do not want to talk about this show at all. It was flat, boring, and undeserving of my attention. There are many flaws to discuss. The first is how utterly pointless this show ended up being. For a prequel show like this, the goal should be to recontextualize what we have already seen, while telling an engaging character-based story to overcome the lack of tension that accompanies prequels. Prequels require original ideas and creativity to work. This show had none of what I just described. The events of this show don't change anything about the other "Star Wars" properties outside of opening up new plot holes. I did not learn anything new about the characters in this show. Obi-Wan, Leia, and Vader were all exactly the same, and they did not go through anything meaningful or consequential. Furthermore, the ideas in this show are bland and repetitive. There was nothing at all in these six episodes that surprised me, and it was every bit as by-the-numbers as I was expecting it to be. Honestly, this show is filler in the "Star Wars" universe. We don't learn anything from this show that I hadn't already assumed, so this show literally accomplishes nothing. What makes this even more insufferable is that this is a six-episode TV show, not a movie. There is not enough content in this show to make a TV show. It's blatantly a movie that got extended to become a TV show, and that makes it even worse. Where this could have been a decently fun 1.5 hour experience, it is now a 4+ hour slog with poor pacing, extended scenes, and needless side plots that did not need to exist. The show feels like it was stretched out, which is especially apparent in Obi-Wan's personal story. He feels like a bystander for much of his own series because there isn't enough story for this character to remain relevant for six entire episodes. Speaking of Obi-Wan, his story ended up being remarkably flat. It's a simple case of him letting go of his Jedi past only to rediscover it to protect Leia. The story is fine, but it's predictable and exactly what I was expecting going into the series with no surprise twists or turns at all. His involvement with the infancy of the rebellion was curious, but nothing more was done with it, and the story ended up feeling half-baked. The confrontations with Vader had some excitement surrounding them, but they didn't accomplish much either. Just a way to explain that Obi-Wan knew Anakin was Darth Vader, and that he gave one last chance to save him. Nothing essential and nothing revolutionary for the franchise. Certainly not enough to justify the creation of this show. The other main character of the show is Reva, who often feels more important than Obi-Wan with how much the show is fixated on her. Unfortunately, she was not a good character. I can't tell if the actress was miscast or if the writing was unsalvageable, but whatever the case, the character didn't feel convincing. Her motives are extremely questionable, and when you start tracking the character's actions, intentions, and decisions, things quickly stop making sense. It's hard to get a sense of who she is, and I never found myself interested in her. Her hunt for Luke in the final episode was an enormous waste of time, and it did nothing for me. Reva is a side character invented to pad out the series, and I did not care about her at all. What makes all of this even worse is how bad the writing is. I'll have more specific examples in my episode-by-episode reviews, but every episode is plagued with some of the worst plot and character writing I have ever seen. There are conveniences, logic gaps, character inconsistencies, poorly thought out plans, and nonsensical moments everywhere in this show. I couldn't get invested in any episode because of how many flaws there are. Lastly, I continue to be bothered by how "Star Wars" seems to only care about nostalgia-pandering to the fans instead of telling a good story. That was still the case in this show. There are barely any innovative ideas, and the big moments are all written poorly to reference the past, beating us over the head with nostalgia. Nostalgia is good, but basing an entire franchise on it is incredibly stupid, and it results in mediocre content like this. Best Episodes: None. Worst Episodes: All of them. Every episode fell to the same trappings. Character of the Season: Obi Wan. Conclusion: I did not like this show. There is very little to enjoy and to justify its existence, but there are plenty of fundamental flaws and storytelling errors that annoyed me. I didn't have the energy to write full-length reviews, and I barely had the will to do a season review. All of these Disney shows feel like soulless corporate productions that make the same mistakes and never try to be better because they make so much money. If nothing changes, I don't think I will have the energy to review these anymore. "Obi-Wan Kenobi" was easily the worst one yet. Summary: Joey gets Phoebe to help him learn French. Chandler and Monica show Erica around New York and learn about the baby's father. Rachel's father has a heart attack and Ross goes with her to visit him.
The Good: Ross and Rachel's story is really strong. Their relationship is given good depth here as we understand that no matter how hard they try, there will always be some underlying attraction between them. It was conveyed to us in a funny way, and both Ross and Rachel are really good in this episode. We also get more interactions between Ross and Rachel's father, which are quite funny. Monica and Chandler have a good story too as they get faced with the fear that the baby's father is a murderer. Their paranoia is amusing to see, especially Chandler's, and I really like that Monica used Erica to mess with him a little bit, but not in a cruel way. Phoebe is decent in this episode as she tries to help Joey, and ultimately does a nice thing for him at the end of the episode by making him think that his French was good. The Bad: Joey speaking French is one of the stupidest ideas this show has had. He looks like a complete moron that is incapable of basic speech, and that is awful. The joke is not funny, and the only thing that Joey did to make me smile was chug down the gallon of milk. But that's one small moment at the end of the episode, and to get there we had to go through scene after scene of Joey speaking nonsense. It's so childish and unfunny. A small nitpick, but I'm not a fan of Rachel's father having a heart attack being used for comedy. It makes the story feel less real, and the characters seem like assholes for not taking this seriously. Best Moment: Monica and Chandler fretting over their baby's father in bed. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Outside of the ridiculous Joey plot, this was a pretty good episode with good laughs and nice stories. It's just a shame that Joey's story is so bad that it almost ruins this episode on its own. Score: 55 Summary: Phoebe is getting married to Mike. Monica is the wedding manager, but when she goes too far, Phoebe fires her. Ross and Chandler argue over who gets the open groomsman spot. Joey lives up to the role of temporarily being Phoebe's father.
The Good: Joey is fun as he gets to ham up being Phoebe's father for the day. The intro scene between Joey and Phoebe that establishes this is well done. Monica is fun at times as she is over-the-top organized. I liked the continuity of Chandler still being afraid of dogs. As this is a wedding episode, it builds to a typically nice conclusion. The Bad: This went too far in a lot of places. Joey goes too far in a lot of places and he stops being funny. Monica becomes terrible for much of this episode. She over-manages and completely ruins Phoebe's wedding, and yet we are supposed to feel bad for her being fired? Come on, that is tone-deaf and stupid. Furthermore, there is no way that Monica doesn't realize how bad it is that she stressed Phoebe out for her wedding. Ross and Chandler's story feels way too familiar, and there isn't enough uniqueness to get any laughs. Mike still doesn't feel like a character, so I had no reason to care about this wedding. Unlike other wedding episodes, this had no emotional impact whatsoever. Best Moment: Ross and Mike's awkward hug. Character of the Episode: Phoebe. Conclusion: A wedding episode that was light on both laughs and emotions. This was flat, and at times very poorly written. This disappointed me. Score: 52 Summary: Rachel and Monica get a male stripper for Phoebe's bachelorette party, but he is short and ugly. Ross and Chandler go to a high school reunion event and uncover some surprising drama. Joey gets to be on a gameshow.
The Good: This is a fun episode. Episodes that go into the past are almost always a blast to watch. Ross and Chandler throwing random new slang into every sentence is extremely funny, and a funny poke at the ridiculousness of the 80s. It's a lot of fun exploring the "betrayals" of the past, ending off with a fantastic twist that Ross kissed Monica back then. The other stories have less to them but are still fun. Joey at the gameshow is meaningless fluff, but he's so much fun as he endearingly tries his best with horrid results. His scenes are very funny though. Joey is the only character in this show that's almost always handled well. The stripper plot offers a few laughs and it has a nice ending as Phoebe cheers up the stripper and allows him to do his dance. The Bad: The opening scene was bad. There wasn't a smidge of humour in that entire sequence. While the Ross/Chandler plot is a funny idea, it's strange that none of this stuff ever came up before this final season. It's a small flaw, but it reminds us that this story was recently created since Ross never mentioned his first kiss with Rachel and Monica never mentioned her "midnight mystery kisser" in any previous episode. Best Moment: The twist reveal that Ross kissed Monica caught me off guard and was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was good stuff. Three solid plots with some good jokes throughout the episode. Score: 68 Summary: Sally comes to Barry to get revenge on Natalie. Barry is attacked by a biker who strangles Sally. Sally snaps and kills him. Barry gets her to leave and goes to bury the body but he is tracked down by Albert. Albert ultimately forgives a cowering Barry. Sally leaves for Joplin and Barry is called by Gene. Gene is interrogated by Jim. Barry goes to find him, thinking that Gene is going to kill Jim. Barry goes inside to kill Jim, but it was all a set-up. Barry is arrested. The Chechens are eaten by a panther while Hank is horrified in the next cell. He breaks free, gets a gun from a guard, and murders the panther. He kills Cristobal's wife and frees him from conversion therapy.
The Good: What worked best about this episode was how unexpectedly intense and stressful it was. As I've stated in previous reviews, the whole season has mixed comedy and drama so well that it has maintained an unexpectedly light tone overall, especially when compared to season 2. There is no tonal whiplash, and the season has been consistent in how it feels. Until this episode. This episode was a masterful shift to much darker storytelling as everyone is portrayed in difficult, anxiety-inducing situations that highlight the intensity and horror of what it means to do what Barry does. Almost every character is given their own exploration, and it works extremely well. Barry, being the main character, has the most expansive and interesting arc in this episode. We see the fallout of his hallucinations in the previous episode, and they ae pretty harrowing. Now more than ever, Barry accepts what a horrible person he is and that he has done terrible things that nobody should have to do. He has accepted that he is going to hell, and he feels shameful about this. This is explored beautifully in a magnificent scene between Barry and Albert (see: Best Moment), the best scene in the episode. I'll discuss that more later, but the rest of Barry's story sees him struggling to keep his influence away from those that he loves. At the start of the episode, Barry is startled to see Sally and Gene in that vision, suggesting that they will also be victims of his. While Barry doesn't kill them, this ends up being true symbolically. This episode forces Barry to contend with the reality that simply being exposed to him has taken Sally and Gene to much darker places that they would have gone to otherwise, and that's a fascinating idea to explore. Having lost everything, Sally concerningly goes to Barry for revenge, suddenly looking past the questionable morality of his actions. Of course she wants Barry to psychologically torture Natalie, and that's a pretty dark turn for the character. But what happens next is even more brutal. Out of nowhere, a biker knocks Barry out and strangles Sally. THis came right out of nowhere, and I love that we casually notice the biker standing in the background before the characters do, a creative way to make his arrival even more sudden and shocking. The strangling scene is brutally tense. For a while I thought Sally might die here, with Barry's actions being responsible for the loss of her life. Plus there is a horrible irony to Sally getting strangled to death, considering her past with abusive relationships. But what happens next is even more brutal as Sally refuses to give in and stabs the man in the neck before brutally beating him to death with a baseball bat. Having this whole thing happen just out of sight in the sound room with us unable to hear anything was an inspired choice, making the whole sequence feel even more brutal, disquieting, and shocking. This is a pivotal moment for Sally as she has crossed a boundary that will change the way she lives her life. The episode doesn't delve into the consequences very much, but we get a fantastic scene when Barry realizes what happened and tries to convince Sally that she did not do this, and Barry did it instead. A lovely touch is socially awkward Barry sending the wrong message at first, making Sally believe that she was responsible for what happened, repeating "I did this". Eventually he corrects it to "Barry did this", but the damage to Sally has been done, and no amount of denial from Barry can correct what has happened. On the other hand we have Gene, who is thrust away from his career revival by Jim. Jim is a fascinating character because everyone seems to be almost inexplicably afraid of him. But it quickly becomes apparent why he is so frightening in his interrogation scene with Gene. The scene is very well acted and Jim is imposing, terrifying, and intimidating in such a perfect way. I can totally understand Gene's fear of him, and it is sensible that he told Jim about Barry's guilt. This plays out beautifully in the episode as Gene ends up turning on Barry following a great bit of acting to finally get Barry arrested. The twist caught me off guard, and it was a gamechanging conclusion for this season, setting up for a very different fourth season (see: The Unknown). The emotional impact of this is evident. Barry is betrayed and heartbroken that Gene turned on him, and while Gene is certainly feeling triumphant about getting revenge, there does seem to be a hint of sadness in his eyes. Revenge is satisfying, but it does not resolve everything. More interestingly, I want to dive into Gene's con, making Barry think that he was going to kill Jim to keep him quiet. This hits Barry hard following what happened to Sally, and the possibility of Gene also succumbing to the same evils that Barry has succumbed to is too much for him to take. In his mind, Barry is killing to save others from having to face the same reality that he does. It's almost honourable in a way, but he should certainly still be condemned for his actions. Coming right off of Albert forgiving him, it is alarming how quick Barry is to turn back to murder. Short Hank/Cristobal paragraph. Fuches is the only character that doesn't have much to do here, but that's okay. What we learn is that Fuches is going to prison alongside Barry, and he will be embracing his new moniker of "The Raven". Even in such a serious episode, the show managed a few great jokes. My favourite has to be the police continuing to be complete idiots. Everything about the line "I haven't seen [Albert] since he stormed out of here and cocked his gun in front of us, he's probably out seeing the sights" is comedy gold. The biker thinking Sally put something in his eye is such a dark but effective joke to throw in the episode. The Bad: Nothing too bothersome, but there are a few flaws. There are a few conveniences as there have been all season, like Albert finding Barry inexplicably, Jim being almost cartoonishly terrifying, and Hank being able to get to Cristobal unbelievably easily in Bolivia. Hank's story in particular is absolutely unfeasible the moment you put even a modicum of thought into it. This show has never had a particularly compelling plot even though the characters are well written. This show is worse without Akhmal in it. I'm sad that he's dead. The Unknown: How long will Barry be in jail? How will the series continue with him in jail? Will he interact with Fuches who is also in jail? How will Gene's career change now that he has turned Barry in? What's next for Hank and Cristobal? Will they be okay after what they went through? How about Sally? How will she change now that she has murdered someone? What is she going to do in Joplin? How long will she be there? Will Jim play a role in the story going forwards? Or is his role done now that he has avenged Janice? What happened to Batir? He ran away a few episodes ago and never came back. Best Moment: Albert confronting Barry is fantastic television. Albert is understandably furious, realizing that the man who saved his life has become such a stone-cold murderer. It's in this moment where Barry locks eyes with the man whose life he saved that he understands that he deserves it all. As Albert brutally tears him down, Barry is unable to find any words. He's ashamed of all he's done and how he's let everyone down, and he can't do anything but scream in agony and fear, awaiting the inevitable. This is Bill Hader's best performance on the show yet, and Barry's piercing screams stuck with me even after the episode was over. This was a truly broken man who no longer knew what to do anymore. But Albert still stood up for him. Albert likely saw another traumatized war veteran in front of him, and he pitied Barry. He gave him that second chance that Barry had been craving since the first episode of the season, even calling back to the "starting now" line from season 1. It's a shame that Barry's inability to stop using murder to solve all of his problems prevents him from ever committing to proper rehabilitation. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This was bleak, dark, and difficult to watch in all of the best ways. This was such a sharp change in tone, and it worked superbly as a season finale. One of the show's best episodes. Score: 78 Summary: Phoebe and Rachel see Chandler with a woman and suspect he is cheating. In reality, Chandler is being shown a new house by his realtor; he and Monica plan to move out of the city.
The Good: The opening scene was solid with a fun discussion on food vs sex. The main story of the episode is decent as it covers an enormous change, exploring what it means for everyone. Chandler in particular has some nice moments throughout that continue to highlight his personal growth. The Bad: Things went well until the episode became a clip show around the 10 minute mark. After that, it was hard to care about what was happening. I still hate clip shows. It's a shame because this episode had a concept that could have made for a great episode. Best Moment: Joey refusing to believe that Chandler could last 45 minutes. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: A solid episode that was ruined by turning into a clip show halfway through. Score: 45 Summary: Monica and Chandler have an adoption interview. Phoebe sets Joey up with her friend but he is disturbed when she takes food off of his plate. Rachel and Phoebe help Ross buy some fashionable clothes, but Ross takes a liking to a ladies' top.
The Good: There are lots of laughs to be had here. Joey steals the show once again with the entire "Joey doesn't share food" gimmick. There are some tremendous jokes here as Joey struggles to control his impulses. It's especially amusing to me that Rachel is used to it, and Joey accepts this as a part of himself. The ending joke with Sarah is superb as Joey hypocritically eats Sarah's cake without regret, making it clear that this "rule" is just because he loves food way too much. Really good comedy. Monica and Chandler have some nice moments. Chandler gets some good lines, and I really like the conclusion where Chandler talks Erica into giving them the baby because of how honest and earnest he was in this scene. It shows some real character growth for Chandler. Ross has a few funny moments. Phoebe's leather jacket suggestion is in-line with what the character would give to Ross, and I got a laugh out of the running gag of the guys making guy jokes with Rachel, who is baffled by it ("do you think I'm someone else?"). The Bad: The episode goes too far in a few places. Joey goes a bit too far into absurdity with his inability to share food, particularly with his inability to communicate this with people. Monica and Chandler's story is hurt by the fact that they lie. It's a typical cringeworthy Monica/Chandler story where they both make poor decisions without providing much comedy. The conclusion is good, but it is hurt by the fact that these two characters still have not learned not to lie after 10 seasons of this. Naturally Ross has to be humiliated again, and I found it entirely unbelievable that he would find that pink shirt to be fashionable. Best Moment: The introduction to the idea that "Joey doesn't share food" is quite funny. It fits the character, and its executed superbly. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: A solid episode. There are flaws, but the three storylines are good and make for solid entertainment. And there is a good amount of laughs. Score: 64 Summary: Barry is able to leave the house and is found and taken to a hospital by Ryan's father. He has visions of the people he has killed on a beach. Sally struggles with her new job and sees that Natalie has a new show. She lashes out at her but Natalie records it and posts it online. Sally makes an awful apology video and embraces her dark side. Lindsay drops her. Gene starts working on his master class with Annie directing. Hank goes to Bolivia to find Cristobal but is captured by the Bolivians. Fuches is taken to the police by Jim Moss. Jim learns about Barry's involvement and meets with Gene to get more information. Albert hears from Fuches about what Barry has done and prepares to go after him.
The Good: Sally is the star of the show in this one as her story comes full circle. We started the season with her having her own show and on the verge of breaking out with an enormous success. But in the span of three episodes, she went from having everything to having nothing as everything fell apart. Her show was cancelled, she was rerouted to a terrible writing role, and she had to watch as her assistant rose higher than her by pandering to a nonsensical algorithm instead of actually having a vision. Her frustration is completely understandable, but it's what she does with it that makes her lose our support. She takes everything out on Natalie in a vicious elevator scene, and I was stunned to see her be so ruthless, degrading and unsympathetic with someone who has been there for her since the start of the season. Then there's her apology video, which was comically bad yet still in tune with how narcissistic Sally has been since the start of the show. This season has toned her down to get us hopeful that she can get out of her toxic relationship and find success, but we are given a harsh reminder that Sally isn't a particularly good person. Her "apology" and defense of it is a reminder of that. Even Lindsay is disappointed at seeing who Sally really is, and Sally's hateful words as she edges her way into the darkness (literally) is the final straw for Lindsay who leaves her. Sally has absolutely nothing and her career has been burned to the ground. It should be interesting to see where she goes next. The next big storyline to discuss is Fuches'. Fuches is the catalyst for two major players going after Barry: Jim and Albert. Jim is the simpler story. He proves to be much more competent and frightening than everyone else that Fuches sent to kill Barry, so much so that he turns Fuches in and launches into his own investigation. Gene's demeanour around him is a good way to show us how intimidating he is, and there's a nice directing flair to emphasize Jim noticing Gene sweating. Albert is a bit more interesting as he confronts Fuches and gets Fuches to open up about who he is to Barry. Naturally, Fuches dodges questions about himself and fixates on setting another deadly threat in Barry's direction by channeling Chris's death to get Albert hungry for vengeance. Gene has a few scenes and they are solid. His acting master class is decently funny, and I like that Annie is struggling to readjust back into the director job. It's quite funny that she still manages to forget the name of her assistant even with all of this pressure. Hank has one really funny moment when he doesn't do anything about the man preparing to shoot him with a blowgun because he "didn't want to be rude". Barry's story has its problems (see: The Bad), but there are some good ideas at play with it. The sequence of Barry on the beach with everyone he killed was effective, and there was a surprisingly intense conclusion as Ryan's father killed himself while bringing Barry to the hospital. The scene was a bit forced, but it plays into the season's themes of forgiveness. I got a good laugh out of Jim bringing Fuches in to the cops. The Bad: The same flaws re-emerge. With so many individual story threads, it becomes difficult to tell a cohesive and satisfying story in 30 minutes. The rapid intercutting of scenes was as jarring as ever, and I still believe that the decision to have so many short scenes was a mistake for this season. Barry's story is especially hurt by this. He has a fever dream experience of sorts, but the sense of mystique and immersion is ruined because we cut away from him so quickly to go see other characters. As a result, I never got into the feel of this dream-like experience, and much of its impact is lost on me. I was also very confused about Ryan's dad's involvement and the details of what happened here. Why did Sharon leave after sounding so vicious and ready to kill in the last episode? How did Barry survive? How did Ryan's dad find him? None of these questions get answered, and that makes Barry's survival feel convenient and not organic within the story. Hank's story didn't work for me. Even moreso than everyone else, Hank feels disconnected from everything. He's hardly been afforded any time in the last two episodes, and now he's suddenly in Bolivia somehow, and then he is randomly able to find an exact person who knows Cristobal so he can turn Hank in. It's rushed, nonsensical, and doesn't feel like satisfying storytelling. I'm not very interested in Hank's story right now, which is a shame because the character is great. Albert going after Barry is a bit too filled with tropes. He inexplicably turns off the cameras to the investigation room and decides to go on his own to confront Barry without telling anyone. These decisions are inexplicable, even the explanation of Albert not trusting the incompetent LAPD is not enough to gloss over this. The Unknown: What happened to Sharon? Where did she go? Why and how did Barry survive? Will he be found at the hospital by someone? What is Sally's next move? Her career looks like it is screwed. Will she return to Barry? Will Albert and Jim go after Barry on their own? How is this all going to turn out? Will Hank and Akhmal be able to escape from the Bolivians? What happened to Batir? Best Moment: Sally ranting at Lindsay and completing her fall from grace. Character of the Episode: Sally. Conclusion: I really enjoyed seeing the result of Sally's development this season, but other than that this was more of the same. It's funny, enjoyable television, but hurt by too many characters in their own isolated storylines. The show is still very good, but never sniffs great. Hopefully the season finale can bring things together in a satisfying way. Score: 65 Summary: Elliot prepares to cover up what he has done. Mr. Robot appears and discourages Elliot who won't listen. Elliot is busted by police officer Dom and runs away to the subway where he goes to Coney Island where he's going to marry Angela. However, she is not there. Mr. Robot tries to explain to Elliot that this is not a parallel universe, rather a prison where Elliot keeps the "real Elliot" imprisoned so he can keep control. The Elliot we have been following is another personality called "The Mastermind". Elliot runs after Angela, who suddenly appears, and after a dream-like sequence, he finds himself in a room with Krista. Krista explains all of Elliot's personalities to him and tells him that it's time to let go and allow the real Elliot to take back control. Elliot refuses and wakes up in the hospital with Darlene and gradually accepts that he's just a personality. Darlene always knew but finally had a chance to be close with Elliot so she didn't bring it up. In the end, Elliot relinquishes control and the real Elliot wakes up to Darlene.
The Good: This was a highly effective finale. In this final episode, Sam Esmail revealed his final hand and finally divulged one final enormous twist which had very clearly been planned out since the start of the show. Even if you did predict the twist, it's still effective, emotional, and completely changes our perspective of the entire show. I am of course talking about the reveal of "The Mastermind", telling us that the character we had been following all along was never the real Elliot, but another personality who had been put in control for the past while to create a better world for the real Elliot. To avoid things getting too complicated, I will dub "The Mastermind" simply as "Elliot" and the other Elliot as "the real Elliot". This twist is really impressive. I did not see it coming, and having watched some earlier scenes of the show, it makes perfect sense and aligns with what we have seen in the show. A few notes I can specifically bring up is the importance this put on Elliot's morphine addiction, which is what caused him to forget that he is not the real Elliot, and it also explains why he forgot so many things, including Darlene. Furthermore, this also explains why Angela was always inexplicably distant from Elliot and why it was always so hard for me to understand how they were such close friends for so long. In the end, Angela was interacting with somebody who was completely different from the Elliot that she knew for the entire duration of the show. I really love what this twist does to the show on rewatch. It's going to be a completely different experience to rewatch this show with all of the new knowledge we have about Elliot and who he actually is. Overall, I think that this twist works so well because it has layers to it, it makes sense, it changes how we can view the show, and perhaps most importantly, it has an emotional impact within this episode. The emotional aspect of this twist fits in so well with the themes of the show. One of those central themes is what it means to be in control. I haven't discussed it as much as I should have since I never realized how central this idea was to the story of the show. But "Mr. Robot" has always been about the illusion of control and what it means to have agency over your life. It makes perfect sense that this final episode hinges on who is in control in the head of Elliot Alderson. The Elliot that is in control was a fake all along, and the emotion of this episode comes from Elliot having to accept that he is a fake and needs to relinquish his own control to let the real Elliot, the one who belongs in this body, return to his own life. I became invested in this plight, and there were a lot of powerful scenes that explored this idea. Elliot's scene with "Krista" is very effective at giving up all of the necessary exposition, and Elliot's difficulty in accepting these harsh truths was wonderfully acted and so human. But after waking up to Darlene, Elliot feels immense guilt now that he is living a life that he knows he doesn't belong in. After a heartfelt and beautiful scene with Darlene, he finally lets go, and I found myself with a sad smile as the real Elliot was finally allowed back into the world and Elliot took his place in the real Elliot's mind alongside all of his other personalities. That scene with Darlene was wonderfully effective. The bond she has with Elliot is the best character relationship in the series. We've always known that Elliot and Darlene weren't particularly close before fsociety, so there is some beautiful honesty in Darlene being unable to tell Elliot about the nature of his existence because she simply wanted the chance to repair her relationship with her brother, and she was able to do that easier with Elliot compared to the real Elliot who she ran away from before. But of course knowing somebody who is only a part of Elliot isn't enough for Darlene, and part of her did crave to have her real brother back. It's such a sad scenario, which gives the episode's conclusion a heartwarming sense of happiness as Darlene is finally able to reunite with her brother - her real brother. I did like the twist that this parallel universe ended up being a fake world that Elliot created in his head. It had its flaws (see: The Bad), but it was a subversion that nicely set up the much bigger twist by explaining where the real Elliot had been all along (living in this loop over and over again). It was great to see "Mr. Robot" include some final filmmaking delights in this episode, especially with that trippy sequence where Elliot is running around Coney Island as reality seemingly collapses all around him. Mr. Robot's face is everywhere, Krista appears, we hear Angela say that iconic "you're not Elliot, you're The Mastermind" line, and even Tyrell shows up to shoot Elliot. This sequence was a lot of fun to watch, and did a magnificent job of confusing reality for us. The Bad: Parts of this episode felt a bit cheap. For example, we were misled into believing that this world was a parallel universe only for it to have been a delusion inside of Elliot's head the whole time. The reveal made sense and it was an effective twist, but it does feel cheap considering that we spent 3 episodes inside of this world only to be told that it was fake all along. Especially considering that this is the final storyline of the series, it doesn't feel right that we spend so much of it in a separate world inside Elliot's head. Furthermore, the idea that this world exists is too strong of a metaphor for me to accept. The mind is such an abstract concept, and I've usually appreciated how this show attempts to create some literal meaning out of such an abstract concept, but this was a step so far. To have such a realistic and well-developed world in Elliot's head where he sends his real consciousness away was a step too far for me to easily accept without question. I was also disappointed that we never got answers to what Whiterose showed Angela. "eXit" teased heavily that we would understand the nature of Whiterose's machine and how she manipulated Angela so heavily. But we never got those answers, and I'm left frustrated as to why the show would tease something that it had no intention of answering. I'm fine with the idea of leaving these things unanswered, but don't tease answers if they are not coming! It's the same mistake that "Lost" made when marketing the final season. The Unknown: Not too many questions of substance. I think that this finale resolved everything nicely. However, I do have a lot of questions to pay attention to for when I inevitaly revisit this show. When did The Mastermind first emerge? How much did this affect the people in his life? When did Darlene realize that Elliot was not who she remembered? How did The Mastermind forget that he was not the real Elliot? Did Mr. Robot always treat Elliot differently, knowing that he was not the real Elliot? So was there really nothing to Whiterose's machine? What exactly did she show Angela? I suppose we will never know. Best Moment: Elliot speaking with Darlene and coming to peace with the fact that he needs to relinquish control. I've said time and time again that their bond is the heart of the show and that remained true here. Character of the Episode: Elliot/The Mastermind. Conclusion: This was a beautiful, powerful series finale. It had some flaws for sure, but overall this was an excellent way to conclude the series, providing a thematic and resonant conclusion. Score: 75 Summary: Elliot wakes up in the alternate universe and finds out things are different. His dad is alive, and his so is his mother, who is know very loving. Elliot learns he's supposed to marry Angela and tries to go see her. He runs into her parents, including Price, at her apartment. They get a call from the other Elliot and Elliot picks up. This causes an Earthquake. Elliot runs out and goes to his apartment where he hacks the other Elliot. He learns that the other Elliot created drawings of fsociety, including of our Elliot and Darlene. The other Elliot returns and meets Elliot. Both of the Elliots speak and learn what is happening, but an Earthquake happens and the other Elliot cracks his head and is knocked out. After calling with Angela, Elliot decides to kill the other Elliot and take over his life.
The Good: This episode is divided into two halves. The first takes place during the events at the end of the last episode, catching us up to what our Elliot has been doing in this other world. Then the second half moves the story forward in a dark new direction. Starting on the first half, I thought this was very satisfying to watch. It's engaging to see Elliot slowly realize the truth about the world that he is in, and there are a few delights along the way to make this even better. Elliot encountering his living father and running away from "his monster" is the first of such delights. It's a great reminder of Elliot's fear of his father, despite him being so seemingly kind and spirited. We also get some other delightful scenes with characters from Elliot's past. Elliot interacting with his mother was a blast, especially with how unexpectedly kind she was with him. I also enjoyed seeing Price again, acting as a jovial father-in-law, which is a curious contrast to the villain that he has been throughout the show. I enjoyed this first half for its intentional whiplash effect with how different things are. Additionally, I found it immensely satisfying how several little details tied this into the sequence at the end of "eXit". We get to see what happened to Elliot's father's phone, and what happened to Angela's parents when other Elliot went to visit them. The second half of this episode gets more intense, exploring what this world is and what that means for Elliot. Elliot breaks into his own apartment using his own key and ends up hacking his other self. It's a lot of fun to see another hacking sequence, and the editing and cinematic flair is as magnificent as ever. I've always loved how this show portrays the activity of hacking, dramatizing it while still remaining realistic. Elliot's hacks lead into a startling truth that makes us question the nature of this world: the other Elliot has personal drawings of our Elliot, Darlene, and fsociety. Suddenly it became a realistic possibility that this world is reality and the world we have been following all along has been false. I have my gripes with this idea (see: The Bad and The Unknown), but it was a big twist that completely uprooted my understanding of what was going on, opening up further possibilities about how this series will wrap up. This was an exciting change that raised the drama of the episode. Then we get into the big moments at the end of the episode. The two Elliots meet and their interactions are fun to watch. Rami Malek does well at playing two slightly different versions of himself, and it's exciting to see how these two different characters slowly come to the same conclusion about the reality of who they are. Our Elliot faces the possibility of him being a fake, while the other Elliot has to comprehend that a fake character has somehow sprung to life in front of his own eyes. Both of these characters' plights are engaging and add an emotional element to the episode. Then out of nowhere, the episode takes a massively dark turn as other Elliot gets knocked out in an Earthquake and our Elliot decides to murder him to take over his life. The moment is a shocker, as Elliot has gone against his own morals just for the chance to spend his life with Angela. He's accepting the possibility that Whiterose was right, and decides to murder his other self for personal gain. This was shockingly dark, and I wonder if there will be consequences for Elliot making this unexpectedly bleak decision. I loved the return of Elliot's narration. It has been missing this entire season, so it feels monumental to have it back. Getting back into Elliot's head is fitting for this finale, and emphasizes that this show has always been about him and his experiences. I couldn't think of a better time to reintroduce Elliot's narration. The Bad: As I had feared in the last episode, I'm struggling to fully invest in this finale because this is a different world than the one we have spent the whole story in. Even if this is all in Elliot's head (see: The Unknown), it feels so disjointed from the rest of the series. We are spending an absurd amount of time in this world without enough emotion-driven storytelling to make it feel worth it. It's cool to see alternate versions of characters who have already died, and events that would never happen in the real world, but I don't have enough of an emotional connection to all of this for it to hit me hard. Perhaps all of that is being saved for the final episode and this episode is purely set-up. I certainly hope so. I really hope that Mr. Robot isn't about to jump the shark in its final act, but there is a chance that this happens. There are a lot of ways that this final episode can go, but some of the suggested ideas in this episode, like the entire plot of the show being fake, feel immensely cheap and unsatisfying. While I enjoyed much of the content in this episode, it didn't quite gel with me for some reason. I haven't fully connected with the direction that the show has gone in since "eXit" and I'm not entirely sure why. But a lot of the drama here never sniffed great for me, despite it all being logically sound and enjoyable to watch. Perhaps after the finale I will be able to better articulate why this parallel universe storyline hasn't been "Mr. Robot" at its best. The Unknown: What is this alternate world? Did Whiterose's machine work, or is this something else entirely? Is this all some sort of fever dream in Elliot's head? Was Elliot created by this other Elliot? What does this mean? Does this mean that much of the story we have seen so far has been fabricated? If so, I can't help but feel that this is a bit of a cheap ending. I hope that there's more to the story than that. Will Elliot be able to find peace in this world? Will he be able to seamlessly replace the other Elliot or will there be problems? Where is Mr. Robot? Why is he not in this world? Or is he hiding for some reason? Best Moment: I was horrified by Elliot opting to murder his alternate self. Character of the Episode: Elliot. Conclusion: What a curious way to kick off the series finale. I'm not sure about what to feel about most of this, but it was certainly interesting to watch. This was well written with some good emotional scenes, and I suspect that the more impactful stuff has been saved for the final episode. Score: 67 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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