By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for episodes 5-6 of Maul – Shadow Lord
The fourth episode of Maul – Shadow Lord left off on quite the cliffhanger as the dreaded Empire finally and ominously arrived on Janix in pursuit of Maul. With a new big bad in town, this week’s duo of episodes give the narrative newfound momentum and raise the stakes, although Maul takes an unfortunate and unexpected backseat in his own series.
Chapter 5: Inquisition
In the wake of the Empire’s arrival, Devon and her master Daki are determined to flee the planet. Although the Empire is there for Maul, they both realize that the presence of the Empire, in particular the Jedi-hunting Inquisitors, spells trouble for them.
Devon and Daki share a telling conversation about how the apprentice and master are increasingly viewing the state of the galaxy and the role of the Jedi differently. Devon wants to intervene against the Empire and is beginning to see the validity of Maul’s argument. Daki, on the other hand, urges her to believe that surviving, not Maul, is their primary concern. The conversation represents an interesting philosophical difference that highlights how different Jedi think differently about their role in a galaxy now dominated by the Empire. Some Jedi, such as Kanan Jarrus, take a more active approach to resisting Imperial tyranny. While others, such as Daki, are more accepting (and even defeated) of the state of the galaxy.
The Empire’s arrival also poses problems for Lawsen. Lieutenant Blake and an array of stormtroopers descend upon the Janix police station and immediately take over. It’s likely that Two-Boots will begin to realize that his conception of the Empire was flawed – that the Empire does not adhere to protocol in the way he had thought.
Blake permanently transfers Lawsen’s boss (which almost certainly means killed or permanently imprisoned), but the noble lawman doesn’t escape scrutiny from the Empire quite yet. Dragged into a dark interrogation room, Lawsen sits in silence for a moment before a pair of black gloves touch his shoulders and Marrok the Inquisitor appears from behind. Marrok first appeared in the live-action Ahsoka series as an Inquisitor resurrected using Nightsister magick. Here, Marrok is very much alive and well as he is dispatched to Janix to find and kill Maul. Marrok’s mask, which would not be out of place in The Lord of the Rings, is an immediately unsettling image and the character’s jarring appearance in the interrogation room shows the series’ willingness to dip its toe into horror imagery at times.
Lawsen’s son Rylee comes to the police station to help his father out but is turned away by Blake and a rigid Two-Boots. The droid voiced by Richard Ayoade has been an intriguing character so far as he is the rare droid not used primarily for comic relief. Instead, it seems that Two-Boots may undergo an arc similar to Kino Loy in Andor. While imprisoned on Narkina 5, Kino believed that the Empire was just and fair and, in turn, was willing to follow their rules until his sentence expired and he was released. However, Kino eventually comes to realize that the Empire does not play by the rules that they so rigidly enforce. The Empire does not follow rules and are callous in their disregard for others. Two-Boots appears to be heading down a similar change of mentality as Kino, which we predict will converge on the droid coming to realize the injustice inherent in the Empire and turning his back on them.
Back with Devon and Daki, the master and apprentice further discuss the pros and cons of siding with Maul. Daki makes a pointed remark about hearing Devon’s voice say Maul’s words, but Devon makes a good point. She recognizes the value of coming together to stand against the Empire, a realization that will eventually lead to the formation of the Rebel Alliance and subsequently the fall of the Empire. Daki doesn’t see things like Devon, however. He believes Maul cannot be trusted and that, even though they share a common enemy, the former Sith lord will never be an ally.
The master and apprentice barely escape the clutches of stormtroopers at a train station after Daki’s use of a Jedi mind trick is noticed by another trooper.
Elsewhere, Marrok investigates the scene of the big fight from the previous episode. It’s neat to see a Force sensitive individual use the Force to look for clues and better understand the details of a crime scene. In seeing marks left by lightsabers, Marrok comes to realize that Maul is not the only Force wielder at play here.
Lawsen is then let go from jail and returns home, only to find Devon and Daki waiting for him. With no one else to go to, the fugitive Jedi hope that the lawman can help them find safe passage offworld.
If you’re wondering why Maul has been conspicuously absent from the preceding review/recap, that’s because he barely features in this episode. He briefly appears near the start, informing Rook Kast that he plans to stay on Janix as he still wants to make Devon his apprentice. Maul later appears and notes that it is fortuitous that Devon and Daki were unable to sneak out of town. Unfortunately, Maul feels secondary to Lawsen and Devon in Chapter 5, an issue that continues through Chapter 6.
Chapter 6: Night of the Hunted
Chapter 6 begins with Maul showing off some of his lightsaber moves before we cut back to Devon, Daki, Lawsen, and Rylee.
Lawsen is reluctant to assist Devon and Daki as he thinks doing so will only put him and his son in greater peril. He’s proven right mere moments later as Marrok bursts through the door. We didn’t expect this to happen so soon as we thought we’d get to see more of Lawsen, Devon, Daki, and Rylee in hiding together. But thankfully the series is picking up momentum.
Marrok clashes with Devon and Daki in another thrilling lightsaber duel, which again feels different than lightsaber action in previous animated shows. The clashing of the lightsabers feels different. There’s a purposeful lag on the movement of the blades. And the lightsabers produce a flash of blinding white light when their blades hit one another. All of this gives Maul – Shadow Lord a visual flavor distinct from and decidedly more aggressive than previous shows.
The four barely manage to escape from the clutches of Marrok and the Empire after the conflict spills over onto the building’s rooftop. Now that the dust has settled on the battle, it becomes clear, both to the audience and Lawsen, that there is no turning back for his character now. He has become a full-fledged target of the Empire, meaning his days as a lawman on Janix are over. He may have been reluctant to join forces with Devon and Daki previously, but now he has no choice.
Lawsen leads the makeshift crew of fugitives to his friend Reena. Their refuge at Reena’s casino doesn’t last long though as stormtroopers storm the building and force them to flee.
Devon and Rylee split away from Lawsen and Daki as they flee Imperial forces. Marrok catches up to them at a train station and engages Devon in yet another intense lightsaber duel. Their fight carries over to a moving train cart, which adds an added layer of suspense to an already nail-biting clash.
The stylized action ramps up when Maul suddenly arrives and teams up with Devon to fight Marrok. This is by far the best action sequence of the series so far. The movement of the three characters is so fluid and their choreography is so meticulously thought out. It’s also interesting to see Maul and Devon become a makeshift team for the first time, previewing what will likely turn into a master-apprentice relationship sooner rather than later.
With Maul’s help, Devon and Rylee are able to escape from Marrok unscathed. Afterward, the Inquisitor consults with a mysterious figure via hologram and informs him that he’s had contact with Maul, who is in league with two Jedi. We’re not exactly sure why the episode chooses to keep the identity of Marrok’s contact under wraps given that it could only be one of three people really: Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, or the Grand Inquisitor. Our money is on Vader. The Grand Inquisitor feels too small of a character to mask in such obscurity, while overseeing the Inquisitors seems a little above Palpatine’s paygrade. We know that Vader is the leader of the Inquisitors and it’s likely that he’s the one Marrok is reporting to. If this is the case, it seems as if the series could be setting up a clash between Maul and Vader, something fans have speculated about ever since the show was announced last year at Star Wars Celebration Japan.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
Although Maul unfortunately and unexpectedly fades into the periphery of his own show, the latest batch of Maul – Shadow Lord episodes mark an improvement over the previous four as the narrative gains momentum. The Empire’s arrival on Janix injects the series with added complexity and stakes for all players involved. Devon and Daki interestingly ponder their differing philosophies regarding the role of the Jedi in an Imperial-dominated galaxy as Devon shows that she is slowly buying into Maul’s way of thinking. It feels inevitable (and rather predictable) that Devon will become Maul’s apprentice come the end of the season, and yet any issues with the forecastability of this key plot element are offset by the myriad of interesting discussions Devon has with Maul and Daki, two opposing forces in her life. The Empire’s entrance also shakes things up for Lawsen, who is forced to leave his life as a lawman beyond upon allying with the Jedi. The episodes feature more of the stylized action that sets Maul – Shadow Lord apart from other Star Wars animated shows, with the culminating threeway train clash between Maul, Devon, and Marrok being the best action sequence of the series to date. The new series has certainly improved with its latest duo of episodes, but we hope that the titular character plays a more prominent role moving forward.