Full Series Grade The Episode 3.20: "Twin Suns" (Spoilers Allowed)

I thought this was a really great episode. Maul episodes have been an highlight and I liked the part Ezra's played here; how he was manipulated by Maul through the force to be used as bait to draw Obi-Wan out was felt natural and connected it even more to the previous Maul episodes & with Ezra being there we finally got closure to his involvement in Maul's story (him ultimately realizing that he was tricked and wouldn't have needed to go there & would have been better off staying with his friends was very fitting; in the end he understood how little his part in this meant in the grand scheme of things and I that was important for him to know. Maul would have found Obi-Wan with or without him, it was just a matter of time).

I really liked Ezra (along with Chopper) having their A-Wing destroyed and wandering around Tattoine searching for Obi Wan; the desert planet looked great and better than in TCW, the attack of the tusken raiders (seen for the first time in animation) was an enjoyable scene and as buildup to Obi-Wan crossing paths with them it really did it's job. Everything with Obi-Wan was great; the design was very good, the voicework was perfect and his talk with Ezra was good (I liked Obi-Wa sending him and Chopper on their way home before dealing with Maul who followed his former apprentice to the Jedi master. Ezra had now truly finished playing his part in this tale and it stood between Obi-Wan and Maul just like it should have).

The confrontation between Obi-Wan and Maul was great; the very raw intensity and emotion was so good & the samurai-like duel with the posturing and waiting before the clash, where Obi-Wan swiftly cut through Maul's saber and into his chest, was pulled off well and was perfect (it didn't need to be more than this; the way things went down between these two remnants of an passed era was a perfect fit). Obi-Wan cradling his defeated foe in his arms as the latter dies was surprisingly touching and showed how far Obi-Wan had evolved, having forgiven his nemesis and treating him almost like a friend; it was unexpected but great. I think this whole scene was a pretty much perfect sendoff to Maul, who puts his trust in the Chosen One to avenge them both.

I very much liked the end scene of Ezra returning to the Rebel base and reuniting with his friends and you truly feel that he can now put the Maul business behind him and go on with what is really important & the very last scene of Obi-Wan watching over the Lars homestead, hearing Aunt Beru calling for the young Luke who is seen running at a distance was pretty sweet & nostalgic (even though we got no clear view of Luke I can live with that; the feel was enough); probably the best capper they could have chosen for this episode.

Overall, I thought it was just great, especially the Obi-Wan stuff and him meeting Maul (subdued and minimalistic as it was) but I enjoyed the Ezra & Chopper stuff too which I felt belonged there; it was pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be. I understand that some feel cheated with the focus on Ezra & Chopper, no Obi-Wan until the third act & a very short final duel, but for me it worked and I was satisfied. I know it's probably not an popular opinion, but I think it it's one of the best episodes thus far.

10/10

 

9/10

I agree with the show's creators that the limitation of scenery was a good idea. The desert and canyons were a fitting backdrop, and beautifully rendered, and symbolic of characters being "lost" within. In all, the animation was splendid, and they took special care with facial expressions for all the characters. Voice acting was great, too. The overdramatic tones worked because of the desert setting, desperation, harshness, etc.

It really wouldn't have been hard to put in a line or two from Maul explaining the renewed obsession with killing Obi-Wan. Something like "after all that I have failed, in THIS I shall succeed" while wandering the desert, or at the campfire, "The Force has brought me to face you again, and I know what I must do" (implying a misinterpretation of the holocron). You'd only have to cut out a few chirps from Chopper to make it fit. It would have improved my enjoyment of this episode a lot. Or, that explanation could have been put into the previous Maul episode. Whatever. It should have been somewhere.

Liked the premise of Maul causing Ezra to panic and despair in order to get Obi-Wan's attention. Want to see somebody try that again in Star Wars, a different character under different circumstances. Kylo seems like a good candidate.

Enjoyed watching Obi-Wan get his Master's Degree in Adulting. He was given two difficult situations right in a row, and handled them both with grace. His respectfulness -- which wasn't always a thing for his character in TCW -- really carried the ending. In some ways, Luke's future was as much at risk from Ezra being there as Maul. Ezra, after all, is connected to the outside world and the Empire could find out stuff via Ezra (or track him to Tattooine, were he to stay too long). The discussion about Luke between Maul and Obi-Wan was poignant and layered.

The scene of Ezra getting home and talking with people bothered me after the solemn moments on Tattooine. I preferred how they handled the emotionally heavy Twilight of the Apprentice by ending with just music and picture. Ezra will have plenty of time to talk about his renewed sense of loyalty & purpose in the next episodes. If I were making this episode, I might have skipped Ezra and gone directly to Luke, or just showed the Nightbrother (with Ezra as assumed pilot) looking very small against the starry vastness of space. It'd be a way to symbolize Maul's ultimate insignificance to the world.

 

I watched the episode once, then I watched the Rebels Recon that discussed it, and as for the functionality of the episode within the story as a whole, it deserves a 10. But from the perspective of a fan who had been waiting on an epic, out-and-out fight and death scene for Maul (whose storyline, by the way, I absolutely loathed), the episode was easily a 5.

While I agree that there was too much Ezra, all those scenes of him wandering in the desert and scenes of the Tatooine scenery gave me enough time to work up some serious anxiety over what might happen (at one point I had to pause to give myself a moment to panic about whether or not Kanan would show up and somehow die-- Kanan is my favorite). That was... a clever ploy. Nice one, Dave and company.

I would have liked to see more of Obi-Wan in the desert, doing whatever it is Obi-Wan did while on Tatooine. But again, in terms of functionality, the episode was perfect. I also think that Maul's death would have had a bit more impact had Ezra still been standing right there, but in the end the intimate, sorrowful death that Maul was given fit his relationship with Obi-Wan better than anything. Of all the times they had fought throughout the Clone War, of course they would share a strange sense of brotherhood, and especially at this juncture in their lives, both having been betrayed by someone they considered close, be it an apprentice or a master. They would also know each other's fighting style very well (this was covered in Rebels Recon), so a short fight made sense.

I liked seeing Luke at the end, and Aunt Beru's signature call for Luke really pulled at my heart strings. I thought for a moment that maybe they should have ended the episode there, but it was necessary to resolve Ezra getting back to Atollon. And I also agree that the whole "everyone forgive Ezra for being an idiot and put a hand on him" thing was unnecessary. They could have ended the episode with Ezra walking down the ramp of Maul's ship, very simply stating that Maul is gone for good, and receiving meaningful, approving (yet somehow sad) nods/looks from Kanan and Hera with some epic Kiner track a la "It's Over Now" playing.

All in all, I'm... glad to see Maul go. His story had been dragged out for far too long.

Rest in pieces, Maul.

 

I liked the episode and thought it was well done. I have to admit though, I was disappointed by the final duel. Fans have been waiting for this for a long time and when we heard about it coming everyone wanted to see the amazing epic duel that we had all hoped for only to see a 2 second fight. Sorry, but that was just a FU to the fans. I understand the idea behind it and I get the Samurai influence, etc. but it was still all in all a huge letdown

 

In my opinion this is one of the best episodes of Rebels. As a huge fan of Akira Kurosawa, samurai films and American Westerns, I would take a short and meaningful confrontation instead of a long and drawn out fight that would ring completely false to where Old Ben and Maul are at this
point in their lives. If you want to see Kenobi do backflips and balance on dangerous ledges you have the prequel trilogy and 6 seasons of Clone Wars. This was something different. This was something special. If it didn't "FEEL LIKE STAR WARS" that's because they had the guts to try something different (which I also mentioned in regards to the "droid musical" from the week before).

Ezra was involved in the story because, like it or not, this is not a series about Obi-Wan or Maul. Everything that happens in this show is filtered through the eyes of the Ghost crew. This was Ezra's lesson to learn. Obi Wan will have his time in the spotlight again soon.


Quick question though: can someone remind me how Ezra knew that Tatooine was where he needed to go?

 

This isn't clearly explained anywhere to my knowledge, but I guess we can assume Ezra got the knowledge from Maul during the ritual on Dathomire?

 

Best episode of the season by far. One of the best Star Wars moments overall, IMO. The whole thing was very well crafted.

I had a lot of issues with Season 3, but this episode knocked it out of the park.

9.5/10

sent from my Moto X-Wing

 

Loved the episode. I should preface I'm not a huge fan of Rebels, I don't get a huge rush of "Star Wars" feelings when I watch like I do the other material. Maybe I'm being too cynical about the show and should accept it for what it is, but it's hard for me to sit back and enjoy. I'm not even sure why, as I liked Clone Wars and they aren't horribly different.

Anyway, I was surprised like most that the fight was so short, but I can see what they going for and it felt in character, very down to earth and un-showy like animated shows can be.

The best part for me was hearing Maul's dying words and Obi-Wan's almost...sadness for his death, but in reality the fall of the Jedi order and the state of the galaxy. Showing a kinship between two opposing characters was super cool and unexpected from Maul, who runs on hatred. To see him be vulnerable even in his last scene was certainly a treat.

I honestly wish Ezra hadn't interfered or even been featured in the episode at all. I understand why he was there, but it would have made far better TV for the entire episode to focus on Maul tracking down Obi-Wan.

9/10

 

No Baiting.

Kid steals a ship and is then greated with hugs. This rubbish could not be more juvenile.

 

Users will give the episodes scores they feel suits it. Trying to bait them over it is not okay and will not be tolerated. Knock it off.