SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Maul: Shadow Lord just finished up, and it’s as great as I figured it would be.
When it was first announced I thought, hmm, not what I really wanted, but considering how fantastic the animated series have been, I’ll probably like it. And I do, a lot. The animation just keeps getting better, the storytelling tighter, and the characterizations more complex and interesting. It’s darker and grittier than any other animated series so far, kind of like Andor but with lightsabers. The best of both worlds!
Like Andor, the first few episodes are a slow burn as it sets the stage and introduces the characters. We meet Brander Lawson, a cop who’s dealing with a few crime bosses in the city of Jannix. He’s a single dad who loves his son Riley, but work keeps getting in the way of him spending enough time with him. (I love that he constantly has a cup of caf in his hand–just your typical overworked police detective, lol). His partner is a droid named Two-Boots, who inexplicably wears, well, a pair of boots. Two-Boots is quite the by-the-book droid, which proves problematic later in the season. (Two-Boots also holds a caf cup much of the time, even though it’s empty, just to “share the moment” with Lawson). I already loved these guys at Episode 1.
We also meet a pair of Jedi-in-hiding, as this takes place not long after Order 66. Master Eecko Dio Daki (what a great name, lol) and his Padawan, Devon, are just trying to get by and stay hidden, but it’s clear Devon isn’t happy with the situation and itches to do something, anything rather than hide. She ends up in the city jail for stealing some food for herself and her Master.
Maul makes a dramatic entrance and sets himself up in the bowels of the city with his allies: Rook Cast, a former Death Watch Mandalorian and a few of her cohorts, and two Dathomirian Zabraks, Icarus and Scorn. There’s also Spybot, Maul’s pet probe droid, who’s kind of cute in a malicious sort of way. Maul has come to consolidate his power over the crime syndicates, as a way to accumulate power and therefore seek revenge on his enemies–namely Darth Sidious (though he never gives up on Kenobi, either). He’s also in search of an apprentice–and Devon fits that bill perfectly.
So that’s the set-up; I won’t go through the entire series but pinpoint the highlights. Though the show is about Maul and is named after him, he doesn’t really have a character arc. Maul is never going to change–he will always seek out his enemies for revenge, no matter what that form takes. Even his dying words (in Rebels) in Obi-Wan’s arms speak of vengeance. So Devon is the character that will go through an arc: her journey from Jedi Padawan to Maul’s apprentice.
The show does a great job of showing Devon’s turn toward the dark side. I wouldn’t say by the end of the season that she’s full-on dark side, but she’s definitely angry and willing to use her negative emotions to fight back, with Maul’s help. Maul convinces her slowly, over the course of the ten episodes, telling her to use what she has to fight back against the Empire that destroyed the Jedi Order and took away her future. Maul is the devil on one of her shoulders, and Daki is the angel on the other, urging patience and calm, and Devon clearly struggles with this. We all know the Light side is the harder road, and that is the challenge. Devon wants to follow her Master’s example and reject Maul, but it’s hard when Imperials and Inquisitors are constantly pursuing you and Maul is willing to help.
Speaking of Inquisitors, when Two-Boots calls in the Empire (blasted droid!) they send the First Brother (the one with the bird-like mask we saw in Tales of the Jedi and who Ahsoka defeated) and the Sixth Brother Marrok (who Ahsoka also defeated in her show). They work together to track down Maul and the Jedi, and it’s nice to actually see them at work, and also so formidable in battle. They were quickly and easily defeated by Ahsoka and we didn’t get to see them much in action. They’re truly scary here.
Meanwhile, Lawson struggles to do his job while trying to keep the Empire out of it and off the planet, and also to be there for Riley. He’s separated from his wife, who works for the Empire, which could be interesting next season (and yay! there’s going to be a Season Two). In trying to escape the Imperials he seemingly sacrifices himself, but I’m not buying it. This is Star Wars, where if there’s no body, there’s no death, lol. He staggers off into the mist, and even though he took a few blaster bolts, I think he’ll be fine. He better be! Also, he’s the only person who saw Maul push Master Daki towards Vader (more on him soon) while he slips away to Devon and the Inquisitors. So that needs to come out.
There was no question Master Daki was going to die, as Devon’s hero journey requires the death of the mentor. I figured he’d be gone by the first few episodes, but it wasn’t until the last episode that he gets killed, and not by Maul (though Maul didn’t help). So it was nice to have him around the whole season and play off Maul. It was his death, however, that sent Devon over the edge, not surprisingly.
Vader’s appearance in the last two episodes were epic. I don’t necessarily need or want him to appear in every show, but here it felt right, as the Inquisitors were having some trouble catching their quarry. I think it’s significant that he didn’t say a word; he doesn’t have to. His actions speak for themselves, and makes it more terrifying. Maul doesn’t quite know who he is, but I think he has an idea.
I want to touch on Maul’s visions midseason. He’s escaped the Inquisitors and is alone and injured, trying to make his way back to his hideout. He falls into a puddle of water and sees his reflection, but sees himself as a boy before Sidious trains him. He’s with his brother Savage and they seem happy. But then Sidious takes him to train, and the Sith Lord abuses him with lightning. He sees Obi-Wan coming toward him to cut him in half. Just nightmares and grief. Maul doesn’t change by the end of his story, but here we do see him vulnerable. He also works with the Jedi, for his own purposes, of course, but he does respect the Jedi Order; they are worthy adversaries. The point is, we get to see different sides of Maul, he becomes a bit more three-dimensional, and he works better as a protagonist in the story. Maul isn’t exactly easy to root for, but we understand him a bit better and feel at least some sympathy.
Anyway, the show is fantastic: the animation is superb, the lightsaber duels incredible, and the characters engaging. It’s yet another animated show I didn’t know I wanted, lol.
If you’ve watched Maul: Shadow Lord, what did you think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Star Wars and Other Obsessions 