Another quality, mostly-action focused stop on the Maul train! I have to admit, I know I spent my last write up (which, due to watching in chronological order rather than airing order, is actually for S05E01) complaining a bit about his monologing, but I appeciate the balance this episode struck, where he's not the silent badass he was in Phantom Menace, nor the rambling cackler he's been in prior episodes of the series. Instead, he's still a man of few words, but when he speaks, he speaks in a way that grabs your attention.
I also like the rough plot of the episode, which is Maul and Savage going from planet to planet to unite the various bad guy factions we've met over the course of the show. The two Sith brothers running into Death Watch was a bit convenient, but it gives their somewhat wayward plan a clear goal, and creates some interesting tension between Maul and Pre Vizla (Jon Favreau!). I'm really digging the inevitable infighting and conflicting agendas that happen when you gather together a bunch of cutthroats, and throwing Katee Sackhoff into the mix as a badass rogue Bo-Katan either.
The episode was frankly pretty light on plot, with most of it being an excuse to have Maul go from place to place and beat people up, but that works every once in a while! I only vaguely remember the Black Sun syndicate (were they involved with the train robbery episode?), but Maul taking out their leaders when they refused to play ball was very Kill Bill-esque. And setting Maul against Jabba the Hutt is a little easy in terms of stoking our interests, but having his crew (which includes the Pikes, whom I don't remember), do battle against the Hutts and the crew of bounty hunters we'd met previously was a treat, and the way it convinces the crime boss to throw his lot in with Maul's is a nice touch.
I'm also very interested in where the story is going, which is a change from the last Maul episode. Maul uniting all the bad guys and aiming to take back his kingdom, Daenerys-style, as an alternative to either the Republic or the Separatists is interesting, and making the fulcrum of all this Madalore (and with it, Satine) is a nice way to involve the Jedi and make this even more personal for Obi Wan. Interesting stuff!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-08-04T17:13:28Z
Another quality, mostly-action focused stop on the Maul train! I have to admit, I know I spent my last write up (which, due to watching in chronological order rather than airing order, is actually for S05E01) complaining a bit about his monologing, but I appeciate the balance this episode struck, where he's not the silent badass he was in Phantom Menace, nor the rambling cackler he's been in prior episodes of the series. Instead, he's still a man of few words, but when he speaks, he speaks in a way that grabs your attention.
I also like the rough plot of the episode, which is Maul and Savage going from planet to planet to unite the various bad guy factions we've met over the course of the show. The two Sith brothers running into Death Watch was a bit convenient, but it gives their somewhat wayward plan a clear goal, and creates some interesting tension between Maul and Pre Vizla (Jon Favreau!). I'm really digging the inevitable infighting and conflicting agendas that happen when you gather together a bunch of cutthroats, and throwing Katee Sackhoff into the mix as a badass rogue Bo-Katan either.
The episode was frankly pretty light on plot, with most of it being an excuse to have Maul go from place to place and beat people up, but that works every once in a while! I only vaguely remember the Black Sun syndicate (were they involved with the train robbery episode?), but Maul taking out their leaders when they refused to play ball was very Kill Bill-esque. And setting Maul against Jabba the Hutt is a little easy in terms of stoking our interests, but having his crew (which includes the Pikes, whom I don't remember), do battle against the Hutts and the crew of bounty hunters we'd met previously was a treat, and the way it convinces the crime boss to throw his lot in with Maul's is a nice touch.
I'm also very interested in where the story is going, which is a change from the last Maul episode. Maul uniting all the bad guys and aiming to take back his kingdom, Daenerys-style, as an alternative to either the Republic or the Separatists is interesting, and making the fulcrum of all this Madalore (and with it, Satine) is a nice way to involve the Jedi and make this even more personal for Obi Wan. Interesting stuff!