Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3 recap: Part III

This post contains SPOILERS for Episode 3 of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi has arrived at last, and it’s full of suspense, terrifying enemies, and all the Leia Organa sass anyone could ask for.

Here’s a quick (ish) rundown of the episode’s main events, in case you need a refresher or some clarification on what went down. There WILL be spoilers.

Ben (who I’ll call Obi-Wan for clarity’s sake) kneels while the trade freighter carrying him and Leia approaches a remote mining world. He whispers his old master’s name, hoping that Qui-Gon will somehow guide his way. He recalls painful moments from his past, but Qui-Gon makes no attempt to respond. Very on brand for him, really.

Once they arrive on the planet, Obi-Wan and Leia head toward the meeting point for their contact. Obi-Wan explains to Leia that before the Empire, the landscape was beautiful and lively. It’s dusty and unpleasant now. Though he instructs Leia not to say anything, she approaches a vehicle and immediately makes up a story about her and her “father.” On the drive, there is a conversation about Leia’s real mother. None of us will ever get over it.

Freck (played by Zach Braff, not the first Scrubs actor to be in a Star War) drives the two toward the spaceport, but picks up a group of Stormtroopers along the way. They ask if Obi-Wan or “Luma” have heard anything about a Jedi. As the Disney+ captions say: suspenseful music plays. The entire episode, really. It’s a lot.

The group stops at a checkpoint in which Freck turns out to be untrustworthy, who could’ve guessed? (Not Leia. She’s still learning.) Just as the Imperial probe droid identifies Obi-Wan’s face, he draws a blaster and takes out the Stormtroopers (and Freck). They run.

When they encounter a human dressed as an Imperial officer, all seems lost — but it’s just a disguise. Her real name is Tala, and she’s part of an underground network that helps Jedi and Force-sensitive beings escape the Empire, obtain new identities, and stay hidden. They call it The Path. The three escape into a secret tunnel guarded by a loading droid named NED-B, who can’t communicate with language but very much understands everything that’s going on. If anything happens to them, we riot.

All this time, Reva, Fifth Brother, and Vader have been tracking Obi-Wan and have now closed in on the planet. Just as Leia, Obi-Wan and Tala are making their escape, Darth Vader makes his presence known on the streets. It’s dark. He is searching. Force-choking innocent townspeople. Trying to draw Obi-Wan out of hiding.

Obi-Wan senses his former apprentice’s presence. He sends Leia and Tala ahead, making the latter promise to get the former back to Alderaan. Vader and Obi-Wan finally meet face-to-face again. “What have you become?” Obi-Wan asks. “I am what you made me,” Vader answers.

Leia begs Tala to turn back and help Obi-Wan, assuring her she can make it on her own (suspenseful music playing). Outside, Vader catches Obi-Wan in a Force-chokehold. There is fire. Everything is burning.

Vader wants Obi-Wan to burn just like he did. He wants him to suffer — but does he want him to die in this moment? Tala intervenes before Vader’s troopers (are they the 501st? Is that still canon?) can grab hold of the wandering Jedi. He’s hurt, but he’ll be OK.

Tala and NED-B rush to Obi-Wan’s side just as Leia reaches the end of the tunnel. But instead of the pilot waiting for Leia at the spaceport, it’s Reva standing there hoping the child will walk straight into her trap.

New recaps of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be available after each episode airs on Disney+.

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