After an absolute shellacking by Darth Vader in Episodes 3, 4, and 5 for all characters (streaming now on Disney+), Obi-Wan has come to terms with his predicament. Any delusions he held about taking the pacifist route vanish as he realizes he’s going to have to drop the sub-padawan act if he’s going to save Leia.
Now that Obi-Wan has his head back in the game, what does that mean for the finale? And what role will Third Sister Reva have to play in the events of the finale?
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Building up to the Finale
After an incredibly painful few weeks, Obi-Wan appeared to get his stride back by mid-season after Vader pointlessly force choked innocent bystanders to death in front of him and drug the old Jedi through hell in Episode 3.
The opening scenes of Episode 4 show Obi-Wan healing in deep sleep, tortured by his mistakes, coming to terms with the reality of his situation, and haunted by Vader’s last words to him: I am what you made me.
Knowing he has no other choice but to drop the charade, Obi-Wan tells Tala he’s got to get Leia back, who’s been captured by Reva and about to be tortured.
After Tala (who’s cover is still intact at this point) manages to get them access to Imperial HQ, Obi-Wan manages to rescue Leia just in time, further infuriating Vader.
Vader death chokes Reva for this failure, but she manages to escape the ordeal after revealing she put a tracking beacon on their ship.
Later, Vader crowns her Grand Inquisitor (Episode 5) for her loyalty and she blasts off with a team to pin Obi-Wan down at his last known location.
However, when Reva arrives with a squad of Stormtroopers, they find the doors barricaded and must push their way through, which stalls the attack.
In all the commotion, Obi-Wan asks Reva to begin negotiations (he’s stalling for time), but he throws her a curve ball by outing her as a youngling survivor of Order 66, something she’s initially hesitant to discuss but nevertheless relents and discusses. She admits that she hates Vader and, yes, she was one of the younglings who witnessed Anakin kill her classmates in Revenge of the Sith.
Obi-Wan uses this insight to convince her to team up with him to defeat Vader, and then…Obi-Wan just leaves.
Yes, the forceless-ish Jedi just takes off, leaving Reva to fight Vader all on her own.
Predictably, the showdown doesn’t go her way. And things don’t go well for Tala either as she and her droid are eliminated in the chaos. Ultimately, Reva is left for dead with what appears to be a mortal wound, angry at both Vader and Obi-Wan.
And then there were three. Separate story lines to follow, that is.
Reva: Big Bad or Secret Good?
A possible script leak earlier in the season postulated that Reva would be the big bad of the series, predicting that the finale would be a face-off between her and Obi-Wan when she discovers Luke’s heritage and attempts to hunt him down.
But the most recent episode calls into question these predictions. It’s looking less and less like Reva is the ultimate baddie and more and more like she’s a complex character struggling through unresolved damage after a traumatic experience. In other words, it looks like Reva is the perfect character for a redemption arc and not gonna make it onto the busted baddie list.
It’s true that Reva is more than capable of violence and atrocities like child-abuse, which was made clear in Episode 4. And it’s also likely true that Reva is now angry at Obi-Wan for convincing her to join him in a face-off with Vader, only to scram and leave her to do it alone.
So Reva does have the capability and the motivation to be Obi-Wan’s ultimate adversary of the season, but that is not our only hope. There is another.
Reva’s Redemption: Saving Luke?
It’s clear by this point that Reva is driven by one thing: her hatred for Darth Vader. So much so she sacrifices her position in the empire to make her move against him prematurely.
The writing of the show clearly wants to attempt to convince viewers that her hate for Obi-Wan is just as strong as her hate for Vader after he left her alone to fight. But is it really?
It’s also clear that all players are likely about to converge for a big showdown, possibly on Tatooine, Luke’s home. Luke and Own are already there, and Obi-Wan, Vader, Reva, and Senator Organa all have reasons to head to the desert planet.
If Tatooine is going to be the setting for a final showdown, it could set the stage for a reckoning and possibly Reva’s redemption. With young Luke there and vulnerable, Tatooine could be the place where Reva gets her revenge on Vader by preventing him from taking Luke, the moment where she saves the boy she couldn’t save as a little girl.
Everyone converging on Tatooine could also be an opportunity for Obi-Wan and Owen to patch things up as Obi-Wan proves that he is needed and Owen had it all wrong.
This scenario feels right because, ultimately, why would Reva go after Obi-Wan at this point? The writing certainly wants to cultivate a sense that Reva is coming for Vader and Obi-Wan, but given the insights into her character in recent episodes, it’s likely she’s going there to protect Luke, whether she knows it yet or not.
That being said, it’s pretty much a given that someone has to die, and because all of the other characters are alive in A New Hope, it can’t be them. That only leaves Reva, who has the perfectly compelling backstory that could see her defending Luke against Vader in a blaze of light sabers, an act of repentance for all of her past misdeeds. And when Vader no doubt finishes her off, her character will have completed a powerful redemption arc.
But just as easily, Reva could give in to the darkness that has consumed her for much of her young life. Will she choose the dark or head into the light? Only the finale can answer that question.
The first five episodes of Obi-Wan are available now on Disney Plus with the finale dropping on Wednesday, June 22nd.
Related: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Review: This Star Wars Series Is a Force to Be Reckoned With
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