The Reel Rejects - REJECT RECAP: Obi Wan Kenobi PART I Breakdown & Review!

Episode Date: June 1, 2022

Hello There! IT BEGINS! Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Part 1 Reaction & Review featuring the return of Ewan McGregor, Leia Skywalker Organa, the Grand Inquisitor, Joel Edgerton's Owen Lars, Luke Skywalker, the fifth brother, Reva, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, easter eggs, hidden details, & more! Ace Cabrera joins us to discuss the latest entry into the Disney+ pantheon of Star Wars shows! REACTION HIGHLIGHTS on YouTube & FULL LENGTH (Sync-Up) WATCH ALONGS at Patreon.com/TheReelRejects!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-reel-rejects/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Getting engaged at Shane Company, Dream Engagement rings are our special. We have the most beautiful, natural, and lab-grown diamonds, handpicked in every price range, ready to compare side by side. Shop online at shanko.com or in store. Shane Company, your friend and jeweler. How's it going there, Reject Nation? John here. Just wanted to take a quick moment to welcome you to our Obi-1, Part 1 podcast review and breakdown. We had a great time with our bud Ace Cabrera joining us, a Star Wars aficionado.

If ever there was one, a Shmodeon champ in the Star Wars. inner geekdom category as well. And yeah, we get all of our Ewan McGiggles out over the course of this. So, yeah, it's a good time. If you want to join us for the reaction highlights, those are up on YouTube. If you want to check out the full

length sync up reaction watch along, you can join us over on Patreon for that. And that's all the housekeeping that we need for now. Much love and, hey, enjoy the show. What? That was an hour? Yeah.

It felt like it was a half hour. That went by so fast. It's about 48 minutes. That went by so quick, didn't it? Oh my god. I really thought there was like 30 more minutes left in it. This is all about Leah. It's kind of amazing. Biggest surprise. I love that. We got to move on to the next episode, so we'll just talk for just a couple of minutes.

Because yeah, it's really late at night. That we're probably this. But, so keep a lookout for them. But yeah, let's just wait to see if there's a post-credit scene. We'll talk about it a little bit. I don't think there's a post-credit scene. No. Not if they put two episodes at once.

This is just the first time ever the streaming service has been like, you know what? Just watch the credits. Yeah, that's true. We don't need to shuffle you into something else. Next episode, go, go, next episode. You're done with this new show. Hey, we got so much stuff. All right.

I mean, I thought it was a really good first episode. We got another episode to walk, so there's no need for. us to talk for super long but right now what I'm currently loving is even McGregor's performance primarily Joel Edgerton's and like as usual the effects are really good I like the setup of the story a lot there are times where it was what I find interest is weird I don't know if you guys will agree me at all of this but I found a little funny is Joel Edgerton and even McGregor are back and they're giving such like a gritty realistic performance

It's so like real and such an antithesis to how the prequel acting often felt and then there are other performances that kind of feel like they're in the prequels Like a little bit like the Saffty brother felt a little cheesy to me the riva character feels like some of the I don't really find it sometimes it feels like acting to me Whereas the other ones feel so like those two feels so real and some of these other people like the little little leah feels like child actor good one charming But yeah, that's just kind of my opinion But I still really enjoyed it a lot And I'm really loving the themes of You know, facing your your traumas And also like, yeah, this whole thing

He never really seemed to give a shit about him And now he's going out there To go look after her and protect her And especially that'll tie in even stronger To that whole thing of Help Me Obi-One Canobi Your Only Hope It's a tie an even stronger to that So yeah

I think Jimmy Spitz can be in back as too didn't see an Alderon, you know, those kind of things, like, that's really exciting. I know Ace's going to have a lot to say, so, John, why don't you go first? There's an Alderon reference in Californication flea cameo at all in. There you put down my, you too, is your job as to, you know, I'm just being like kind of critical just to, you know, you balance the scales here, so don't look like kiss asses. So, yeah, John, you go next. I mean, that's the funny thing, is to be, like, I think everybody's going to have a sort of different

experience with which characters blend in the most and which ones kind of stick out. And to me, it was the Saffty Brother, actually, who I was like, I've seen this guy give amazing performances. And I was like, this is all ADR and all just like little exposition lines. So yeah, it's interesting to me. I like the pace they've chosen for this. I like that it is a more, something more, I started listening to that legends book about part of it is about, you know, like Obi-Wan living on Tatooine and some of it is sort of

similar to what's going on here. And I like that they've gone with something that is. more contemplative even though you have the looming threat of the Inquisitors even though you have Reva who I really enjoyed here and yeah it's building to something that's a nice subversion to me from the at least promos that we saw thinking okay it's all gonna be about him keeping an eye on Luke and mentoring Luke and so yeah to divert from that I think is really cool and I yeah I just love what Ewan McGregor is doing at the core of this to anchor it it's like there's a lot that we're focusing on and

establishing. And I think he is a nucleus to all that. And just as a performance, you know, to ground everything is really beautiful. And all the sort of body language that he's putting in is terrific. True. True. Ace, my man, dude. What did you think? Let's talk to the audience. To be honest, I love it. But obviously, that's a, it's kind of obvious coming from me. Considering that, you know, I love Obi-1, but the prequels, I mean, the amount of prequel, I kept saying it throughout the reaction, but the amount of prequel love that we got throughout this was like just insane. I've never seen that much like prequel callback. And obviously the show is, this is the first time the show is, you know, touching on the prequels. Because usually

we've seen The Mandalorian and Boba Fed, which are, you know, focused right after Return of the Jedi. But still, prequel love I'm here for, and I love it. And I love that it's so far that everything we've seen is, as long as you've seen the prequels, you're good. You know, obviously the inquisitors are, you know, after that. But I feel like that's a really cool idea as far as like saying, like, remember this stuff. This is the main core of what the story is about. Second thing for me is the lay of stuff is just, I mean, obviously, you mentioned it, John. But to me, it's like, it's always been that question that a lot of people have always had,

which I find funny that the show just tackled it head on which is why Luke, why not Leah? And why is all this focus on why does it have to be a little boy? Why can I meet a little girl? And obviously Yoda says it in Return of the Jedi, I mean Emperor 6th back. But it's one of those

Dude! But it's one of those questions. I know. You missed up. Go on. Out of here. But it's one of those questions that people have always had, which is like, why all this focus on Luke and why not on Leah? Who's keeping and Ilea.

I think it's because George Lucas came up with it a little bit later. It's never been on it as a nurse. Just the right societal moment to follow that one. But it's always been that kind of funny remark as far as like Obi-1, looking after Luke. And even in this episode where he's like, but it's Luke, though. It's the boy. It's the boy.

I'm after the boy. He even said the boy, like, twice. Yeah. And it's like always been. that kind of funny thing as far as, like, it has to be a board. Yeah. Which is kind of a cool bait and switch that the show has really done. Like, the show really did try to convince us as far as trailer-wise

that it's going to be Obi-Wan on the run and maybe some, you know, looking after Luke kind of stuff, but not anything having to do with Leia. Yeah. So that, that to me is the coolest. And obviously seeing Alderan again after Revenge of the Sith. It's, I mean, I recognize it. And I was just like, oh, my God, we're going to see Leia. We're going to see El-Doron.

Yeah. Well, I think living in the lifestyle of Alderan is really cool. Yeah, because we've never seen what it looks like inside. Yeah, like anywhere. Yeah. I mean, not just even aesthetically, but, you know, really getting a sense of what the people are like in the environment and such. I really like that. I would say I really, really like the, like, I'm not on quite the, the, there are things I definitely loved about this first episode.

And I would say overall I really, really liked it. I think like what it was smart is like how you were talking about with the prequels of acknowledging is that they're grounding this in the emotionality of it all first and foremost. And that's the big part of like Ewan McGregor's performance is something out of Logan, you know, and I find I do find the whole relationship, the conflicting relationship with him and Uncle Owen to be the most compelling part. And it does make sense to kind of go in a different direction. Otherwise you just have another show on tattooing of Luke above, you know. Obi-One, being like, well, I won't he, just give him my gifts, man. Take my gifts and give it to Luke. I'm looking after him. Yeah, we got to throw in some new enough things because it's another show where, like, you know,

a reluctant hero is about to go look after a kid. I mean, there's like other, there's comics and books and such where they could have pulled stories from. It's like a big part of Star Wars is not just directly adapting stuff, like letting that be its own canon, letting that exist, but then doing a different story with the shows and the movies. So I think doing this story fills in something pretty interesting that I didn't see coming. I do think some of the, there is parts of the filmmaking that at times feels like this is the most realistic Star Wars thing I've ever seen. And then other times I'm like, sometimes this feels so much like a TV show, though. And so that's where I kind of go back and forth with some of the aesthetic.

Like I feel like with the Riva character, that's what Third Sisters called Riva. With that character, I feel like I'll be back and forth because I love the setup of her. I love the, I actually love the writing of her. I like how she like, she undercuts all the Inquisitors. Like, I'm not one of you. I'm actually better and I have a bigger objective than all of you. And so, like, even undercutting the Grand Inquisitor, which a lot of people were excited about.

And so I like, I really like the setup of her. But yeah, there are times where, I'm not sure what it is. I don't mind sound like a weird thing to be like, there's something about it that doesn't quite read as I don't really believe it. but I'm not, I don't know how to explain it. At times it feels like a, it hops back forth when you're feeling like something's so cinematic and then something feeling like this is a TV show.

I think it might come in some of that clash of direction and it's interesting because, yeah, like there are takes on Star Wars that get more naturalistic in terms of performance and tone and they're the older movies that have a different aesthetic when it comes to those things. And I feel like they're both at work here. And it's kind of bluntly,

So that's why I kind of like it, because it's sort of blending both, like, the prequels and the original trilogy in terms of tone. So part of me kind of likes that I sometimes feel that way. It's interesting because to me it's not necessarily like, oh my God, this is the most amazing episode I've seen. But it felt like a steady, solid place to start. First start, yeah. Like, I thought it was a very nice set off into the journey. And, you know, I also too appreciate that, yeah, like you said, it's not just about regurgitating specific plot points. and things from extended material.

But yeah, it's like taking some of those themes, especially of when the Jedi decide not to help, which is something I know that is kind of a theme explored in some comics and books where it is Obi-Wan sort of struggling not to answer that itch. And I like the way that theme plays in here. I hope they continue with it because it seems like the big debate going on within him.

Yeah, I mean, I think part of that too is like he knows that if he does help another Jedi, it could possibly expose Luke so I think that's a huge part of why he doesn't get involved because it's like Luke is my priority I can't be helping anyone else yeah because if I do that could be exposing Luke or leading to Luke so yeah and it makes him really interesting as the character especially even though we've seen his anguish in the past of the prequels we also have you know the Allen Guinness version to look forward to who is very sage and very comforting and I like this middle point of that character well simultaneously though at some parts of the

performance read as that's an excuse to not help you know it's like that's true that is absolutely true what you're saying about it and like the choice is true but the same time he's so aggressively reluctant and resistant he's beating towards any form of helping anything with Jedi and it's like his whole belief system has been demolished is the lifestyle he was born into stripped and just and empty that it's just like no I got to stay in this cave

and watch him I got to watch him yeah it's like is this for the bigger purpose or is it because you don't actually want to get involved in your struggling with your faith essentially

and that goes back to the whole thing that you're talking about with like Leah's condemned yeah but I got to stay here and watch the boy you know

like sometimes it is a Even though I am endangering him just by being close and you know I'm force sensitive, so they might sense me and this girl specifically looking for me. So yeah, it is interesting, but I'm loving it so far. I feel like it's just going to get darker. All right guys, let's get to it. We got one more to go. I'm alone on this with a patron of the day shout out. Scuba Steve. Scuba, let's face it. If there's anyone at our patient,

who could be a wandering Jedi, it's definitely you. Except I imagine that you'd be the kind of Jedi who would use the force for just his own selfish needs. Scuba would go around and just steal stuff off of poor people. You're like, hmm, that pear looks good. Snatch it away, like a total asshole. But the best kind of asshole. Because Scuba's the kind of asshole that when someone's still in need of help, scuba would still rise to the occasion and then steal from that bad guy make sure that bad guy

kills whatever good samaritan is out there and yeah they're laid dead in the street but then he would steal from that bad whatever that bad guy took from that good guy scuba would take from that bad guy meaning he creates balance in the world hence why scuba is the perfect person to be a jedi at our patreon page i could say hey we're close to a million subscribers and scuba's been here with us hundreds of thousand subscribers ago, sure, I could go that route. Or I can make some weird, sarcastic, not that funny, patron of the day shout out, calling scuba an asshole. That's the direction I think scuba really wants and hopes for, you know.

He's got that East Coast grid on him, gee? Nah, you know, I'm just messing around, scuba. No, scuba sith. Scoo Scyth over here. Thanks for being around here for so long. That would have probably been a much easier direction to have taken. it from the get-go. This was way better. This was better. Thank you for being here for a while, buddy. Your demand. Thank you, scuba.