‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ Episode 4 Recap – Better Late Than Never

Lightsaber fights are like buses. You wait ages for one, and then several come at once. As it turns out, Devon’s little stand-off with Maul was merely a sample of what was to come here in Episode 4, which is probably Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord at its best yet. Sure, that’s on account of the multi-phase climax that evokes The Phantom Menace in one of the few ways it’s appropriate to do that, but it’s also because we’re starting to get solid character payoffs to ongoing dynamics. The small betrayal of Two-Boots having called in the Empire behind Lawson’s back hits just as hard as Maul pirouetting his way through two Jedi, and the eerie silhouette of a Star Destroyer carries an appropriate degree of impact, even without knowing who’s on it (the fact that the next episode is titled “Inquisition” probably constitutes a clue).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As usual, “Pride and Vengeance” picks up right on the back of the previous episode, with Vario having been sent to Oba Diah, the base planet of the Pyke Syndicate, to pull off what is clearly a ruse. As he’s delivering the promised credits, a hooded figure, believed to be Maul, leaps from the ship and sets about the guards until he’s stunned by Vario and taken to the Pyke leader, Marg Krim. We don’t believe for a moment that Vario has really had the chops to double-cross Maul, and our suspicions are confirmed when the captive is revealed to be one of the rank-and-file Nightbrothers. But we do get to enjoy a stylish Maul entrance, and not for the first time.

Maul kills Krim, as promised, and most of his personal guard, before installing his captain, Kalt, as the new de facto leader of the Pyke Syndicate, albeit with pretty clear instructions that he’s answerable to Maul himself. Maul’s revenge plot is also pulling double-duty with him reconsolidating his underworld power; all the better to eventually go after Palpatine. But that feels like a job for another day (and, potentially, another season).

Back in Janix, Devon manages to reunite with Master Eeko-Dio Daki. Now that she knows where Maul is and has a vague idea of what he’s planning, she decides now is the right time to take him on. But this isn’t a job for two Jedi alone, so they also send an anonymous transmission to Lawson tipping him off about the location of Maul’s base. Klyce approves the use of what is essentially a SWAT team, but Two-Boots decides that it’s high time to rat out the operation to the Empire, so Lawson is forced to shut him down.

A healthy chunk of Maul – Shadow Lord Episode 4 revolves around the raid on Maul’s base, which has multiple elements. Lawson arrives with a hefty police contingent, while Devon and Master Daki sneak inside. Lawson is greeted by Vario, who presents him with a hologram of Maul, offering him a deal. If Lawson allows Maul to operate on Janix unmolested, Maul will keep the peace on the planet. Neither side needs to inform the Empire of what’s going on. It’s a compelling offer, but Lawson is too honourable to take it. Realising they’ve reached an impasse, Maul sics his forces on the cops while the Jedi sneak over to Maul’s real position on a nearby balcony.

Sam Witwer and Dennis Haysbert have a really well-written exchange in “Pride and Vengeance”, with Maul trying to sway them both – or perhaps more accurately, Devon, who is clearly listening, even though she remains on the opposing side – to his point of view. But the standout is a nattily animated lightsaber duel intercut with Lawson fighting his way through the chaos downstairs to try and confront Maul above. By the time he gets there, the duel has come to a stalemate, with Maul having overpowered Daki, albeit at the cost of an injury to one of his mechanical legs, and Devon having saved her master’s life.

Maul lets the Jedi go – this show is curiously reluctant to make him too much of a bad guy – and collapses the tunnel behind him during his escape. Lawson survives, to the visible relief of Klyce, which I thought was a nice touch, but there are bigger problems afoot. A newly reactivated Two-Boots arrives at the hideout, forgiving Lawson for having shut him down, but requesting forgiveness of his own for having alerted the Empire about what’s going on. As the episode comes to a close, the sky above Janix is darkened by the arrival of an Imperial Star Destroyer.