- Title: Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord – Chapter 9: Strange Allies / Chapter 10: The Dark Lord
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The First Season of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord closes out with a pair of episodes that pay off on the promise of the series with a series of lightsaber battles and shoot-outs against the Empire. Most of the show’s core cast won’t make it through the end of the season, although the choices on who falls will set up the major storylines for Season Two.
“Strange Allies” provides Maul (Sam Witwer), Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon), and Eeko-Dio Daki (Dennis Haysbert) against the pair of Inquisitors hunting them down and attempting to prevent Maul and the Jedis’ escape off the planet. The fights are great, with the trio working in tandem to hold off the two Sith. Had the season ended there, with either a victory or stalemate before Maul’s escape it would have made for a satisfactory end. However, the series has even larger plans with the arrival of (a notably silent) Darth Vader.
“The Dark Lord” is a showcase for Vader and the power of the Force he can unleash. This is the final boss you are never going to defeat. Honestly, this is the show I want to see with the Dark Lord of the Sith unleashed on the galaxy. If I have a complaint with the finale it’s that our two Jedi and former Sith struggling to hold off two Inquisitors together someone how do just as well with the addition of Darth Vader in the mix.
The pair of episodes provide a fun close to the season allowing for Maul’s escape and Devon’s turn to the Dark Side. While I understand the choice, killing off the rest of Maul’s crew before we ever got to really know them feels like a bit of a waste. And, although I’m sure his inclusion will provide B-story fodder (and likely a trip to his Empire-loving mother), I’m less than thrilled with Rylee Lawson (Charlie Bushnell) making the cut for Season Two as I’d like to see Maul (and Devon) move on to their next adventure unincumbered.
