IR TV Review: MAUL - SHADOW LORD - EPISODE 1 & 2 (“The Dark Revenge” & “Sinister Schemes”) [Lucasfilm/Disney+]

The idea of Maul returning after the events of "The Clone Wars" (in its return series finale) as well as "Solo" holds a certain mythic structure since the character has had much more propensity than one would think over the years. But for all his cunning, the character overall can be too moved by emotion and yet still weirdly show bouts of empathy. He does want people to believe in him, even when he is doing bad things. What is interesting as the first two episodes premiere (the show releases two episodes at a time each week) is that the show is actually more built like a 40s noir on an outlying planet where the Empire is felt but not yet seen (which "The Mandalorian" did in a way). Maul still wants to function on the periphery even though the Empire is in full control. He does mention Darth Sidious with a sense of bitterness but it is odd what he might be alluding to as to his final solution. He wants to get revenge on some crime bosses initially that seem to have double crossed him but he does so with a tactile strategy before revealing his identity. It might have been better for him to operate more in the shadows before a reveal in the series...but it is what it is. That said, the gumshoe aspect works well. Lawson (played by recent Oscar nominee Wagner Moura) doesn't do voice over but he has enough good to make his flaws balanced. It is surprising actually how much family life we are shown of him but it also shows what he might lose. Basically, after "Andor", there seems to be a little more relaxation in showing those moments. Interestingly enough Lawson is perhaps an ode to Dennis Lawson (who played Wedge Antilles in the Original Trilogy). A great addition also is Two-Boots (which is Lawson's robot assistant/sidekick) which hopefully we get to see more interaction with. The show though floats between this procedural element and the shenanigans that Maul is moving on behind the scenes. His second Devon (Gideon Adlon) is a call back in certain ways to Ventress in how she follows him. Devon is a believer but not an apprentice.

The second episode moves more towards a conflict with what seems like former Jedi (played with a Yoda/Plagieus type shielding by Dennis Haybert) and his would be padawan (or likely just a foundling). They are just scrounging to get by. But what is interesting here, like with "The Acolyte" is watching the teacher try to lead his student on the right path but losing the battle to temptation (in this case survival). Rook Kast (Vanessa Marshall), this apprentice, sees the path and tries to follow it and not be tempted. Not unlike Anakin, circumstances force her to look at different aspects within certain light...and Maul does see this. A point of levity in the series (just to make that point) is one of the crime lords Vario (Chris Diamantopoulos) who comes off more like Joe Pesci in the Lethal Weapon series, dangerous but mostly fun to hang around. Maul watches most of this with half amusement which is interesting for a character whose sense of humor is utterly dry to the point of fatalism. That said, despite his tendencies, Maul does make some good points. The environment that the show creates on this planet also comes off grimier and grittier than most other Star Wars shows. Granted this doesn't take place on Coruscant but that is just semantics. The question is of the ultimate game. The one character that still is in Maul's influence possibly which we have not seen again in Qi'ra (played by Emilia Clarke in "Solo"). That character had so much history and yet is seemingly not in play since this series seems to function in an in-between point. With "Shadow Lord" it depends on where this story moves. As a character, Maul, especially as the lead of his own show, shows no mercy (maybe a little) and takes no prisoners (he mostly runs through them with a saber). Yet he is saddled with some fatal flaws which is ultimately what makes him interesting to watch, specifically with the power he wields. B

By Tim Wassberg