On May the Fourth, the animated series Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord ended with its final two episodes on Disney Plus.
Fans’ reactions were definitely positive, as Maul is a fan favourite character, and for good reason.
Maul has one of the most interesting arcs in all of Star Wars, going from being an apprentice of Darth Sidious to surviving the fight with Obi-Wan in The Phantom Menace, to becoming a criminal lord who destroys every competitor that gets in his way.
Film News Blitz writer Jonathon House give his take on the season one finale. (Warning, Spoilers).
One thing this series succeeds at really well is showing Maul in his most vulnerable state.
His mechanical legs are not working properly, he is unable to defeat enemies on his own, and the Empire is hunting him.
Compelling characters
Another thing this show gets right is the characters, which are really well crafted, especially Devon.
Devon Izara is a Padawan to Jedi Master Daki, who has been on the run from the Empire since Order 66.
Devon’s character is written perfectly, and her arc throughout the series is equally compelling.
Maul’s character has been the best it has ever been.
He is a lot calmer than he was in The Clone Wars or Rebels, but they also show a different side of Maul throughout the series.
A more emotional side, who is struggling with his past, which is something we have never really seen from Maul before.
How did the final episodes of ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ go down?
Episode 9 starts with Dryden Vos making a deal with Maul to kill the leader of Crimson Dawn, leading up to where we see Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story, having planted himself as the chief of this criminal enterprise.
We then see Maul reach out to Devon through the Force.
This is where Devon realises that both she and Maul want the same thing: the end of the Empire.
At the end of Episode 9, Darth Vader enters the fray, which is a boon as fans are always enthralled when Star Wars’ big bad is on screen.
Episode 10
This leads into the season finale, where Devon, Daki, and Maul team up against the Inquisitors.
After that, the trio takes on Vader, who counters all three of them at once.
In the confrontation, Maul force pushes Daki towards Vader.
This is where Daki meets his fate, courtesy of Vader’s lightsaber.
Maul and Devon managed to avoid death at the hands of Vader, and the season finale concludes with Devon becoming Maul’s new apprentice.
The final verdict
Overall, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is a fantastic addition to Star Wars animation and one of the franchise’s strongest shows in recent years.
The series does an amazing job of developing Maul’s character further, showing new sides of him while still keeping the dark and ruthless nature that makes him such an iconic villain.
The action throughout the series is incredible, the emotional moments are handled really well, and the final episodes perfectly set up what could be an even bigger and darker second season.
Devon’s story and her new connection with Maul are some of the most interesting parts of the show going forward, especially after the shocking ending of season one with Daki’s death.
If the next batch of episodes can continue the quality of this first season, then Maul: Shadow Lord could easily become one of the best animated Star Wars series ever made.
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