The third and fourth episodes of Maul – Shadow Lord are officially out. Here are my thoughts about them.
The article contains major spoilers from this episode and references events from previous episodes.
If you are feeling lost watching this show, or reading our review and not remembering details of events for context, check our complete guide to everything you should watch and read before watching Maul – Shadow Lord.
Getting a new apprentice
As dangerous and resourceful as he is, Maul understands that he is incapable of damaging the Empire. The last time he attempted to create his own army, Darth Sidious handled him personally. Not because Maul was a threat by himself, but because the former apprentice needed to learn the meaning of true power.
When that happened, the Republic and the CIS were still in conflict. The Jedi were focused on capturing Dooku and Grievous, while Palpatine still had to keep the Supreme Chancellor act together. But now that he is the head of the Empire and has all its resources at his disposal, the truth is that Maul stands no chance.
Even if Maul gets his criminal operation back to full force, I honestly think it wouldn’t matter on the grand scheme of things. Sure, they could be a nuisance for the Empire, but that’s the point where Darth Vader gets involved. He couldn’t defeat a couple starving Jedi. Imagine what Vader would do to him.
Maul knows that the man he once knew as Skywalker is exceptionally strong. Especially because this is the individual who led the slaughter of thousands of Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters. Opponents who would match Maul’s skills in a lightsaber duel were crushed by the Emperor’s second in command. If he is to beat someone like this, he needs very powerful allies.
Aside from this, Maul needs someone to carry his legacy. Maul’s organization is only held together by his presence. Thankfully, he has some very loyal Mandalorians who have saved him multiple times, but none of them is strong enough to be a proper replacement. If Maul dies, everything he’s built goes down with him.
The conversation between Maul and Devon was very interesting. He didn’t have to lie or mislead her, just remind her of everything that was taken from her by the Empire.
Turning a Padawan into his apprentice isn’t something that happens with a single conversation. What he did is simply lay the seeds of doubt and let the upcoming events be the water and nutrients for that seed to grow.
While Devon hasn’t shown any signs of darkness, she is clearly conflicted, which translates to vulnerability.
All it’s going to take is a small push in the right direction. If I had to guess, I’d say that Master Daki will die at the hands of the Inquisitors. This gives Devon no choice but to join Maul as a means of survival.
No loyalty among criminals
Minor criminals like Vario and Deemis are creatures who have become part of Janix’s ecosystem.
Their presence is required to maintain balance between everyone, and because of this, they are manageable. But Maul? he is an apex predator whose main goal is to kill every other big fish.
So far, he hasn’t had any issues doing so. Even the Pyke Syndicate, which is many levels above Deemis and Vario, looks powerless against Maul’s ruthless and smart tactics.
Maul said that after the Mandalore events, he returned to his old ally for help, but in return, they tried to kill him. I think this is a perfect summary of the crime syndicate’s unspoken truth.
There are no real friends in this business. As long as it benefits all parties, everyone is just a business partner and temporary ally. The moment one group is vulnerable, the others won’t hesitate to take over their territory/business.
Imagine how desperate Maul had to be to resort to the Pykes? He is more than aware that being vulnerable among his peers is almost a death wish, and he still took the risk. Thanks to Rebels, we know that Maul will return to that vulnerable state. Though I’m wondering how bad it’s going to be for him.
Lawson’s impossible choice
The first impression I had of Two-Boots was very positive. He’s clearly a capable droid that cares about his duty and Lawson’s well-being. For two episodes, it reminded me of Cassian Andor and K2S-O. The “hero” with questionable methods, paired with the droid who is constantly stressing about breaking rules, but still obeys orders.
These two episodes made abundantly clear what many of us already suspected: Janix’s law enforcement is incapable of handling Maul and his forces. Dealing with a few grunts is easy, but these aren’t regular criminals.
Two Zabrak warriors, a good number of Mandalorians, and a man who can single-handedly take down Lawson and all of his colleagues without much effort? There is no way the Empire isn’t getting involved.
I don’t blame Lawson for trying to keep the Empire out of the loop. As he accurately pointed out, the Empire ruins lives. Once they arrive on Janix, they’re not living. The life of its citizens is going to be under constant surveillance, and it will never return to normal.
However, letting Maul run his business without getting targeted under the promise that the city won’t be touched is almost as bad. If Lawson agreed to Maul’s deal, the city would inevitably be targeted by the Empire.
The worst part is that the Empire would sentence everyone for Janix Lawson’s behaviour. It could turn the city into a war zone, and who knows what they’d do to civilians.
It’s easy to see why Lawson tried as hard as he did to contain this incident, while I also understand why Two-Boots was so eager to call the Empire. Choosing which villain you want to terrorize your city is an impossible choice. Unfortunately, it’s Janix who will lose, regardless of the outcome.
Final thoughts
What I enjoyed the most about these episodes was the moments where Maul and Devon appeared together. Their first conversation is very similar to the dialogue Maul has with Ezra in Rebels. Hopefully, the result is different.
While the series maintains a fairly slow pace, it doesn’t become dull at any point. So far, the story has been predictable, but that doesn’t take away the excitement. Janix’s Law Enforcement and Maul made the first movements. Maul has the upper hand, but that might not be the case when the Inquisitors join the game, which is happening in the following episodes.
What I’m most excited about is the eventual lightsaber duels. Even if they’re not the best duelists, Inquisitors always make things entertaining. The Eleventh Brother has appeared a few times on the Tales series, and one of those occasions was him getting wrecked by an unarmed Ashoka Tano, so I really hope he gets to “redeem” himself.
