Maul - Shadow Lord Season 1, Episodes 3 & 4 Review

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Maul: Shadow Lord Season 1, Episodes 3 and 4.

You can also check out IGN's spoiler-free review of Episodes 1-8.

Maul: Shadow Lord has quickly established a solid supporting cast alongside the titular villain, a decision that pays off nicely in the second batch of episodes.

Dramatically, the series might be at its least compelling when it's focused squarely on Maul's scheming for power.

That's the problem of venturing forth toward a destination we've already experienced.

But when you factor in the struggles of characters like Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon) and Captain Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura), the series is able to find that added bit of urgency and uncertainty it needs.

Devon herself is emerging as the show's most compelling character, given that she's a Jedi who survived Order 66 and whose fate is entirely unwritten.

Clearly, Maul is grooming her to be his latest apprentice, despite his decidedly rocky track record on that front.

The question of whether or not she'll succumb to his influence is already a fascinating one.

Is there any merit to the fan theory that she's going to evolve into Darth Talon over the course of the series?

That one's seeming less and less far-fetched as time goes on.

Then you have Lawson, the proverbial decent man living in an indecent time.

You can't help but sympathize with Lawson's various woes, whether it's trying to make time for his son as an overworked single father or his all-consuming obsession with keeping the Empire out of Janix.

That latter struggle comes to a head in these episodes as it becomes clear that Lawson and his men simply aren't equipped to handle the sort of threat Maul poses.

It should also be pointed out that the dynamic between Lawson and Two-Boots (Richard Ayoade) is becoming more compelling with each new episode.

Ayoade brings plenty of personality to the role, and there's the whole issue of droid rights and bodily autonomy.

As much as we can sympathize with Lawson's desire to keep the Empire away, we can also recognize that Two-Boots isn't wrong when he urges his partner to follow Imperial protocol.

Fascist occupying force or not, this is kind of why Sith Inquisitors exist in the first place.

The series has gotten off to a fairly slow start in these first four episodes, but everything culminates nicely in Episode 4's big showdown.

We get a shootout between the police and Maul's crew, an epic lightsaber duel between Maul, Devon, and Master Daki (Dennis Haysbert), and the big dramatic payoff that comes in the form of a massive Imperial Star Destroyer looming over the city while "Imperial March" kicks in.

What a great way of ushering in the next phase of the series.

It's also worth noting just how strong the animation in this series is, even compared to other recent fare like The Clone Wars Season 7 and The Bad Batch.

I'm really loving the watercolor-esque textures being applied to everything from Maul's facial tattoos to the environments of Janix.

The lighting is also impeccable, particularly during the various lightsaber battles unfolding in the shadowy bowels of the city.

And speaking of those battles, the series is keeping that high standard alive with multiple visually stunning duels in these two episodes.

Even in its more straightforward moments, the action is enough to keep things exciting on Shadow Lord.