In a review not so far away, there are spoilers...
If you start a story with something as stunning as 'Eminence,' you can really only go downhill from there. While this episode did certainly have its moments and a beyond impressive fight, there's just no topping last week's amazingly fun episode.
Darth Maul and Pre Vizsla execute their plan to snatch power from Duchess Satine on Mandalore, but obviously the real conflict stems from within their "alliance." As bluntly displayed in the last episode, they view each other as a necessary evil required for an immediate job and then have no use for them directly afterwards.
Luckily for us, we see the explosive conclusion of this internal dilemma and the fight scene is spectacular. Yes, fans of the expanded universe will find it tough to believe that someone like Maul could have a tough time with a well trained warrior like Pre Vizsla, but if you can toss away those negative thoughts, then odds are you'll enjoy what was truly an awesome action sequence. The close up of Maul as he activated the darksaber in front of his diabolic face was a brilliant shot.
While the show definitely ended on a high note with that ridiculously good fight and Maul's tour of the prison facility, the rest of the episode was just okay (positively better than the rest of the season's stories, though!). The plan was carried out in a predictable manner. The people were total sheep and easily went along with Pre Visla's plot and the Duchess wasn't exactly the brightest leader around. Furthermore I couldn't help but laugh a few times at the commentary the people provided. I think I heard "our saviors!" or "Death Watch are our saviors!" more than a handful of times.
No real twists were thrown in the mix yet there were some scattered moments of greatness -- for example, the gangsters stepping aside to let Savage emerge was such a cool moment. Speaking of Savage, I'd like to award him the official Comic Vine BAMF of the year award (okay, maybe that isn't a real thing). From the way he carries himself to his absurd displays of using the force, there's no denying that Savage is a total boss that exudes pure evil. Also, does anyone feel like Maul was left with the rookie Mandalorians? Bo-Katan humiliated them!
Sure, this episode had some low points and a fair amount of mediocre ones, but the scenes that worked well were phenomenal. Seriously, can anyone think of a fight scene that was more of a blast than Maul vs. Pre Vizsla? There's absolutely a lot of contenders, but I think this one takes that title. I'm curious to see how this will turn out, but what worries me is Sam Witwer (Darth Maul) stated this will only be a 3 episode arc. Does that mean it's just 3 episodes of Maul on Mandalore... or only 3 episodes with Maul? I reaaaaaaaaally hope it's not the latter because this character deserves far more time. I'd hate to see his story with Obi-Wan rushed into just one more episode. I'm pretty sure he meant the former, but I'll guess we'll have to wait until next Saturday to find out!
Gregg Katzman is a freelance writer for Comic Vine & IGN Entertainment. Follow him on Twitter if you also want to see more of Embo or Cad Bane!