{"id":794,"date":"2026-04-20T18:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/?p=794"},"modified":"2026-04-20T18:34:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:34:00","slug":"star-wars-maul-the-shadow-lord-only-gets-better-in-episodes-5-and-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/?p=794","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars: Maul &#8211; The Shadow Lord only gets better in episodes 5 and 6"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em><strong>Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Star Wars: Maul &#8211; The Shadow Lord episodes 5 and 6.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">If you&#8217;ve read Maul: The Shadow Lord this far, you already know that the series is more of a group drama than a strictly about Maul&#8217;s return to power in the criminal underworld. Sam Witwer&#8217;s Maul may be at the center of this conflict, but the series focuses heavily on characters like rogue Jedi Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon) and rival detective Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura). It&#8217;s equally well that The Shadow Lords paid a great deal of attention to this ensemble cast, as they are able to carry the burden when Maul himself returns to the shadows in episodes five and six.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The main takeaway from these two latest episodes is that things can get dark quickly when the Empire gets involved. And I&#8217;m here for that. As solid as the series has been since the beginning, there&#8217;s no denying that the plot has added even more tension now that the protagonists are all scrambling to deal with the arrival of the Empire and its Inquisitors. No longer is this just a drama about Maul training an apprentice and Lawson trying to bring an ambitious crime lord to justice. Now all three are targets of something bigger and more terrifying.<\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-slideshow\"><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"\/><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Star Wars: Maul &#8211; Shadow Lord Images<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/output><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">No character benefits from this upheaval of the status quo more than Lawson himself. His struggle becomes even more compelling now that his worst nightmare has come true and the Empire is targeting him and his son (Charlie Bushnell). It&#8217;s now easier to empathize with the characters. It&#8217;s also nice to see the series continue to hint at Lawson&#8217;s complicated and murky past, as well as his troubled relationship with his estranged wife. He went from being Maul&#8217;s foil to becoming a compelling protagonist in his own right.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Devon also continues to grow and improve with each new batch of episodes. Even though she doesn&#8217;t spend much time interacting with Maul here, we get to see what the former Sith Lord sees in her. Despite his noble efforts to protect the Lawson family from the Empire, a certain recklessness and darkness come to the fore. She&#8217;s quickly developing into the show&#8217;s most fascinating mystery. Where will she end up by the end of the series? Does Maul have the prot\u00e9g\u00e9 he so covets, or does fate have something else in store for Devon?<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Again, Maul appears less in these two episodes, but it doesn&#8217;t hurt the series at all. If anything, his return at episode 6&#8217;s climax only makes it all the more satisfying, as he shows up just in time to help Devon fight Mallock (AJ Locascio). And while there are some other memorable moments for Maul here, the most notable is his graceful lightsaber training sequence.  <\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\">\n<aside class=\"card jsx-1339469126 jsx-1178573261 box jsx-2627838217\" data-cy=\"aside\">\n<h3 data-cy=\"title3\" class=\"title3 jsx-12333944 jsx-3517023867\">Thoughts on Maul: Shadowlord Episodes 3 and 4<\/h3>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-313219616\"><span><img alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" decoding=\"async\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/span><\/figure>\n<p><\/output><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;&#8216;Maul: Shadow Lord&#8217; is a series of episodes 3 and 4. The series still continues to coalesce and develop. Whenever it focuses strictly on Maul vying for power in the criminal underworld, it&#8217;s a story that already has an established ending. But fortunately, the series finds more narrative weight by focusing on the supporting cast, especially Devon Izara. It ends with a thrilling climax and offers a lot to offer. Great action and the promise that this story will quickly become even more dramatic with the Empire arriving on the scene.&#8221; -Jesse Shadeen, 2026\/04\/13<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Click here to read IGN&#8217;s full review.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Speaking of Malok, it&#8217;s interesting to see the character back in the spotlight following his live-action debut in Ahsoka Season 1. Mallock actually has some dialogue this time around, but he hasn&#8217;t really shown much in terms of personality yet. He is a hardcore and dedicated Jedi killer, just like the rest of his brethren. It will be interesting to see how this series connects the dots with Murloc and explains how he transitions from being Vader&#8217;s henchman to being resurrected as part of Thrawn&#8217;s plot. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Also, on a side note, who do you think Malloch was talking to in that final scene? Since he is ranked as First Brother, that would only put the Grand Inquisitor and Vader himself above Mallock in the hierarchy of Inquisitors. I don&#8217;t care if either character appears. Perhaps there&#8217;s even a way to devise a duel between Vader and Maul at some point before the show ends? Fingers crossed.    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>#Star #Wars #Maul #Shadow #Lord #episodes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Star Wars: Maul &#8211; The Shadow Lord episodes 5 and 6. If you&#8217;ve read Maul: The Shadow Lord this far, you already know that the series is more of a group drama than a strictly about Maul&#8217;s return to power in the criminal underworld. Sam Witwer&#8217;s Maul may &#8230; <a title=\"Star Wars: Maul &#8211; The Shadow Lord only gets better in episodes 5 and 6\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/?p=794\" aria-label=\"Read more about Star Wars: Maul &#8211; The Shadow Lord only gets better in episodes 5 and 6\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1141,1987,1985,1986,862,971],"class_list":["post-794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-episodes","tag-lord","tag-maul","tag-shadow","tag-star","tag-wars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yasbou.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}