there’s something almost sinister about how Shadow Lord handles Maul… and I don’t mean in-universe. I mean what it does to us as the audience.
because tell me why I caught myself multiple times leaning forward like, "oh… this might actually work." "oh, i would like to see what happens," like I was considering it. like I was ready to watch Devon fall and go, "yeah, okay, I get it, I support it."
and that’s the trap.
this whole time, we knew who Maul is. manipulator, survivor, (at one point) a victim, walking vendetta wrapped in charisma, Sam Witwer voice, and cool tattoos. him technically not being a Sith anymore doesn’t cleanse anything. it just makes him more unpredictable. he’s not serving Sidious anymore, he’s serving himself.
and still… the show makes you feel for him.
that last episode especially felt like emotional whiplash in the best, most unsettling way. one moment you’re watching him inch closer to getting what he wants; Devon as an apprentice, and there’s this creeping tension where you think, "is it really gonna happen?" and then the next moment he’s practically delivering Master Daki to Vader like a calculated sacrifice.
and it snaps back into place.
oh. right. he’s awful.
but it doesn’t stick, does it? because then Daki dies, Devon is angry and shattering the way Maul wants.
and Maul... Maul has that moment. that barely-contained smile. that flicker of satisfaction he tries to hide while feeding her anger, sharpening it. "we will have our revenge." and suddenly you realize something deeply uncomfortable:
he’s not just manipulating her.
he’s been manipulating us the entire time.
because why are we feeling anything close to hope when he speaks? why does his pain feel compelling enough to blur the lines? why did I, even for a second, forget that wanting Devon to follow him is wanting her destruction?
it’s not just character writing at that point. it’s narrative sleight of hand.
and honestly? I have to give it to the writers. because making Maul likable isn’t new. making him tragic isn’t new. but making the audience complicit in his manipulation? making us feel the pull of the dark side alongside the characters?
that’s something else entirely.
it’s unsettling. and it works a little too well for my liking.
