Maul is essentially Clone Wars season 11 so here we go:
Just finished Maul S1 and I really appreciated it. I think the last episode didn't fully stick the landing but overall I did appreciate it a lot.
I remember 'pitching' a Maul series in FB and YT comments some years back, which picks up some time after the Clone Wars finale and shows what Maul was up to until the moment he got himself stranded on the Sith planet in Rebels, taking into account his Solo cameo. The idea was 50/50 criminal underworld stuff and also exploration of the Force/Sidious' downfall masterplan. Also, VIOLENCE, black and red. Along the way Vader/Sidious get wind of him and send the Inquisitors on the lookout. Looks like someone at Disney read those commemts or had a very similar idea.
So I really enjoy that this actually became reality. It's super dark, it's intimidating and the whole atmosphere that's set is freakishly well done. Also the little nods to the prequels and 2D Clone Wars are brilliant, LOVED the soundtrack (partly gave me vibes of the Giedi prime passages from Dune 2). The fights are bonkers.
Since I already had this general idea for this series in my mind, with differences, some stuff didn't work too well for me, or I would've like to see more of.
- Vader. Bringing in Vader for this much screentime without a single line (yes, JEJ retired and Vader is still sort of a secret at the time) is I think too early, maybe even unnecessary. In my mind he/Sidious would've gotten involved just shortly before Maul gets stranded, so a few years onward. The way it is now, Maul is essentially public enemy number one and Sidious would never ever let him run for a few more years. If Maul stays very undercover and pulls the strings from the shadows, it makes more sense. That way it takes time for the big 2 to really get an idea of what's happening in the underworld. And it ties in very well with the Inquisitors in Rebels acting like Maul was a ghost resurrected from legends when they see him.
- I would've appreciated a bit more of a deep dive into Maul's study of the Force. The little scene of him training was brilliant, and some more stuff like that, or his Gollum/Smeagol moment, that's something we need more of in later seasons. Maul can't just keep running around blowing shit up everywhere he goes when he's supposed to die
Also, another pair of Jedi that survived order 66? At this point it's like it didn't even happen really. The two characters are very cool though.
But really overall I'm super happy. Never expected a Maul series to actually come out and even less that it'd be good.