For much of Obi-Wan Kenobi's pre-release build up, the focus was on how time has changed, and how he would deal with Darth Vader. The trailers hid what the show would be about so as to make it seem like a new episode would be worth the wait. In the context of this show, at least one thing the show hid was the fact that its lead villain was a bad guy.
The Empire has used the Sith Inquisitors to hunt down the Jedi or kidnapped Force-sensitive kids because Obi-Wan is set between the original trilogy and the prequels. The Inquisitors were the primary antagonists for the first half of Star Wars Rebels, but they were not interesting. They had cool outfits but little else to say, and the franchise hadn't done much to describe them. It was only after they died that they got some depth. The character of the Grand Inquisitor was well implemented in the first season of Rebels, despite a strong vocal performance from the man. The Second Sister of Fallen Order was cut down by Darth Vader just as she received an apology from her master. Most of the time, they die in a way that makes you wonder why they were feared in the first place.
In Obi-Wan, a group of Inquisitors are looking for Obi-Wan, but the most important of them all is Reva, the Third Sister. She uses her lightsaber to cut off a civilian's hand and loudly announce her intentions to kill Owen and his family. The people of Tatooine don't like her and her coworkers don't like her very much. Her superiors, the Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother, dress her down throughout the first two episodes, and she seems to be upset with them. You get the impression that she has a plan to kill the other Inquisitors.
Reva is a fascinating character to watch because she is obsessed with catching Kenobi. She clearly has an axe to grind with the man, something he has experience with in the past. According to the Fifth Brother, the Inquisitors have been looking for the man for a decade and have come up short. She is not just threatening people and chasing him down when she catches sight of him, she is also planning to abduct a young Princess Leia in order to draw attention to her. She decided to send Obi-Wan's identity to the bounty hunters on the planet Daiyu and wait for the blaster fire that will tell her where to go. She parkours across the rooftops, doing acrobatic feats for no real reason.
The ending of the second episode has Reva searching for her prey in an empty spaceport, equal parts determined cop and villain who cornered her prey. She told the Jedi that she had orders from Darth Vader to bring him back to life. From the stunned silence at the namedrop, she said, "You didn't know he was alive, Obi-Wan." The camera work and lighting do a great job of making that revelation feel like a gut punch for Obi-Wan. This news stops him dead in his tracks and makes you think she may actually get the drop on him. She doesn't because the Grand Inquisitor is going to berate her. Reva runs him through with her lightsaber rather than put up with it. She doesn't get her prey, but she gets one over on her abusive boss.
She is already one of the more interesting villains we have had in some time. She has a unique presence that stands out among the more reserved Inquisitors that have come before her, and she is just plain fun. She isn't like Darth Maul or Boba Fett, nor is she imposing like General Grievous. For a show that is coasting on well done nostalgia, she is the kind of chaos this show needs.
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