Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5.In the opening scene of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the newest Disney+ series exploring the world of Star Wars, a fluid shot introduces us to an initially serene setting where young Padawans are being trained without a care in the world. Suddenly, clone troopers burst in and began indiscriminately firing into the room. The otherwise stable shot begins randomly shaking, bobbing up and down as if the camera operator was also caught off guard. It made for a woefully sloppy start to a series, the first of many technical missteps that has persisted throughout the next several episodes. This all culminates in the most recent penultimate episode that continues to undercut the potential of its own story. Coming off of the escape mission of the last episode, Ewan McGregor’s titular Obi-Wan has managed to flee with Lyra Blair's young Leia Organa while still being pursued by Moses Ingram's imposing Grand Inquisitor Reva. With unexpected sabotage pinning them down on the planet Jabiim, Obi-Wan and a group of people attempting to flee the tyranny of the Empire will have to come together to hold off wave after wave of relentless Stormtroopers before they can get out of there.

This should be a tension-filled sequence of events, though it is undone by the way it’s presented. The arrival of the soldiers marks the beginning of the episode’s problems as it descends into unnecessarily shaky camerawork that gets progressively worse. They soon open fire on the only door that stands between them and their target. Ingram makes this all rather intimidating as she furiously shouts at them, though it is weakened by the way the scene is shot. We don’t really get to feel the weight of the impending attack as the camera inexplicably zooms above it and even occasionally leaves what is happening out of frame. It is purposeless and haphazard, lacking any sense of focus on the action that is playing out. However, this is soon followed by an actually intriguing conversation between Reva and Obi-Wan where everything slows down to establish previously unknown character details. Both actors really sell it, making for a tense and illuminating exchange. It should’ve instilled the ensuing return to action with more tension, though it completely shoots itself in the foot.

RELATED: 'Obi-Wan Kenobi': Jabiim's Violent Legends Canon Explained

obi-wan-kenobi-episode-5-ewan-mcgregor-indira-varma-kumail-nanjiani
Image via Disney+

When the Stormtroopers inevitably breach the doors again, it is like we are being struck by Déjà vu in the worst imaginable way. Once more, just like at the very beginning of the series, the camera begins to rapidly shake. While this is a technique that can be done well, it is used as a crutch here. The passion of the various stunt performers is done a disservice in these moments, not letting their work actually exist on-screen without the malaise of its messy camerawork. Whether it is when someone gets pushed back by the force or shot by the litany of laser fire, it is handled without any sense of greater focus on what is going on. Some of this may be due to staging, though it doesn’t help that the shaky cam just never seems to stop. It begins to feel almost nauseating and not in a way that it knows what to do with. Even a scene where a significant character sacrifices themselves is so unnecessarily rickety that it robs it of greater emotional resonance. It leaves you wanting to reach out to actually steady the camera in one place and let the visual storytelling finally get to breathe. Instead, it all gets increasingly smothered under the wacky way all of these scenes are put together. It is as if the camera operator is sitting precariously atop a horse that is attempting to throw them off.

The thing is, there are moments in the episode that feel much more cohesive and competently constructed. Even as they are confined to the past with a future that is set, the flashback sparring sequences between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) are far more interesting to watch. It isn’t just the long history between the characters, but the manner in which the scenes are shot. There are shaky moments sprinkled throughout, though it still makes an effort to track movement through the action and let us see what is happening. The same can be said in the battle between Reva and Vader, letting the stunt choreography speak for itself without forcing in too much camera shake to create shallow shock. In thinking back on what makes Star Wars such an iconic series that we keep returning back to, it isn’t just nostalgia and familiar faces. It is the frequently strong technical craft on display that gives all of the stories shape and form. When done well, it can create incredibly striking sequences and visuals built around gripping action. While not always boasting big stunts, the best new entries have been able to capture both excitement and action with a clear eye where you become immersed in what is happening. Whether all the way back in the prequels where an outmatched Obi-Wan battled the amazingly acrobatic Darth Maul or the magnificent throne room scene in The Last Jedi, these moments stick out in our memory because of how visually stunning they can be. There is no similar sense of vision that we've seen in this show.

Despite some potentially interesting narrative threads and a complicated antagonist at the core, Obi-Wan Kenobi is struggling to follow in those footsteps. The overreliance on shaky cam in a manner that obscures what should be compelling sequences succeeds in making things chaotic though only in a way that becomes regrettably shallow and meandering. It betrays a lack of confidence in the construction of the sequences themselves. From staging to choreography, it is not entirely without merit in what we're able to glimpse. It just is like the show is trying to overcompensate when it doesn't have to, adding layers of distraction that prevent us from seeing the action on full display. This takes away from said action and, more importantly, the emotional investment we have in the story itself. There are moments that are worth praising in the show, namely the performances and craft of the stunt team, though it always keeps getting done dirty by the camera that is meant to capture all this. It ends up more closely resembling a rollercoaster ride that jostles you about for cheap thrills rather than a well-constructed visual story where you get to see the action unfold. It keeps falling flat when it’s repeatedly dragged down into mediocrity by a camera that just won’t calm down.