I find it so interesting to look at Anakin's "apology" to Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith right before Obi-Wan goes to Utapau and compare it with the scene he has after Obi-Wan defeats him in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The ways Anakin sort-of skirts around actually apologizing for ANYTHING he's actually done wrong, the way he uses that apology to continue to argue that he thinks he's right about everything, seem to kind-of lead to the way he tries to emotionally manipulate Obi-Wan in the show 10 years later.
In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin comes to Obi-Wan and says that he hasn't been grateful to Obi-Wan for his training, sure, but he also then says that he's "just so frustrated with the Council." At best, this apology amounts to "I'm sorry for snapping at you PERSONALLY, but I still think I should be on the Council, I still think I should be made a Master, I see nothing wrong with accepting Palpatine's nepotistic offer to put me on the Council, I don't see Palpatine's actions as asking me to spy on the Council, I don't believe the Council has any reason to suspect Palpatine of wrongdoing, and I still don't think anyone should be asking me to spy on Palpatine." He's apologizing I guess, but for the SMALLEST infraction of them all. And he's apologizing to Obi-Wan his friend, not Obi-Wan the Council Member. Even though Obi-Wan specifically makes it clear in that last conversation they had about this that he was speaking to Anakin AS A COUNCIL MEMBER.
It's a mostly meaningless apology, because it really apologizes for none of the things he's actually truly done wrong. Snapping at Obi-Wan isn't really that big of a deal in comparison to accepting Palpatine's offer to put him on the Council, his temper tantrum about not being made a Master, and his near refusal to look into Palpatine's actions for the Council in return.
Anakin's apology shows no recognition of why the Council might be upset with him, no real development or growth in terms of respecting the Council itself as a ruling body or development in his relationship to Palpatine. There's no acknowledgment that he recognizes even if he likes Palpatine that his political actions may be suspect and so using his relationship to Palpatine to help the Jedi investigate that is necessary. Nothing. Literally nothing.
But he says a lot of pretty things to Obi-Wan PERSONALLY, about how he believes Obi-Wan was a good Master, how he should be more grateful for Obi-Wan's training, etc etc. And it fucking works. Obi-Wan tells him that he was a wise and strong Jedi, better than Obi-Wan himself. Even though Anakin's apology was complete bunk, he manipulates Obi-Wan's feelings of uncertainty about having trained Anakin and whether he was truly good enough to be Anakin's Master to net himself the reaction he wants from Obi-Wan. Anakin does the SMALLEST amount of work possible in this apology and then dresses it up to make it seem like he's doing a lot more. And Obi-Wan falls for it because he loves Anakin, because he wants to believe that this teeny tiny itsy bitsy apology could be the beginning of Anakin recognizing the wrong he's done in the rest of his behavior towards the Council itself, towards Anakin being better as a person and a Jedi. Obi-Wan hears what he wants to hear because Anakin knows exactly how to manipulate Obi-Wan into doing so.
I don't know that Anakin was necessarily manipulating Obi-Wan super consciously, but I do think he was doing so at least subconsciously in order to get Obi-Wan to react a certain way. He understands Obi-Wan well enough to know how to present himself and speak to make Obi-Wan happy with him and clearly does so, even as he does really very little actual emotional labor. He wants Obi-Wan to not be upset with him, he wants Obi-Wan to not be disappointed in him and agree with him about his own frustrations, so he says and does what he feels like he has to in order to get it. And he does.
Fast forward 10 years later, and that manipulation is quite a bit more blatant and works way less well on an Obi-Wan who can now see Anakin more clearly.
I've seen people calling this Anakin "absolving" Obi-Wan of any responsibility for Anakin's fall. While you could argue that this is kind-of the end result of what Anakin says, I don't personally think it's that in character for it to be an intentional effect on Anakin's part. Obi-Wan chooses to absolve HIMSELF because of what Anakin says, but Anakin's intended goal, as stated by Anakin himself in the show, is to BREAK Obi-Wan. And Anakin believes he knows Obi-Wan pretty well, better than Obi-Wan even knows himself perhaps, and thinks he can just use his words to manipulate Obi-Wan's emotions the way he wants. Last time, he was trying to ensure Obi-Wan's approval. This time, he's trying to ensure Obi-Wan's ultimate devastation.
Unfortunately for Anakin, Obi-Wan isn't precisely who he used to be anymore, and he's a lot more aware of Anakin's true darkness. This makes him a lot more aware of when Anakin is manipulating him and capable of fighting back against it.
Anakin's words in the show seem pretty enough, he says that he is not Obi-Wan's failure and that HE killed "Anakin Skywalker" but this is not an apology. There is no acknowledgment of anything he's truly done wrong, and he's honestly absolving HIMSELF of any true crime because if he killed Anakin Skywalker, then Anakin Skywalker presumably did nothing wrong. Anakin Skywalker was just a victim in the whole thing, not the perpetrator of a double genocide and the betrayer of everyone he once loved. This allows Anakin to tell himself that he was still a real hero, a good person who was simply "killed" by Darth Vader, "killed" by the Dark Side.
But while his words are sweet, aimed right at the exact same fears and insecurities of Obi-Wan's that were being manipulated in Revenge of the Sith, they're also intended to remove any kernel of hope that might still exist in Obi-Wan. They're intended to pull him into despair along WITH Anakin. He's trying to hit at Obi-Wan's weak spot, himself and his insecurities as to his responsibility in what's happened to Anakin.
There's no acknowledgment of the actual harm he's done, the actual crimes committed against Obi-Wan, or the Jedi, or the Republic, or the clones, or even Padme. The only victim mentioned here, is Anakin himself, and it's a flat out lie because Anakin's quite obviously not dead and wasn't a victim of his own choices but the intended benefactor. He's choosing not to take the blame or responsibility for his own actions, but to take CREDIT for his victory. He flaunts that victory in Obi-Wan's face by seemingly "absolving" Obi-Wan of Anakin's own "death."
This is not an apology. It's not even anywhere in the VICINITY of an apology. At least the one in Revenge of the Sith has a half-assed attempt at apologizing for snapping at Obi-Wan, even as it refuses to actually acknowledge the most harmful and offensive things he's done to everyone else. At least that one is halfway genuine because in the moment he does want Obi-Wan's approval.
Anakin in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show no longer wants Obi-Wan's approval because he's too caught up and embroiled in hating Obi-Wan and blaming Obi-Wan for everything that's happened to him that all he wants is to make Obi-Wan as miserable as possible, to have victory OVER Obi-Wan by breaking him. So there's not even the attempt at an apology, just the manipulation.
But Obi-Wan sees Anakin for who and what he is now. The manipulation doesn't work. Instead of breaking Obi-Wan, all Anakin's words do is allow Obi-Wan to move on and let go, to fully grieve for what he's lost and begin to heal. The recognition of this manipulation, the SAME manipulation he used 10 years ago successfully, is the last thing Obi-Wan needs.
Anakin hasn't grown or developed at all, he's using the exact same tactics and manipulations on Obi-Wan as he always has. But Obi-Wan HAS grown, he's learned how to see beyond his own faith in Anakin, and it allows him to resist Anakin's manipulations of his insecurities. It really goes to show just how close to darkness Anakin already was, how consumed by it he already was even before he chose to become a Sith, because even his nicer moments are tainted and mired in selfishness and cruelty.
107 notes
·
View notes