Star Wars: The Acolyte

[jye4ever]

Boring. Also where was this big divisive scene.

Yawn … 3/10

 

[Khev]

It doesn't sound like it was divisive at all, I think everyone is in perfect agreement about this episode.

 

[Otomofan]

Was able to carve out some time to watch this.

Verdict - Worth watching. Was as enjoyable for me as the first season of The Mandalorian.

Notes - If you've seen Russian Doll S1, the tone of what Headland is trying to do here will seem familiar. I was not a fan of Stenberg, she's like Brendan Frasier in The Mummy here, the rest of the cast, writing, aesthetic, action, etc, etc, basically carry a placeholder main character. Lee Jung-jae is the breakout. Zero doubt in my mind, no matter what anyone else says in public, that he wrote much of his own dialogue. Efficient compact self contained storytelling. Maybe the greatest gift that Headland gave to the Stars Wars universe is she created the foundation as to why someone like Ki-Adi Mundi ended up the way he did. ( Dogmatic, legalistic, wildly arrogant, lacks practical empathy, etc, etc) Have to give Headland credit, she had some clear anchors here ( some of this casting was forced on her) and put those situations in places where they could uplifted by other elements that were stronger. Great cast for the most part. Smart decision to grab performers with good established physicality.

Critical Factor - Point to note, what makes this work is it's fundamental storytelling even it was not a Star Wars property. That's the key and always will be. If something can be interesting and compelling even if you took the Star Wars element out. Acolyte is not perfect (Sometimes Stenberg shifts over into cosplay mode too often...) , but IMHO it's headed in the right direction. ( Star Wars operates better in current times if it's scope gets smaller, not bigger)

I almost always enjoy your posts, especially the insights and rare peeks behind the scenes of the industry.

But....what happened here man? Did you watch the same show we did?

 

[SwedishHeat]

Perfect example of "no such thing as bad press"

Disney suckered us all, paying all those YouTubers to make rage bait, so we'd all tune in to watch the most boring episode of Star Wars ever.

Who was that guy that said this episode would "re-define Star Wars"?? Someone take away his YouTube license

 

[goatchumby]

 

[Wor-Gar]

So her name's "Jan" is it?

 

[goatchumby]

So her name's "Jan" is it?

For both? Sure.

Jan "Shmi" Skywalker and Jan Spiralhead

 

[chrisstbh]

I enjoyed the first 2 episodes enough, but this one was just not good.

 

[Asta]

Something to keep the pegs warm this winter...

 

[Otomofan]

And next winter.

And the winter after that.

And the winter after that...

 

[Asta]

And next winter.

And the winter after that.

And the winter after that...

Those lucky, lucky pegs.

 

[goatchumby]

I enjoyed the first 2 episodes enough, but this one was just not good.

As people on this thread have mentioned, I fell for the "Ep. 3 is going to kill the franchise" hype/lure. Tuning out any preconceived notions just to see if the story is any good is going to be a necessity if I am to continue with the series.

Other issues aside, I'm just pleased that they gave our Parent Trap duo a legit reason for their behavior rather than vague angsty grumpiness against the Jedi (though I'm sure that there's more to the story of the tribe's sudden demise).

 

[davejames]

Well no matter how weird and cringey this show might be, it's still not as bad as what BOBF did to Boba Fett in my book.

So at least it's got that going for it.

 

[jye4ever]

Well no matter how weird and cringey this show might be, it's still not as bad as what BOBF did to Boba Fett in my book.

So at least it's got that going for it.

I half agree.

But instead of giving Acolyte a pass because Fett was emasculated and made into a big dodo….I’m just going to hate both.

There is room in our brains to hate both.

Acolyte need not be forgiven because of DoDo Fett.

 

[e30ernest]

I know it seems the consensus here is to hate on the series, but...

The issue is that it looks as though they're defining a witch matriarchy standing against a Jedi patriarchy, subverting the power of the Jedi (who were already being emasculated in The Last Jedi with Luke withdrawing to his remote hermitage):

I agree they're not forcing anyone to refer to the Force as the Thread and I can accept that a non-Jedi group can be in tune with it & call it by another name but inserting the priestess's lines "Some call it a Force and claim to use it but we know the Thread is not a power you wield, etc., etc."??? I think Headland's just willfully courting controversy by implying that her all-female group knows better than the Jedi.

Are they really standing against a Jedi "patriarchy"? I can hardly call the Jedi a patriarchy. They are more like the Empire in this case, the ruling class.

There are many cases in the real world where the use of a certain power can be debated. Nuclear weapons for example. Some governments will claim wielding it is a path to maintain the peace (like the Jedi and the Force) while others may deem it to be a power no one should wield.

I really don't think the lines above were a direct *** at the Jedi, but rather simply their own belief system. I like having these different points of view on how something as powerful as the Force can/should be used is showing in Star Wars. In something as large as a galaxy where intelligent life with access to such a power is widespread, there is going to be differences in how such power is perceived and used.

But almost 50 years after ANH was unleashed into the world we have now arrived with SW where you just described the main characters who are driving the main plot of the series as…

“WHATEVER WITCHES THESE ARE”

LOL yeah I wasn't really sure what the Witches are. Since so far (from memory), we've only seen the Witches of Dathomir. I think they may be Dathomiri, but the way they used the force here was slightly different from how the Nightsisters did.

 

[loki2371]

Maybe Santa Clause will come and save these poor misunderstood outcast witches who don't feel they belong. Like he did when Rudolph took him to the land of Misfit Toys. He can whisk them away to communities that will accept them....

 

[The Buffinator]

Well no matter how weird and cringey this show might be, it's still not as bad as what BOBF did to Boba Fett in my book.

So at least it's got that going for it.

I half agree.

But instead of giving Acolyte a pass because Fett was emasculated and made into a big dodo….I’m just going to hate both.

There is room in our brains to hate both.

Acolyte need not be forgiven because of DoDo Fett.

But at least BOBF had its Episode 5 (or should I say The Mandalorian Episode 3.05?) when Din Djarin gets his N-1 Starfighter. Somehow I doubt that The Acolyte will be able to dig itself out of the grave it has dug for itself and provide anything close to that episode entertainment-wise but I guess anything's possible, right?

 

[loki2371]

Something to keep the pegs warm this winter...

In 6 months time, all the actors are gonna receive cases upon cases of their character from Hasbro. Just in time to be able to give them out to all their friends and family as presents for the Holiday Season....

 

[jye4ever]

But at least BOBF had its Episode 5 (or should I say The Mandalorian Episode 3.05?) when Din Djarin gets his N-1 Starfighter. Somehow I doubt that The Acolyte will be able to dig itself out of the grave it has dug for itself and provide anything close to that episode entertainment-wise but I guess anything's possible, right?

I always thought that the introduction to the inner workings of the Sith mindset would involve the practice of the Jedi stealing children being brought up to the surface by the Sith to show that Jedi had very questionable hypocritical ethics.

Something like that could’ve been thought-provoking had it not been completely ruined by….

 

[a-dev]

So howz about that DEI Political thread? Anyone in there yet?