Star Wars: The Acolyte

[Dave_W]

Mum's got something going on. The power of two...or something.

 

[TheClient]

I still think this show got a bad rap. I really do.

Overall I found it interesting but pretty mediocre. It had intriguing ideas, and lot of cool moments, and a lot of cringe.

What really killed it was that most of the cringe was early on in chapter 3, when viewership really dropped off. I also think the pacing and structure of the show was wrong to begin with.

I hate hate HATE it when they do entire "flashback" episodes. Making it a "mystery box" flashback was even worse! I much prefer the 50/50 structure of something like LOST. There was a reason that show was a big hit, and each episode structure was a big part of it. It gave you background but also kept the momentum of the "present day" story. If you did an entire flashback chapter, that momentum is lost.

I still think there is a good show in there somewhere. Just finesse the pacing, make fewer episodes, cut out some cringe, and change the flashback structure. I do not believe it is beyond salvaging.

And yes, the hate was overblown. I still do not know where all that vitriol actually came from. We've seen worse Star Wars shows, and none of them got the same amount of rage. And I also still have no idea why anyone thinks this show "ruined" Anakin just because it hinted that he might not be the first "most special Force boy evah". In no way does it take away from his story in the films. It's not a big deal, truly.

 

[Mondragon]

"ruined" Anakin just because it hinted that he might not be the first "most special Force boy evah".

Not sure who you are faux quoting?
Anakin was never the first or last.
Lucas never implied the Jedi were perfect, to the contrary he opened the door to show us why they weren't, SW is literally about their fall, their blind spot, what they were asking of their own to give absolutely selflessly, with nothing for themselves was meant to be near impossible.
So what made them potentailly unique, would also bring about their darkest fall from it.
Anakin came from nothing, "He gives without any thought of reward..." " He knows nothing of greed...". "He can help, .. he was meant to help" These traits were implicitly recognizable in him, yet was ultimately the Jedi's greatest failure.

The one guy who believed in him died, he killed the woman he was trying to protect, the guy who inherited his apprenticeship, his brother and friend, couldn't keep him from the path he chose, and was inevitably killed by him too, and he helped slaughter anyone who could one day challenge him.
Far from from being "most special Force boy evah", he was the embodiment of their failure.

 

[TheClient]

Not sure who you are faux quoting?
Anakin was never the first or last.
Lucas never implied the Jedi were perfect, to the contrary he opened the door to show us why they weren't, SW is literally about their fall, their blind spot, what they were asking of their own to give absolutely selflessly, with nothing for themselves was meant to be near impossible.
So what made them potentailly unique, would also bring about their darkest fall from it.
Anakin came from nothing, "He gives without any thought of reward..." " He knows nothing of greed...". "He can help, .. he was meant to help" These traits were implicitly recognizable in him, yet was ultimately the Jedi's greatest failure.

The one guy who believed in him died, he killed the woman he was trying to protect, the guy who inherited his apprenticeship, his brother and friend, couldn't keep him from the path he chose, and was inevitably killed by him too, and he helped slaughter anyone who could one day challenge him.
Far from from being "most special Force boy evah", he was the embodiment of their failure.

Agreed 100%

I was referring the hubbub of outrage over the witches allegedly using the Force to "create life", much like Anakin's implied origins. There was serious anger over this somehow making Anakin less special, less "the chosen one" (which was a misunderstood prophecy anyway).

I cannot recall any specific individuals, but it was all over Twitter and youtube at the time. It was very stupid.

 

[Otomofan]

The dialogue and the acting are so mind-bogglingly subpar that there's nothing left in this thing that's redeemable.

I'm sorry to throw children under the bus, but I'm sure they'll never read this: those two little girls had no reason to ever be involved in acting in any form. The adults weren't much better, with the Green Lady being the worst. But we all know how she got her part.

I know everyone wants to give props to the guy playing Sol, but man...he sucked too. He was just no good.

The bad guy was cool, but he's only in like 30 minutes of this thing. That's not a TV show.

 

[Mondragon]

Agreed 100%

I was referring the hubbub of outrage over the witches allegedly using the Force to "create life", much like Anakin's implied origins. There was serious anger over this somehow making Anakin less special,

Likely most hubbub was over the perceived forced insertion of identity politics messaging; that straight colonizing institution (= stupid men) were steeling and corrupting power and children from +woman. Implication being the Force was a corrupted and toxic reworking of the true greater power now revealed as : The Thread.

Which was seen by some as pure revisionist garbage.

somehow making Anakin less special, less "the chosen one" (which was a misunderstood prophecy anyway).

I think it was more about re-imagining the Jedi as creepy, predatory, lurking, needy, manipulative, skittish, kill first asks questions later, what happened to "use the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack." invading peoples homes, obsessed with kidnaping children, killing their mothers, and covering it up , that some had a problem with.

Yes, the template shown for Jedi adopting a youngling was Anakin who came from nothing, a kid naturally shown to give selflessly, with nothing for themselves, to have a propensity towards it, "He gives without any thought of reward..." " He knows nothing of greed...".
As well as a willing parent intent to offer them a better more meaningful life.- "He can help you, he was meant to help you"

These traits were two fold, implicitly recognizable in him, and the will of the parent, wanting a better life for their kid, recognizing where their uniqueness could be put to a greater purpose. She outright asks "Can you help him?"
It was in these mutual conditions Anakin became an apprentice, and how it was infered others were recruited to be Jedi.

Again Lucas never implied the Jedi were perfect, to the contrary SW is literally about their fall, their blind spot, embodied by Anakin's fall.
Yet in the Disney take the Jedi: Headland - "They're just not the same Jedi." are callously re-imagined as (manipulative, corrupt, kill first ask questions later, mother murdering, child stealing, predatory monsters, who cover up their actions) a complete revisionist betrayal of the Jedi.
Who if they are already fallen, then what is there for any one of them to fall from?
Story wise it's not some insightful examination of the lore, it's a revision, it doesn't build on or add anything to the tragedy, it removes it.