But.... nothing happens. The music was phenomenal though.
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@keverall more than a standard space battle saved by the score, and an unnecessarily long battle with a number of nameless characters with no attachment against a large Space Crocodile. Considering the wait for Season 3, there could have been more here.
The Mandalorian started out OK, but ended up as some half-baked, lazily written show that exist merely to lure parents to justify a Disney+ subscription. Kids get the usual Disney contents, moms get Baby Yoda, dads get Star Wars nerdy reference. The show almost feels like being made by a bunch of fanfiction writers with familiarity of the setting but zero sense of screen writing.
Nothing wrong with liking it, it's just the show appears to be all style and no substance.
Storyline shows no complexity at all. In fact, most of them are fillers. You can skip 4 of 8 episodes and you'll still understand the story just fine. Characters are completely uninteresting. None of them are developed. None of them had nuances: protagonists are morally good heroes; antagonists are one dimensional evils. The show relies only on a cute muppet and flashy action, but has zero substance. Had a potential great world-building with some details, but they chose to abandon it for rule of cool (and cute).
The "it's Star Wars, so it'll be simple" excuse commonly said by the series' defenders doesn't hold up if you actually consider other Star Wars titles such as Knights of the Old Republic, Republic Commando, Jedi Academy, Thrawn trilogy, the original and Tartakovsky's Clone Wars, and so on. Those titles are known for having remarkable storytelling; something that The Mandalorian doesn't have for its poverty of creative vision.
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@xaliber It's basically a procedural show with a thick red plotline. But these days everything has to be like the biggest story with twists every 15 minutes to be good and successful right? In a way this show is remarkably refreshing in bringing back an old fomular that worked very well for some of the best shows ever made. If you're a true Star Wars fan, you're interested in the differing interactions every episode. The plot is also great imo and it ticks all the basic Star Wars needs. You're wrong when you say that Star Wars being simple is an "excuse" ... Star Wars is simple, that one of the core elements of the entire franchise. It's good vs. evil. Very Black and White. That's the essence which is perfectly captured with this show. And on top comes the production quality - almost entirely without a green screen which is just phenomenal. Maybe you just exprected something different and were disappointed of the outcome but just try to take it for what it is and enjoy it because its one of THE best things ever coming out of this franchise.
Uninteresting. Worst episode of the crown by far. It was like watching a TV version of 50 shades of grey.
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@trix256 I came here to say the exact same thing. Worst episode of the series so far. It's so boring that if you wanted to skip to the next episode you wouldn't even notice.
It's too sad how Church treated divorcees.I feel bad for Margaret and her Uncle
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@comrade_mode You do realize her uncle was a supporter and close friend of Hitler's, correct? He made personal visits to Hitler in The Berghof, reviewed SS guards, offered Nazi salutes and was prepared to betray his family and country all so he could have his cake and eat it too by being married to Wallis and being king at the same time.
He doesn't deserve your sympathies.
The most interesting thing here is the mind-controlling alien itself. It shows a level of either control or technology that hasn't really been done before, and that makes it kind of fascinating.
The hallucinations that everyone has are unfortunately very obvious and unadventurous. Particularly cringeworthy is the stuff with Paris and his father; daddy issues have never felt so dull. Far better is the revelation that B'Elanna kind of wants to get it on with Chakotay, and true to her Klingon heritage she wants him to be forceful about it. Not something I'm particularly eager to see, but it did manage to take me by surprise. Tuvok was a particular let down with his "I ... do not ... understand ... how this is ... possible". Seriously? There's a mind controlling alien giving you hallucinations, Tuvok, it's pretty obvious. You're supposed to be a logical and clever Vulcan, act like one.
Janeway's holodeck fantasy is a fun diversion despite some of the actors involved. For all its silliness, it's managed to create a compelling mystery (WHAT IS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR?!). However, having had cucumber sandwiches myself I can say with certainty that they are never something worth fantasising about.
Kes continues to develop her mental abilities and comes out, again, as the best part of the story.
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@finfan @lefthandedguitarist Spoilers for Jane Eyre, but yeah, based on the tropes they're pulling from, the implication is that his wife had some sort of mental breakdown, and he's keeping her up there while telling the rest of the world that she died. As the Doctor says, very macabre!
This isn't a bad episode but as a season finale it's disappointing. Imdb says that four episodes where held back but doesn't corroborate as to why that was the case. Even if there was a reason of ending the season short, choosing this episode as the last had no upside.
As a stand alone episode this was good material. Actually adressing the problems that come with incorporating Marquis into a crew run by Starfleet regulations and not only talking about it. Having Tuvok being the one teaching them was also the right choice as he certainly is a stickler for regulation. Of course we reach the only possible conclusion that both sides have to take a step towards the other. Funny how Neelix, of all people, is the one who has to make that clear for Tuvok who does not see this logical conclusion himself. Especially since he hasn't bend rules before.
Of course we also need a threat against the ship but that b-story with Neelix's cheese infecting the gel packs.....let's just say that was an eyeroller."Take the cheese to sickbay" (insert Picard meme here)
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@finfan From what I've read, the decision to hold back four episodes was made by the network, in the hopes of having new episodes ready faster than their competitors for the fall season. It sounds like Voyager's producers liked this episode, but also weren't happy with it being the season finale, since they too wanted something more action-packed and exciting. (Supposedly "The 37s" was a candidate for being the finale when they were organizing the season.)
Expectations are a weird thing. I expected nothing from this show and got everything I wanted. And it's not over yet - it seems to have just started.
The build-up within this episode was seriously awesome. They were putting in all the pieces and you know at some point there'll be an explosion. And it came. The Maarva speech was so emotional, I was really about to start crying when all hell broke loose.
With all that it was easy to overlook the brilliant scheme by Mon Mothma, putting the spotlight on her husband. And seeing the self indulgent ISB patting themselves on the shoulders. Not understanding they've been had.
I'm still not sure what role Syril will play. So far I get the impression you could remove him and loose nothing. He's always there, yet doesn't really do much. In this episode again.
Oh, and the after credit scene - a nice bonus.
Really looking forward to season two and angry I have to wait for a year.
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@finfan I think this is part of the reason it's so good. We had zero expectations going in. I thought it was going to be some half-baked goofy shallow leadup to Rogue One, but this has really set the bar for a new kind of Star Wars. They tried a lot of new and different ideas that we don't normally see, and they did it perfectly.
So far it is hitting all the wrong notes with me. The dialog is bad, the humor is awful, the actors aren't great, the sets look bland and having pop-rock music for the credits leaves a wrong impression of what this show is. Oh, and that great reveal at the end - what a surprise. That was painted all over the episode.
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@finfan You said it all.
Yeah, no thanks. I have a feeling this is going to get worse. Better to stop now.
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@jim222001 partly reason for giving up quicker than a couple of years ago maybe the fact that there are dozen of shows which hook you from the start.
Back in the 90s I would have stayed watching, probably
I have a tingling feeling we haven't seen the last of Gene. Aaaand I really don't like Allie.
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@finfan Yeah, they made that painfully obvious. And it undermines the message of empathy towards "different" people that they were going for. Max said "you saw how he lives, now you made him angry". This passive-aggressive, sexist attitude towards men in this show really gets on my nerves. It perpetuates the myth that men who are conventionally unattractive or who have strange hobbies are unstable and dangerous for any woman around them.
I enjoy those movies much more today because they focus on story and acting and not on CGI and SFX.
Yes, the conspiracy at the base of this movie feels rather small considering what is happening in the world now. But keep in mind when this was written.
Althought I must admit I was thinking about a certain President a lot while watching this now.loading replies
@finfan you could say the story is actually loosely based on Nixon. You know the guy who actually used the CIA to spy on his opposition. Ever heard of watergate?
Review by FinFan
I try to be fair but seen with the rational mind of an adult this show is barely "meh".
The voice acting is absolutely overdone. Most of the villains are silly. Sound effects seem to come straight out of The Flintstones. Music between Pink Panther and Scooby Doo with a portion Peanuts.
Spider Man sounds like Adam West´s Batman, both in word as well as pronounciation and acts really dumb at times. "Oh, my spider sense is tickling" while someone stands right behind him.
Jamesson is completly possessed by Spider Man. Everything is Spider Mans fault, Spider Man is responsible - he sounds like a whiny child most of the time. That was my impression of the first season.
The Second season started with a great episode "The Origin of Spider Man" but that was a lone exception. In general 20 min episodes are just too long. They had too little content and oftentimes contain minutes of Spidey swinging around to some groovy soundtrack. It became increasingly more ridicolous, it felt like the writers were smoking weed. Elfes, demons, monsters or some kind of wild tribe, alltogether more sci-fi elements - it just doesn't fly.
Season 3 seems to be recycling old material with new dialogue.
For the intented audience that was probably under 10 I am sure none of this mattered. Unfortunately I don't have the fond memories of watching this as a child. I skipped some of the second season and the third just played with me paying no attention.
So I have to stick with "meh", sorry.loading replies
@finfan Yeah i've watched a few episodes of this show and it's pretty mediocre. Whereas i had just got done finishing Spider-Man: The Animated Series from the 90s and wow, it's like night and day. It's better in every area. The animation is more fluid, the storytelling and characterization are much better and it's more mature and logically consistent. I'd check that out if you like the character.
Shout by FinFan
That was kind of a letdown as a season finale. It only serves to prevent the destruction of Homelander for at least another season and I fear we get a repetition of season three "How to kill Homelander". I get it, he's a show favorite but it's just unimaginative. And what happens if Butcher is in the same situation, facing Ryan and Homelander, at the end of season 4 ? How do we get to a point where he either can accept he has to destroy Ryan to or for the latter to switch sides ?
But we then still have Soldier Boy. And there is the same problem arising. How can he come back with a different outcome then now ? Like I said, we just put in multiple twist to lengthen the story.
And at this very moment I don't like it.
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@finfan I'm sorry to say, I'm afraid I have to agree. Now who won and who lost? Or what are we going to get out of this season? It's turning out to be an insipid story. There's no development.
Shout by FinFan
The first product placement in Star Trek History (maybe in TV History ?). Also the second appearance from Diana Muldaur as a leading guest actor.
The story isn't bad but it didn't really grip me. And I fail to see the described ugliness in the ambassador's appearance. But that could be on purpose because beauty indeed is subject to taste.
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@finfan To be fair, I haven't noticed. After I've read your comment I did some research. You're talking about that Vulcan meddle/ broche/ pin, right,? Neat marketing trick. Irrelevant to my overall satisfaction with this episode though.
This could have been an interesting story about the pros and cons of keeping someone on life support and the question of euthanasia. Probably too early to do something drastic and with Neelix behavior it would have been hard to pull it off anyway.
The look of the Vidiians is actually quite creepy and I am not surprised to see Bragas name coming up on the script. They, too, are an interesting species and the moral dilemma Janeway is confronted with was solved a bit too easy.
What bugs me the most is how the dialogue plays out most of the time and how things are portrayed. F.e. Neelix's toxic levels are rising up to point of almost 100 % and the next moment they are back to normal. They are not dropping but are right back to where they need to be. I know, it's me being petty but it's just one example of many.Is the Intrepid class the only ship that has a seperate dining hall for the captain? I don't recall this on any other ship. An officer's mess - sure. But just for the cap? Isn't that a bit opulent and a waste of space on a rather small ship ? She's got a ready room, a cabin AND a dining hall. Sounds more like a queen than a captain.
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@finfan It's true, though everything was a little more spartan aboard the NX-01.
This could have been an interesting story about the pros and cons of keeping someone on life support and the question of euthanasia. Probably too early to do something drastic and with Neelix behavior it would have been hard to pull it off anyway.
The look of the Vidiians is actually quite creepy and I am not surprised to see Bragas name coming up on the script. They, too, are an interesting species and the moral dilemma Janeway is confronted with was solved a bit too easy.
What bugs me the most is how the dialogue plays out most of the time and how things are portrayed. F.e. Neelix's toxic levels are rising up to point of almost 100 % and the next moment they are back to normal. They are not dropping but are right back to where they need to be. I know, it's me being petty but it's just one example of many.Is the Intrepid class the only ship that has a seperate dining hall for the captain? I don't recall this on any other ship. An officer's mess - sure. But just for the cap? Isn't that a bit opulent and a waste of space on a rather small ship ? She's got a ready room, a cabin AND a dining hall. Sounds more like a queen than a captain.
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@finfan Captain Archer gets a private dining room too, so maybe it was just something Braga liked.
That's better. Concentrate on solving Crimes. Leave out unessessarry side stories and relationships.
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@finfan Yeah like NCIS Hawaii, we get it. They are a couple.
Absolutely boggles my mind that people were actually EXCITED to go to war back then. Brilliant film.
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@csbarker People still are, take any war after WWI
Review by Andrew Bloom
VIP9[7.2/10] This was easily my least favorite of these so far, but it was still pretty good? So that counts for something.
What I like about it is the melancholic tone we get for much of it. Dooku is turning to the dark side but he’s not glad or gleeful about it. He’s full of sorrow, maybe even remorse, that it’s come to this. Nothing drives that home more than the death of Qui Gon, his padawan learner. The death of his former apprentice comes too soon, and comes in the face of a Jedi Council who refused to heed his warnings.
Some of this business plays like too much of a gesture toward what the audience already knows. We already know from Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars that Dooku was responsible for the business with Sifo Dyas and Kamino, so watching him actively erase the planet from the Jedi archives doesn’t add much. Likewise, him having a conversation with Qui Gon where he tells his former protege that he’s heard Qui Gon signing Obi-Wan’s praises and hopes to meet him someday plays like heavy-handed foreshadowing of their confrontation in Ep. II.
But there’s something about Dooku reacting to the events of The Phantom Menace with sadness and anger that has real power. He loses something real when Qui Gon dies, both a surrogate child and the last lingering thread of his faith in the council. We understand now, in a way that wasn’t as clear before, why he sided with Sidious. The idea of the Jedi as blind puppets of a corrupt Senate, and the need to break some eggs to make a new omlette, is intuitively comprehensible, making Dooku’s perspective more complex. But at the same time, he laments the costs that have led them to this point, Qui Gon especially.
The big problem is Yaddle. On a storytelling level, it’s not great that fighting her is what cements Dooku’s turn to the darkside for one simple reason -- she’s never received any character shading on-screen until now. This isn’t Anakin fighting Obi-Wan or Maul fighting Sidious. We’ve never seen any interactions between Dooku and Yaddle until now. So while Yaddle is meant to represent the good of the council and the side of the Jedi that’s sympathetic to Dooku’s criticisms and could buy into reform, it has no weight because she’s barely a character, and she and Dooku have no shared history, at least none that we’ve seen.
On a more textural level, there’s more that makes the confrontation carry less weight than it might. Bryce Dallas Howard is talented, but her Yaddle voice isn’t great, and seems obviously like a young person trying to sound old in a way that takes you out of the moment. The design’s also odd, looking like Yoda in a cheap wig, which doesn’t help the tone either. And as with Dooku and Yoda’s confrontation in AotC, there’s something silly about watching a grown man fight a muppet, and all the cool lighting and staging and scoring in the world can’t do much to change that.
So overall, I love this as a continuation of a character story, showing the conflict in Dooku, the legitimate principles that brought him into Palpatine’s grasp, and the personal connections and losses that embittered his heart. And I low-key loathe it as a major transition that hinges on a battle with a silly-looking figure who’s been more of an intriguing prop than a full-fledged character to this point. The good stuff is worth the bad though.
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Qui Gon has a much bigger role in the Prequels as we expected. On one side is he the lost father figure for Anakin who could have saved him from turning to the Dark Side (as mentioned in Duel at the Fates). On the other hand is he the lost child and apprentice for Dooku. His death is a puzzle piece to understand why Dooku turned Evil. The dialog between Obiwan and Dooku in Episode II makes absolute sense. Although the scene where Dooku deletes Kamino from the Jedi archives.
That b/w sequence was absolutely brilliant and althought he was merely the observer D'Onofrio is amazing even without saying a word.
But how on earth did a guy like Dex get past a FBI psych evaluation ?
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@finfan I had the exact same question!
Review by LeNodos
VIPThis was a really interesting albeit slow episode with many intriguing threads. I really liked that Andor went back to Ferrix. I had almost expected that with these three-episode-arcs he wouldn't and we wouldn't see those characters and the established city anymore.
At times what is presented just doesn't feel like star wars very much. It just seems too earthly or too much like other fictional worlds which are a lot more Sci-Fi and a lot less fantastic. It was a step up that they finally included a few more aliens but still too few to make the world seem really alien.
I liked the depiction of everything happening inside the ISB although the leader is a bit too friendly and understanding for my taste (and understanding of how to acquire a high position within the empire).
I have one big question though: Was that female informant or spy supposed to be Leia? She looked a lot like Carrie Fisher back in the day to me but would be way too old since Leia should be around 15 at that time. And while we are at the topic of (possible) cameos: Yularen's character was a bit off when compared to his appearances in Clone Wars and Rebels.
I am however really excited were all this leads especially whats going to happen to Andor himself.loading replies
@finfan Of Course. "Kleya". Well that doesn't sound like a poor codename at all :D
But thank you. I hadn't recognised her at all!
You just don't introduce that many (some stupid) new technical things in the last episode of a Sci-fi saga like this (can't list them all, easily spottable for a fan). Some good things like Lando and the return to Tatooine at the end . Not bad, but easily the worst Star Wars. The Phantom Menace is a great film compared to this.
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@morphinapg well, not in my opinion.
Review by Dahj Asha
8.5/10 - I cannot really keep up with things on my own but it's awesome! :)
"We come to serve you, Lord Sauron."
Damn, that did suck. I wasn't sure if he's good or bad and that seemed to seal his fate without a way out. I'm super glad that they've been wrong and he isn't Sauron!
"Only you can show what you are. You choose by what you do." - that's right Nori! :)
The result was quite epic:
- "From shadow you came, to shadow I bid you return."
- "He is not Sauron, he is the other."
- "I'm good."
I did fear that the Elves might seek war with the Dwarves to save their race but I'm relieved that theiy're better than that!
Galadriel and Elrond really have a strong friendship as well.
Halbrand and Lord Celebrimbor were interesting.
"You should not be standing here at all." xD
So Halbrand is Sauron?!? What a twist... :o Seems like Galadriel touched the darkness quite literally :oTbh I'm still unsure if that giant stranger is Gandalf or not... He does at least seem to be a wizard (/ wise one). IIRC there were 5 wizards but I only remember 3 of them. It would make a lot of sense if he's Gandalf but there are also things that don't really seem to quite fit.
"You're part of something bigger now. He needs ya. And you belong out there."
And I still wonder if that horse will save Isildur.
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@dahj the "giant stranger" is Gandalf. Has to be.
There are a few clues on this last episode:
- the butterflies
- the phrase "From shadow you came, to shadow I bid you return." is something similar to what he said in the first/second movie, when Gandalf fought the fire demon Balrog. Also, when he freed Théoden of the Rohirrim, he has a similarsentence.
- and the one that makes me almost sure, was in the last hobbit's scene, when he says: "When in doubt, always follow your nose", just like in the first movie, "The fellowship of the ring", when they have to choose which path to take under the mountain - he says this to young hobbit Meriadoc.
Review by Dahj Asha
8.5/10 - I cannot really keep up with things on my own but it's awesome! :)
"We come to serve you, Lord Sauron."
Damn, that did suck. I wasn't sure if he's good or bad and that seemed to seal his fate without a way out. I'm super glad that they've been wrong and he isn't Sauron!
"Only you can show what you are. You choose by what you do." - that's right Nori! :)
The result was quite epic:
- "From shadow you came, to shadow I bid you return."
- "He is not Sauron, he is the other."
- "I'm good."
I did fear that the Elves might seek war with the Dwarves to save their race but I'm relieved that theiy're better than that!
Galadriel and Elrond really have a strong friendship as well.
Halbrand and Lord Celebrimbor were interesting.
"You should not be standing here at all." xD
So Halbrand is Sauron?!? What a twist... :o Seems like Galadriel touched the darkness quite literally :oTbh I'm still unsure if that giant stranger is Gandalf or not... He does at least seem to be a wizard (/ wise one). IIRC there were 5 wizards but I only remember 3 of them. It would make a lot of sense if he's Gandalf but there are also things that don't really seem to quite fit.
"You're part of something bigger now. He needs ya. And you belong out there."
And I still wonder if that horse will save Isildur.
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@dahj I think Gandalf having a particular fondness for Hobbits makes me think this guy must be Gandalf
I know most people don't respond well if you say something negative about their favorite show but I can't help it. If you like it I'm glad for you (really) but please allow me my opinion.
I am one of those who doesn't think that this is THE best show ever. It's not even the best sitcom in my opinion. It had its moments but not many. Maybe it isn't fair to judge it 25 years after the fact because that is a long time in TV land and things change. But most of the stuff I dislike has nothing to do with timeframe.First, why this is called Friends is beyond me. Those are the most dishonest, selfish, egoistic and sometimes even mean group of people I've seen on TV. They constantly try to withhold stuff and most of the comedic situations spawn from that. I don't see where it is funny to go behind your friends backs. There are those moments where there behave like friends should, but those come usually after they screwed up.
Than there is the characters. I've written in some episode's comment that Ross is the most obnoxious character I've ever seen on TV. And I've seen my share. And there is WAY too much of him and Rachel who I also disliked deeply. They pull down every episode they're in which is pretty much every episode. That constant back and forth, the bickering and their pretensious behaviour is so annoying. Joey was funny at first but that wears out fast once you get past 50 episodes. Very one-dimensional. I don't even know what to say about Chandler because he is that bland. Monica went from "I don't care" through "I kinda like her" but ultimately annoying. Phoebe I liked until she, too, got the I-need-to-marry virus. Until that she was honest in that she didn't care what others thought about her and just made her thing. Alltogether there was little character developement in any of them. I couldn't connect with them and was more interested in what guest stars might turn up next.
And what it is anyway with all the girls need to find guys to marry and get babies and the guys needing to score? It is a good thing there wasn't any social media available because with all those gay and trans jokes there would have probably been a lot of heat.
That laughing track is way over the top. It accompanied literally every sentence. It even ruined jokes by starting to early. And what is wrong with building up an emotional moment and going through with it instead of ruining it with a bad joke ?
So, why did I watch, and even complete, it ? It's simple. And I mean that in the true sense of the word. You don't have to pay close attention to the plot, f.e. you don't have to stop it if the phone rings, you can even skip an episode completely. It's like having a radio playing in the background. Sometimes reading the synopsis was as interesting as the actual episode. Let's be honest: continuity, logic and depth of story were not the trademarks of Friends. It is full of holes and errors. But it fitted my daily schedule. I could drop in a couple of episodes here and there. And I punished myself a little bit because I went out and bought the whole series at once. Had I watched the first season first I would stopped there and then.
This is the longest review I've written in a while which shows I thought about this show a lot. I like versitality, it would be boring if every show was the same. That doesn't stop me though from speaking my mind. This is a love or hate kind of show. I don't hate it as such. But there were only just one or two episodes a season I think were more than average. It became better towards the end (either that or I caved) but it was an effort to get through and I am glad I'm done with.
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@FinFan Thank you!! I really needed some one to say this. people often jump down my throat when I say say something against friends. I actually started hating monica's character when she told Rachel she stole her thunder. I mean how can someone be so full of oneself. I find Ross the dumbest.. how on earth could Rachel fall for him. I never liked Chandler tbh. The only characters I liked was Pheobe and Joey
Shout by FinFan
I am surprised no one even entertained the idea Hodges confession was forced, especially after they killed the other guy, until they discovered the scene. I am not so sure any more that Wix is the mastermind behind all this. He doesn't strike me as that kind of criminal genius.
That love interest from Folsom for Rajan - it's not working. There isn't enough chemistry between them, after just nine episodes, to make it feel natural. We're supposed to accept it because we've been told they work together for some time but we've seen just some fleeting moments. It's forced because every show thinks it can't exist without a romance. Those are things you bring in in later seasons.
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@finfan I agree, it definitely feels forced, "just because". I don't think it helps that Mandeep Dhillon isn't the best actress, imo; I don't find her convincing in the role and she's the weakest of the main newbies.
That Security Force is probably good Stormtrooper material. :laughing:
Anyway, still slow burning. The whole first three episodes released today are rather on long pilot movie I guess. Let's see how that movie ends.
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@finfan Not good but all they got. :smirk:
Review by Alexander von Limberg
I could repeat my comments from last episode, but I won't do this. In a nutshell: it looks awesome, but the story and most characters are mediocre. I still enjoy it but it's certainly not great.
Let me talk about something else instead. Tolkien's work and Jackson's adaptation have always received their fair share of criticism regarding ethnic and racial stereotypes. One example is the problematic Wagner-ish portray of dwarfs. I won't go into this. Enough was said about this. In this show, they added Hobbit "ancestors". Hobbits were never funny and a a big fat Irish stereotype. Now they added this element of "migration". How could you not think that they are inspired by Irish Travellers? The Harfoots have other traits allegedly ascribed to their culture: they too love music, gather around campfires, organize themselves in families and live at the edge of society in relative poverty. It's like costume artists were fans of The Kelly Family. I'm not even saying that only negative stereotypes are reverberated: the Harfoots are too likable to immediately incite prejudice and discrimination against Travellers. But I wonder why they always do that in this franchise? Why do they often use a discriminated ethnic or racial group as a template and why do they choose to portray them in a very stereotypical way? They could have designed this people very differently very easily. Who's next? Gypsies? Pygmy peoples? Sámi? Eurasian nomads aka "horse people"? It doesn't really bother me though. (I'm not a snowflake and I realize that fiction is different from reality). This was mostly an academic remark. But I think, it was worth to be mentioned. Instead, very interestingly though, the show is (totally unfairly) criticized by some for including (as in: inclusion) black actors. Really? It makes you think whether "our" value system is well calibrated.
PS: I knew it. Yolandi Visser is one of these weird, otherworldly, pale elves. These guys are elves, right?
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@alexlimberg My god who cares about any of this stuff
The one thing worrying me is the question of how many episodes is this eventually going to get ?
The plot is moving very slow, we are already halfway through season one and nothing really happened. Now, if this is going to reach somewhere between 40 and 50 episodes we would be right on track I'd say. But I sincerly doubt that with a budget rumored to be up to a billion dollars so far this can live that long.
Now, don't get me wrong - I like the show very much. I don't share many of the criticism it recieves. But I have a tingling fear that at some point they might be forced to rush the plot in order to get to where this needs to be.
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@finfan Amazon has committed to five seasons, as far as I'm aware. The show is planned out for all 5 seasons already. They know exactly how long they need to tell the story and I highly doubt they'll cancel or rush it.
There is nothing wrong with it content-wise. Although you wonder how any of the movies ever been made with all the negativity and problems. In addition, there's a lot of talk about George Lucas and he doesn't get the chance to respond to that. Whether that's because he's never been asked to participate (which would be my guess) or he doesn't wanted to I can only speculate about.
But I wonder, what happened to simply making an informative documentary? Is all that funny music and fast edditing really necessary ? Seems to be, because there a many similar docus ("The Movies that made us" or "The Center Seat" come to mind).loading replies
@finfan No worries! I like that we have both styles. I've been really enjoying "Light & Magic" as well and learned a ton of stuff I didn't know. It feels like with Icons Unearthed and Light & Magic we get a more complete picture of the process of making the original trilogy as it seems each one covers parts and gives different perspectives than the other.
Cheers!
