The complaint that stories aren’t original anymore has lasted for many years. It seems that anytime I talk with anyone about stories, someone brings up the topic of originality.

But the truth is these people would also rather pay to watch a sequel to something they enjoyed than go to an original movie they don’t know they’ll like.

During the marketing campaign for The Creator, an original science fiction film by Gareth Edwards, my family saw an advertisement on TV for it during a sports broadcast. My dad’s first reaction was, “That looks weird.”

My brother and I were the only ones in my family who wanted to watch the film.

See, there’s a reason that most mainstream stories released today are sequels, reboots, or remakes. It might be because they’re easier to make, but I don’t believe that’s the whole reason. I think it’s because those are the movies that make the most money.

Think about it. Would you rather watch a new science fiction movie about a war between humans and robots or the next Star Wars film? Would you rather watch a movie about a brilliant detective solving a strange case or another Sherlock Holmes movie? Would you rather read a new book about a sprawling fantasy world and a long, arduous journey with heroic characters or reread Lord of the Rings?

Everyone says they want original stories, but the numbers show otherwise. The Creator didn’t make enough money, while the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and Barbie made plenty. The truth is that original stories are seen as odd, strange, and weird.

But that’s the point.

An original story should be something we’ve never seen before. It should explore new concepts, ideas, and characters, none of which the audience is familiar with. Of course, they aren’t going to sell as well, and of course, they will be seen as strange.

Audiences would rather find comfort in something familiar than try watching something new. New stories are weird, but that’s because they’ve never been done before. They’re supposed to be odd. But it’s that strangeness that pushes audiences away. They would rather watch a terrible remake of an old classic than a brilliant new work of art.

I’m not saying this is a good thing or a bad thing. If the point of this article were to say that all sequels and reboots were terrible, then that would be a bit hypocritical. Some of my favorite films are sequels or adaptations. Some of my favorite books I only read because they’re so popular. Ready Player One is a book filled with references to nerd culture, and I enjoyed it because of that.

But the lack of originality in modern storytelling is suffocating. Some of the most popular books these days are retellings of old myths or generic fairy tale/romance novels. Those aren’t the stories I find interesting. I like the weird. I enjoy exploring the unknown. You never know what you might stumble upon.

On Instagram, I found an advertisement for an indie author who writes science fiction and fantasy. He didn’t have a lot of followers, and his books didn’t have a lot of reviews. I thought I would check him out anyway. I bought one of his books called The Gunner Chronicles. It’s a cross between a Western and a post-apocalyptic science fiction story, and I have enjoyed every second of it.

I also recently stumbled across a book in Barnes and Noble called The Day of the Triffids. I thought it looked fun and weird, so I picked it up. If I hadn’t seen the author’s name before reading the first page, I would have thought it was an H. G. Wells novel. It’s a bizarre and fun story about a meteor shower that turns humanity blind and seven-foot-tall carnivorous plants. It’s a strange one, and that’s why it’s so fun. I’ve never read anything like it, and I’m only a couple of chapters in.

There are so many other hidden gems out there waiting to be found. With everyone having easy access to self-publishing these days, authors around the globe are getting their stories out there. I understand that most of them are terrible, but that’s okay.

So, if you’re tired of watching the same stories repeatedly, look through Amazon and find something weird that piques your interest. If you only have a select few books you enjoy but don’t like the popular ones everyone else is talking about, take a look online and find something less popular that speaks to you. You never know what you’ll find. Plenty of adventures are to be had, and they all await you.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Original Stories are Weird appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

I love the “Willow” movie. When Disney Plus first launched, one of the first movies my parents spotted was “Willow.” One night, we decided to watch it during dinner, and I fell in love with it. It was fun and exciting, and the characters were fantastic. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was enjoyable and made many visual effects breakthroughs.

Since watching the movie, I always felt that the story wasn’t finished. I knew there was more to the story that wasn’t being told, so I got very excited when the “Willow” series was announced. I thought Disney would make Lucasfilm the “Star Wars” studio, much like Marvel Studios. I was thrilled to be proved wrong.

Then I watched these two episodes, and that thrill instantly disappeared.

After “Kenobi” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” I should have expected them to put less effort into this show. It will likely be a faster-paced version of “The Rings of Power.” It’s the same nightmare all over again. The characters are frustratingly shallow, the plot is uninspired and unoriginal, and the original characters are getting trod upon by their younger counterparts.

I’m sure there are problems with this show behind the scenes, but I’m a writer, so I’m going to take a look at the first two episodes of “Willow” from a writer’s perspective and explain what went wrong.

Unoriginal

After the prologue, I knew this would be a basic, boring, unoriginal story. It’s another fantasy story about a princess betrothed to someone she doesn’t know even though she loves someone else and wants to marry them. We’ve seen this plot a million and one times before. If you’re going to do it again, you better have a fresh, new take on the idea, and you better be a darn good writer.

After that plot is set up, the prince is captured by the bad guys, and the princess leads a quest to save her brother. Reversing the roles of this classic fairy tale is an interesting idea, but only when it brings something new to the plot. We don’t even know why the bad guys captured the prince. I’m sure we’ll find out by the end of the series, but there isn’t any mystery surrounding the prince. Nothing has been set up, making his capture feel completely random.

This story is so basic that it almost makes “Rings of Power” look like an original vision by comparison. At least that show had potential and could have been something great. This show is as basic as you can get.

Also, this looks like it’s going to be another story where the parents are wrong about everything and have to apologize to their self-righteous kids. They turned Sorsha, one of the best characters in the movie, into an old, weak, pathetic coward. She was a warrior who served her mother faithfully until she saw her mother’s true intentions. This might sound like another story about the parents being wrong, but it’s not the same. Her mom was an evil witch, and Sorsha was her evil soldier. Only when Willow and Madmartigan captured Sorsha did she begin to reevaluate her mother’s intentions. She wasn’t a whiney, spoiled jerk. She was a strong, confident, well-intended person who turned her life around.

Now, Sorsha is reduced to getting yelled at by her daughter for arranging a marriage that would unite the kingdoms of Tir Asleen and Galladoorn. On a moral level, it is messed up, sure. But that’s how the political system is set up. It was customary during history until we developed different political systems. Marriage was essential to arranging alliances and gaining allies.

This story has always frustrated me because it’s trying to throw modern ideologies into a world inspired by real history. Modern ideologies don’t belong in historical settings, whether fantasy or not. They certainly didn’t have to ruin Sorsha over it.

But, if that were the only thing they did to Sorsha, I would only be slightly annoyed. Unfortunately, they kept going.

It turns out that, after the movie’s events, Willow had a vision of the collapse of the world and said that he needed to train Elora Danan before it was too late. But Sorsha decided that Elora had to stay safe and kicked Willow Ufgood out of Tir Asleen to keep Elora from knowing who she was. She even changed Elora’s name, so she didn’t know she was called Elora. It was the worst way they could have handled her character.

The Good Stuff

Alas! The show has not been ruined yet.

The bad guys are pretty cool. They look like they came straight from “Dark Souls” and are pretty creepy. I like their design and their presentation. They feel like a real threat, which is excellent.

Willow himself is ok. He isn’t handled perfectly, but I did enjoy most of his scenes.

The dynamics within the leading group are pretty good. The two characters I’ve enjoyed the most so far are the prince of Galladoorn and Thraxus Boorman, who definitely was part of that group of raiders. Greyden, the prince of Galladoorn, is quiet but understands people. He doesn’t have very many lines, but he is a brilliant character. He just has his head in the clouds. Thraxus Boorman is a mysterious character who has a strange past. He was the squire of Madmartigan, which is interesting because Madmartigan isn’t in the movie (likely due to Val Kilmer’s health problems), and we don’t know much about his fate.

Verdict

So far, “Willow” is pretty bad. The second episode was ok, and it finally felt like “Willow” at that point, but the first episode was horrendous. It may already be too far gone to save, but maybe Disney will surprise me. But, after “The Rings of Power,” I now know not to get my hopes up when a few episodes get it right.

As it stands, I can’t recommend this show. It’s bland, unoriginal, and has terrible characters.

What are your thoughts on the first two episodes? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Willow: Episodes 1 & 2 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

Making sure you’re writing your story in the correct genre is essential not only for storytelling purposes but for marketing purposes as well.

Appearances

Genre is not merely about appearances. Despite what most people say, if you set your story in space, that does not make it sci-fi. I would argue that C. S. Lewis’ “Cosmic Trilogy” is not, for the most part, sci-fi; it’s Christian fantasy. There are some sci-fi elements in the story. The spaceship is a scientific concept, and what space might look like was purely speculation. However, set the story in Narnia, not much changes except for appearances.

Another example of this is the entire subgenre of cyberpunk. When most people think of cyberpunk, they think of futuristic cities, cybernetic implants, androids, and advanced virtual reality. But that isn’t what cyberpunk is about. The core of cyberpunk is the dangers of technology, told through a character-focused story. This changes everything in the world of cyberpunk. You don’t need massive advertisements, neon lights, depressed hackers, or flying cars. All you need is to create a story that shows the possible dangers of technology and big-tech corporations through a story that focuses on character.

For example, I would argue that Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is a cyberpunk movie. It isn’t set in a big, high-tech city. The characters aren’t living in dark, steamy alleys. It’s not even set in the future. But it has everything that is at the core of every cyberpunk story. It follows a group of hackers (or “extractors”) working against a large corporation. It uses sci-fi technology and shows its negative impact on the world. It is focused on Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Cobb, and his struggles because of the sci-fi technology. If that isn’t the definition of cyberpunk, I don’t know what it is.

Lines and Barriers

Genres have no actual definition. They’re abstract ways that we’ve used to separate different types of stories so we can more easily find what we want. For instance, if someone is looking for a fun western read, you aren’t going to see them in the YA section. If someone is looking for a tense, mysterious thriller, you aren’t going to find them in the history section.

My point is this: genre only exists for marketing purposes. It works in the same way that social media algorithms work. It helps specific audiences find the kinds of stories they want to read or watch easily without needing to look through many other stories in many different genres. But it also keeps us from exploring other genres and expanding our horizons. Looking for new stories is more complicated with genre than without it. It’s easier to find the same stories over and over, but it’s harder to try new things.

Writing Other Genres

Because of these barriers that keep audiences from looking to other shelves, it’s harder for authors to write in multiple genres. Stephen King can easily write horror and thrillers because they can be similar. Orson Scott Card can easily write sci-fi and fantasy because they can be similar. But it is hard to be known for historical fiction and write thrillers. It’s also hard to write sci-fi and self-help books. Readers will look for your name on one bookshelf but not the other.

This is where pen names come in.

I haven’t tried this myself, and I have no idea if it would work, but if you want to write in more than one genre, you might try using a pen name for the other genre. However, for that name to be as recognizable as your original author’s name, you would likely have to double the work you are doing.

Writing in multiple genres with one name is possible, but it will likely not be easy. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Conclusion

Genre is a bizarre thing. I don’t fully understand it, so I am writing this post to explore the idea further. Genres can be seen as barriers and walls, but they can also be seen as categories and types. They can be an obstacle for authors, but most authors have specific interests anyways, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

The trouble comes in marketing. It would likely be challenging to market “Inception” as a cyberpunk film because it lacks the main visual appeal of cyberpunk. It would likely be challenging to market “Out of The Silent Planet” as fantasy, as most readers would see it as sci-fi because it is set in space.

That doesn’t mean your story can’t be successful in the genre you’re marketing it as, but it does mean it will be difficult. Focus on writing the best story you can and worry about marketing later.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post How to Define Genre appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

Characters

The center of this show is its characters. Seeing this kind of storytelling in a modern show has been refreshing. Most stories I’ve seen recently are more focused on being cool and saying the right things than having exciting characters. “Andor” has fantastic characters. This show wouldn’t have been nearly as engaging if the characters were half as good as they are now.

The characters have explicit wants and goals. They have things to lose and a purpose to keep fighting, regardless of their side.

The loss of Cassian’s mom plays a significant role in this episode. A funeral is to be held for her, and the Empire will use it to bait Cassian out of hiding. But Cassian’s mom has a message recorded on her droid, which gets the whole town in fighting spirit. A battle commences between the city and the Empire, and Cassian uses the opportunity to get Bix, who had been captured in an earlier episode, off Ferrix. Meanwhile, Luthen and Vel plan on letting the Empire find Cassian so they can kill him before he gives away any secrets he has to the Empire. The episode ends with Cassian meeting Luthen on his ship, giving Luthen the option to kill him or let him join the rebellion. Luthen and Cassian leave Ferrix, creating a large window of opportunity for season two.

These are fantastic character moments are precisely what this show is about, and the characters remain consistent throughout each episode. There is no point in this show when something a character did seems out of place. The characters were on point.

Finale

As a season finale, this episode was underwhelming. There was the battle on Ferrix, but that was the most significant moment in the episode. There wasn’t much of an ending. It was setting up the rest of the series, which makes sense because it has already been renewed for multiple seasons. But it still isn’t a good idea storytelling-wise.

Leaving a story open-ended can work very well, but I don’t think it was executed well here. The show should have given Cassian something to strive for. Maybe his mom was dying from an illness, but the medication for the disease was absurdly expensive because of an Imperial policy. Cassian would have taken the Aldahni job to pay for her medical treatment, only to get himself captured. After escaping his prison, he would have purchased the necessary medications and rushed back to Ferrix only to find that his mom had died while he was away. Blaming the Empire for his mom’s death, he begins the revolution on Ferrix using his mom’s message, and the story ends the same, leaving it open-ended for the next season.

It didn’t need to be that specific. They could have continued the story that started in the first episode, with Cassian searching for his sister. It could have been something completely different. It could have been much more creative, giving Cassian something to strive for throughout the season.

Conclusion

I’m not saying this was a bad episode or season. I thought “Andor” was very good. It was interesting, engaging, and thrilling. It explores a new side of the Galactic Civil War that I don’t think has been seen before. There might be a book or comic series from the Legends timeline that does what “Andor” did, but this is still an awesome show.

With this season’s ending, anything can happen. I am excited to see where this series leads, and I hope they learn from their mistakes and create a much better season two.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Andor: Episode 12 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

As it is now, the show has a lot of episodes that can be explained in a minute or so. They’re useless, and they should have been combined with other episodes. Most of this show is filler, which is a shame. Especially after “Tales of The Jedi,” which showed stories more significant than the “Andor” episodes but with only a third of the runtime. We went through the Clone Wars within 20 minutes, while it takes “Andor” almost three hours to get through a heist.

The story that “Andor” has to tell is fantastic, but they take way too long to get on with it.

Filler

This episode was hollow. It was very uneventful, filled with fluff and scenes about nothing. Many conversations occurred and didn’t mean anything, which is frustrating after having so many episodes where every word spoken had meaning behind it.

The dialogue in many previous episodes was fantastic, but the dialogue here only exists to fill the runtime. It feels as though the writers decided the show would have 12, hour-long episodes before they began working on the scripts. It should have flowed much more naturally, allowing the story to get the time it needed rather than the time the writers wanted.

Pacing

I’m ok with slow stories. I would instead a story take too much time than feel rushed. But this show isn’t paced well. The episodes vary in quality, but not because of the storytelling. The storytelling is consistently good. However, some episodes fill their runtime with engaging, meaningful moments, like “One Way Out,” while others fill their runtime with useless noise, like this.

If one is to write a slow story, make sure it is a slow story. The tension should build over time, but it should continuously fluctuate. This show can’t decide whether it’s a fast-paced thriller or a slow-burn one. Each episode makes a different decision. Most take their time and add a lot of tense action along the way, but some take too much time and don’t add anything of substance to the story. They’re just there.

Narrative

The death of Cassian’s mom was good. It’s an emotional motivation for Cassian, which is fantastic. But I think it came too late into the episode. I think Cassian and Melshi should have escaped the planet closer to the beginning, and we should have seen Cassian get the news about his mom earlier. Then we should have seen Cassian grapple with the news, figuring out what he should do about it. That would have made this episode much more exciting and added substance to the runtime. It also would have given Cassian some screentime, which he desperately needs since he is becoming an extra in his show.

This episode was almost all talk. There was little to be seen, and we watched the characters converse for about an hour.

Luthen’s skirmish with the Empire was pretty cool, but there should have been more action sequences for a thriller than this. This was the most exciting this episode got, which is sad since this is supposed to be leading into the season finale, and we’ve had so many tense sequences before this.

Finale

I don’t know what the finale is going to look like. That’s cool, except I don’t know what we’re leading up to. I don’t know the goal, which isn’t a good thing. By the finale, I should know what I’m getting into before pressing play. I should know what the characters are striving for. Unfortunately, I have no idea what they want. If this episode is anything to go by, it will be another slice-of-life narrative without anything special. Things will happen, sure, but the tensions and stakes aren’t high. If anything, I’m expecting disappointment next episode. Hopefully, my fears are not realized, but I don’t think they will be.

Conclusion

This episode was rough. I hope they clean it up before the finale, but I have a bad feeling about this.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Andor: Episode 11 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

Focus

This show is big, weaving multiple storylines to create an epic space thriller. I love big stories. They’re fun and have a lot to offer to various audiences. This series is no exception. It hands out to its audience a lot, and I love that.

The problem is that the episodes are often not focused. They spread in many directions, and the characters don’t have clear goals for the individual episodes. They have their long-term goals, sure. But those won’t pay off until the end of the season or even the end of the series, and we have to wait a long time for that. The characters need goals for each episode to keep the audience engaged and make the episodes stand out and feel more exciting.

Since the show juggles so many subplots, it has difficulty prioritizing them. Some episodes that focus on one subplot should be focused on another, while others are left in the dust. It’s not easy keeping a story this large focused, but it is possible. “Andor” does not do it well, and it is certainly something that can be improved in the later seasons, but I am still glad we are getting such a big story.

Characters

“Andor” is a character-driven story. There is no doubt about that. It wouldn’t be “Star Wars” without great characters, but “Andor” goes all in on that beloved aspect of this franchise. The characters of this series are masterfully crafted, most with unknown backstories that exist only as a file on some writer’s computer. I love that we don’t know everyone’s backstory. They all have backstories, and it is apparent in the series, which is fantastic. However, we don’t know what they are because we don’t need to. If someone’s backstory isn’t necessary to the series, then it isn’t explained, which saves time and creates intrigue for the character, fueling the audience’s curiosity.

The character interaction is my favorite part of this show. Every conversation has meaning. Not one word of dialogue is taken for granted. Every conversation is like a fencing match. There are attacks, parries, and counter-attacks. At no point does the dialogue feel unnecessary or exposition-heavy. It all feels natural and stems directly from the characters’ personalities and beliefs.

Most stories, especially recent ones from Disney, feature a lot of bad and/or unnecessary dialogue. It always feels a little something like this:

“As you know, the only way we can defeat the Dark Lord is with the Sword of Light,” said character A.

“Yes,” said character B. “But, as we have learned, we cannot reach the Sword of Light unless we awaken the princess with true love’s kiss.”

“Well, I hope you brought some breath mints,” said the comic relief.

This form of dialogue is lazy, uninteresting, and, unfortunately, common. I see it mostly in movies, but it is also increasingly present in books. It isn’t creative. It’s pointless. Its only reason for existing is to convey essential information to the audience even though that information can be figured out through context clues by the audience. “Andor” stays away from this dialogue style, which is terrific.

The Prison Story

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the prison story. It felt forced and unnecessary, but I changed my mind after this episode. It is filled with emotional and internal conflict, especially with Andy Serkis’ character, Kino Loy. Loy has become one of my favorite characters in the series, which (spoilers!) is unfortunate since it doesn’t look like we will be seeing him again.

I loved how the breakout was written. It was tense and exciting, and there was no way of knowing who would survive. Although, that comes to my one complaint about the whole sequence. We first met Melshi in “Rogue One,” but they put him in the prison storyline of this show, which was a fun little nod for fans of the movie like myself. However, because I have seen “Rogue One,” I know that he isn’t in danger because he isn’t going to die (until Scarif, that is). But the writers do an excellent job with him since we don’t spend too much time with him and focus primarily on Cassian and Loy.

Community

I love “Star Wars” as do many other people. It’s a fun and exciting franchise filled with endless possibilities. There are tons of other “Star Wars” fans like me, but I can’t find anyone talking about this show or “Tales of The Jedi.” There are the occasional breakdown videos I come across, sure. But everyone seems more focused on season three of “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka,” which aren’t even releasing this year.

I enjoy being part of this community of fans, but I’m not sure why no one is talking about these phenomenal shows, especially “Tales.” These are excellent additions to the story of “Star Wars,” I expected fans to pounce on them and begin sparking conversations when they were released since we haven’t received much “Star Wars” content lately.

But I haven’t seen much. There are the occasional YouTube videos, as I said, and sometimes I come across a meme talking about one of the two new shows, but there isn’t much other than that, and it’s kind of sad. I don’t have a lot of people in my life that I get to talk to about the things that I love, like this franchise, so writing about these shows and discussing them with others online is something I love doing. I wish more people appreciated these shows, so we had more to discuss.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Andor: Episode 10 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

The Prison Story

The prison story could be interesting if the pace picked up a bit more. I love what they did with it here. The mystery surrounding level two is fantastic, and it makes all the setups in the previous episode worth it. We know what normal looks like in the factory. We know when something is out of place, and something is definitely out of place here.

While the night shift is going to work and the day shift is leaving, they wait on a bridge until the doors open. While waiting, people are signing to other shifts in other bridges. While they wait, the power suddenly goes out and comes back on. We’ve never seen this happen in the factory before, so we know something is not right. One of the shifts on the lower levels begins frantically signing to the other shifts, and the communicator in Cassian’s shift begins translating, saying that a whole shift has been killed.

This is terrifying since we don’t know why they were killed or if they even were killed. It is only a rumor. It brings tension to the following scenes in the factory, and I loved it.

Later, we see Cassian talking to Andy Serkis’ character, asking if he had ever thought about breaking out of the factory. Andy Serkis’ character denies such dreams, but he is obviously hiding something. The tension between his character and Cassian is interesting and exciting.

The next day, Cassian and his shift continue their work as usual. But an older man at Cassian’s table, who had been struggling earlier, begins to struggle even more. He slows down significantly and ends up being in the way of his table rather than helping them. However, instead of getting angry at the old man, the table encourages him, and we learn that he only has a few more days until he is released. They want him to get out. But after the shift, they must drag him out of the room because he can’t stand alone.

The man collapses on the bridge, and Andy Serkis’ character calls for a medic. The medic comes and analyzes the old man’s condition. It turns out that he had a massive stroke and cannot be saved. The only thing the medic can do is terminate him. The medic says something about him getting lucky and that Serkis’ character and Cassian will soon be begging for the old man’s fate. They ask what the medic means, and the medic says that no one leaves the factory. After someone serves their sentence, they aren’t freed. They are sent to level 2, where they suffer a much worse fate than what they had before the end of their sentence. On their way back to their cells, Andy Serkis’ character and Cassian begin to plan their escape.

This is an exciting point in their story, and I enjoyed it very much. It adds a lot of tension and higher stakes to the prison story than it had previously. It gives the characters a ticking time bomb they must actively work against. It makes the story much better, and I am glad it was added.

Everything Else

The rest of the episode was mediocre. We learn that Vel is Mon Mothma’s cousin, which is interesting but doesn’t add much yet. Seeing Mon Mothma in the senate was fantastic as we see what the Republic has fallen to. The Senate is now the Imperial Senate, filled with greedy politicians who do not care about the people they are supposed to serve. They ignored Mon Mothma entirely when she was trying to get a point across about Imperial overreach, but they did not care because overreach gives those politicians the wealth and power they want.

We get Syril’s story continued as he tries to ally with Dedra Meero. Syril’s approach is strange because he is stalking Dedra, but ok.

Verdict

Overall, this is a good show. I like the concepts, and I adore the characters. I don’t have a problem with slow stories, but this show is beginning to feel unnecessarily slow. I hope they figure out the pace to make this a better show, but for the moment, it is not as great as it could be.

Also, I wanted to point out that the theme music changes with each episode. I think it’s a cool little detail, but I’m probably the only one.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day.

The post Andor: Episode 9 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

Except, I have to.

This episode was very filler. There were some great moments in here, sure. But this episode contributed very little to the overall narrative of the show. We see people waiting patiently for opportunities and outside events from other subplots in the story. We get a lot of talking and a lot of setups. But nothing happens in the episode. It doesn’t have anything to say.

Episode Breakdown

We see Cassian as the Imperials transport him to a factory on Narkina 5, where he will serve his six years. We meet some other prisoners there, one of which is played by Andy Serkis, as he returns to “Star Wars” in a character that is, so far, better than his previous character, Snoke. Another one of the prisoners is Ruescott Melshi, who was a Sergeant in “Rogue One.” Melshi was in the battle on Scarif where he met his untimely end fighting for the Rebellion as they stole the schematics for the Death Star from the Scarif Citadel.

In the factory, Cassian is placed in a workgroup, and Andy Serkis’s character, Kino Loy, is in charge of the workgroup. The group does their shift in a kind of game where the winning gets flavoring for their food, and the losing team either gets bad-tasting food or gets shocked. Cassian gets familiar with his environment, we have a month time-jump, and he keeps building things.

Syril Karn is working in a cubicle among a sea of identical workspaces when Dedra Meero comes looking for him. She brings him back to the ISB building and questions him. The Empire questions Syril, which leads them to hunt for Cassian, as they believe that Cassian will bring them closer to Luthen, who they have been trying to catch for a long time. Syril seems happy with this as it gives him connections within the ISB, and he seems to be looking for a job similar to his old one so he can get out of his cubicle and get back into action. He believes in the Empire and wants to work for them, so any theories that he would fight for the Rebellion are likely now irrelevant.

Maarva Andor is ill after having a bad fall, but she is still clearly a rebel and wants to be a part of the Rebellion and get the revolution started on Ferrix.

Dedra goes to Ferrix, and the Empire captures Bix. They interrogate Bix, trying to find Cassian. Not much came from it. We had an interesting scene with her getting captured and interrogated, and that was it. It might come into play later, but I’m not sure.

Luthen goes to Saw Gerrera, and they have an interesting conversation about the Rebellion and their ideologies. Saw doesn’t think that he should unite with Luthen, and that they should remain allies. Luthen doesn’t agree and thinks Saw’s anarchist ideals aren’t going to do the Rebellion any good. It was interesting, and I hope we get to see more of Saw in the future of this show.

Saw Gerrera

For those that don’t know, Saw Gerrera lived on Onderon, where he helped lead a rebellion against the Separatists when they occupied Onderon during the Clone Wars. The Republic unofficially sent aid, and Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Captain Rex trained their small group in military tactics, teaching them how to fight the Separatists. After the Clone Wars, Saw began rebelling against the Empire when they became the oppressors. We see the beginnings of his rebellion in “The Bad Batch.” He pops up again in the video game “Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Rebels” before he dies in “Rogue One.” He’s a very fun, exciting character, and I’m glad we get to see him again here.

Thoughts

This episode was pure filler. It didn’t contribute much to the larger story, and what was contributed was dull. There wasn’t much character development, and there weren’t any interesting conflicts going on. It was all set up. This is a problem writers can run into when making a serialized story. When writing “Liar’s Legacy” and short stories without any previous experience, I found the characters waiting for things to happen, unable to take action. There were times when the plot had to move without the characters. It was boring and dull, and all it boiled down to was a lazy way to stretch out a short narrative. This episode didn’t need to be an hour long. I like the slow-burn of “Andor,” but maybe they should have considered leaving some of the episodes on the cutting room floor or combining episodes to keep the plot moving.

After the incredible masterpiece of “Tales of The Jedi,” this was disappointing. I wasn’t expecting it to be on the same level as “Tales,” but I expected more than this. Those shorts had bigger stories with 15 minutes than this episode had with 60. I’ve enjoyed “Andor” so far, but I hope we don’t get any more filler episodes like this one.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Andor: Episode 8 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

I was wrong.

This show was so much more! It was filled to the brim with excellent character development, filling in the holes of the Prequel Trilogy that “The Clone Wars” had missed, but mainly on the side of the Sith, which was very interesting.

What Is “Tales of The Jedi?”

This show is an anthology series set during the Prequel era of the “Star Wars” galaxy. We follow the lives of beloved characters Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. We watch Ahsoka as she uses the Force for the first time, goes through the Clone Wars, and faces her guilt after Anakin’s fall. We also follow Dooku as he grows increasingly uncomfortable with the ideologies of the Jedi and Republic and turns to the Dark Side to reshape the galaxy and bring what he believes is order.

This isn’t a typical “Star Wars” show. “The Clone Wars” was almost an anthology show, but it had serialized arcs instead of stand-alone episodes. The rest of the “Star Wars” shows have all been serialized dramas, each episode continuing a long narrative. This show is more of a collection of shorts that show us who these two characters are. The Dooku shorts were close to serialization, but they all would work as stand-alone stories. This series is more akin to “The Clone Wars: Tales of Light and Dark,” which is a short story collection adapting arcs from “The Clone Wars” into written form.

Ahsoka

Aside from “Practice Makes Perfect,” the Ahsoka shorts weren’t the greatest. This isn’t the fault of the storytellers in any way. They were written, directed, and animated perfectly. The problem is that we already know Ahsoka’s story during the Clone Wars and the Rebellion era. We have “The Clone Wars,” “Rebels,” and the book “Ahsoka” to tell us everything we need to know. Her story has been told.

“Life and Death” was new because we had not seen Ahsoka in her infancy, but we didn’t need to. It didn’t add anything to the character, but it was a very nice introduction to the series. It showed us what it would be about and what we might expect for the rest of the show.

“Practice Makes Perfect” was phenomenal, but not because we saw a new side of Ahsoka. It was great because we got to relive the whole of “The Clone Wars” in 13 minutes. It was a fun and emotional ride, and watching the training scenes lead up to the iconic hangar bay battle in the final season of “The Clone Wars” was beautiful. I loved seeing Anakin and Obi-Wan’s old outfits again in the new animation style. It was very nostalgic.

While the story of “Resolve” was good, it still wasn’t necessary. We had a similar scene in the “Ahsoka” novel, so why do we need to see it again? Admittedly, showing Ahsoka at Padmé’s funeral was fantastic. It was interesting watching her wallow in her guilt. She felt responsible for Anakin’s fall, and it’s understandable. She would feel guilty since she had to go to Mandalore instead of staying on Coruscant. If she were able to stay, Anakin probably would not have fallen. It was emotional watching her attend Padmé’s funeral, not because the funeral itself was exciting but because of what it means to Ahsoka. Her guilt hasn’t been thoroughly explored, and I enjoyed what they did with it here.

Dooku

Now, we get to the meat of this series. I wasn’t the most excited about the Ahsoka shorts. I knew her story had already been told, and I didn’t expect her shorts to be perfect. But Count Dooku has a lot of stories to offer. His backstory has been explored in “Dooku: Jedi Lost” and “Master and Apprentice,” but there was still quite a bit that could be explored.

Dooku was already one of my favorite characters. He’s a bad guy, yes, but he isn’t simply evil like most of the villains in “Star Wars” (except for his character in “The Clone Wars,” but he had already wholly succumbed to the Dark Side at that point, so it made sense). Reading and listening about Dooku as a Jedi is one thing, but watching it on screen and seeing him and Qui-Gon as master and apprentice was special. Then seeing how Dooku was after Qui-Gon left to train Obi-Wan was equally as special. Dooku is essential to the “Star Wars” saga, and I don’t think I’ve ever loved his character as much as I do after this series.

“Justice” begins our exploration of Dooku’s character. We see his sense of morality and his controversial ideology. While Qui-Gon shares Dooku’s opinions and beliefs, he also ensures Dooku’s methods aren’t too extreme. I loved how Qui-Gon resolved the problem and kept Dooku from doing something that would have easily turned him to the Dark Side. This short was an exciting exploration of both characters, shedding much more light on Dooku.

“Choices” is another fantastic exploration of Dooku and ends with Dooku seeing the Republic and Jedi a little differently. He already had problems with both, sure. But, after squandering a rebellion before it could even begin, Dooku listens to one of the rebels and agrees with his ideology but not his methods. The conflict between Dooku and Windu adds quite a lot to the tension during the story and shows the beliefs and morality of both characters. I loved how the differences between the characters led to Windu getting a seat on the High Council and Dooku getting left in the dust. It shows what the Jedi believe in. The Council wants Jedi who follows orders to the letter, and they do not like Jedi who has different beliefs and ideas. It’s interesting to think about, and I love it.

I cannot say enough about “The Sith Lord.” It is perfect. We open with Dooku in the Jedi Archives and watch as he erases all data on Kamino. This is a huge moment in the “Star Wars” saga. In “Attack of The Clones,” Obi-Wan’s search for Padmé’s would-be assassin leads him to look for Kamino in the Archives, but it takes him a while to find Kamino because it’s not in the Archive. Only a Jedi could have erased it, and it begins the investigation into the origins of the clone army, which ends in season six of “The Clone Wars,” where Anakin and Obi-Wan learn that Dooku is the man called Tyrannus, who hired Jango Fett to be used as the template for the clones. They also uncovered the fate of Sifo-Dyas, who ordered the creation of the clones.

The point is, it’s fantastic that we saw such a huge moment in this show. I loved this scene, even if it lasted only a minute or two. We then hear that Qui-Gon approached the Jedi Council, alerting them that he encountered an attacker he believes is a Sith Lord. This event occurs in “The Phantom Menace,” which places this short firmly in the timeline. We move on to the end of “The Phantom Menace,” where Dooku and Jedi Master Yaddle discuss Qui-Gon’s death. Dooku then leaves the Jedi Temple, but Yaddle follows him, suspicious of Dooku’s actions.

Dooku meets with Darth Sidious in Coruscant’s industrial sector, where they meet at the end of “Attack of The Clones.” Dooku confronts Sidious about Qui-Gon’s death, but Sidious says it was a necessary sacrifice for their more significant goals. This is a scene from “Darth Plagueis,” a book from the Legends timeline. Dave Filoni often adds Legends ideas and concepts into the Canon timeline, so it’s nice to see him do it again.

Yaddle arrives and confronts Dooku, telling him it’s not too late to repent and return to the Jedi. Dooku wonders if he is doing the right thing, asking how many have died due to his actions. But he stands by his goals, believing his methods are the only way to put things right. Sidious tells Dooku that the only way to prove his loyalty to their cause is to kill Yaddle since she’s seen too much. They have an incredible duel, and Yaddle continues to do her best to persuade Dooku to turn back to the Jedi. But it is all in vain, and Dooku cuts her down.

It’s a powerful, emotional, thrilling short. In just 17 minutes, Filoni manages to tell an incredible story. I was left in awe. The themes were the most potent part of the episode, as Dooku and Yaddle go back and forth on redemption and loyalty. It’s an enthralling debate, and I loved it. This episode was my favorite by far.

The Visuals and Music

The animation was stunning, which I expected. Lucasfilm always has fantastic-looking animation. Every episode here feels like a moving Ralph McQuarrie painting, exactly what George Lucas was aiming for when they were working on “The Clone Wars.” I thought some shots looked more like something in a Disney animated film, mostly in “Choices.” But the rest of it looks perfect.

The music was great! It wasn’t the most iconic music but elevated each short significantly. It was very enjoyable and brought much more emotion to the series.

Verdict

This is “Star Wars.” We haven’t had anything like it since “The Clone Wars.” We’ve had some good shows, such as “The Mandalorian,” “The Bad Batch,” and now “Andor.” They are definitely “Star Wars” stories, but nothing has felt this much like George Lucas’s original vision in a long time. This show, despite its short run-time, is truly a masterpiece. Dave Filoni gets “Star Wars.” He understands the world, the characters, and the themes. He writes some incredible stories, and I think we can learn a lot from him as writers.

I’m thinking of going through each episode and analyzing the writing and storytelling techniques for each one. I want to give a writer’s perspective on this incredible series, and maybe we can learn more about writing short stories and character creation along the way. I think it would be fun. Let me know if you would want to see that.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Star Wars: Tales of The Jedi: Star Wars is Back! appeared first on Elliot Kessler.

The characters and their development are fantastic. I’ve said this before, but I will repeat it. The creators of “Andor” know what they’re doing regarding characters. I love everyone we meet in this show. They have personality, their own stories, and their own goals. They are always a joy to watch, and they all feel alive. They aren’t simply cardboard cutouts like most side characters. They can stand up on their own and work well within the world of the show.

The visuals are amazing, except for that one shot of the Star Destroyer. This is the first time we see a Destroyer in the show, and it looks like something thrown together in After Effects and put on YouTube. Other than that, everything looks terrific. Coruscant has never looked better, and the costumes are perfect.

The scenes with Luthen and Mon Mothma are always fun. The way they talk in the antique shop with the double meanings and the hidden emotion add to the tension of the scenes. It’s always fun discerning what they’re saying and cracking their codes. I’m not sure why, but there is something about characters discussing secret information and hiding their reactions in front of other people that is so tense. One simple mistake and everything is lost. If someone stops smiling, if someone says something too loudly, if someone else in the room figures out what they’re saying, the Rebellion is gone.

Cassian’s mom is a solid character. Her decision to stay on Ferrix makes a lot of sense, even if Cassian doesn’t understand it. Her character is very strong. She’s a flat arc character, but sometimes, those are what a story needs. She’s someone to help guide Cassian morally, even if Cassian doesn’t understand what she’s doing. She is strong, brave, and determined. Even in her old age, she’s fighting back against the Empire.

The flashbacks to the Republic were fascinating to watch. They made the Republic look as evil and oppressive as the Empire. A simple misunderstanding led to the hanging of an innocent man. That’s some dark stuff, and it’s hard to watch the clones do that after rooting for them for years. It’s terrifying thinking about the Republic doing something like that. What other atrocities did they commit?

The Imperials are fun to watch. Even though the Empire is evil, that doesn’t mean the people in it are. The Imperial subplot feels almost like the book “Thrawn,” and I love that. The political maneuvering, the plotting, and the investigation of the Rebellion are all super interesting. This show is for “Star Wars” fans who understand the timeline, which might make it hard for casual viewers to enjoy the show. It was also great to see Admiral Yuarlen again, even if it was for a brief cameo. His appearance does make sense and isn’t forced, which I was very glad about. It could have been another Admiral, sure. But Yuarlen makes sense. It’s nice to see a familiar face now and again, and it’s nice that he was only there for one scene and didn’t outstay his welcome.

Syril Karn’s story is enjoyable. I love that he’s stuck in a desk job now. I’m curious to see his journey and where he ends up. Will he continue to hunt down Andor? Or will he and Cassian become friends? I want to see Syril join the Rebellion around the same time as Cassian but still have it out for him. They could be put on an assignment together and have to sort out their differences or die. That would be a very interesting episode that I would love to see, but it’s more likely something like that would happen next season. But that’s what I want to see from Karn’s story.

While being a slow show, “Andor” has a lot to offer. It has outstanding characters, incredible visuals, and a very interesting story. This isn’t a by-the-numbers “Star Wars” show. This is a different and unique “Star Wars” story, and I have no idea where it might go next. What do you think will happen?

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.

The post Andor: Episode 7 Review appeared first on Elliot Kessler.