DarthDementous

all I can say after tonight's episode is...holy shit.

There were a few here and elsewhere I've seen on the Internet that were dubious, but I think this 100% dispels any doubt whatsoever because it's clearly by the same concept artist that worked on TFA, TROS etc. and it fits the described script to a T.

Time to laugh at all the people that thought the Trevorrow leak was fake: https://imgur.com/a/lX9JG8F

that was a nice episode. I like its message and particularly appreciate how it didn't make Edison comically evil, it's the kind of thing I wanted with the previous episode in terms of moral exploration. Tesla was played really well and we got to see a slight edge to Jodie's Doctor which has been sorely needed for a while. I appreciated how the aliens tied into the themes of the episode but I still felt like they fell pray to a case of telling instead of showing which had them come across as a bit bland. I would like for things to be explained in ways that aren't the Doctor providing exposition, it would make things a lot more interesting.

Him being old has nothing to do with it. People change through experience but rarely does their entire character and personality change, and if it does then why are we now following a completely different character from what was established? Why not make a new character at that point?

That wasn't directed at you, my bad. I'll update my post to make it clearer.

You keep saying that and not qualifying why you think that. It's an especially baffling statement when I just described in detail why I think it is much better than the Rise of Skywalker. THE FOLLOWING IS NOT ADDRESSED DIRECTLY AT MANAKIN SKYWALKER I think it's absolute nonsense that a large number of people didn't like Luke's portrayal in TLJ because he wasn't a super-hero. People didn't like him because he straight up wasn't Luke. There's a reason Mark Hamill calls him Jake Skywalker, because if you break down Luke's character traits established in the OT and the kind of person he is, and compare him to TLJ it is like they are completely different characters. In fact, I'll prove it with this image which provides an excellent breakdown of this from a character writing perspective: I'm honestly not sure why anyone would like this portrayal of Luke given the fact it's essentially not even the same character. Rian Johnson responded to this image too, completely missing the point and claiming that "Luke shouldn't have permanent video game power-ups as a character". No, he shouldn't, but he should also still be the same fucking person and address conflict in the way we know he would. You're right when you say that many years of stories in the EU were against TLJ, because pretty much all of them actually understand who Luke is as a person. Hell, even Star Wars Battlefront 2 had a pitch-perfect post-ROTJ Luke in it's campaign. When you fuck up one of the most beloved characters of all time and the star of the lauded OT, I'm surprised anyone should be surprised at all by any of the critical backlash this film received.

I can't overstate how much better the Trevorrow script is than what we got in Rise of Skywalker. Someone here claimed it was 'stupid' and that's why it wasn't chosen, yet Rise of Skywalker is the absolute height of stupidity. The Trevorrow script, dubbed 'Episode 9: Duel of the Fates' is like the antithesis to what we got, if it was able to be produced with little creative compromise I believe it would've made this whole sequel trilogy worth it. Just off the top of my head here's a quick comparison between the two scripts: - The Emperor does not come back, he's just a hologram - Hux isn't a joke of a man that gets killed instantly for his mind-numbingly stupid face-heel turn, he actually takes his place as Chancellor and helps lead the First Order whilst still having tension with Kylo Ren - Kylo Ren doesn't get the cliche redemption end and there's no romantic relationship between him and Rey. This is a man that has doubled down on the dark side and unlike Vader it has left him devoid of the one thing that could save him - love. - Actually draws from the good parts of the EU instead of some of the worst aspects (Dark Empire return of Palpatine, yet somehow doing it worse). We get to see the Kuat Shipyards, an Eclipse Star Destroyer, and the state of Coruscant under First Order occupation which with the way its described evokes the EU for me, a bit hard to explain why. Furthermore, even TCW gets some love by having it feature the planet of Mortis, a force well that naturally Kylo Ren would want to find and soak in the power of the force there. - The script is driven by characters and their interactions and relationships with each other, not stitched together action scenes. There's no macguffin, let alone four, and it's all about Rey finally confronting Kylo Ren at the height of his power - Rey doubts herself in realistic ways and actually demonstrates character and personality, she wants to live up to what it means to be a Jedi but she struggles with that and worries that its making her dangerous. It's probably the closest she's felt to being similar to Luke's character this entire trilogy. - The legacy cast are not glorified cameos. I can't state how much better handled the OT cast is. While yes you do have the limitations of Carrie Fisher no longer being alive, Luke actually has a purpose in the story by visiting both Kylo Ren and Rey as a mentor. The interplay between Luke and Kylo would've been fantastic, as he attempts to convince him to turn away from this path but is shut out by Kylo, and mentoring Rey directly as he should've done in TLJ. Furthermore, Lando actually gets a realistic character arc, given the First Order rose from the Empire and took over everything he's feeling dispossessed and wondering if all of this was worth it. I understand completely where he's coming from, and that would've make his appearance near the end with his army of smugglers all the more satisfying ala Han Solo. Plus, R2, C3P0, and Chewie all get their hero moments and aren't just around as wandering comic relief. - They acknowledge Finn is a stormtrooper fucking finally. Finn actually leads a stormtrooper uprising near the end of the movie and has interplay with a specific First Order trooper that he knew when he was apart of it. They had such an excellent concept established with TFA then proceeded to do nothing with it in the subsequent movies, and this would've been so satisfying and made Finn a character that should've been there. - The sexual sterility of the ST would've been amended with Poe constantly trying to flirt with Rey, its one-sided and she even uses that to her advantage to manipulate him to get to safety but it would've added some much needed humanity to these movies that the OT had. - We get to see both Rey and Kylo Ren train, particularly the latter would've been incredible to see under the guise of the enigmatic, impossibly ancient and cruelly wise Tor Vallum, described as being almost eldritch in appearance. He would've taught Kylo Ren how to drain the life force from others, which, a new force ability actually being taught instead of pulled out of thin air would've been a first for the ST. However, the best part of this would've been him fighting vision Vader and losing horribly, I can't imagine how amazing this scene would be from a visual and a character standpoint, there's a lot of subtext there and even something on a meta-level. Vader has always been something Kylo Ren has tried to rise beyond in power, and now he faces that directly. - Although I think TLJ is a terrible, terrible movie, I have a lot of respect for this script for achieving what it does without shitting all over what came before and giving the audience whiplash. It's actually completely congruent with TLJ, Rey is still nobody, Kylo Ren is the Supreme Leader, Luke follows through with his promise to 'always be with' Kylo Ren', and the First Order has subjugated the galaxy - and this movie shows how with their shipyards and iron rule on Coruscant as well as other planets. That's just some of the good parts of this script, I highly recommend you check out the two podcasts Rob Burnett did on THEBURNETT NETWORK youtube channel to hear more details about this tantalising script. For all those doubting the legitimacy I honestly have to ask - how? The source is reputable, backed up by other reputable sources as well, and its too intricate and congruent with the state of both this hypothetical movie's production and the Rise of Skywalker's production (there's a lot of similar elements), I think it's only a matter of time before the entire script is out in the public and I for one can't wait to read it. PT2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m62H56LMB-U

I disagree that Doctor Who isn’t escapism, the rich world that was developed by the previous seasons put a particular emphasis on getting attached to the characters and the world. Subtext is completely fine, that doesn’t ruin escapism and if anything that helps the world feel more grounded which is ironically more immersive. I just hate when that immersion is broken for no good reason, it makes everything fall apart and I suddenly give significantly less of a shit.

ugh, this episode started off so promising in the first half. I was having fun again, I was like 'this is Doctor Who', and there were even some surprisingly little charming and human moments with the characters. then the writing takes an absolute nose-dive, everyone is making weird decisions, forced drama comes out of nowhere with no build up and it feels so awkward. the pacing ends up erratic and the amount of times a character just randomly decides to die is absurd. the forced drama was not helped by some rather weak acting as well, I was not convinced at all with the emotions being portrayed, except for Jodie who was actually fairly decent this episode. the preaching about climate change can go fuck itself. I've never seen an ethical message so un-subtle before, let your story do the talking for you and don't have the Doctor chide us like we're naughty children for the 0.01% that didn't understand the message of the episode.

surprisingly a decent end to a two parter, its nice that they're giving the show more time to breathe in these episodes because there's a lot to get through, and if this was forced to be 45 minutes like the episodes of old I feel this would've been a mess. this has honestly been a bit of a shock to the system, I really could not give less of a shit for the previous season but especially how this one ends I'm...dare I say it - intrigued in Doctor Who again. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is but I'm getting more of a Russel era vibe from this show so far.

yeah another thing I forgot to mention is that the music was also a big step up from last series. I was actually getting some Murray Gold vibes, particularly in the action sequences - good return to form all around.

yeah I liked it. I think it's better than any episode from Season 11 and its set things up in a way I'm actually intrigued to follow. some genuinely creepy moments too, which the show has been missing for a while.

Hah, if only we got to see this Star Tours video a month ago! We would've had a lot to chew on, Falcon Flight, Anthem of Evil, The New Death Star - this is the most new material I've heard from a movie in a Star Tours section.

TROS sky-rockets above TLJ for me simply because the new music isn't mostly copy and pasted from a concert suite or track in the movie, good lord that was uninspired. In particular, the 'Finale' version of Anthem of Evil is spectacular, especially the way it transitions into the best sounding version of the Imperial March I've heard.