Revenge/Justice

I have defended every Disney Star Wars project to date (except The Last Jedi) but I can't let this one go. I really hoped I wouldn't get to a point where I would say that Disney has ruined Star Wars but I am finally here. This show is absolute trash. The premise had so much potential, but the script is terrible. Might be the first ever Star Wars project I don't even finish. No desire to continue watching, even with nothing else on currently. It's so sad too when you wait so long for something Star Wars related to come out. I can only pray Andor season 2 will be as good as the first. Now that's how you write a show.

There seems to be 2 types of Star Wars live action:

• Andor, the mandalorian season 1-2

OR

• kenobi, book of boba fett and ahsoka

This new acolyte show heavily leans towards the latter group. I am holding my opinion, but offering my perspective.

I would say that early to late teens would be the best audience for this show. The acting and script level is on par with Nickelodeon and Disney teen shows.

The plot is very straight forward backed by a script that will state exactly what will happen next.

The fight scenes are very well filmed and coordinated. The feel of it reminded me of watching Kung Fu tv shows as a kid.

The cast is more diverse than ever before. So new audiences will be able to find their own heroes in the Star Wars universe.

Sets and props are stunning. Really this is the part that shines in the show. But I don't think this part has ever been anything but excellent in SW.

This show clearly emphasizes pushing boundaries in a Star Trek like scenes, casting and dialog at times the show seemed like Star Trek entirely but with Star Wars sets. This aspect may make it or break it for you. I know this is a contentious topic. So I'll leave that there.

This episode seemed better than the 1st because one or two characters seemed intriguing to me.

This isn't terrible, but it's writing on the level of a CW superhero teen soap. Production quality is pretty good; sets and visuals are high quality. But, as has become a pattern with new Disney Star Wars properties (S1 Mandalorian & Andor excepted), the writing is insipid and formulaic; heroes - and especially villains - are cartoonish. They don't feel like nor behave like authentic persons. The leads don't possess charisma or chemistry. Expository dialogue is clunky and stale. Characters behave unintelligently, with implausible lack of the barest foresight, just because the script demands the plot keep moving. I'm hoping it improves, but sadly I'm not particularly hopeful.

The writers move the plot along through scenes that mostly work, but for me they should be more compelling than they are. I am still held by the central mystery, but the characters stop me from consistently enjoying it. It does not help that you want to overarching narrative to move on and reveal the key points already. For me the few attempts at humour do not work and feel quite forced.

That being said the important arc involving Amandla Stenberg's character does make me want to find out where it's going. It's concept of the old Jedi order is a pretty good one so far, but I will hold off on judgement until the story develops further. I have a slightly bad feeling that if it does not take us to something that cleverly relates to some of the movies I will be disappointed.

It does though end on a new hope with the introduction of what has the potential to be a cool new character, but it's still early days.

Instead of a two part opener. This could had easily been combined with the first episode.

The flat script and the earnest acting did not help the opening minutes. It felt too vanilla.

Also being just too late to save the next victim from his fate was a trope that could quickly become tiring.

The saving grace is that Acolyte does have few gears to crank. The mystery is just what did these four Jedis do in the past. What guilty sin are they shouldering?

This includes Master Sol, his name is in the hitlist.

So there is a mystery worth exploring but also just what to do with the Osha and Mae saga.

The writing and acting will certainly need to pep up a bit.