As SW moves forward, folks gonna have to drop the “not mentioned in the OT,” I get it, but let it go cus it’s just going to keep upsetting you. SW will always have a loose cannon, and things like that. Shoot Lucas did it himself with the prequels. SW story and how it’s told will always be messy, just part of what it…

yeah, because SW isn’t filled from ANH onward with story inconsistencies or anything...

Oh I love it, it’s new, interesting, and weird AF. Keep pushing the x-men forward, that Claremont went to some really weird places, makes me feel like I’m reading that again. Does it miss sometimes, yes, totally, so did Claremont, but that’s okay cus it does seem like they’re pushing things forward still.

Yeah, this part comes through strong in my biggest critique of RoP, it feels small, shallow, and compressed— say like Season 6/7 of GoT or say the scale difference between Agents of Shield and the MCU. It has a little too much of a basic cable feel to it.

Yeah, too monk like is a good observation. Deff too stoic, she doesnt feel warm enough, or expressive enough. Doesn’t have the playfulness either. Too jedi like, for someone who isn’t a jedi. 

Dawson still doesn’t work for me, she’s missing a lot, the swag, the introspection, the playfulness, and big bi-sexual energy of ahsoka. Tessa Thompson would’ve been perfect. A no-name would’ve helped too I think. But Dawson just misses on Ahsoka for me. 

Yeah the combat mechanics were so loose. If you’re going to do “Souls-like” even just a lite version, you have to have tight combat mechanics. Would love to have some weighty feel to swinging and using the force. It felt so blah to play. Level design left a lot to be inspired too, I’d be more forgiving if it wasn’t a…

Are those way too loose combat mechanics tightened and are the level designs better? Not in just being more opened, but the levels ya know, actually being quality and not just “look another cut and paste corridor

While there is critique that it’s a hand wave, the why is she was corrupted by the Darkhold, it was expositioned and demonstrated that’s what it does. It finds a weakness letting you think it’ll give you what you want, and push you to extremes. To the point about the series, her arch was letting him go, but she was…

I mean sure, whatever. Kinda. Either way, not the amount or as big of a jump overall as ya thinking. Doesn’t have to be a mutation, just how it works or whatever *hand-waves science fiction jargon* I’m sure your brain has made multiple bigger jumps in media. Most zombie movies/media do. could make a longer list about…

that is literally the only jump, and that isn’t even a jump.

yes. I know all these things. But no, I do not feel overwhelmed and in fact can follow along quite nicely. Willingly admit, big picture, large abstract things, etc. are things I tend to wrap my head around easier than others.

Haha, yeah the costume design leaves a bit to be inspired. I wish the show leaned into feeling less like a part of Jackson adaptation into being it’s own thing— as far as set, character, and costume design goes.

Exactly that. Yes the locations look great, but exactly you don’t get a sense of the world at large, just very specific well made locations. And spot on again in comparing the beacon-lighting vs the sailing to middle earth in how one gives you scale and the other doesn’t.

and the men of the southlands and harfoots/hobbits can work well to demonstrate the passage of time too

to me Elves not aging, and the long-age of Numenorans is a great argument for the time jumps, exactly because they don’t age you can tell a non-compressed story.

yeah, I was thinking they could do tight pods. I think adding more episodes would’ve been good, maybe 12 or so. Do 3-4 pods in the season, that can focus on one or two narratives. But yeah, I agree the main-thrust of the entire first season needed to be the build up to the rings, and actually should’ve gone full on…

I don’t thin HotD execution is the best, as you’re right it’s disjointed. But I think the idea can work, especially if say to do focused arc “pods” ala later seasons of Agents of Shield, or even how they’re doing Andor (granted this season is 1yr, next will be over a period of 3, but the concept works well when…

Yeah, this would have been stronger taking the GoT: HoD approach of time skips vs compressing the timeline. It would’ve given more gravitas to the characters, plot, narratives, etc. I agree, deff would’ve given everything more weight. The world here feels small and the compressed timeline lends to that as well. 

Considering the global pandemic (at least “officially,” even though yes it started Nov 2019) and it’s effects on production (this is the important context) didn’t start until 2020, not 2019, yes it is fine not giving any benefit of the doubt to a perpetual under-deliverer.