Star Wars: The Clone Wars Review

It's my opinion about the show and *SPOILER ALERT* why I absolutely LOVED IT!!

Here's how I came across this show in the first place:

It had been a few weeks since the release of The Force Awakens and due to some reasons, I hadn't seen it yet. I was waiting for it to come out in Blu-Ray.

To keep the magic alive, I figured, I should watch all the movies again. But I knew that wouldn't take too long. So, just in case I don't miss anything, I googled the chronological order of Star Wars in film and media. I came across an article saying:

'Star Wars' just nuked its entire Expanded Universe

As it turns out, on 25th April, 2014, Lucasfilm issued a statement that said that the expanded universe of Star Wars(Comics, Novels, etc.) that have come out till now are no longer part of the official canon, i.e., part of the main story. From then on, they were all labeled as "Legends." But whatever comes out from that day will be considered canon.

What this meant for me was that suddenly the official universe of Star Wars got a whole lot smaller. Small enough that I can go through all the animated movies and TV shows that were still part of canon.

Apart from the six movies, only one movie- "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and one TV series by the same name would be considered canon.

I was so happy to read that. IDK why but if I want to start some series or show, it bugs me if I don't watch/know everything about it. I was intimidated of Star Wars as it had so much history in print media and video games. But now knowing everything about the OFFICIAL Star Wars was possible. I'm pretty sure it is some form of OCD.

I started binge watching all the movies. Episode IV, V, VI, I, II... but then I remembered that the animated movie and the 6 seasons of the TV series lie in between Episodes II and III. I thought that I should watch them before Episode III.

I liked the movie. IDK why people love to hate it. I liked it. Anyways, the TV series picks us right where the movie ends. I completed the series in a month or so. And after I was done and I saw Episode III, I could see things differently now. I could understand so much. Almost everything made sense. But I have to say I was disappointed by the execution of the film. Specially after watching something as good as The Clone Wars. In their defense, they had a lot to cover in a matter of 3 hours.

Now I want to talk about what I liked about The Clone Wars:

There were many things I liked about the show in general and there were things that I liked specially because it did justice to the Star Wars universe. I think I should write them in points.

1. Ahsoka Tano:

She was introduced in the movie. And when I saw her the first time, I was very skeptical. I wasn't expecting any new characters. Little did I know that she would turn out to be one of my favourite characters.

Watching The Clone Wars was like watching Ahsoka's journey. From a Padawan to the closest thing to a Jedi. Half way through the series, I was wishing to God they don't kill her off during Order 66.

We all knew what was going to happen with Anakin. His way of thinking was unlike any Jedi and we all know why. What I want to point out is that Ahsoka was like the voice of reason for Anakin. She was one of the few who reminded Anakin of the path of the Jedi. She was the one who would keep Anakin in check; constantly reminding him what was the right thing to do.

I was heartbroken when she turned down the Jedi Council's offer to join the council again. But that also meant she would survive Order 66. I was sad and happy at the same time.

Ahsoka was pure of heart and clearly more than a Jedi. As we later find out, Jedi themselves were not perfect.

2. Asajj Ventress:

Asajj's character started out a wannabe Sith Lord, training under Count Dooku and posing as a bounty hunter. She had a journey of her own. From being betrayed by her master to returning to her roots, to taking her own apprentice and going back to becoming a full time bounty hunter and leaving the Sith path.

I believe she was best Sith apprentice since Darth Maul.

3. The clone wars was not about Black vs White:

The show added layers to the clone wars. It showed us that the war between the Republic and the Separatists was not Good vs Evil.

It showed us that the systems supporting the Separatists also wanted peace but, according to them, the Republic and it's "Democracy" had failed to keep peace in the galaxy. They needed help and Count Dooku was ready to "help" them. They also believed that the Republic was corrupt, which in fact it was. The Separatists were not wrong to help themselves overthrow a corrupt republic.

The war was more like Evil vs Evil. But that would only come to light in Episode III. But as far as The Clone Wars is concerned, it shed light on the political reasons of the clone wars which Episode II failed to show.

The show totally justified The Clone Wars.

4. Clone lives matter:

We were introduced to something absolutely new. The different personalities of the clones. It showed that every clone trooper was different and had it's own personality.  They even had a their own names.

My favourite was Rex of the 501st Battalion. Obviously. I remember a few more. Fives, Echo, Cody.... You could tell them apart by their hairstyles, their helmet and their personalities.

There were many story arcs that were about the clones. Some involving them questioning their purpose of existence. Some involving rouge clone troopers. Some involving clones refusing to follow orders. And some involving clones being treated as dispensable soldiers. These were the kind of issues, I would imagine, clones would face if they really existed. And that is why I loved the clone trooper story arcs.

The Clone Wars showed us that the clones had a human side as well. And they were relatable characters and not just mindless soldiers as opposed to Episode II and III.

One of my favourite arcs was the one in the 6th season where they justify Order 66. It was brilliant. It contributed to the Star Wars universe in such a big way. And I can say this without any hesitation that it was one of the most important story arc of the show, if not the most important.

5. Jedi are not invincible:

We got to know a lot more about the Jedi and their religion from the show. We got to see Younglings finding their crystals and creating their lightsabers. We got to see such an important part of a Jedi's journey.

Another thing we found out was that the Jedi were supposed to make judgments without any feelings involved. At first it sound right. But it has it's down sides. There was a story arc where Ahsoka was framed by a defected Padawan, Barriss, for a bombing in the Jedi temple. The Jedi Council believed in evidence over the word of one of their own. They removed her from active duty and sent her for trial. As I mentioned earlier, the Jedi were far from perfect.

But one thing that we learned about the Jedi which stands out is that the Jedi were not invincible.

During the clone wars, many Jedi and Padawans lost their lives. Some lost their lives in battle with the Sith, some lost their lives to mere droids and one was even tortured to death.

It showed the mortality of the Jedi. And that they couldn't have fought a war on their own against the Separatists.

The show also highlighted that now all Jedi were loyal to the Jedi Order. Some defected to the dark side and some defected to the Separatists. There were multiple story arcs involving defected Jedi.

6. Old and new characters:

Many old characters were brought back such as General Grievous, Count Dooku, Master Yoda, Mace Windu, Tarkin, etc. And the portrayal of these characters and their personalities was brilliant. I mean we got to see more of General Grievous and Count Dooku in action on the battle field and in the war room.

Also the new characters such as Savage Opress, Mother Talzin, Cad Bane, Hondo Ohnaka and many more were so good.

Also, they brought back Darth Maul. That story arc was epic.

7. The new Jedi:

We got to meet some Jedi Masters- Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Luminara Unduli, Eeth Koth, Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, and more.

I was so excited to see these characters. It was amazing to see these wise Jedi generals fight alongside their respective clone battalions.

8. Justified the Star Wars Sequels:

The show tried to justify it's chronological sequels in many ways. Some of them are as follows:

a) There were times when Anakin had his "Darth Vader" moments. Like the one where he force chocked Poggle the Lesser or when Anakin kills Merrick and proves he is a "cold blooded killer." He constantly shows his disapproval towards the Jedi Council's decisions on many issues. He also shows his admiration for Chancellor Palpatine. One more instance I would like to point out is when he is talking with Governor Tarkin. They agree that the republic should be more aggressive. And by coincidence both of them were good friends of Palpatine. It kind of a setup for Episode IV.

b) Anakin "brought balance to the Force." In a story arc filled with the mystique about the Force, Anakins brings balance to the Force by somehow managing to kill the Brother(Dark Side) who had killed his own sister(Light Side). If he were to stay in that mystical realm(Mortis) and become the peace keeper, he would've brought balance to the Force for sure. But he chose to go back. And in doing, he left the position of the peace keeper(The Father) empty; No one to keep the balance in check. But nevertheless he did did fulfill the prophecy. He was the chosen one. He did defeat the dark side which had killed the light side of the Force. And so the prophecy was fulfilled.

c) As I already mentioned, the show justified Order 66. Under the influence of a chip embedded inside the brains of the clones, they attacked their Jedi generals. 

d) The show tried to show one more thing which I didn't buy. It was Yoda learning how to communicate with the Jedi that have passed away. The episode is filled with mystic forces trying to teach Yoda something. It's very vague and was done only to justify his claim in Episode III that he had communicated with Qui Gon.

Apart from these points, there was one more reason why I loved the show. The show was epic. The war, politics, emotions.... I loved everything. The tone of the show was a bit dark which I liked. They didn't shy away from death or torture. No Jedi or clone was like "We never kill. It's not our way." Even if the Jedi used to believe in that, but during a war, they can't exactly NOT KILL and WIN the war. The show was more mature than other animated shows. That's something I loved about the show.

References:
1. http://www.dailydot.com/geek/star-wars-expanded-universe-not-canon/
2. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Why I love Detachment(2011)

Few months back, a friend suggested I watch this movie - Detachment. I was not interested as it wasn't a comedy(my first choice). But I did copy the movie from him because... Why the hell not!

In January we all know what happened. So I was in my hometown for a month. I had to pass my time somehow and so I decided to binge watch all movies and series that I had on my laptop. And that's when I came across Detachment.

It starred Adrien Brody. I had never watched him in a movie before. In fact, I only knew two things about him - a) He is one of the few people who are banned from ever hosting Saturday Night Live and b) He is a respected actor. After watching his performance, I can attest to point (b).

I didn't have any expectations from the movie. As I said it was just for passing time. The friend who gave me this movie told me that I would have a new found respect for teachers after I'm done watching it. So, according to him, the movie was about teachers and what they go through to educate us. But if you ask me, I think there's a lot more to it than just teachers and their difficult lives.

Of course, there is the main story of Henry Barthes - a substitute teacher who tries to educate students about the "reality" of life in the short period of time he is with his them. But there is more to the story. A subplot(in a way).

His personal life is filled with tragedy. His grandfather used to sexually abuse his mother when he was a kid. And to keep him from seeing all this, Henry's mom used to lock the door. But he understood what was happening(at least he did understand later on). His mother committed suicide when he was 7. All this had a huge impact on him. After all this, you would expect him to become a cynical asshole. But he did not become that. He sorted himself out and believed that everyone(specially kids) can drive their life in the right direction even if a lot of shit had happened with them(That's what he did, right?).

In a nutshell, this "Positivity" is what he's trying to spread to all his students.

Anyways, let's get back to the B story. So, one night on his way back to his apartment, he finds a teenage prostitute Erica. She tries to seduce him but Henry couldn't care less. He makes it clear to her that he's not interested and tells her that the life she is leading, she chose it herself. She, obviously, blames her circumstances and tells him to "Fuck OFF!"

The next night, she follows him and this time Henry offers her to come to his place. She gladly accepts. He gives her food, clean clothes and, most of all, respect. I know I know..... What am I going about? What's the point?

There is one. Lemme tell you a bit more. Then we'll get to it. At one point, when he finds Erica giving oral sex to someone in his apartment, he didn't kick her out. He simply asks her to do it outside his apartment if she has to.

He didn't want to change people. He wanted to be the best he was. And he expected people to do the same. Just the best they could be. Something I admire about the character. Just saying.

One more little detail before I get to the underlying subtext of the movie that I could see. There are other issues he had to deal with. Like, once he caught a kid in school beating a cat to death with a hammer. He, obviously, reported him to the principal. And they took over from there.

Last detail. There's a girl, Meredith, in his class going through some heavy issues at her home and she wants him to engage but he doesn't. In fact, even on his last day of school, he didn't have a lot to say to her.

Now I would like to discuss the second aspect of the movie which I found to be more interesting and tell you why I love Detachment.

The defining scene for me in the whole movie is the scene where Meredith asks Henry for help after class. And as he explains that he's always there to help, Meredith breaks down in tears. This was the first time a person had accepted her as she was. Not even her own father did that. She, obviously, doesn't want Henry to ever leave her. And she mistakes all this for love.

She hugs Henry but Henry is reluctant. He understands the boundaries they need to maintain and so he doesn't hug her back properly. That's when Sarah, a fellow teacher, walks in on them. Meredith runs off crying as Henry doesn't feel the same way about her. Sarah gets shocked to see Henry "touching" one of his students. That's THE BEST MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE MOVIE!!

Sarah exclaims why Henry was touching Meredith? Again and again. It is very clear to Henry what she was implying. To be clear, she was implying that Henry was a pervert who "liked" teenage girls. This one thought disturbed him deeply. It brought back memories of his childhood. Somehow reminded him of Erica.

Flashes of Erica's naked back go through his head. Erica is a teenage girl but on some level, he realizes, he did find her attractive. And this thought disgusted him. He is reminded of his abusive grandfather. And that's why, a calm and composed guy like himself, screams with anger in front of Sarah. He screams something like, "Do you think I look like an old pervert!?" "Old" thinking of his grandfather. And then he storms off.

Let's analyse this realization of his and all the information mentioned above. He did find Erica attractive on some level. Why else would he try to help her? He didn't stop her from being a prostitute. He did say that if she doesn't want to do it, she can promise herself but he didn't stop her. If anything, he asked her to do anything she wants outside the apartment. He didn't make any move towards her. That is clear. But where was he going with this relationship? She's living with him and she's not his kid. He's not treating her like her daughter. What was it then?

Think about the little boy who killed a cat in cold blood. I'm pretty sure he needed Henry more than anyone in the school. But he didn't help him out.

He wasn't there for Meredith either. His advice and help wasn't enough for her. He didn't help her out as much as he did Erica. If he had shown more interest in her, probably she wouldn't have committed suicide.

He had realized this aspect of his nature in that moment. And that is why the next day he contacted Child Care Services and let them take Erica away. He couldn't risk it. He couldn't trust himself. He knew it was wrong of him to feel "that" way about Erica. Even if it was only on a subconscious level.

Remember when I said Henry "sorted himself out"? Well, he did sort himself. But the trauma he went through as a kid, stayed with him; Buried deep. And when he was accused of doing something, the very same thing that had haunted him since his childhood, he burst. The secret he had been keeping so long somehow caught up with him. And, hence, all his emotions came out at once. Mostly anger and disgust.

It was the most beautiful scene of the entire movies. And to capture that feeling in a movie is commendable. That's why Detachment moved me and it's one of my favourite movies.

UPDATE:

There is one more aspect that I failed to notice earlier. I watched the classroom scene again. And the one where the Child Care Services people take Erica away. And I could see one more aspect of Henry.

A serial killer's psychology - "Correspondingly, in some cases of serial killers, the murder ritual seemed to have recreated earlier conflicts with meaningful objects, such as parents, authority figures, or peers. The outcome of the replay is different to the original, though. This time, the killer dominates the situation."

Bear with me. Serial killers like to replay their past traumatic events but this time, they're in control. And they repeat it again and again with multiple victims until they get it right.

Compare this to someone saying, "I'm going to be there for you because noone was there to help me out when I was in your situation."

Consider both points mentioned above. Maybe it's in human nature to have this train of thought.

Maybe Henry, subconsciously, was replaying his childhood trauma - an older guy living with a much younger girl(in this case Erica). But this time he was in control and he would help her out rather than abuse her like his grandfather did to his mother. Maybe he wants to make everything right. And, subconsciously, this was his way of doing it.

After he goes through the moment of realization, he fears that he might turn out to be like his grandfather. He fears whatever he did for her might be just because he is somehow attracted to her. This obviously disgusted him; even scared him. He might or might not have been attracted to her. But the doubt is enough to scare him. And that's why lets them take away Erica.

Had to get it off my chest....
No more updates. Promise.

Reference :
http://ambafrance-do.org/psychology-help/16678.php