deerstalker
https://blackgirlnerds.com/thrilling-mysteries-to-watch-if-you-love-pretty-little-liars/
It’s been five years since Pretty Little Liars ended, but the series lives on with a strong fanbase. This month, we’ll get the new HBO Max Original Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, but what do PLL fans watch until then?
Since 2019, all seven seasons have been available to binge on HBO Max. As much as we love returning to Rosewood, sometimes it’s worth venturing out. Teen dramas like Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and Revenge are all full of shocking betrayals and dark secrets.
But if you’re looking for something a little darker, funnier, or just different, check out the list below.
Cruel Summer (2021-)
This Freeform series follows the chaotic lives of two girls across three timelines: 1993, 1994, and 1995. It begins with the disappearance of popular teen Kate Wallis — the classic missing girl storyline.
But when her classmate, formerly awkward Jennette Turner, glows up and takes Kate’s place — including inheriting her posse and dating her boyfriend — some people get suspicious. Cruel Summer is a show that completely took me by surprise with its addictive story and stellar acting. Plus, there are plenty of 90s jams blasting throughout the ten episodes. Even though it’s not as eclectic as PLL’s wardrobe, the fashion is on point.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Yellowjackets (2021–)
Speaking of the 90s, Yellowjackets alternates between 1996, when the plane transporting a girl’s high school soccer team to a tournament crash lands in the Canadian wilderness, and 2021, when the survivors have to deal with the lasting trauma. Having gone their separate ways, four receive cryptic messages that put them on edge. Murder, blackmail, teenage love, adult love, unresolved trauma, and implied cannibalism are all the ingredients for your next binge watch.
Where to Watch: Showtime and Prime Video
Only Murders in the Building (2021-)
Only Murders in the Building is the only comedy on this list, but it has plenty of mystery. True crime buffs will relate to Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. The amateur sleuthing trio all reside in the Arconia, a luxury apartment building in New York.
When one of the residents is found dead one night, they take it upon themselves to solve his murder, which was already ruled a suicide. They start their own true crime podcast to document the investigation and eventually gain a following. Those looking for a cozy viewing experience that still offers twists and turns will love Only Murders.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Ragdoll (2021-)
Lucy Hale has landed some big roles since her time as PLL’s own Aria Montgomery. In this psychological thriller, she plays Lake Edmunds, a former LAPD officer who transfers to the UK to be a detective constable (DC). Edmunds works on a disturbing case that involves a serial killer who dismembered multiple victims and reassembled them as one body — aka The Ragdoll.
The further they get into the investigation, the more the unknown killer starts to taunt them, particularly the unstable Detective Sergeant (DS) Nathan Rose. Hale shows off her range in this role that she apparently had to fight for. Speaking about her character, she told EW: “She’s definitely a lot rougher around the edges and edgier than a lot of the characters I’ve played. But I knew that I could do it.” And she did.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Sharp Objects (2018)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, St. Louis crime reporter Camille Preaker is sent to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to cover a murder case involving young girls. Haunted by her past and painful childhood, Camille is an alcoholic, still struggling after her stay at a psychiatric hospital.
Despite the contrast in setting, suburban Pennsylvania versus Southern Missouri, Rosewood and Wind Gap have similar small-town gossip and dark secrets. Overbearing perfectionist mothers, entitled queen bees, false accusations based on appearances, secret hookups, and a murder mystery, Sharp Objects has it all. There’s even a whole dollhouse motif; something that PLL fans are very familiar with.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
If you’re looking for some romance, tragedy, and gorgeous scenery, this Mike Flanagan miniseries is for you. Following the equally chilling and heart-wrenching The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor tells the story of a young au pair, Dani, and her new gig at the titular ghostly grounds. PLL loved a good ghost story. Though it has some moments of levity with Dani’s adorable awkwardness and Owen’s endless food puns, it’s an emotionally heavy series that will have you shrieking, laughing, and sobbing.
Where to Watch: Netflix
The Order (2019-20)
Here we have another casualty of Netflix’s trademark abrupt cancellations. Though it was cut short after two seasons, the horror drama followed the forever-long rivalry between Belgrave University’s resident werewolves, the Knights of Saint Christopher, and witches, the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose. It’s got forbidden romance, cult-like ceremonies, and various supernatural mysteries. There’s also the legendary scream queen Katharine Isabelle as the university’s chancellor with a high-ranking position in the secret society.
Where to Watch: Netflix
It’s been five years since Pretty Little Liars ended, but the series lives on with a strong fanbase. This month, we’ll get the new HBO Max Original Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, but what do PLL fans watch until then?
Since 2019, all seven seasons have been available to binge on HBO Max. As much as we love returning to Rosewood, sometimes it’s worth venturing out. Teen dramas like Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and Revenge are all full of shocking betrayals and dark secrets.
But if you’re looking for something a little darker, funnier, or just different, check out the list below.
Cruel Summer (2021-)
This Freeform series follows the chaotic lives of two girls across three timelines: 1993, 1994, and 1995. It begins with the disappearance of popular teen Kate Wallis — the classic missing girl storyline.
But when her classmate, formerly awkward Jennette Turner, glows up and takes Kate’s place — including inheriting her posse and dating her boyfriend — some people get suspicious. Cruel Summer is a show that completely took me by surprise with its addictive story and stellar acting. Plus, there are plenty of 90s jams blasting throughout the ten episodes. Even though it’s not as eclectic as PLL’s wardrobe, the fashion is on point.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Yellowjackets (2021–)
Speaking of the 90s, Yellowjackets alternates between 1996, when the plane transporting a girl’s high school soccer team to a tournament crash lands in the Canadian wilderness, and 2021, when the survivors have to deal with the lasting trauma. Having gone their separate ways, four receive cryptic messages that put them on edge. Murder, blackmail, teenage love, adult love, unresolved trauma, and implied cannibalism are all the ingredients for your next binge watch.
Where to Watch: Showtime and Prime Video
Only Murders in the Building (2021-)
Only Murders in the Building is the only comedy on this list, but it has plenty of mystery. True crime buffs will relate to Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. The amateur sleuthing trio all reside in the Arconia, a luxury apartment building in New York.
When one of the residents is found dead one night, they take it upon themselves to solve his murder, which was already ruled a suicide. They start their own true crime podcast to document the investigation and eventually gain a following. Those looking for a cozy viewing experience that still offers twists and turns will love Only Murders.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Ragdoll (2021-)
Lucy Hale has landed some big roles since her time as PLL’s own Aria Montgomery. In this psychological thriller, she plays Lake Edmunds, a former LAPD officer who transfers to the UK to be a detective constable (DC). Edmunds works on a disturbing case that involves a serial killer who dismembered multiple victims and reassembled them as one body — aka The Ragdoll.
The further they get into the investigation, the more the unknown killer starts to taunt them, particularly the unstable Detective Sergeant (DS) Nathan Rose. Hale shows off her range in this role that she apparently had to fight for. Speaking about her character, she told EW: “She’s definitely a lot rougher around the edges and edgier than a lot of the characters I’ve played. But I knew that I could do it.” And she did.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Sharp Objects (2018)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, St. Louis crime reporter Camille Preaker is sent to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to cover a murder case involving young girls. Haunted by her past and painful childhood, Camille is an alcoholic, still struggling after her stay at a psychiatric hospital.
Despite the contrast in setting, suburban Pennsylvania versus Southern Missouri, Rosewood and Wind Gap have similar small-town gossip and dark secrets. Overbearing perfectionist mothers, entitled queen bees, false accusations based on appearances, secret hookups, and a murder mystery, Sharp Objects has it all. There’s even a whole dollhouse motif; something that PLL fans are very familiar with.
Where to Watch: HBO Max
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
If you’re looking for some romance, tragedy, and gorgeous scenery, this Mike Flanagan miniseries is for you. Following the equally chilling and heart-wrenching The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor tells the story of a young au pair, Dani, and her new gig at the titular ghostly grounds. PLL loved a good ghost story. Though it has some moments of levity with Dani’s adorable awkwardness and Owen’s endless food puns, it’s an emotionally heavy series that will have you shrieking, laughing, and sobbing.
Where to Watch: Netflix
The Order (2019-20)
Here we have another casualty of Netflix’s trademark abrupt cancellations. Though it was cut short after two seasons, the horror drama followed the forever-long rivalry between Belgrave University’s resident werewolves, the Knights of Saint Christopher, and witches, the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose. It’s got forbidden romance, cult-like ceremonies, and various supernatural mysteries. There’s also the legendary scream queen Katharine Isabelle as the university’s chancellor with a high-ranking position in the secret society.
Where to Watch: Netflix
I know what you’re thinking…
Another metaverse article with fancy, schmancy buzzwords…
If you had stopped reading there, you might have been right! 
You know what they say: if knowledge is power, then curiosity is the muscle!
Okay, only 5 people have said that, but the point is that you never know what you’ve been missing until it passes you by. 
Let’s hop in, shall we?
At BGN, we’ve talked about the metaverse before, but, in case you missed it, catch up here.
This time we’re talking about one of the biggest virtual landscapes within the metaverse: Decentraland! This metaverse is a decentralized 3D virtual world. Its landscape includes an array of things. From buildings to art, live events, gaming, and networking opportunities, Decentraland offers its community the opportunity to interact in new creative, meaningful ways.
Imagine Decentraland the way you would envision a state fair. There are many people to interact with in real-time, and you can move around and explore what other users have created and have for sale.
You might have also heard of Decentraland because it’s becoming one of the leading platforms for buying digital land in the metaverse.
When one goes to buy digital property in Decentraland, you’ll find that it’s split into multiple fragments, a.k.a. parcels, that would be about the equivalent of 52 x 52 feet of land in the real world. As a user, you can come into this virtual reality world and buy parcels of land to build virtual homes, art galleries, real estate, and commercial properties for live events or artistic endeavors! In turn, you also can rent your property to other users and creators as you would in the real world.
“How do I navigate Decentraland after I’ve registered to join?”
Luckily for you, there’s a virtual district, called Genesis Plaza, that is dedicated to helping you learn about the history of Decentraland and all the virtual places you can explore.. Long story short – Genesis Plaza can be described as the headquarters of this revolutionary virtual reality world.
A great way to think about Genesis Plaza is as a town square. In a town square, you’ll often come across historical buildings, a main governing building, museums, restaurants, and maybe a guest services office. This is exactly what Genesis Plaza is, so here users can always visit to learn more about what Decentraland has to offer and safely navigate the space.
Let’s deep dive into how Decentraland works and get ready for another buzzword: decentralization. As you can guess, the latter has a lot to do with how Decentraland got its name, so what does it mean?
According to Mallay Anderson of MIT: “Decentralization is the process of dispersing functions and power away from a central location or authority.” Therefore, decentralization aims to return power and autonomy to individuals versus big corporations that unilaterally decide how content gets filtered, profit off your data, and can censor you at any given time without notice.
If decentralization is beginning to sound familiar, it’s because the technology that Decentraland uses is rooted in a blockchain — similar to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Remember that the appeal behind cryptocurrency when it started blowing up years ago was that it would empower consumers to have full autonomy of their financial exchanges and interactions without banks or financial institutions as the intermediary. Therefore, crypto was presented as the answer to decentralizing finance and streamlining monetary exchanges.
“If Decentraland isn’t owned or centralized by a single entity, WHO is calling the shots?”
Since Decentraland is decentralized, all community users can vote on key critical decisions that may affect change on that platform.
In fact, Decentraland is governed by a DAO, which stands for decentralized autonomous organization. This is composed of its community of users to further transparency. The platform also educates users on how they can become part of decision-making processes.
Additionally, Decentraland’s DAO owns the most important smart contracts and assets that make up the virtual reality world.
“Can I use standard currency to shop around in Decentraland?”
Not quite. $MANA is the cryptocurrency that’s used to sell, buy, and exchange in this metaverse, which leads us to discuss how digital property is protected in Decentraland.
Since we’ve touched upon decentralization, cryptocurrency, and blockchain, you can probably guess where this is heading!
NFTs! That’s right, non-fungible tokens. Hey, at least these “fancy, schmancy” buzzwords are relevant! 
When people found out that masses of people and businesses were buying land in the metaverse, one of the primary concerns that surfaced was how one could protect their digital real estate.
Besides, if the metaverse is supposed to mirror the real world, doesn’t that mean that users can act just as dangerously in real life and potentially steal others’ digital property?
This is where the use of NFTs comes in because, in Decentraland, each parcel is marked by a land token. These ensure that your land cannot be duplicated, replicated, or exchanged.
When it comes to digital real estate, remember that location is key. Just as you would in the real world, you can utilize your parcel purchases as a return on your investment in the future. So, if you’re interested in flipping houses or investing early in the metaverse as it begins to gain traction, this is the time to explore what virtual reality worlds like Decentraland can offer you as an entrepreneur or business owner. It is redefining the way that human beings connect and interact with one another.
If the pandemic proved anything to businesses, it’s that they have to be able to meet consumers where they’re at. For small businesses and entrepreneurs, you might not always be able to open up a local storefront or even reach customers overseas, right? But with Decentraland, you can buy parcels of land to build a digital replica of your business where you can offer services and network with people all around the world without physical limitations.
The best way to determine what Decentraland can offer you is to experience it firsthand. So, go and check out the website! You can easily create your own avatar and explore what the landscape is like.
Lastly, as the metaverse continues to trend and develop, the landscape of virtual reality worlds will adapt to the needs of the community. Decentraland has become a great example of virtual reality worlds that have evolved over the past few years as they gain traction with artists, creators, and social entrepreneurs.
Want to learn more about the number of ways you can start a business in the metaverse? Stay tuned!
Holy sanitized curse word!
Harley Quinn is finally back with its third season and has a new home on HBO Max. The first two seasons of the hit Max Original aired on the now defunct DC Universe platform, premiering in November 2019, with the Season 2 finale in June 2020. Two years is quite a long gap between seasons but the show’s creative team, led by co-showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (Abbott Elementary), made sure it was worth the wait.
Season 3 picks up where we left off with Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) riding into the sunset after Ivy decides not to marry Kite Man (Matt Oberg). The new couple, dubbed “Harlivy,” travel around in Wonder Woman’s invisible plane, bashing heads and living off of the credit card of Commissioner Gordon (Christopher Meloni). Taking a break from their Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour, Harley and Ivy return to Gotham to bust King Shark (Ron Funches) and Clayface (Alan Tudyk) out of Arkham. The crew reassembles, including the uproarious Frank the Plant (J. B. Smoove), and goes right back to planning more capers. But this season, Ivy is the evil mastermind, and her diabolical plan is to terraform Gotham City.
Harley hypes up her woman every chance she gets, encouraging Ivy to embrace her inner baddie and create the Eden paradise of her dreams. But they also go through the typical ups and downs in any relationship, and Harley struggles with her own identity as a villain. For anyone concerned that Harlivy will fall victim to the break-up/make-up trope, don’t worry. Halpern and Schumacker shared in an Instagram Live AMA that there won’t be any question of, “Are they gonna break up? Are they gonna stay together?” because the writer-creators want to “see them together as a couple.” As do we!
The first season focused on the end of Harley’s historically toxic and abusive relationship with the Joker (Alan Tudyk) and her journey to establish herself as her own person, while Season 2 followed her growing romance with her plant goddess bestie. Now that Harley and Ivy are BFF-GFFs, the story very much focuses on them as Gotham’s new power couple, particularly how they make it work with their differing personalities — the codependent, emotionally intense Harley and the closed-off, humanity-averse Ivy. The road to their romance was messy and chaotic, so naturally, their relationship would be the same, except now there’s tons of bangin’.
Harlivy isn’t the only romance this season, though. We also see the rocky relationship of Batman/Bruce Wayne (Diedrich Bader) and Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Sanaa Lathan), sans the infamously axed oral sex scene. Introduced last season, Lathan’s sultry and witty Catwoman is the perfect combination of Eartha Kitt and Michelle Pfeiffer. Bader doesn’t get enough credit for his Batman/Bruce Wayne, though the show may not depict him as the skilled detective we know and love. One episode has Harley and company, with the help of former crew member Dr. Psycho (Tony Hale), entering his mind, an interesting place to say the least. The series has paid homage to Batman: The Animated Series since the beginning, but this particular episode takes it further with the style and music.
Joker gets a “stand-alone-ish” episode, where we see the former Clown Prince of Crime’s suburban life with his new family. A domesticated Joker may sound boring, but seeing him struggle with mundane things like helping his step-son with common core math is anything but. As seen in the trailers, he dons the red and green colors of Joaquin Phoenix’s version, even doing the now iconic dance down the stairs. I won’t spoil anything, but just know that the catchy tune accompanying the scene is filled with references to the character’s many incarnations. (And speaking of music, there’s a completely unexpected Sum41 reference that this reviewer greatly appreciated.)
One of the subplots this season follows Gordon’s mayoral campaign, led disastrously by Two-Face (Andy Daly). He seems a little less desperate for Batman’s attention but is still plenty obsessed with calling the Dark Knight his best friend and capturing Harley and Ivy. And with Joker as his running mate, old Gordo’s not doing so hot. As Joker states, “I’m both a maniacal force of nature and want universal health care, so I’m running for mayor!” Who can compete with that?
Other supporting characters return in varying degrees of prominence, like Riddler (Jim Rash), Nora Fries (Rachel Dratch), Tawny (Tisha Campbell), Alfred Pennyworth (Tom Hollander), and the lovable Kite Man. In April, it was announced that Kite Man is getting his own spinoff series, Noonan’s (working title), focusing on his purchase of Gotham’s seedy dive bar and his new girlfriend Golden Glider, who also makes an appearance in the third episode of Season 3. Several characters in Harley Quinn could easily lead their own spinoffs, like the buffoonish, perceptually vengeful Bane (James Adomian). While there are no plans for a solo show, Bane will also have a big role in the upcoming Kite Man series.
Season 3 introduces some new DC characters to the show, including Amanda Waller (Tisha Campbell), Swamp Thing (Sam Richardson), and Music Meister (Larry Owens). Like the rest of the talented voice cast, Campbell (who also voices talk show host Tawny), Veep’s Richardson, and Abbott Elementary’s Owens all do an incredible job making the characters their own. Filmmaker James Gunn (The Suicide Squad) makes a cameo as himself, directing a biopic about Thomas Wayne, starring Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo), who also plays himself. Clayface, desperate to be a part of the project, molds himself into a chair just to get in Gunn’s good graces. There’s also the Court of Owls, which turns out to be one big orgy of Gotham’s elite. (But Batman couldn’t go down on Catwoman? Hmm…okay.)
This season welcomes a new member of the bat family — the super serious and totally stable Nightwing/Dick Grayson (Harvey Guillén). The hero returns to Gotham ready to prove himself as Batman’s equal and no longer his sidekick. He butts heads with Batgirl/Barbara Gordon (Briana Cuoco), easily one of the most endearing characters in the series. Guillén, known as Guillermo de la Cruz in What We Do in the Shadows, has a hilarious take on the protector of Blüdhaven.
Harley Quinn expands its roster of three-dimensional DC A-listers and D-listers and everyone in between, growing its brilliant voice cast, but still focusing on the heart of the show — the wild and sweet relationship of Harley and Ivy. The series stays consistently entertaining while adding more layers to its characters and balancing emotional storytelling with raunchy humor and bloody action. The world of animation offers an almost limitless landscape of possibilities that Halpern and Schumacker skillfully embrace.
The third season of Harley Quinn debuts with three episodes July 28 on HBO Max, followed by one episode weekly through September 15.
Hello there. Now that Obi-Wan is out in the world, episodes deep, there are some things we need to discuss. First off, if there’s a new Star Wars property there are probably new characters, shifted canon, callbacks out the wazoo, and something…else. Something nefarious and deeply engrained. Something that has tarnished the once wholesome experience the Star Wars franchise was aglow with. For clarity, the “something” is racist and sexist fanboys with a chokehold on the fandom. The kind who want some change but not enough to like change voter suppression or abortion laws – because they remember how things used to be.
From the casting of only two Black actors (three-named thespians James Earl Jones and Billy Dee Williams) in the OG trilogy main cast to a primarily POC main cast in the last three entries in the Skywalker Saga. From Carrie Fisher’s spunky and sharp Leia as the lone femme to Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran holding major screentime in several blockbuster films. Despite all of this perceived progress, Ahmed Best (Jar-Jar Binks) considered self-harm, Kelly Marie Tran removed themselves from social media, Daisy Ridley sought therapy, and John Boyega was boycotted. Now, Obi-Wan cast member Moses Ingram is catching death threats in their DMs. While Lucasfilm has stepped the social media support of cast members in recent weeks, they were spectacularly silent about the treatment of Best, Tran, Ridley, and Boyega.
How, in a world with Rodians, Twi’leks, Wookies, and hundreds of other fictional but ‘alien’ species does anyone get caught up on the physical appearance of anything in the Star Wars universe? How, in a show like Obi-Wan that aesthetically and thematically references the impact of real-life fascism, do “fans” engage in behavior that reinforces white supremacist fascism? In the wake of the earlier mentioned bullying and the increasing racist backlash, non-white nerds are faced with a wildly absurd question: is this an inevitable part of the Star Wars fandom moving forward? If so, how do we, melanated and marginalized media consumers, move on? Do we abandon the franchise? Which, by extension, abandons the people of color in front of and behind the camera? I’m asking because I am truly at my wit’s end and don’t have an answer.
The reality is, much like the narrative arc of Obi-Wan, we are faced with way more questions about the future of the Star Wars landscape than we are given answers. There are still parts of this fandom where inclusion and diversity reign supreme without sacrificing lore and continuity. The Mandalorian being a prime example, add to that some literary canon from Daniel Jose Older’s Star Wars novels and his run on Marvel’s The High Republic comics. Both of which have all types of DEI gems. Folks from all the imaginary walks of life can be found there, and it’s done with all the swashbuckling panache of the OG extended universe, without the saccharin canon butchering of the Kenobi/Leia dynamic on Obi-Wan.
Don’t get me wrong. Vivian Lyra Blair is doing a great job with the role, but ‘the precocious know-it-all politically savvy beyond her years’ fan service hits a wall quickly. *knocks on fourth wall* We don’t want young Leia throwbacks where she’s doing poorly choreographed parkour in the woods. We want Finn as a Bast-damn Jedi! We want Rose to rise up as a tactical mastermind and replace Leia as the ‘heart’ and general of the rebellion. We want Kit Fisto to not have gone out like a mark ass buster in Revenge of the Sith after seeing him body a whole armada on Mon Calamari in The Clone Wars 2D series! That last one was personal and twenty years in the making, but the point stands. The kinds of diversity and equity true fans want to see in this universe don’t require shifting established canon. There is more than enough galaxy in the world to make new stories, shout out to Taika Waititi who said as much.
“Look, I think for the Star Wars universe to expand, it has to expand… I would like to take something new and create some new characters and just expand the world, otherwise it feels like it’s a very small story.”
Taika Waititi, via TotalFilm
Word throughout the nerd-o-sphere is mixed on the reviews for the Obi-Wan series. On one end, the hype train for the Vader vs. Kenobi lightsaber showdown spectacular was running full steam. The anticipation of a Hayden Christiansen acted Darth Vader coming back to the world that launched him into simultaneous stardom and infamy was electric. You can’t write this powerful of a redemption arc. Mind you, every time Vader was onscreen that deeply tense conflict was front and center. Deborah Chow is a fantastic combat director, and she made the fight choreo look and feel weighty. Even the laser deflections looked like an earned and labored on the elder Kenobi. The play-up of the rebellion was a sentimental connection to the later entries in the chronology, and you really can’t go wrong with casting Indira Varma (who plays Tala).
On the other hand, die-hard fans and sci-fi/fantasy enthusiasts were deeply disappointed with quite a few things. Namely, the things that make little to no sense and cheapen the overall quality of the material. Things like Reva surviving the kind of injury that took Qui-Gon Jinn out the Jedi game. Twice. Who gets lightsaber stabbed twice and walks that off? Things like Leia’s parkour abduction in the woods, or the fact that they’d have even met before A New Hope. Things like Kenobi not being able to lift a bag of chips with the Force, to outdoing Anakin ‘I find your lack of faith disturbing’ Skywalker, after a decade on the bench? Outside of reshaping canon and power-level inconsistencies, the real disappointment comes from the series’ lost potential. Obi-Wan had all the makings of a grittier and pared-down story exploring Kenobi’s character post-Order-66. Since Leia and Kenobi had never met, there was no need for that entire arc to exist. Without all the fluff, what we could have gotten was the Star Wars equivalent of Logan. Just Obi-Wan, his PTSD, and a shared obsession with him and his jilted former padawan. A lean, mean, series with Kenobi hitting the one-arm pushups like Iroh in prison. Staying in touch with the Force on the low like a splinter cell agent. Instead, we got something more family-oriented and far less interesting.
Whatever decision-making processes led to the series we just watched gives the idea the show was undercut by plot holes, awkward direction, and a need to pander to ‘fans.’ The same ‘fans’ have consistently pushed back against the inclusion of anyone that doesn’t fit within their imagination. Lucasfilm apologized, defended Moses Ingrams, made snarky tweets, had costars chime in, and the whole shebang. But if there is always a conflict to engage with just to consume some media, is it really worth it? If it isn’t worth it, where do we go? We know what we want to see, but do they – and can we afford to wait? If we stay to consume, how do we demand what we want to see?
Cover image via StarWars.com
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram!
The post Star Wars Episode Eleven-teen: The Phantom-isms appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.