Links and Updates

It's been quiet around here this month, though not for any particular reason. The shows I write about are on hiatus, and I'm in a bit of a slump when it comes to writing any other type of article (I've plenty of half-written drafts, though).

So I'm taking the easy option and talking about stuff I've seen on the internet recently! You should all know what's going to be first on this list...

Of course, it's the new Star Wars trailer. I've been anticipating this for months now, which means that now it's finally dropped ... I'm a little underwhelmed. There's nothing wrong with it, but when you build up something for so long in your head ... well, we've all learned this lesson hundreds of times before.

It probably didn't help that this is just a teaser trailer (which refuses to give too much away) or that the first trailer to The Force Awakens was just so darn magical, but let's say I'm sufficiently intrigued while being a tad deflated at the same time.

In any case, here are some thoughts:

As a teaser, it obviously doesn't spell out anything very clearly, but I get the distinct impression that the first act will be divided into two parts: Rey training with Luke for an extended period of time, while Poe, Finn, BB8 and the rest of the Resistance try to cope with the latest attacks from the First Order.

John Boyega has also mentioned in interviews that he and Kelly Marie Tran's character will be going on a secret mission together: "which leads to other things", so it may be that Rey and Finn will be separated for a significant duration of the film (boo).

The very first shot is Rey gasping for breath outside what looks like a cave. Given that this is the second in a new trilogy, one can't help but make the connection between it and Luke's vision in the cave on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back.

Kylo Ren's helmet has been smashed up – the result of another temper tantrum?

I have no idea where or when, but I've heard rumours about there being some sort of "Force Tree" in this film, which seems to be the case at the 1:00 mark, along with a small library of some sort. Perhaps they're incorporating George Lucas's original idea of framing the entire saga within a book called the Journal of the Whills – not that I think they'll bring in the framing device, but the book itself is a real possibility.

There's Finn, Poe and BB8 present and accounted for, though we don't learn anything new about them: Finn is still asleep, BB8 still rolling, and Poe still running with great intensity.

I'm so disappointed in Kylo Ren's scar. Come on, the wound Rey gave him pretty much cleaved his face in half; now you're telling me that it's left just a tiny sliver of a scar over his eye? I don't care how advanced galactic healthcare is, that feels like a cheat.

Although Kelly Marie Tran's character isn't in this teaser, a panel with the cast revealed she's playing a maintenance worker for the Resistance named Rose. Which strikes me as a strange name – with the exception of Luke (who was the audience stand-in) have we ever had a major Star Wars character with such an earthly name before? If she's named after the flower, does that mean there are roses growing on planets in galaxies far, far away?

Given everything from Luke's final words: "it's time for the Jedi to end" to Rey's costuming choices (that's a very grey outfit she's wearing), I'm also fairly certain that the film will focus on breaking down the Jedi and Sith Orders and establishing a new type of Force-user who simply follows his/her own conscience.

I don't pretend to be spouting anything particularly original with this theory; it's pretty much all over the internet at this point, but that's a solid direction for the franchise to go in – provided they do it correctly of course.  

But it interests me to consider the context of our understanding of the Force. These days we're used to talking about the Light Side and the Dark Side of the Force, but if you watch the original trilogy, there's no mention of this: just the Force, and the Dark Side of the Force. It suggested that the Force itself was inherently positive and that the Dark Side was only a corrupted element of something much larger and more powerful.

Now we talk about the Light and Dark Side as though they're two equal but different sides of the same coin; there's a sense of dualism instead of the original "goodness and its distortion" relationship that you see (for example) in the Christian concept of demons being fallen angels or Tolkien's idea that orcs were once elves.

Then of course came the prequels and the midichlorian debacle (which, unpopular opinion: I didn't actually mind that much) and the latest movies, which played more with the idea of people who weren't Jedi having relationships with the Force (Maz Kanata and the Guardians of the Whills).

So there are several different ways of looking at the Force: as a religion, as a science, as a worldview, and the groundwork has been laid (even as far back as the original trilogy, when Luke had to tap into his "dark side" anger in order to best Vader in combat, suggesting that the Jedi requirement of stifling emotions is a bad policy) to give us yet another perspective.

In a word: balance. Which hey, is a word that Rey explicitly states in the trailer itself, and which seems implicit in the first official poster:

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Then there's the teaser for Thor: Ragnarok – a teaser, not a trailer, though compared with The Last Jedi it tells us so much more about the plot itself. Asgard gets attacked by Hela, Mjölnir is destroyed, Thor ends up on another planet, and ends up fighting in a gladiatorial game against the Hulk (much to his delight).

Boom, that's a story right there. But it's the look of the thing that really piques my interest – comparisons have been made to Guardians of the Galaxy, but it reminds me more of Flash Gordon (which is a good thing). Director Taika Waititi is known for his distinctive style and sense of humour, and that's on full display here.

So obviously the tone will be very different from the previous Thor films, and though I'm a bit disappointed that we lose Jane, Darcy and Erik (I wasn't hugely invested in their characters, but it seems odd that we spend two movies with them just to forget them entirely) the colour and imagination of this trailer makes this casual Marvel fan who is getting increasingly tired of superhero films feel more than a little intrigued.

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All my usual television shows have been dropping like flies: Black Sails, Salem, Penny Dreadful, The Musketeers – and now Orphan Black is prepping for its fifth and final season. I'm a little sad, but I have reasonable confidence that the writers will be able to stick the landing:

The voiceover from the four main clones is a little corny, but it clearly spells out the overarching theme of this season (and in fact, the entire show): that of agency and bodily freedom.  There's not a lot to discern here: Kira's photo burning, a struggle in the darkness, Delphine and Cosima together again, lots of running and shooting – whew.

Only one thing is clear: Helena is very visible pregnant at this point, making me wonder if the show's "happy ending" (if that's what we get) will involve her giving birth. Time will tell...

Oh, and what's up with that footage of Cosima and Delphine in wedding clothes?

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer celebrated its 20th anniversary with a cast reunion, leaving us with plenty of photo shoots and interviews (and I was especially touched that Kristine Sutherland was included).

I've discovered the gloriously macabre artwork of Niccoletta Ceccoli, who explores the dark side of childhood with images that are (at first glance) extremely adorable, but on closer inspection are revealed to be rather disturbing in a number of ways.

Our first little glimpse of The Defenders! Of all the possible dynamics, I'm actually intrigued by what Matt and Jessica will make of each other.

A nice look back at Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. And another one. Though this wasn't my first Studio Ghibli film, it was one of the early ones, and it left an impression on me that hasn't yet been matched by the studio's other offerings. Perhaps it helps that the film is exactly the same age as I am, but Nausicaä herself is one of my favourite female characters of all time.

Production has started on season three of Young Justice!

Getting back to Star Wars, there's been an announcement for a new animated series called Forces of Destiny, focusing on the female characters of the franchise: Leia, Jyn, Rey, Padme, Ahsoka – sign me up! Apparently they're "bite-sized, short, self-contained adventures" about the girls set across the entire Star Wars timeline.

Naturally comment sections across the internet are freaking out about how girl cooties are taking over the franchise – but I think they look fun (even if they're going hand-in-hand with doll marketing, which I suspect is the real driving force behind the series).

And of course, I'm sure you've already seen this tribute to Carrie Fisher: