The Twisted Morality of Leslye Headland | Star Wars Acolyte Part 3

[@StrangeCreed]

You know, Headland accidentally showed that the witches were weak as shit compared to the Jedi. It took an entire coven to control one Jedi master, and it took one Jedi master to mind smite the entire coven. That says to me that their understanding of the Force was absolutely garbage and almost entirely wrong outside of a few parlor tricks.

[@vaggos2003]

Correction; the Jedi Master mind-smitted the witches BY ACCIDENT (which makes your point even stronger).

[@DK-th5nt]

The power of maaaanyyyy turns out not to be so impresive xD

[@StrangeCreed]

@@DK-th5nt This is why the Jedi are more powerful: They know that the crude matter of numerical superiority is not a factor in the Force. The Witches would not have been able to lift the X-Wing out of the swamp.

[@davfree9732]

"Foolish Jedi! You fell for the classical blunder! The most famous... Never get into a land war on Tatooine! But only slightly less well known is this! Never go in against a Force Witch..! When death is on the line!!! AHAHAHAHAHA..."

[@ekaf1735]

@@DK-th5nt as impressive as their song-writing skills

[@recapnerd2657]

I find it hilarious that her main concern is that people don’t want her to exist because she’s gay, and not the fact that she worked with a monster, like honey you have bigger things to worry about

[@Jffeeney3rd]

Right? She’s so ignored, hated, and marginalized, she was given hundreds of millions of dollars to create an “addition” to one of the biggest and formerly most dependable franchises of all time.

[@JohnSmith-wx9wj]

My guess is that she also engaged in the same practice.

[@KZ-bs2ry]

No shit. Like it's 2024, we are long past giving a flying F if you're gay

[@DerrickMims]

I would think a more appropriate story for her to have written was about someone who was a slave of a monster, breaking out of that person’s control. That would fit her experience, been relevant to real life, and made for an interesting story potentially.

[@strategicperson95]

​@@DerrickMims that would work, if you assume she was innocent. I don't think she's innocent due to being the "personal assistant". You can't be innocent, you are an accomplice and are as guilty. I think she's only getting away due to the courts giving her a pardon in exchange for any extra dirt she can provide on Harvey.

[@RM_VFX]

She's basically self snitching. It's a story about the apprentice of a monster who's just misunderstood, and it's the haters that are really the villains. It's right there in the narrative.

[@jamesavis1]

Leslie wrote Qimir to talk as if the Jedi are some kind of totalitarian oppressor, when the reality is that he a serial killer and they are just responding the way any decent person would.

[@leviticusprime4904]

His dialogue reads so much like an edgy 14 year old wrote it.

[@victorcates9330]

There are probably hundreds of cop movies or tv shows that deal with moral dilemma of screwing up and then needing to cover up and then becoming increasingly corrupt. I can't recall that many offhand, but I'd assume training day, dark blue... I'm recalling law enforcement plotlines on 'Lie to Me'. But it's stupid to think one bad operative would indict an institution. Or one sin means that you're corrupt rather than sincere, but fallible. On top of that, the Qimir stuff and having Osha/Mae be literally the same person garbles things intensely. The murkiness doesn't fit well with Trinity being murdered due to not letting others die. It's incoherent. Did they even read their own script? Headland flickers between 'yay evil!' and some mentions of things being tragic. But a tragedy shows horrible things happening with a sense of sadness. At a minimum, a tragedy doesn't celebrate moral corruption.

[@TG-ge1oh]

They're oppressing his serial killing tendencies.

[@KainaX122]

@@TG-ge1ohhe just wants to live freely to do what he wants… it just so happens that that involves killing people 😂

[@TG-ge1oh]

@@KainaX122 Right? Such unreasonable demands! You have to feel bad for the poor guy and fall in love with him. - Leslie, probably

[@theoldhermit2601]

Leslye's quote saying she wanted to introduce the idea of "bad guys having a little bit of good and good guys having a little bit of bad" to the franchise is so mind-numbingly frustrating because thats been a very prevalent part of Star Wars since like...1983, if not 1980. The whole reason Yoda was so hesitant to train Luke in *Empire* is because while Luke is a good person with a strong sense of morality, he had a hint of darkness, and his constant hunger for adventure and excitement (traits a Jedi shouldn't strive for) could lead him down the dark path. And the "bad with a little bit of good" part; well, I probably don't have to elaborate on Vader's arc. Hell, I'd argue Han's arc through 4-5-6, from morally gray scoundrel, to reluctant war hero, to willingly taking on the Empire on a dangerous mission by the end of the trilogy, shows a more advanced exploration of morality than The Acolyte ever does.

[@Disinterested1]

it was also well written with great characters you could relate to even though you didn't share their experience the Acolyte openly hated you and HAD to make sure you knew it!

[@cooliostarstache5474]

What HeadSand is actually saying is she wants to be a horrible person but justify it by having "a little good" in her

[@lennythealien8051]

Let me get this straight. That senator that was against the Jedi said that one of them will eventually snap. So at the end, they cover up what actually happen and blame it on one Jedi and say he just snapped. By lying, they basically gave the senator the proof he was looking for! If they told the truth, it would have justified the existence of the Jedi. Being there to fight the battles normal people can’t. So they lied… why? That doesn’t make any sense. It’s like if a cop shot someone who was murdering other people, they covered it up by saying it was police brutality. Someone make it make sense!

[@DrDaveDavington]

Shhhhh! Shut up! Leslie is a GENIUS. It would've all made sense in season 2 but those darn BIGOTS robbed us!

[@emeraldwarrior588]

it is, unironically, because of 1 line in the prequels saying the sith havent been around for 1000 years.

[@PeregrinTintenfish]

They don't write all the episodes at the same time and they are making it up as they go. Brandon Sanderson talked about this from his experience with WoT. These miniseries are still being written by the same method used for episodic TV.

[@duncanlutz3698]

@@PeregrinTintenfish A serialized show that has little, if any, overarching plot can get away with this. Procedural cop dramas, sit coms, etc can have little bread crumbs or the occasional "plot" episodes. Hell, Cowboy Bebop's main story is only told over like 3 episodes sprinkled throughout the series. Everything else is just one-offs. But if you ain't writing that kinda show... *don't write that kinda show! ESPECIALLY if you are doing a damned adaption! (WoT) Goddamn, that level of incompetency, or sheer fucking hubris, should not be allowed with billion dollar budgets.

[@mallorycarpinski1160]

​@@duncanlutz3698 It is really incomprehensible what the hiring practices are because it is SO widespread. I really want to believe it's an organic down turn probably because of post modernism or something...I dunno

[@Coolnesski]

“Destroy something good so you seem better in comparison”, the trend of modern politics, it seems.

[@ruinerblodsinn6648]

The essence of the corrupt 1%

[@s3studios597]

Sorry, but I really needed to stop and comment. The whole "authority=bad, counter-culture=good" thing hilarious when you remember that her side has pretty much BEEN the authority for the better part of the last 10-12 years. She wants to be the culture AND the counter-culture at the same time. And not just her.

[@briffsqueeze4063]

Never apologize for boosting engagement lol

[@paulman34340]

It's because they know what happens to the culture after all they wouldn't have gotten the power in the first place if they hadn't been the counter so they have to continue to pretend that this is still year one of them being in power because the new counterculture well as said they're the previous counterculture so they're terrified of them why do you think whenever rebellions happen it suddenly mysterious how the largest contributors get removed remember Animal Farm in the horse the horse was the key to the Rebellion succeeding he was the hero what was his reward does he put in the power quickly taking advantage of weakness that get them removed and very much dead so the animals once they realize they've been duped will have no major power to fight against them specially once Napoleon's personal guard of sons come into play You never forget that you only got into Power because of disgruntled individuals who will very well turn on you one day well that's the one major thing the power hungry get into their minds so you have to defend them while at the same time empowering yourself so of course Mida Point you're at your most weakest and vulnerable just like the previous power they don't stand a chance at trying to remove you from power now But since of course this doesn't work here in the United States as an example these people have to try to pretend that they are still the counterculture will still be in the culture have my cake and eat it I mean the conservatives will be the same to we know this already because they were the same too they even tried to sound like they were with it with the youth at the point it was too late and the left had already got them but the moment the left Haddon they squandered their power and became just as lazy as the right and still were able to stay in power because they were able to successfully convince people of the fear of letting the old foggy take power again only too well like this hubris mess got into power buy picking the right side she's now increasingly terrified because of just how easy it is to lose it again especially taking into mine she saw what happened to Weinstein he went from Big Bad corrupt rich man who could never be touched Janelle pathetic old man begging for mercy begging for coin and you would think hey let's not go down that path but no when of course she used whatever contact she had to avoid suffering with him she instead has not really brought anything to the table that makes her useful the Accolade did near irreversible are pretty much irreversible by default damage to a very expensive brand and a reminder she's on the low tier those in that section usually end up being ordered to fall on their swords for the sake of the group right now she's being kept out of the scene but if she makes herself a problem all of a sudden everything that went away but Weinstein to avoid her getting caught up in that will suddenly come out in the open in a manner that won't look super suspicious to to those with the attention span of a gnat and suddenly no one's taking her call or some will but only in the case of assuring her Downfall by making her believe she has allies the best you can hope for is that she is completely humiliated and a complete loser and a failure so lonely not even the right will give a damn about her of course I said she's not out of the woods yet and even if she was valuable there's no telling when they might just decide to do to her what was done to Weinstein and Cosby😊

[@wingedyaga2914]

@@s3studios597 It's even funnier when you remember what happens in-universe when this particular counter-culture becomes the authority.

[@r3771-n2r]

14:09 Squid game does not mean to kill the smoke monster... He was just giving a warning shot by stabbing her thru the stomach. I mean no one ever dies from being stabbed thru the stomach with a light saber in the modern day star wars universe.

[@filmanalysis7191]

This is such a hilarious point because of how valid it really is. I wish How It Should Have Ended used this is their Acolyte video.

[@shok24199]

I am still trying to figure out how a lightsaber hurt a smoke monster in the first place. A force push would have just dispersed her.

[@wingedyaga2914]

Amazing the one time it make sense for saber to the torso to be non-lethal and it actually does work.

[@JelloTypeR]

@@shok24199it makes no sense but at least it’s consistent. Nothing in this show made any sense unless your moral compass is so irredeemably broken that outright evil is justifiable.

[@crapsound]

LOL yeah, it's a warning stab.

[@vladpiranha]

The past ten years of pop culture have been a chilling eye-opener for anyone paying attention. The self-insert villains in fiction have been a mouthpiece for the exact kind of moral bankruptcy that lead to atrocities in the past. I could very easily imagine Leslye Headland owning slaves or accusing someone of being a witch.

[@ktsul12]

Morality according to Leslie…. A group of people mind controlling a being to attack and kill another are just misunderstood. But a person saving multiple lives by breaking that mind control spell and unexpectedly kills the mind controllers, makes them and their institution bad. One made the first move and their actions were to do harm deliberately (good?). One came into defense of another and did harm unintentionally (bad?). WTF Leslie!

[@dragonusa]

NY vs Penny anyone?

[@thickcheeks9603]

and also, according to Leslie, her helping her friends is selfish.

[@ElectromagNick]

Sounds about right for a woman who enabled or instigated the abuse and assault of other women for her own personal gain.

[@victorcates9330]

Once possessed, the wookie is a weapon. It's like a situation in which a cop disarms someone, but the person has a heart attack when the firearm is prised away. An individual witch would presumably have an ability to say "I don't need to kill these people. I'm out.". They get the aesthetic of holding hands and looking peaceful, but they died as a direct consequence of engaging in combat and continuing to reach for the weapon. So if Trinity is to blame because she didn't know the powers she was dealing with, then are they to blame because - at every single moment during the conflict - they did?

[@ZakEmber]

Progressivism in a nutshell.

[@DrakeTimbershaft]

20:01. A long time ago, in a country not so far away, the counterculture were people who protested the Vietnam War, who protested the stockpiling of nuclear weapons, fought against censorship, and fought for the civil rights of black men, women, and children. In Leslye’s warped mind, “counterculture” means, “I want the freedom to delete people and to gaslight people suffering from trauma!” As I write this, there are ads in the New York subway for a play about a family yelling at each other over a dinner table. The playwright? None other than Leslye Headland! If it hadn’t been for Harvey Weinstein and Kathleen Kennedy, Headland would be justifiably working as a telemarketer who lives in fear of having her job taken over by AI.

[@1SpicyMeataball]

I wouldn't call the people who protested Vietnam and spit on returning soldiers "counter culture." They were just a**holes. Many of which have given rise to the woke progressives of today.

[@TG-ge1oh]

She's a born assistant, a henchman, who has weasled her way into leadership.

[@2012sonora]

It makes a lot more sense once you realize that, from the beginning, the progressive left has always wanted the same thing. It was never about FREE speech, it was about THEIR speech. It wasn't about creating a better society, it was instead about destroying the one that currently existed. Anything you see as noble from the 60s was 100% in service of those goals.

[@jayboy2kay7]

I think she was born a weasel, who desperately wants to be a henchman, and with great assistance from leadership… has basically succeeded. I mean all of this literally.

[@channeljohnnyYT]

me: there’s a part THREE??? GO: ….part three of a four part saga me: THERE’S A PART FOUR????

[@mrbigglezworth42]

@@6trillionmiles None of these things have anything to do with each other and you're grasping at straws to hate people.

[@6trillionmiles]

@@mrbigglezworth42 is this Greg supposed to be some kind of cultural critic? 😂😂😂😂😂😂look at the books behind him. He’s another sad man child.i hope he doesn’t have daughters 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@Josue_S_6411]

​@@6trillionmilesBy that logic, you're on the same side as communists.

[@6trillionmiles]

@josue and that’s the game you’ve all been playing 😁now you’re getting it. At least the commies aren’t a bunch of predators like trump and Matt gaetz and Andrew Tate and nick Fuentes. That’s your side. The her body my choice side

[@6trillionmiles]

@@Josue_S_6411 at least they’re not a bunch of predators like trump and Matt gaetz and Andrew Tate. That’s your side. The her body my choice side

[@wingedyaga2914]

Honestly a big problem with Darth Starkweather's "freedom" speech is it's in the wrong place, wrong time, and wrong person if Headlynd what's to play up the "misunderstood" angle to the Sith. He is saying this speech directly to a Jedi after killing a number of them while holding someone hostage with a deadly weapon. He is basically blaming the Jedi for his choice to murder them. That's not "misunderstanding" that a literal psychopath. "Why are you threatened by my existence?" "Because you are actively threatening my existence."

[@duncanlutz3698]

Don't forget he very specifically killed her friends. She was a padawan that trained with Yord and she had something of a crush/friendship developing with... Jeckie? Ziggy Stardust. X23 cosplaying as Ziggy Stardust. That one. And Smilo Ren even acknowledges that Ziggy was crushing on OSHA and that OSHA was crushing on Ziggy... and that it's no biggie he FUCKING MURDERED HER. Why? Because she was a jedi, and as such, was never going to be more than a clit-tease for OSHA: "She can't love you like you love her." or some such. In other words, Smilo Ren is telling OSHA she shouldn't be upset he MURDERED Ziggy because... Ziggy friend-zoned her. And instead, OSHA should bang the friend-zone murderer? Because he's hot and broken like OSHA? What the fuck is this show.

[@wingedyaga2914]

@duncanlutz3698 Murdered Jeckie for removing his helmet, yet has no problem just holding Mae the one who he actually plans to kill hostage while monologuing. Clearly the man has his priorities straight. And again he sounds like a psychopath, this is not deep or showing the "misunderstood complexity" of the Sith ideology. Also this got me thinking about how Jeckie was meant to be a prodigy in Headlynd's eyes, yet she's pretty basic as a Jedi. Joining the order at the age of 3 is early but it's not a prodigy, that's only a year younger than other younglings. She would've been 16 when Headlynd says she tried to become a Knight the same time as Yord, but Headlynd doesn't say when she became a Padawan. If it was when Osha left she would've 12 and again that's average. None of this screams prodigy to me.

[@StevenZephyc]

It's call gaslighting, one of the many things sith has that's.... Unnatural

[@wingedyaga2914]

@@StevenZephyc I get the joke, but I'm compelled to bring up the mind trick. Clears headaches, anxiety, and allows you to manipulate the weak minded (which I realize as I'm writing makes the ending even funnier).

[@amharbinger]

The show is basically the Homelander meme of him saying "You think I didn't think of that? Of course I thought of that!"

[@CoryTheRaven]

@@6trillionmiles lol, you just went all-in with that one, eh troll?

[@tymiller2903]

​@@6trillionmilesWhy do you care about what a random commenter on youtube says about Mrs. Headland?

[@MappaDoji]

What's even funnier is that Leslye, despite seemingly associating herself with them, completely misunderstands the Sith. If Qimir's supposed master, Darth Plagueis, had heard him in that scene in the forest, he'd have murdered him on the spot. Because Qimir is not a Sith, he's a Dark Jedi more like Set Harth (a Dark Jedi from Legends, look him up). EDIT from December 2nd: Okay, Manny Jacinto said in an interview that Qimir and Plagueis are NOT connected. So Qimir is not Plagueis's apprentice and, therefore, not a Sith but a Dark Jedi. In that case, his rhetoric makes sense. He's merely cosplaying as a Sith without any understanding of the real Sith doctrine.

[@Pollutical]

​@@6trillionmilesyou're a moron.

[@Josue_S_6411]

​@@6trillionmilesYou seen to care enough to spam this exact comment under a bunch of replies sections.

[@6trillionmiles]

@@Josue_S_6411 I hope he doesn’t have daughters🤮 these man children with their book shelves filled with fantasy and young adult and comics. This guys whole manner so creepy

[@6trillionmiles]

@@Josue_S_6411 where’s the other reply😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@janremongalura5713]

Considering whom she was working for before Disney, the pronoun cult that has infected western civilization. Spot on.

[@Jammsbro1]

This is a person who wanted to absolve herself of her deeds in life by changing the definition of what is good and bad. That way she can tell everyone else that they are not angels either and somehow this will make her better. And on a side note, she really wanted to destroy George's Star Wars and try to take it for herself. I think she thought that after this, she would be considred the new boss of Star Wars and she could do what she wanted with it.

[@jaieregilmore971]

She a Fraud.

[@stellviahohenheim]

Actually from Greg's analysis I think Leslye have a very skewed point of morality. She confuses bad things as good and vice versa, it seems nobody have told her entire life that she's wrong or it's likely nobody taught her anything during her adolescence so she makes her own conclusions about ho the world really works. She's not acting in malice she just doesn't know anything and are too in her her own world to realise it.

[@victorcates9330]

The interview text (Around 6 minutes) includes a quote along the lines of "I am truly so impressed by everyone who has put their faith in me". The charitable explanation is that it sounds like she regards giving her a job as proof of being a good person. But it doesn't include a test on quality ("is it good?") or fidelity ("is it star wars?"). I'd just like to hear her talk about a scenario in which rejecting her is morally good and just a sound choice.

[@TG-ge1oh]

​@@victorcates9330I can predict what scenario she'll come up with. She'll say something like "If I pitch a screenplay which follows the same path as George's horrible stolen ideas and is just as inauthentic, I want you to tell me that I'm wrong and that you reject me. And I'll thank you for setting me back on the right path." That's what I see her as saying.

[@StonedOdie]

@@TG-ge1ohYeah fuckin right lmao. Sorry I’m not trying to be mean but I think it’s beyond far fetched that she’d ever take responsibility like that. Ya had me in the first half, not gonna lie, if you had ended it with “Then she would say the screenplay would be a masterpiece that everyone would be giving me praise and standing ovations for, it’s just these Star Wars dweebs and people that don’t like gays that are against my Acolyte masterpiece *insert evil laugh*” lol. Sorry I get what you’re trying to say I just don’t think in a million years she’d have the will to admit she was wrong

[@linguistxx]

"I assume..." "I assume..." "I assume..." Headland, the supposed Star Wars scholar, has no knowledge beyond that of being a fan of the movies (which we know she's not...). "I think..." "I think..." "I think..." she doesn't know anything about her own story or character motives either. You have to wonder how anyone thought this lady should be helming a movie of any kind, let alone a Star Wars movie.

[@SpecterVonBaren]

Well she explains that herself! She just bullshitted her way to her position.

[@megarakadmea]

Calling rescuing a little boy from slavery to give him opportunities and mentorship “positive coded” is so brain rot coded.

[@briffsqueeze4063]

Leslie saying the Jedi are bad for stealing children meanwhile keeping her mouth shut about a certain Hollywood exec

[@krnatsu]

I really appreciate Greg explaining why Anakin's character is the superior version to what Leslye thought she was doing with Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Admittedly, Anakin is my favourite Star Wars character, his wit and cocky demeanor made him very appealing, particularly in the Clone Wars and ROTS, but also his downfall through the prequel era was informative of who he would become in the OG. Anakin's want for control comes from his ACTUAL lack of freedom. Anakin was literally raised as a slave, and even when he was freed, not only did he have to say fairwell too his mother, the only family his had, but he almost immediately loses Qui Gon, the closest he's ever had to a father. Then he feels like a slave to the Jedi, particularly in that he cannot be open about the love he has for his wife and then there's the constant lose of soldiers he experiences during the Clone Wars and Ahsoka, his apprentice who is like a sister, leaves as well. The desire for control, comes from a constant feeling of loss and enslavement Anakin has, he despises the fact that, from his POV, everyone has control over his life, but himself. So he turns to Palpatine, a manipulative tyrant who simply wants to do to Anakin, what the latter has felt has been done to him his whole life, and in the process is willing to fall to the Dark Side, in fear of losing his wife and unborn child(ren). However, unlike Leslye, George does not see this as a triumph. Anakin's tragic fall into becoming Darth Vader, is meant to be something that we lament happening, not something that SHOULD, have happened. It really rubes me the wrong way, when people constantly misunderstand the word freedom. Freedom to me, is one of my most important values, but I want to make it clear what I mean by that. You SHOULD be free to pursue goals that improve your life, to achieve satisfaction and happiness and to stand as a capable, considerate and commendable individual, but NEVER at the expense of other people. People like Leslye believe that "freedom" as they see it, can only be achieved, when you FORCE everyone else to allow you to do as you please and be completely inconsiderate of the freedom of others. Freedom can only ever be for everyone, or else it is for no one, hence why prison is a thing. A story that I think does an amazing job of exploring freedom is Attack On Titan. Eren has spent his entire childhood, living inside the walls, believing they are all the last strand of humanity left and that the man eating Titans will eliminate them at any chance they get. Naturally, Eren wants to be free. Free from the jaws of the Titans, free from the bricks of the Walls and free from the shackles of fear. However, as the story progresses, we see that though they may look it, the Titans aren't the true monsters. Which begs the question, who are the monsters in Attack On Titan and how did they come to be? Eren is a Frankenstein's monster so to speak, his people, the Eldians, are placed in walled cities "protecting" them, from their own people, forced into becoming the Pure Titans. This was done by the Marleyans, to punish Eldia for its prior oppressive rule of others. Little did they know, that Eren was given a power so great and terrible, that should he unlock it, he would become the greatest threat to humanity. So how does someone like Eren come to be? Well obviously, Eren CHOOSES to go through his plan of nearly wiping out humanity to unite them, but additionally, Eren is a product of Marley holding Eldians as a whole accountable, for the actions of their rulers. Eren is not treated or seen as an individual, because how could any Eldian be seen as someone who valued freedom? Especially when they took something like that away from countless others. But as the saying goes "keep the beast caged and the beast gets angry", Eren's want and pursument of freedom, leads him to becoming angry and bitter at the Marleyans. Its because of them, his parents are gone, that he and his people cowered in fear from their own brothers and sisters forced to becoming monsters. But let's not forget that as wrong as Marley is, that doesn't make Eren's actions any less aggregious. Eren kills 80% of humanity by the end, it takes THAT much pain and suffering to occur, JUST for them to begin to think "perhap we need to move on from these past hatreds". The point of Eren's motivations and backstory, isn't to excuse him or justify all that he does, merely by dint of being the protagonist, but to explain HOW someone like Eren CAN exist to begin with, WHY he does what he does and WHY freedom and power are not things one should take so lightly.

[@jaieregilmore971]

Agreed Anakin screwed himself over by making wrong decisions broke the Jedi rules he WANTED it all being a Jedi,a hero,a wife and family he HAD it all but he took it granted it cost him to suffer. With topics of Freedom I believe in Optimus Prime words “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings more importantly it is a privilege. Many had honored it and do honor it today some have greatly abused it few denied it to others for various iniquitous reasons such as prejudice whether freedom is a right or privilege no one has the right to take it away from others criminals, corrupt leaders and lords and so forth who abuse the rights of Freedom will get what’s coming to them.” That what Leslye and people like her don’t understand the Sith are never free they slave to their desires and nothing but tyrants who take people freedom to benefit they own. The Jedi on the other hand case asides their desires to see the bigger picture using their powers to benefit others they are they are the ones who are truly free.

[@krnatsu]

@jaieregilmore971 It's not even so much that Anakin took them for granted, I actually thinks it's more so that Anakin treasured what he had so much, that the idea of losing any of it is something he couldn't cope with. Loss is another big theme with Anakin, just look at what happened after losing his mother just seconds after getting her back. Anakin's desire for control does come A LOT from his lack of freedom, but it also comes from his inability to accept loss. Additionally Optimus is another great example, he isn't protecting the humans out of any selfish or rather self-serving desires, he does so simply because protecting the freedom of the innocent is the right thing to do. If anything, Autobots like the Animated Sentinal Prime are explicitly shown to be bad, because they're doing "the right thing" for all the wrong reasons, and their development is either learning how foolish and selfish they've been acting or doubling down and becoming someone no better than a Decepticon. Speaking of which, Megatron is another example, at least in more recent interpretations of how to do a freedom motivated villain correctly. I'll primarily be talking about the aligned continuity version of Megatron (WFoC, FoC and Prime). Regardless, Megatron starts off as somewhat of a mentor to Orion Pax (young Optimus), guiding him and forming a group of working class Cybertronians (including Soundwave) who simply want to be treated as fairly as those above them. But when Megatron gets an audience with the council, his intentions, his true of freedom and his facade all slip away. Not only does he threaten the council, but he demands that HE be made both their new head and a PRIME, believing if he was the freedom centered tyrant, that freedom would truly exist. Very quickly you notice who Megatron is in this moment, what he wants is PERSONAL freedom. Megatron believes that the hierarchy of freedom that plagued Cybertron for centuries can only work, if he is the MOST free. Megatron convinces himself of his own righteousness, but unlike the Acolyte, Transformers doesn't write Megatron this way to make him likeable, rather it is so we understand and see how someone like Megatron thinks, but also how they can come to exist to begin with. And true, the Dark Side is so appealing to those who suffer, because of how much power it has, however having more power doesn't necessarily mean more freedom, as displayed with characters like Eren. But it's supposed to he inviting, it makes sense for Anakin to be drawn to something that COULD help him, when he feels he is about to lose EVERYTHING. Or Count Dooku, who fall to the Dark Side is tragic, but with the way the Jedi operate in the prequels, you understand how Count Dooku came to be and how he fell to the Dark Side. But as one may he able to tell, these motivations and reasons to join the Dark Side, are not to make US want to join the Dark Side as well, it is rather a cautionary tale, about how when one is desperate, selfish or afraid, they could be capable of doing terrible things to others. It is meant to teach us what happens when we let these human emotions define us entirely, but given that Leslye and many like her can ONLY focus on themselves or think that their freedom is so valid that it trumps the freedom of others, that they twist and misconstrue what the Dark Side is and think THEY are the "real heroes"

[@jaieregilmore971]

@ Agreed lesson I got from Anakin story is you can’t control others but you can control yourself looking at Luke journey and the irony Anakin as a Jedi had freedom he could have leave order anytime he wanted to raise his own family or he follow his own dreams of being a Jedi through without no compromise it all about choices. Honestly people love to say power corrupts but also power reveals a person true nature it’s was the reason why I can’t agree with people saying Eren was a slave to freedom but really it was just pure insanity.

[@krnatsu]

@jaieregilmore971 even more than that, Luke's victory is not really a victory of an institution, rather a personal one. Luke rejects and turns away from the Dark Side, he brings his father back to the light and all that is achieved through his attachment to his father. The difference is Luke is not desperate or afraid to lose Anakin, at least not to the degree that he would be willing to cast aside all the morals he holds dear simply so he could have his father back. Additionally, I think the most aggregious comment about Eren, or characters like him in general is when people say "X character did nothing wrong". Which is essentially what people like Leslye believe. This belief stems from the idea that intention and motivation trumps any criticism of the actions you take. I.e. the people who don't just enjoy Eren's character, but think that he was 100% in the right, believe so purely because of what he was trying to accomplish, as well as his mistreatment by Marley. However, whilst I understand why Eren does what he does, the fact that his plan, in a tragic way worked and he is my favourite character from AOT, I do not think Eren was 100%, irrefutably in the right. Eren still gets countless people, including those he cares for killed, all of his actions and destiny are of his own creation, and like Anakin, Eren is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the people that he loves, even if it means becoming precisely the kind of monster the Eldians are seen as. Eren's backstory, his motivations and goals, are not there to excuse, justify or shield his character from the immoral actions he takes. Like any good anti-hero, villain or anti-villain, these things are meant to explain how someone like Eren comes to be and how to prevent all of the horrible things that he does. The issue is that people's morality (despite their claims) is not as grey as one may think, and as a result believe that Eren is good purely because he is either the protagonist or because he, and the Edlians as a whole, are a metaphor for how the prisoners of concentration camps were treated. However, they completely ignore what Eren does in response as well as the Marleyans reasonings for why THEY act the way they do

[@bestdjaf7499]

It's a well researched subject. It's basically "female" vs. "male" style of writing/story telling. Women have a tendency to "personalize" the stories. And men are trying to convey some concepts/ideas.

[@Touchgrassplz]

Greg is committed to destroy Acolyte. I LOVE IT. its night time in Malaysia and im about to sleep. Great!

[@user-gm4kv2my4u]

You can't kill what is already dead. But you can dance one hell of a jig on its grave.

[@nananamamana3591]

The power of ONE part, the power of TWO parts, the power of MAAAAAAAAANY parts! Also, it's a testament to the quality of _The Last Wish_ that most people don't know there was a Puss in Boots standalone film before it, and those that do, unanimously agree that _The Last Wish_ is, in fact, the first and only Puss in Boots film.

[@ElectromagNick]

Goddammit, I just blocked that from my memory, too.

[@Majinhero]

it has been some time,was it that bad? i forgot most of it so that can't be a good sighn.

[@lyingcat9022]

PiB2 was shockingly good! One of my favorite movies of all time. And I’m not a kids movie fan. I too don’t care to think about the first one.

[@youngman850]

My wife and i almost never watch movies. But we watched Puss in Boots 2 funny enough. She had tears at moments. Absolute masterpiece of a film, I agree.

[@MSgt5J071]

YES!!! Puss in Boots 2 is an amazing film. This should be mandatory viewing for middle school students in order to provide an alternative view of the world we live in today.

[@lyingcat9022]

As an old Army Vet I’ve never been into kid movies. But PiB2 was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen!

[@theadaptationstationmaster]

I think it's hilarious that Headland expects viewers to sympathize with the Stranger despite their better judgement because "he literally exposed himself" unlike that secretive Sol. Yeah, that's a good reason to trust somebody. LOL.

[@dhayes907]

I exposed myself to a young woman once. She felt many things, trust was not top 5

[@TG-ge1oh]

Is she trying to frame Harvey as a good guy then? Exposing one's self makes them good, after all.

[@wingedyaga2914]

Most people don't mistake red flags for checkpoints.

[@averagechadlegionary5824]

You’re such a dad and I mean that as a compliment.

[@6trillionmiles]

I hope he doesn’t have daughters🤮 these man children with their book shelves filled with fantasy and young adult and comics. This guys whole manner so creepy

[@stackels97]

'Stop thinking about it like you have to tap into some different guy' REALLY!!???? WTF!!?? SOOOOOOO, don't think about it like you're writing for a character (which is the entire point of this kind of writing) and just put your diary enteries into the mouth of whoever!!!??? Oh Jesus, take the wheel. They gave this woman millions of dollars and a real Hollywood crew!! This is the darkest timeline.

[@Rietto]

They gave the amateur chucklefcks who showrun Rings of Power BILLIONS for the slop they've put out. It's wild -- just look at their resumes and tell me the people in charge of these projects aren't idiots.

[@orionkrieg6082]

35:39 Not to mention the fact that Clone Wars (which is official Star Wars canon) has at least one episode that addresses the whole thing of taking kids from their parents. From what I recall, it was presented that parents tend to be pretty sad to give up their children, but it is done with the understanding that it is an extremely noble and exclusive calling that their child be blessed with a connection to the force, and are very willing to give their children this opportunity, and that trust in the Jedi was taken advantage of by a bounty hunter posing as a Jedi to kidnap force-sensitive children.

[@Carzeyday]

More or less, They jedi dont really use brute force to take kids. It is basically equal to basically space knights rolling up and saying "Your kid has been chosen to join our clan, they will be fed and well to do for the rest of their lives." You kind of gonna take It specially If you live on a shitty planet like Anakin did. Which seem to be very common at the time.

[@DTyrannosaurus]

Oh. I get it now. If there's no good or bad, why does it matter who wins? Who do we root for? We root for the characters(/actors) we want to bonk. That's current day fandom. Solved it, everyone stand down. XD Edited to add: haha I posted this comment before Greg even got to the "seduction" section. What I said above is also based on my experience with current "fandom" and why it makes me feel very gross.

[@JesterForHire1663]

This is what really kills me about people like Headland or the jokers running Rings of Power. They churn out jr high school level fan fiction but in their own heads imagine that they're putting out Shakespeare. It is just astounding the levels of disconnect and incompetence. If they had an ounce of humility or showed that they had a care about the franchise they are trying to continue that would be one thing. Instead they are like moronic spoiled children giggling as they finger paint over the Mona Lisa and patting themselves on the back for what a great job they did "fixing" it.

[@maveric619]

Ah yes..."freedom" Freedom from accountability and responsibility Eternal adolescence

[@SoMuchFacepalm]

"Freedom from accountability and responsibility" The Utopia of a Tyrant.

[@IsaacNeeder]

Things like this a helping destroy post-modernism and I couldn't be happier.

[@santiago451]

Selfishness is a virtue. Welcome to the brave and stunning 2024.

[@6trillionmiles]

I hope he doesn’t have daughters🤮 these man children with their book shelves filled with fantasy and young adult and comics. This guys whole manner so creepy

[@Rietto]

That's literally Randian philosophy, so not that new.

[@bestdjaf7499]

It's how women write. Men are usually trying to convey some concepts/ideas. But women are "personalizing" the stories. You can say that women usually write about themselves. The real tragedy is that Disney/Lucasfilm gave a male dominated franchise/genre to a woman who doesn't understand the innate differences between women & men. That's why she is continuously making movies which nobody likes. It's just the wrong person for the wrong genre & demographic.

[@bestdjaf7499]

It's how women usually write. Men are usually trying to convey some concepts/ideas, but women are "personalizing" the stories. You can say that they usually write about themselves. The real tragedy is that Disney/Lucasfilm gave a male dominated franchise/genre to a person who doesn't understand the innate differences between women & men. That's why nobody wants to watch those movies. It's just the wrong person for the wrong genre & demographic.

[@tonycook5620]

“The search for and examination of truth begins with the understanding that truth exists…” Man, that’s such a well written and satisfying statement. Great wring mon frėre.

[@SirThinkALot42]

To be fair: Gaston is a great villain who's entire evil plan is 'get laid.' Then again he's a literal cartoon(in every sense)

[@victorcates9330]

I appreciate this. Companies have a motivation to sweep their failures under the rug. If they did acknowledge a failure, they'd construct it in a limited way ("I guess we're not hiring headland again"). There's an instinct to protect people still employed or people with an identical creative process. The Disney process in recent years has been ill-advised or sometimes seems like throwing mud at a wall and seeing what sticks. If a software project failed, you want a clinical dissection of what went wrong. So you can get better. If you assume creativity to be a different kettle of fish, you could still perform some basic testing on narrative structure or making sure the director put the information on screen necessary for the audience to know what the hell was going on. I want Disney to get to a point where, prior to hiring someone for the next star wars or a remake of Sleeping Beauty, they ask them to answer a question. The question is "What would be the hazard of taking a fanbase (let's say Jane Austen) and adding an incongruous element (let's say martial arts sequences)?" If they can't answer it, then they don't get 200 million dollars.

[@no.1spidey-fan182]

I had NO idea there was a PART...THREE💀. Greg is giving more air time to this show and woman than they honestly deserve but I'm glad he did it As a cautionary tale to help prevent something like this abomination from EVER happening again. Or at least make people more aware

[@phoenix_xd5728]

I see it as slight peek into the mind of your average Hollywood director infected with the woke mind virus and high on their own f*rts

[@Pollutical]

​@@6trillionmilesagain, you're a moron.

[@no.1spidey-fan182]

@6trillionmiles Would you look at that...arkham lost one of its inmates cause wtf arw you even talking about. You sound DERANGED💀

[@mramisuzuki6962]

@@no.1spidey-fan182wanna be smart Tanky. Nothing to see here.

[@Franz_Booty]

​@@6trillionmileslol

[@johnnylayabout]

This is some of the best journalism I've ever seen.

[@MSgt5J071]

​@@6trillionmilesReally? Greg has an opinion. Some will agree, but some will disagree. The problem comes out when people who are smug, arrogant, etc., state that they are right and those who disagree are wrong. That happens on both sides of the aisle. Having an opinion is one thing. Stating an opinion is right -- and therefore stating any contrary opinion is wrong -- is not only narrow minded but highly narcissist Just like every human being, I have opinions. While I have a right to my opinions, there is no rule that says anyone of my opinions RIGHT. And if I am putting myself out there saying all of my opinions are RIGHT, I'm putting myself out there as God. Um, no. I am not God. But I still have the right to voice my opinions. At the same time, however, anyone who disagrees with me has the right to challenge my opinions. Here's the rub: When I explain or defend my positions, what is the response? It's one thing to say I disagree with you and Here's why, as opposed to engaging in bashing and name calling. Again, this happens on both sides, but when we're not willing to engage in constructive discussion, what happens is the us vs. them disaster. We're right, you're wrong, and if you don't agree with me you're not only stupid, you're evil. Again, really? Stop listening and we become even more stupid, intolerant, and so called superior.

[@alexleblanc6364]

​@@MSgt5J071what the f are you talking about?

[@TheChristianPsychopath]

Not really journalism. Good editorial/commentary, but he's not reporting news.

[@GiGo421]

Thank you for saying this! I can’t believe that we now have television programs where a hero(?) is a unrepentant, unjustified murderer

[@shonen_x_trash2488]

I love this series and your point of view, it's very refreshing. I write stories about moral corruption all the time, and I never saw what Leslie's story to have any moral corruption like she claimed. I really enjoyed the way you put it: "Hubris is not moral corruption." You nailed it man. Also her wife giving her the advice of not getting into a characters head was the worst writing advice I've ever heard.

[@roncolemanlaw]

Hey Greg, great stuff. You are one of the most articulate thinkers out there on this topic (decline and fall of Hollywood)

[@Crimsontears83]

Headland is the type of person who would make you a birthday cake in HER favorite flavor and then be mad at you when you say "I don't like that flavor".

[@WeakestAvenger]

8:22 - Hilarious.... and sad 14:29 - Perfect example of Headland's upside-down morality 15:16 - To be fair to Headland, this is a true sentiment. It reminds me of the line from Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago - "The line between good and evil runs through every human heart" (paraphrased, because I don't remember it verbatim).

[@jwt6577]

Introducing half-assed moral ambiguity to a Universe that quite literally has objective Good and objective Evil AND a way to tell the difference is never going to not be silly. George wrote Anakin that way to show ue was delusing himself not to be ambiguous.

[@CoryTheRaven]

Another note... I enjoyed your observation about "what if good was evil actually?" I don't find most mirror universes very interesting because, okay, Captain Kirk is the villain now. Especially when the good guys and the bad guys aren't really distinguished by anything except one are the good guys and the other are the bad guys. The lamest may be Transformers' Shattered Glass. "What if the Autobots were evil? 🤯" Then they would be the Decepticons 🤷 Homelander isn't interesting because he's Evil Superman. He's compelling because he is such a flawed and victimized character and THAT'S what makes him evil.

[@heychrisfox]

Yeah, doing a proper moral-reversal story, or a "villain is the good guy" story, is that you have to be very careful and subtle. They can't be comically evil, because that's just unbelievable, and looks more like satire; but it can't be too morally gray, because then the message of them being maybe good or maybe evil gets all muddy. That's where the Acolyte gets it all wrong. Because the villains are comically evil, doing the most crazy things that any logical person would be like, "That's bad." But the show frames them as misunderstood, when there isn't really any misunderstanding. "I'm standing against the corrupt Jedi regime... and I'm doing that by slaughtering any that get in my way!" Kay, dude, you still sound like a villain, and even if some people might agree that the Jedi are heavy-handed and even bad, they're not as bad as YOU.

[@aetheriansunrise5433]

Even having a villain motivation being as shallow as "wanting to bang someone" can be explored deeply and meaningfully if one knows what they are doing. Claude Frollo anyone?

[@tomhassomethoughts]

Purple as a color denotes royalty or nobility - - the Persians used it as such because the dye was so expensive. The Greeks picked up on it and then the idea made it to Rome. Still makes sense for Palpy to use it, of course

[@Merisu_Sheep]

I don't think I've ever seen a film or movie that's as morally bankrupted as the Acolyte. Well maybe Birth of a Nation or Triumph of the Will. Granted it doesn't go as hard as those, but it still seems like the same type. It's propaganda to get people onboard with their own degenerate world view. I mean like I noticed this same thing when I watched She-Ra Netflix. They make characters act in such a way that's quite obviously diabolical yet seemed to go completely ignored by its own show writers. Because either A. They're too busy on shipping fuel to notice or B. they had no morals to begin with so its impossible for them to write morality. And I'm just here baffled how someone can write like this.

[@Florkl]

19:15 Quick correction. Only Passion is in the Sith Code, not Negativity. It’s also not the official Sith Creed (or at least I don’t know if it was ever recanonized, and it was never Lucas canon). If you do use the Sith Code, you can absolutely do really cool explorations of morally grey Sith, if not straight up good ones. Bioware did it a few times in their Old Republic stuff. But the story has to be about fighting the negativity and risk of corruption from embracing passion. Not just giving into it.

[@cybertramon0012]

It'd be really interesting to have a story about a Sith determined to be in control of their emotions and looks down on other Sith who go nuts. It'd fit well with the Code and their ideology. Sith wish to break their chains and be their own masters; so what does that make a Sith enslaved by their emotions?

[@johnnyrocketed2225]

At first I didn’t think there’d be enough content for a four-part series on the Acolyte. Boy, was I wrong. Great analysis.👏👏Exposes so much more than just this show. 🧐👍

[@righteousindifference3179]

52:49 along those lines, M by Fritz Lang explores an irredeemable villain, portrayed as a faceless monster until they are captured by a mob and has to desperately defend himself in a kangaroo court.

[@shonen_x_trash2488]

"You can see yourself as the bad guy and theres still some good in you," is how Leslie justified feeding woma- I mean coffee, sure, coffee- to her ex-boss.

[@obsessedwithguitars3157]

You sang Dio's Rainbow in the Dark, further indicating that you are a good person to your core.

[@Rentejun5]

"we'll do it live" has me in tears, it's amazing that he can go from saying something profound and insightful and immediately shift to pure hilarity

[@millernumber1]

I still say Cobra Kai is one of the best stories that explores how we all have good and evil in us without abandoning an objective good and evil standard. A masterpiece of a show.

[@wingsoffreedom3589]

There is no such thing as an objective good or evil standard, that's a contradiction in terms.

[@sillydo1344]

​@wingsoffreedom3589 One can make a claim of objective good and evil, right and wrong. If and only if that person subscribes to a religion in which good and evil have been defined by a higher power above humans.

[@wingsoffreedom3589]

@sillydo1344 if it's prescribed by a higher power than it subject to said higher powers values and agenda and therefore cannot be objective. For morals to be objective they have to exist independent of all perspective, bias, preference or emotion. That's why morals can't be objective they are axiomatically subjective even if imposed by a higher power because they are by definition a bias towards preffered behaviors over others. Morals aren't like math 1+1=2 no matter who or what says otherwise it's a fixed logical construct untainted and devoid of bias morals cannot do the same thing. Only consequences are objective the morals are the subjective description for the preffered consequence of a given action.

[@sillydo1344]

@@wingsoffreedom3589 Only if we assume said higher power has perspective, bias, preference or emotion and doesn't simply exist. Would such a higher power to exist it could very well be as fallible as us mortals. Or they could very well be infallible and objective. Who knows? Such is faith.

[@sillydo1344]

I wanna be clear that I'm not discussing whether or not objective morality exists. I'm discussing the framework, the conditions necessary for the concept of objective morality to be able to exist at all.

[@SKJustDuckie]

Anyone else get this scene from Ted Lasso in their heads? Roy: I can’t control my feelings! Ted: By all means let your feelings control you! (Epic Sarcasm)

[@Dam-a-fence]

I was told the death stick dealer in Star Wars E2 went home and rethought, deciding to become an arms dealer instead.

[@alex_tucker]

Self Hatred VS Hatred Of Others, both sides are force sensitive and wearing Palpatine-tier plot armor

[@HestiaHearthfire]

6:16 YES! DO THE LAST WISH! So good, and always nice to chill out with some tea while someone points out yet more awesomeness in a thing I love 😊

[@crushember3519]

Bless you for linking to the other parts in your series. It is surprising how few creators do that. Saves people from having to search.

[@DMJohn]

It's a book, not a movie, but one of my favorite examples of a morally complex story is the Licanius Trilogy by James Islington. You get to see people doing the wrong things for the right reasons, people who do wrong simply because they perceive themselves as having gone too far already, and people who are forced to make difficult moral choices based on imperfect knowledge. Really worth a look.

[@sterling7]

Being an adult- at least hopefully- means learning to delay gratification and sometimes put others' needs and feelings before your own, in part _because_ you have more options, power, and responsibility than you did as a child. And, yes, some people go through some wild years as a young adult, and yes, unfortunately, some people never come through having gained that perspective. But it's all the more tragic, because such people usually end up making themselves and those around them unhappy, and finding it very difficult to ever really be content.

[@acemax1124]

Good deal pulling this apart piece by piece and displaying the twisted Views of its creator outstanding 👏👏👏

[@setlik3gaming80]

Mental spelunking 🤣🤣 I am a spelunker. Those avenues can get quite deep and treacherous. Your video, Liked ✅️

[@pedroares6562]

I think that is one of the huge issues, that moral ambiguity makes hard to know who are you rooting for. The Jedi? The boring twin? the most boring one? The sith who killed the characters I like? The bads are the good ones, buit the show focus so much in the good ones that make your interest in the show become non-existant.

[@mastafull]

I find it interesting how moral ambiguity is so common in progressive media yet those same people never apply it to current political topics. Like they'll humanize a fictional orc but demonize half the country for how they voted.

[@FeatherRanching]

Leslye has accomplished what decades of psychology has failed to do: she has created near-perfect insight into the twisted mind of a psychopath. Hopefully, analysis will yield better tools to identify people like dear, sweet Leslye.

[@nikibogwater6598]

Y'know what, I'm grateful The Acolyte exists, because it led to me seeing Harvey the Hedgehog and his cute little acorn hat. 💕🥺💕

[@joshuapatrick682]

I don’t disrespect Headland because of her gender or sexuality. I don’t respect her because she’s terrible at writing. It’s that simple, write better.

[@elanortriestoart6447]

Thanks for another hour-long video, Papa Greg! You remind me so much of my own dad, tbh. Keep up the grind!

[@ZakEmber]

We actually see the Jedi recruit two candidates in Lucas' films: Luke Skywalker, and Anakin Skywalker. They're both asked, (not told), they both had the power to say no, and as part of the recruitment process, Jedi Masters went so far as to save their lives or get them out of slavery, or both. Qui-Gon even tried to get Anakin's mother out of slavery as well. This idea that the Jedi are kidnapping kids or that children recruited into the Jedi are misled or victims in some way is flatly contradicted by what we see in the films. If anything, it's shown that it's an honor to be a Jedi, and that the Jedi REJECT candidates frequently if they don't think that candidate can cut it, AND Jedi have the power of insight into people's hearts, minds, and even futures. AND YET... here comes a show from an egotistical director that claims to be a fan but has ZERO understanding of what makes the Jedi so popular. And it shows in the writing, because the only way for her to try counter what the movies show is with a lot of word salad and making these Jedi into morons... as well as having every character change ideas and motivations by the scene. Why she was hired and this show made is just beyond me.

[@alarin612]

18:10 I think someone may have manipulated Leslye in a similar way. She fell for it, so now she confuses it for "vulnerability."

[@the0peratoR]

You DIDN'T release this video around the time i woke up on my day off bored! What a legend!

[@mustardseedfaith6888]

Not the mug mogging 🤣

[@patrickbateman312]

Yes, the mug mogging.

[@apollolux]

The problem isn't isolated to just Headland and her treatment of Star Wars via The Acolyte, though it's much more obvious from that result, it's endemic throughout all of Star Wars since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Pre-buyout, the original trilogy presented a clear dichotomy, a fairly black-and-white depiction of the conflict of good and evil through the Rebel Alliance vs the Galactic Empire and to a lesser extent Obi-Wan and Luke vs Darth Vader and the Emperor. The prequel trilogy, however plodding the exposition of the overarching politics of the world were sometimes presented, still made a good faith, _genuine_ effort to show the build-up to that point, the scheming and machinations of what was still pretty obviously the evil side to eventually become the Empire as we knew it in the original trilogy. Extended Universe media were also allowed to fill in the gaps lore-wise pretty much without restriction as long as they didn't conflict with the movies, shows, games, comics, or each other. Post-buyout, the sequel trilogy was disingenuous from the start, beginning with essentially a copy (some would say "tribute," I would say "knock-off") of A New Hope rather than a much more original story set in the Star Wars universe. The efforts of the Rebels in the original trilogy were basically undone right in this first movie as well and rather than being lauded as legends the original heroes were treated as relics of a bygone era to be forgotten, discarded in favor of modernity for the sake of modernity. Without even seeing spoilers for The Force Awakens, I had easily predicted Han being taken out before it even happened because of that one-two punch of "copying ANH" and "throwing away the old." Shippers kept trying to insist Rey should be paired with the obviously bad Kylo Ren instead of the almost obviously originally planned Finn just because Kylo made them cream more, and the next two movies were changed accordingly. Throughout an entire movie, a substitute Resistance leader (who's _supposed_ to be the good guy) kept barking orders without _any_ explanation and punishing the most competent guy in the Resistance for questioning her, then the movie's director tried to justify his scriptwriting decisions by claiming the movie's theme is "failure" and the second of the legends was erased. Finally, somehow Palpatine returned and also brought with him a handful of mediocre attempts on both the small and big screens to stretch out lore both before and after the original trilogy. It's more than just a twisted morality. It's intentional ineptitude.

[@Elerad]

The inclusion of that shot of Padme in Anakin's list of offenses about made me shoot water out of my nose.

[@mirulm4249]

Yay! Another philosophical deep dive from OG-GO! 😁

[@mykin3945]

Good video. Nothing surprising about Lesley for me, but you brought up some points that I think I'll be chewing on for a bit. As for morally complex movies, I don't really watch all that many movies nowadays. Games, however? I got a few. One that I like referencing back to is a little rpg maker game called To The Moon. It's about two doctors traversing backwards through a dying man's memories to artificially fulfill his last wish. The deeper they go, the more they unintentionally dig up about the man's past and the forgotten events that had a tremendous effect on him. The moral complexity comes from the two scientists deciding if it would be right to alter the man's memories to fulfill his wish if it means him permanently forgetting someone that was once close to him. The gameplay itself isn't anything to write home about. It's literally finding enough shinnies to unlock the next story beat. But the story itself is worth going through at least once if you have the time to kill.

[@leipzigergnom]

The Acolyte is an example of how twisted and evil the moral framework of most of our entertainment industry has become (and large swathes of our culture in general).

[@khajogaming5753]

0:56 I did not know it lit up now.

[@timcowell2626]

I learned so much today and it just makes me want to NOT watch The Acholyte all the more. If Disney+ dies on it's a*se then this half-witted drivel is just another nail in it's coffin. Keep up the excellent work, Greg, we sane voices now, more than ever.

[@omegaman2846]

Captain America Civil war does a good job of showing the moral complexity of our heroes and creating an eerily human villain that is symbolic of the flaws of our heroes

[@joshuapatrick682]

10:10 it’s funny because I have both “daddy” issues and problems with religion but I don’t project those onto anyone. I won’t tell anyone else how to deal with emotional trauma but this is not the way

[@adambrannon8934]

When you mentioned a villian wanting to get laid is a weak motivation my mind immediately went to Gaston. However he has a lot.of added bonuses. His arrogance and charm make him fun to watch, but also his point if view is fun to explore. He has achieved so much and has the respect of all but one, and he wants her to settle down with and start a family.

[@Runnerskeeper]

I sometimes watch your videos while I'm gaming. Somehow I still get 70% of the video. This video in particular even caused me to pause the game in order to write this comment. That's how captivating you are! Plus, you're an ally to the Despot as I learned in his worst of '24 video. Thank you for sharing your valued opinion. You always shine light on angles, that I didn't even consider, or if I did consider some, not to this extent. Stay healthy and I wish you and your loved ones nothing but the best

[@1forge2rulethemall88]

Its easy when writing to find out your wrote a villian when you wanted a hero, but most folks will pause when they see this happening, hand it to a friend hear the problem and redo it until the scenario is justified.

[@candiceerorita9505]

"...mental gymnastics not even Simone Biles can dream of." 😂😂 Loving your channel, lately. 👌💜

[@thor3279]

such a brilliant little throwaway joke !~55:30 I love you are trying to reason with the cartoon guys and get them to decide on what number it is, and whether it was a good idea to paint it on the ground 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@AceAviations2]

Considering who she worked with, her bizarre morality makes sense, when you willingly work for a monster that kind of morality likely twisted her morality into defending objective evil.

[@aclaylambisabirdman6324]

Even some of my most Liberal friends have found this series of yours fascinating to watch, and eye-opening, you're doing good work, Greg, God Bless Brother!

[@sandoristar7597]

Congratz for the patience, mental fortitude, stamina and persistence to go through all the Acolyte nonsense for our enjoyment. Respect! Also looking forward for the PiB2 review

[@sinistavoicez]

41:50 kudos sir. You have my utmost respect as a Star Wars fan. Bravo. Bravo

[@vaggos2003]

A morally complex movie that presents all sides of the conflict in a fair and nuanced manner and gives a solution to the conflict that fits with the movie's pro-environmental themes of coexistense and the franchise's critiques of Man playing God pretty damn well.

[@idathorneofficial]

I really enjoy listening to your analysis on these things, very appreciated😊

[@joannamarieart]

37:30 - yeah the saddest thing about this bit is that the story she is describing here DOES sound like a really interesting angle to explore. It’s just not at all the story we were actually given 😑

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Highly appreciated breakdown! Completely on point! Excellent closing message, God bless you man.

[@GaussTheWarframe]

30:40 y’all oughta compare mugs

[@LittlePhizDorrit]

Going after Mauler's "Longman" title, I see. This is one of the longest ways to say "this dumb lady can't write" ever. AND I LOVE IT! Anyway there are a lot of great morally ambiguous character stories....Mostly war films: Stalag 17, Bridge on the River Kwai, Platoon, and yeah Training Day...mostly this concept is done so badly (especially these days) that I avoid it.

[@goufr3540]

Just as the Spiders foretold after getting their supply of Rhino Milk for the great mind BIGIDEAS on if Water is Wet. It is nice to enjoy these long form videos, have enjoyed since Mauler's TLJ 3 parter.

[@meh-c5i]

The Jedi don’t want the Sith or Dark Jedi to exist because those groups use and abuse the force for tyrannical ends. If those two groups used the force to help their fellow man, alien, robot, etc., then there wouldn’t be a problem between the groups, Leslie! In short, it’s not the power that’s in question, but rather how and for what it’s being used.

[@yrtepgold]

14:38 - Putting yourself at risk by entering into combat to save someone else is a selfless act. Whereas fiinding yourself in a moment where you have the ability to save someone but instead decide to turn tail and run to save yourself is selfish. I hope she misspoke but unfortunately I think she said what she intended to say.

[@admirallily]

One of my favorite morally complex shows is actually a Korean Drama called Dr. John about an anesthesiologist who killed his patient who was dying of cancer. But this patient was a man who murdered two children by setting them on fire. When Dr John gets out of prison he’s allowed to be a doctor again and heads up the pain treatment department at a major hospital where several people come to him hoping he will assist in there deaths and some powerful men are hoping he’ll be on board to assist them in getting a drug and law approved to legalize assisted suicide in Korea. Absolutely fascinating story that I recommend for the thought provoking plot lines it offers.