Re:tro Re:view - Solomon Kane!

Solomon Kane (2009) is a swords and sorcery movie with a 17th century pilgrim fighting the supernatural from his past! The film is written and directed by M.J. Bassett. She is the writer and director of the war horror film, Deathwatch (2002). Barrett is also the director of the other Robert E. Howard inspired character, Red Sonja. Solomon Kane made his debut in “Red Shadows” (1928), created by Howard, the second sword & sorcery character after King Kull. The character, hat, coat, and sword was used in the film, Van Helsing (2004). The story is a prequel to Howard’s stories, but I think captures the tone of Howard, and I think of his best adaptations. It is streaming on Amazon Prime. North Africa, 1600, is the setting of the movie. It is night, a city burns with a warship off the coast. The ship sends cannonfire to level the city! Another warship silently passes with the British flag. 

We close in to the city, to a tower, below it a soldier (James Purefoy) in black cape cuts down guards. Purefoy played the general, Kantos Kan, in John Carter (2012). Soloman Kane cuts through the defenders and holds one guard with his sword pinning his neck and backs up! Then, finishes off the tower guards with his soldiers behind him. The darkness of Solomon Kane’s world is filmed by Dan Laustsen who also shot Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak (2015). the The heavy door is closed with a mass of guards that reinforce a barricade. The door explodes throwing the guards back! The fires burn and Solomon walks confidently with his swords slung against his back. His men finish off some survivors. Solomon questions a fallen guard, Lieutenant Malthus (Christian Dunckley Clark). He speaks in Arabic, the lieutenant gasps, and then points to the throne room. 

Solomon takes out his pistol to kill the lieutenant! We focus on the castle in the aftermath of the siege, the hall leading to the throne room is lined with tall mirrors. Solomon carefully walks in and his men are worried that the supernatural is not worth treasure. A soldier passes a mirror and some skeletal demon, spooky design!, presses against it! Suddenly, the demons snatch a few soldiers into the darkness of their mirrors! I would b breaking the mirrors though that might unleash the demons! One of Solomon’s men runs and is shot in the back by his captain! Solomon tells the others, “I am the only devil here!” The door to the throne room opens and Solomon orders them to follow him. He sees a circular pit filled with gold. Then, the door closes behind him, Solomon hears the screams of his men before it becomes silent. Solomon turns to hear eerie whispers. 

Solomon notices that his breath is now frosty in the throne room. A dark mist screams past! He steps back and then more shadows stream from the mouth of a statue! They shriek around him and then mass around the throne. This becomes a black robed creature (Ian Whyte) and Solomon raises his sword to it. The creature raises his hand and Solomon screams falling down! It says, “I am the Devil’s Reaper!” It says it is claiming Solomon Kane and that his “deal is done.” Solomon says he made no deal and the Devil’s Reaper says his soul is forfeit. It has a raspy voic and I keep expecting The Devil’s Reaper to say, “Seek thee out the diamond in the rough.” It walks towards him, a black hood with no face, and its sword begins to be covered in flames! The Devil’s Reaper brings down the sword, but it is blocked by Solomon’s crossed swords. 

Solomon says he is protected by the Lord, but The Devil’s Reaper says he has been abandoned. He dodges the sword swings and then jumps through the stained glass window! Solomon falls down to the sea and The Devil’s Reaper tells him he can’t escape it. Church bells toll as we see “England, One Year Later”, a frozen lake has branches with crows on them, a creepy image. In the monastery are monks, two enter the room of Solomon Kane, we see a closeup of washing hands. The novice, Brother Thomas (Thomas McEnchroe) sees bloody papers on his walls. Solomon is now bearded with a large scar of a cross on his back. He asks if it is protection from the devil. The older abbott (Robert Russell) takes Solomon outside in the snow to talk. Solomon says he has sanctuary there from is watching him. 

The abbott says the answer to his prayers is that Solomon must leave. Solomon says he gave up his “evil ways” and learning to be a “man of peace.” The abbott tells him to go home as a noble with inheritance. Solomon is told to leave and he is left alone in an empty yard. The abbott talks with an older monk and says there are “many paths to redemption.”  Solomon walks across the lake, now shaved, in a robe and staff. He crosses the snowy landscape and passes plague doctors with their beaked masks around a fire. The bleak setting is perfect. He is seen on the road by a Puritan husband, William Crowthorn (Pete Postlewaite) and his wife, Katherine (Alice Krige) in their covered wagon. Postlewaite played Father Lawence in Romeo + Juliet (1996) who he had his own cross tatoo on his back. He had died in 2011. Krige is known for playing the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact (1996). 

William offers Solomon a ride, but he refuses. Out of the back of the wagon, a young boy, Samuel (Patrick Hurd-Wood) watches him. Hurd-Wood was later in the crime dama, Blood (2012) and stars in this movie with his sister. Solomon makes a campfire in the woods. He hears voices, and suddenly a knife is held to his throat by a bandit (James Babson)! He whistles for others and struck by a staff. They spill out his papers from his pack. The leader sees mystic symbols on a paper and the gang tries to burn Solomon. He pushes them back and taunted by the leader if he would kill them. Solomon says he has given up violence and then he is knocked out. I like Solomon being tested with his new life even when in danger. Then, he sees the face of his father, Josiah (Max von Sydow), who reminds the young Solomon (Lucas Stone) that he is the second son. Von Sydow played Sir Walter Loxley in Robin Hood (2010). He had died in 2020. 

Josiah declares that Marcus (Samuel Roukin) is his heir. Roukin played Snatcher in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (2010). Young Solomon says Marcus is a bully and his father tells him that he will become a priest. He refuses even Father Simnal is there to take him to the abbey. Josiah warns Solomon that he will be cut from the will. Solomon walks away. He last hears his father’s words, “Do not defy me!” Solomon suddenly awakens startled by a vision of The Devil’s Reaper. He finds himself watched over by William’s daughter, Meredith (Rachel Hurd-Wood). Sibyl Van was played by Hurd-Wood in the film, Dorian Grey (2009). She tells her father that his fever is broken. They make camp. The oldest son, Edward (Anthony Wilks) sends Samuel to water the horses. Solomon offes to help, but goes to the lake to wash, taking off his shirt, Samuel and Meredith by a tree sees his scars. They are the means to his redemption. 

At a meal, Solomon talks about sailing with Admiral Drake and it was easy for him to kill. Solomon goes into a troubled sleep heaing his father and dreams of when he was leaving his home. He sets out walking in the cliffs outside of the castle. Solomon hears shouts of a woman, Sarah (Madaleine Bassett) struggling with his older brother, Marcus. He tries to stop him and Marcus slaps Sarah. Solomon takes out a knife, but is overpowered by his brother. Marcus takes the knife and cuts Solomon’s cheek. He drags Solomon over to the cliff edge to show off what will be his land. Marcus shoves his brother back and Solomon pushes him in return. He trips over a rock and falls off the cliff! Solomon meets with William who will be sailing with his family to the New World. He offers his guest to join thm, but Solomon says that evil things are waiting for him if he gives up the path of peace. William says “Do not stray”, love this character moment.    

#SolomonKane, #MJBassett, #JamesPurefoy, #RachelHurdWood, #PetePostlethwaite, #AliceKrige, #PatrickHurdWood, #LucasStone, #MaxVonSydow, #IanWhyte, #SamuelRoukin

Savage Sword of Conan #3 Review!

The Savage Sword of Conan #3 has a fantastic story of Conan against a werewolf, the conclusion of Solomon Kane’s adventure, and a silent Conan story! The cover by Alex Horley has Conan Amed with his axe against a werewolf against a blue tinted night background! There is a pinup by Horley of Kull wielding his axe against Serpent Men, behind him is a woman by a pillar, very Frazetta “Egyptian Queen”, with a skull looming behind them! The first story is a Conan tale, “Wolves of the Tundra”, is by Frank Tieri with Cary Nord artwork. Tieri is the writer of another Hyperborean character, Red Sonja: Black Tower limited series. Nord is the artist of the Dark Horse Conan comic books. 

The black and white format is used to great effect with the stark setting and the chiaroscuro art by Nord. We open on the tundra, this can be any snowy country of Conan’s world which I like, also any time in the adult Conan’s life. We see a hare hopping in the snow and then yanked by a dark, hairy paw and munched on off panel! I also like the large panels that gives the scope and focus to tell the story. Then, we get a splash page of the werewolf howling against the moon over his meal! It turns sniffing, a closeup of its snout, and then the beast starts prowling towards footprints in the snow leading to a house! A conversation is heard of a boy and his father. 

The dark form of the werewolf is seen by a lit window of the house. The father argues against his young son going to town when he has chores. Then, we see the family in shadow. A closeup of the werewolf claws scratching the door. The door is tossed into the night! Then, a panel of the werewolf roaring, impressive, but it is startled at the empty room. The family; father, mother, son, and daughter, stand at the back of the house, eyes glowing! The father says they know what happened to the “others.” They transform into werewolves and begin to bash the invader seen with sound effects! Nice work by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith. A twist beginning! The family that werewolfs together… 

A splash page of the lone werewolf standing above the defeated family howling with his claws dripping with pale blood! He staggers into the night, wounded, spitting blood, he falls as a man and we see his thoughts, “I am…”, then we see the naked body of Conan! He is cursed, Conan has been under spells before, but this is the first as a werewolf! A closeup of his eyes. We roll back to days earlier, Conan on his horse, he is starving and thirsty which is common for the Cimmerian. He reaches the Hungry Claw tavern, I like the Slaughtered Lamb name from American Werewolf in London (1981), and hitches his horse outside. Inside the tavern is laughter and music, Conan walks in, and the patrons go silent. 

He asked the eyepatched innkeeper for a meal, bed, and ale. Looking around, Conan notices mounted wolf heads and wolf skins. The innkeeper says they don’t get many strangers and Conan warns all that he doesn’t want to be disturbed. Two men try to threaten him and Conan smashes one with his flagon and then draws his sword! The others stand, the wind blows out the candles, and their eyes glow in the darkness! We get panels of black and sound effects! Fighting and growling. Closeup of Conan lighting a match. He sees the broken tavern. His shoulder is bleeding from bites. He sees a severed werewolf arm. Then, he transforms to feed on his horse, surprised that the horse didn’t sense the werewolves and bolted. 

He howls to the moon, but doesn’t remember what happened that night. Conan suddenly wakens in a stable with a farmer carrying a lantern. A splash page as he sees that he had killed all of the animals in the barn! The farmer says he was one of the Wolves of the Tundra! Conan is told the only way to break the curse is to kill the head werewolf, but his identity is secret. Conan takes the farmer’s horse to hunt down the leader. A two page splash has Conan killing werewolves by sword or by claw, his face divided into human and wolf half, burning down a cabin, and drowning another. This is until he finally ties one to a post  to get the location. The barbarian finds it at a cavern making me think of the movie, The 13th Warrior (1999), finding the lair of the Wendol. 

Conan enters the cavern filled with skeleton remains and a giant room of columns in a splash page! There, the leader is familiar with hordes of werewolves! A nice twist ending! There is a excerpt from the novel, Conan: City of the Dead, and a short piece by the author, John C. Hocking, on Conan inspirations. The conclusion of "Master of the Hunt" by Patrick Zircher follows with some background of the Otherworld, Annwyn, and its people, the Tylwyth Teg. This is the world out of Welsh myth ruled by Arawn, the dark figure with deer antlers, familiar to me from the Chronicles of Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander. The spires and waterfall of the castle are beautiful. Inside the citadel is the black cauldron, also the title of the 1985 Disney film, tended by nine maidens. The artwork has hints of Barry Windsor-Smith’s influence, Romantic illustration.

The cauldron holds golden mead which keeps the Tylwyth Teg immortal, but beneath the lords and ladies are the goblins and others working in the mines. One of them is the beast-like Gawr who had helped build the cauldron and carry it. The Gawr walks up the citadel steps past two guards it killed. He also slaughters the maidens, this is part of a cycle, and when restored, all will be the same. Gawr drinks the mead from the cauldron. It decides to find a hiding place in our world where we see the tower that Solomon tracked it to last issue. Solomon Kane calls out the name of the boy, Roland Maddocks, stolen by Gawr. He is armed with pistol and rapier with the tower flooded to his boots. He sees a body covered in ivy and then hears Roland’s voice!     

Gawr charges towards him and Solomon blasts his pistol at the beast’s chest! It slashes away the horn given to Solomon by the blind storyteller, Gruffudd, last issue. He stabs Gawr and it snaps his blade! Then, Gawr pounds him down, but Solomon uses his other pistol shoots its knee! He plunges the shattered rapier into Gawr’s neck and then is bear hugged by the beast! Solomon thinks his apology to the family that he vowed to save. Solomon reaches out to grab the horn and sounds it with Gawr who screams in fear! This makes me think of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) with the disbelieving Indy trusting in the power of the Ark. 

It has summoned Arawn, Master of the Hunt, whose hounds tear into Gawr and his spear kills it! Gawr’s darkness flies from the tower. Now alone Solomon finds the bound Roland and then we see him return to his mother, Gwenllyan. Solomon thinks, “The child is home.” A great Solomon Kane story! A poem, “Call Thee to Crom” by Jim Zub with art by Robert De La Torre, from the Titan Comics Conan the Barbarian comic. A silent story, “Lure of the Pit Creature”, is by Alan Quah. He is the artist of the Dark Souls comic adaptation of the fantasy video game. Conan rides in a forest when his horse falls with him down a pit! Quah’s art has some grey tones. He finds a beautiful woman, of course, and follows her to a pool. She transforms into a Kaiju insect-like monster! There is a range of swords and sorcery stories with great artwork in Savage Sword Of Conan #3! 

Five Savage Swords out of Five! 

#TheSavageSwordOfConan, #AlexHorley, #WolvesOfTheTundra, #FrankTieri, #CaryNord, #ConanCityOfTheDead, #JohnCHocking, #MasterOfTheHunt, #PatrickZircher, #SolomonKane, #CallTheeToCrom, #JimZub, #RobertDeLaTorre, #LureOfThePitCreature, #AlanQuah. 

  

The Mysteries of The Acolyte!

We are rolling to an end with The Acolyte so here are some guesses to the mysteries. There may be wild theories, but some points I think are valid. Still, show creator, Leslye Headland, in telling this story has many twists to the story so I'm fine if nothing I'm forwading becomes true. Movies, books, and other television shows are referenced from clues in the series. What is the secret? We know that Palpatine says in Revenge of the Sith (2005), GC-PT3, Darth Plagueis “was so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force influence the midichlorians to create life.” It might have been that Plagueis told Palpatine he discovered this secret, but I think it rests with the Force Priestesses. They were seen by Yoda in the Clone Wars episode, “Destiny” (2014), GC-CW6/12. The Force Priestesses exist in the Wellsping of Life, the souce of the midichlorians, but I don’t think Plagueis or any Sith found the secret there from them. Nor do I think it was fom some ancient Sith text, it must have come fom the Force Priestesses. 

Also, I think they might appear, but in a vision so the connection to the episode does not make things complicated. I’m guessing here, but I’m imagining that the coven of Mother Aniseya could summon them! I imagine the Jedi, with Vernestra and her Padawan Indara?, discover the coven and in a battle, they may be broken into the Dark Side users who become the Nightsisters on Dathomir and Mother Aniseya’s group. Why is the coven is suspicious of the Jedi? Maybe the Force Priestess led them to Brendok like Themysicra in Wonder Woman. It could be a visionod Brendok  by Mother Aniseya. The goddesses showed the Amazons led Hippolyta there in the comics. 

So Mother Aniseya is desperate to have the secret from the Force Priestesses to save her people. Vernestra could have discovered the secret and then started the battle, but I think this would be before Brendok, the reason why they go there. I think the secret can only be done at Brendok with the conjuction of moons, The Ascension. The Force Priestesses may have taught Mother Aniseya the secret of creating life with the midichloians. If this doesn’t happen in the show, I would hope that the Force Priestesses have a part to play with the secret. So the Master, I still think Vernestra sends Indara, Sol, and the others to Brendok with the mission to discover the secret, at least Indara may know the real reason. 

Sol, meanwhile, has seen Osha and feels her strength in the Force. He is like Qui-Gon with Anakin gone wrong. Instead of helping Anakin, Osha is Sol's way to become a Jedi Master! I think this is why Osha failed in the Jedi Trials, Sol may have been using her power which caused her to fail. He may draw out her midichlorians through blood like a vampire? Maybe this weakened Osha during the Jedi Trials. Maybe he feared that if she became a Jedi, then her power would be known and the blame would go to him. This would be his sin. What may be The Stranger may be a youngling, a Jedi Initiate at the Jedi Temple. He said it was a “long time ago.” Vernestra may have taken an interest in him. 

Maybe she takes him from the temple to train The Stranger. She may have “Qimir” fail as a Padawan and wiped out his data from the temple records like Dooku. Maybe the instructions of how to remove records was left by her and used by Dooku! I think Vernestra would be the only one who could do so. It could be like Sol and The Stranger with Osha, he was compelled by her lightwhip. She must have abandoned him to stay with the Jedi Temple. Still, she may have ordered him to Brendok before the Jedi team to observe Osha and Mae. He must have killed the coven blaming the Jedi to make Osha suspicious. Then, took Mae to train. The big question, how did Vernestra or The Master become Sith? I dunno.

I think it would be revealed in the last episode, but she was very young during the Great Hyperspace Disaster. Dealing with the Nihil pushed the Jedi to extremes. The last known Sith was Darth Gean, the female Twi’lek apprentice of Darth Gravid, mentioned by Darth Plagueis. This was mentioned in the 2012 Legends novel by James Lucerno. Her fate and also what happened to her unknown apprentice, Vernestra?, is unknown. This is dated to be 533 BBY which would be before the High Republic Era. The series could fill in the gap of what happened to the Sith! Still, I don’t expect Darth Teneborous, Plageuis’ master, to show up unless there is a season 2. If at all since they are in Legends. The Master may not be Vernestra who is a fan favorite character, I do hope Justina Ireland continues her story in the missing years up to the show! The Acolyte offers some interesting possilities to the Sta Wars Universe! 

#TheAcolyte, #LeslyeHeadland, #RevengeOfTheSith, #DarthPlagueis, #ForcePriestesses, #CloneWars, #Destiny, #MotherAniseya, #Vernestra, #Indara, #Sol, #QuiGonJinn, #Osha, #Mae, #TheStranger, #DarthGean, #DarthGravid, #JamesLucerno, #DarthTeneborous, #JustinaIreland 

The Acolyte, “Teach/Corrupt”, Review!

Last episode, the man known as The Stranger killed Sol’s team on Khofar, including Jecki and Yord! He has been betrayed by Mae and dueled with Sol. Osha was the sole witness. Later, she attempted to arrest Mae, but was knocked out by her sister. Mae took Osha’s place and left with Sol. The Stranger put his cloak on Osha. “Teach/Corrupt” is directed by Hanelle Culpepper and she directed the pilot for Star Trek: Picard. The episode is written by series creator, Leslye Headland, and producer Jocelyn Bioh, who also wrote a 2019 episode of Russian Doll. There is eerie music as we find Osha once again waking up in Mae’s black shirt in a cave. She checks her wound at her side, it is bandaged, but still bloody. No bacta? It started to have wide spread use in the High Republic Era after the Great Hyperspace Disaster in 232 BBY. The Acolyte is set in 132 BBY. 

She is in a cave that has been furnished with a small, oblong-shaped pool, tunnels, very sparse. Osha walks over to a duffel bag and a tiny, rock-shaped critter, a Skura, with a curved, pink trunk, scrurries away. She finds Mae’s dagger and clothes. Osha walks out of the cave, a rocky spire rising from the sea, and a small islet has a ship. A pullback where we see the island. We see that it is an Unknown Planet not Ahch-To like some speculation, it is unknown, but the same place where Mae saw The Stranger at the end of the first episode. Osha walks down to the rocky beach where two Skura and a little one freeze in place to pretend to be rocks! She walks to see the landing platform, it is a short distance, but the waves are heavy. Osha maybe is a strong swimmer, we saw Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon swim so that might be part of Jedi training. 

She turns to see The Stranger casually walk in his black robe and duffel bag, his sudden appearance is no accident, Osha would have noticed him. Plus, he did make it a point that Sol attacked him with his back turned. Khofar, the Jedi ship, the Polan GX-8, takes off with Sol at the controls, a short time, the Unknown Planet must be close to Khofar in the Outer Rim or Sol was busy? He should be concerned about Jecki, Yord, and the bodies of the other Jedi, something is driving him. Sol contacts the Jedi Temple, he delayed doing this when we last saw him walk into the ship?, a hologram appears of Mog Adana (HarryTrevaldwyn). The actor stars in the historical comedy show, My Lady Jane. Sol says, “Emergency Code Zero.” The transmission distorts. He starts to say, “There is a - “, Sith?, and then that his team has died, except Osha whom he doesn’t mention? I always pay attention to what Sol doesn’t say more than what he tells. Then, he cuts off the hologram, suspicious. 

Mae dressed as Osha walks the ship’s corridor and she hears the voice of Indara administering her Jedi Testing Screen test to young Mae on Brendok, we didn’t see this in Ep. 3, and Sol gave the test to Mae. She hears Sol say he wants to talk with Master Vernestra and walks towards the cockpit. Bazil watches her. Sol is speaking to the hologram of Vernestra and says they were ambushed. He says someone knew they were coming, maybe someone that was a Jedi who sent them there? My prime suspect as the Master is still the person Sol is communicating. Mae climbs up to the cockpit and takes out her knife! Sol already knows she is there and tells Osha that he is going to “reset the transciever.” Sabotaged by Mae? He says she should take the pilot seat and walks away. Mae takes the ship out of atmo and into space. 

Sol gets to the transciever, a ship diagnostic screen, he shuts it off and looks troubled. A long pause. I think it is the secret from the past come to haunt him since it led to the Jedi deaths. He reactivates the screen and then walks on with Bazil there to watch him. The lil’ Tynnan walks in with Pip. He reads directions to attach Pip to a console and it activates the droid! At the Unknown Planet, The Stranger reaches a quiet sea pool, with Osha following him. He drops his bag and begins undressing, ok Leslye Headland, this for the ladies. The most we saw undressed was Luke in the Bacta tank. This is a story point as we see an reverse “y” scar on the formerly known Qimir’s back. A part of training? The Jedi have the Trial of the Flesh which involves pain. Osha picks up his lightsaber like when Sol gave her his lightsaber as a child. Stranger danger! 

In the pool, The Stranger with his back turned, asks her how it feels. She snaps into a defensive position and he says the Jedi may have taken her lightsaber when she left. He says her stance is good, but has to keep her elbow higher, he definitely had some Jedi training. Osha holds the lightsaber out and The Stranger asks if he can get dressed. He gets out and says she is thinking about if it is honorable to kill him unarmed and also unclothed. Osha steps back. He starts to put on clothes saying he can’t read minds, her anger betrays her thoughts. In Return of the Jedi (1983), GC-OT3, Luke says, “Your thoughts betray you father” before Vader throws his lightsaber. She asks why he brought her to the planet and then if he killed Sol. He says no and then says the same response for Mae. The Stranger asks why she asked about Sol first, he calls it a “special relationship.” 

He has dressed in a white tunic like a Jedi! He picks up his bag and leaves Osha. At this point, neither Mae attacks Sol and The Stranger is no threat to Osha which robs the tension of the ep which I thought ran through the series. I do like the training of what might be Sith which I expected in the so called Sequel Trilogy. Mae brings the ship to dock with the hyperspace engines. Sol joins her and suddenly hugs Mae. He says Osha saved us, I wonder who he is refering to, and adds she saved him. Sol tells her that “man” corrupted Mae and pushed him to place, interesting, “anger leads to hate”? The Stranger was pushing him into the Dark Side? Was this done to him by his Master? Sol apologizes and says he will set things right, face the High Council, and confess everything. Sincere? 

The members of the High Council we knew from Phantom Menace (1999), GC-PT1, at that time had three members. Yoda, Yarael Poof, who was pale with a long neck, and Oppo Rancisis who had a long beard, but had a brown furry face at this time. I don’t know if any of the High Council will show up, but this show is “full of surprises.” The holoprojector activates, then the ship powers down. He sends Mae to check on the systems. Night at the Jedi Temple, Senator Chuwani via hologram is speaking to Vernestra about support from the Expansion Region for a review of the Jedi Order. He is an Abednedo like the Resistance pilot, Ello Asty, in Force Awakens (2015), DC-ST1. This is the first we have seen someone from the Galactic Republic. At the time of the books, the Supreme Chancellor was Lina Soh. 

Mog enters, the transmission is ended, and gives Sol’s report. She already spoke with Sol, deception?, and sends a rescue team to Khofar, rescue?, they all died. Vernestra admits she sent Sol to Khofar. The Unknown Planet beach, Osha asks The Stranger was a Jedi and he says he was “a long time ago.” A nice nod to the opening cutting the “in a galaxy far, far away.” He must have been a youngling, Vernestra was 16 when she became a Jedi Knight, was he trained by her or Indara? She has not heard of him, training outside of the Jedi Temple? She says he is holding her for leverage which is kinda foolish since they can’t be found. Osha says Sol will come for her and he is powerful. He counters that she is strong in the Force. Was Sol taking her strength to become a Jedi Master? Is this his sin? 

He says that she should start swimming if she would each the ship, false option, when he then asks if she is hungry. Mae walks into the room with Pip, from a small hatch, Bazil walks in. He sniffs and then flips around before charging her, she tells him to relax, but his hug was really an attempt to attack Mae. Bazil stomps on her foot and shuffles away with the glowrod. Pip sprays her eyes with a liquid and Mae shrieks in pain, comedic attacks! Mae resets Pip, not a memory wipe?, reattaches him to the larger unit and check the power. Osha questions The Stranger about the Force, she thinks it fades without training. He says the Jedi told her that it fades. He says anger and fear can be used and also loss and passion, the last two we haven’t heard before. 

Osha says he killed her friends, he says they were Jedi that “threatens” his life, The Stranger struck first and used lethal force, not self defense. “Qimir” says that Yord turned her in, even when she was innocent and then Jecki would have been the same as Sol. This is not a defense of his actions, its blame shifting, and also conjecture with the case of Jecki. We know her relationship with Osha was different, she was questioning like Ahsoka. He holds out a bowl of food saying that the Jedi are limited unlike herself. Osha says she can’t be corrupted like Mae. She walks out of the cave, The Stranger taunts her with killing her and she holds the lightsaber to him, I would shish kabob him! He holds Osha’s arm, but she tells him that a Jedi doesn’t kill unarmed opponents, he answers saying she is not a Jedi. 

#TheAcolyte, #TeachCorrupt, #HanelleCulpepper, #LeslyeHeadland, #JocelynBioh, #AmandlaStenberg, #LeeJaeJung, #MannyJacinto, #RebeccaHenderson, #HarryTrevaldwyn, #HassanTaj  

The Acolyte, “Night”, Part II Review!

Episode five, “Night”, of The Acolyte is dark and complex with the series mystery!  On Khofar, the Jedi led by Sol encounter The Stranger who cuts down the Jedi, Jecki has managed to bash off his cortosis weave helmet, but The Stranger kills her! Osha sees the murder. He reattaches his lightsaber. Sol whispers Jecki’s name. The Stranger asks, “Was that its name?” The dissocation of a person is the trait of a psychopath. Sol tries to reason saying she was a child, but The Stranger counters that the Jedi Master brought her to the battle, The Batman and Robin Problem. This is not a casual relationship, because Sol brought Jecki doesn’t mean someone should kill her. The former Qimir may be bringing up something in Sol’s past. He greets Mae and then tosses his cloak onto Sol. 

Then, he Force Pulls Mae into his choking grip. The Stranger notes that Mae didn’t realize it was him. Sol ignites his lightsaber, but The Stranger blocks with one hand, Mae choking in the other! The Stranger says Sol attacking him with his back turned, snaps off his lightsaber, and then holds the hilt to Mae’s head! Sol closes his lightsaber and then tosses it. Not as heroic as Luke throwing his lightsaber facing the Emperor. It is interesting that Sol would forfeit for Mae. He asks what is his opponent. The Stranger says he has no name, The Man With No Name is Clint Eastwood cowboy trope, and then says the Jedi might call him Sith. This doesn’t immdiately  mark him as a Sith Lord. He said might call him Sith. This could be a Nightbrother like Savage Opress, the brother to Maul, connected to the Witches of Dathomir. An association to Mother Aniseya’s coven?

Sol asks what he wants. The Stranger kicks Mae down and says he wants freedom to use his power. This similar to Mother Aniseya, but she was more calm, they didn’t kill the Jedi from what we saw in Ep. 3, but we saw what happened to the coven. He says he wants a pupil, an Acolyte, Headland said in an interview that there is a Master and Apprentice. The Apprentice looks for an Acolyte to overthrow the Master. So he is the Apprentice. Who is the Master? I still have my suspects. He rejects Mae for breaking their deal and revealed him. Then, The Stranger says he has to kill all of the Jedi there. He adds that the Jedi say he can’t exist. This is one of the questions of this series, can anyone practice the Force without the Jedi? There was the reclusive Bendu on Atollon that used the Force and trained Ezra Bridger in Star Wars: Rebels. Again, the Jedi didn’t stop the Nightsisters in Clone Wars. 

The helmet is pulled by the Force to the hand of Yord who leaps into a swing with his lightsaber! He uses the helmet to short out The Stranger’s blade and gets locked in a hold with him! Osha watches and Yord recognizes him from Olega. The Stranger breaks his arm and then twists him around to snap his neck! Two of our cast lost in one episode! He throws Yord’s body aside and Mae starts to run. Osha takes out her stun blaster, Mae turns to see her, and Osha hits her with a blast. The miss on Olega may not have ben on purpose, but Osha is accurate. Sol yells and then goes into hand to hand combat with The Stranger. Sol headbutts him and then kicks him away! He has given into anger. Sol ignites his lightsaber, pulls up the Stranger, and holds it to his neck. Osha calls out his name. He is desperate, but Osha holds him back, the reason will be interesting. 

The former Qimir says he has accepted his darkness, I wonder how Sol could affect him with the Force now that he doesn’t have his helmet. He asks what has Sol done with his darkness and the Jedi Master steps back. What is Sol’s darkness? It may be answered in Ep. 7. I think the least Sol could do is knock out The Stranger. The umbramoths flap around in the misty trees, Pip warns Osha, she gets Sol’s attention and glances upwards. Sol closes his lightsaber and The Stranger Force Pulls his weapon to his hand. Osha looks at Pip and says she loves him and he starts to light up like a beacon. She attaches Pip to the back of The Stranger and dodges his lightsaber swing! The umbramoths swarm down, The Stranger cuts them with Sai Tok swings, but he is pulled up into the darkness by the umbramoths! Osha asks Sol why The Stranger told her not to trust him. I think his secret may be like a selfish version of Qui-Gon Jinn with Anakin. He says he will explain, but is stunned by Mae. 

Morning on Khofar, a confrotaton with the sisters, Mae drops the stun blaster. She smiles seeing Osha again. Osha can’t believe what she has done. Mae says it was for Osha and their family, revenge for Brendok? Osha says that lives were lost and that Jedi were more her family. Mae says that she forgot who they are and Brendok with the coven. Great scene with Amandla Stenberg and herself. She says the Jedi invaded their home. This was clear to us with Ep. 3 even from Osha’s perspective. So what was Sol saying to her? Osha says that Mae started the fire and she was saved by the Jedi. Mae says the Jedi “brainwashed” her. So this is not the complete truth. She seems forgiving to her sister and hugs her. 

Mae says she loves her and asks Osha to choose her, she cries, I think sincere. She says they only have each other. Osha twists her around and says she is a criminal. Actually, she doesn’t have authority, it would have to be a Jedi. Osha says she followed a “false Master”, Mae says it is the same with Sol, and she flips Osha back. Mae says that Sol only gave her a life without love and family, true. Osha breaks her hold and elbows Mae back. Mae uses the two palmed Force Push just like her mother taught her! This slams Osha into a rock unconscious. Mae walks up to her and says she could never block. She Force Pulls Kelnacca’s lightsaber and slices her long locks. Chanting is heard, like the coven?  

Pip falls from the trees as well as leaves. The Stranger drops down with his lightsaber and he shuts it down. Bazil shuffles over to see him and picks up Pip. Sol coughs and wakens. He is greeted by Osha or at least someone who looks like her! Mae helps Sol up and says her sister is gone. They head to the ship. The alien traders are playing what looks like dejarik with physical pieces. Sol and the Osha impersonator walk past them to the ship. In the corridor, Bazil sniffs unnoticed. The Stranger walks to his helmet and picks up as well as his cloak. He goes to Osha, in Mae’s clothes, holding his hand at her wound. The Stranger calls them “extraordinary beings” and puts his cloak on Osha. The Acolyte continues to twist expectations including losing two of the cast and the mystery of Sol deepens! 

#TheAcolyte, #AlexGarciaLopez, #KorAdana, #CameronSquires, #AmandlaStenberg, #LeeJungJae, #CharlieBarnett, #HassanTaj, #MannyJacinto

Lilo & Stitch #4 Review!

Re:cap - Lilo & Stitch #3 had Stitch ending up in the Australian outback and finding a surrogate family. Still, the Sovereign drones return and inject Stitch with needles! They draw out his DNA, they transform with Stitch’s head!, and Stitch leaps away from the house. Taking them to the road, Stitch bashes them apart! The family thanks Stitch when he returns and the drone heads say Stitch will never be safe with them. In a splash page, Stitch has assembled the drones into a catamaran which he rides, one drone says, “Well, this is embarrassing.”! 

The cover of Lilo & Stitch #3 by Nicoletta Baldari has Stitch taking a selfie on a beach in India with five friends! The issue is written by Greg Pak with art and color by Giulia Giacomino. A beach at Mumbai, India, a man has a hand held camera filming a man in a red kaiju suit while another, Prakash, is assembling a model city. The camera man calls action as the kaiju begins stomping the city! It is paused by the set decorator who says the tail is broken. The other character names are not identified. Then, they hear a roar and gasp! It is Stitch bringing in his patched catamaran that scatters the others as the director films it! He is stunned with manga-like stars in his eyes! The drones are free and start blasting Stitch! 

He pushes the film crew out of the way and begin thrashing the drones again! The drones warn the friends about Stitch and he is about to leave and hide. The director says he will help him, but needs a favor. Stitch playing the kaiju in his movie! This is a fun play of his destruction of Lilo’s toys in the first movie! The drones are not interested in his “little play”, but the director gets them motivated. He has Prakash reattach the blaster arm and it sends out a plasma burst! This knocks back Stitch and the director calls cut. The drones had fun with the shoot. Later, at an alley, kids and their families love Stitch’s movie role. A woman reporter sees the crowd and covers the story. Stitch has gone Bollywood!  

In Jumba’s ship, Lilo has spotted Stitch on a monitor, Jumba has found his location. Pleakley, also back in Hawaiian casual clothes, notices the modified drone. The drone reprogrammed by Jumba notes that it has the Stitch DNA. It notes Stitch’s destruction and Lilo yells back that he is good. She also adds that no one is perfect, a great message. At a seaside cliff, the director prepares the drones for the last fight. One wants to know if it can have a line of dialogue, funny! This leads to the entrance of the Cluster Sovereign, the lil' golden robot from the first issue!, and two Phase 3 drones with Stitch heads and bowling ball arms and bodies! They send blasts that scatters everyone! The fun drones say they are too close to humans, but the Cluster Sovereign calls them traitors! He orders his drones to blast all of them! 

Five Plasma Bombs out of Five! 

#LiloAndStitch, #GregPak, #GiuliaGiacomino, #NicolettaBaldari, #Stitch, #Lilo, #Jumba, #Pleakley, #Prakash, #ClusterSovereign 

The Acolyte, “Night”, Part I Review!

Re:cap - “Day”; Sol is searching with the group and then stops. Osha says he stopped her from facing Mae before. She says she feels different, able to face Mae now, I think connecting to the Force again, she couldn’t use the Force to pull Pip on the prison ship. Sol says she will face her past, he will too?, he says he will explain everything when Mae is returned to the ship. Facing the past makes me think of Mortal Kombat (1995), “Face your worst fear.” Mae runs and then falls with orange pollen poofing upwards? She sees Bazil who roars. Yord tells the others that he found Mae!

He tells Osha to stay behind. Mae runs to Kelnacca’s home. Tense music. She says Master Kelnacca’s name, but finds him in his chair. He is slumped over with a smoking lightsaber wound! Mae whispers, “He’s here.” The Master killed Kelnacca! Then, the light fades with sundown. The Jedi assemble in a line. One of the Jedi gives the order that anyone should come out with their hands up. Yord adds that the order is for Mae Aniseya! She looks around Kelnacca’s home. Sol senses something and turns. A closeup of Osha as a dark form floats down! The Jedi all turn to face it and then Osha who sees the dark helmet, had to write that one!, of this man. It is ridged with a strange teeth-like smile. 

Great fear in Osha’s shocked expression. The dark stranger ignites his red-bladed lightsaber and holds it in front of Osha! All of the Jedi activate their lightsabers! Sol tells Osha to run and they charge! The dark warrior gestures throwing Osha with the Force! Then, reaches out and throws all of the Jedi back with a massive Force Push that sends up a cloud of dust!  Fade to black. “Night” is directed by Alex Garcia Lopez who also directed last episode. The writers are Kor Adana and Cameron Squires. Adana was the co-writer of last episode. Squires was the co-writer for WandaVision episode, “Breaking the Fouth Wall” (2021). We get dreaded music as we close in on the unconscious form of Osha. 

Leaves drift down on her. She wakens with a gasp, then starts to look for PIp, and then picks him up. In the distance she hears lightsabers. Then, falls into the orange pollen, Osha turns to see the dead face of a Jedi! She stands up and sees the pollen in paths like fingers, symbolic, the Power of Many? One leads to Kelnacca’s home. Osha sees through the trees lightsabers clashing, an impressive shot! The Stranger weaves around the Jedi cutting them down! He bashes lightsaber blades with his helmet temporarily shorting them out! It is made up of cortosis. This was a material that was familiar to me from the comic book, Jedi Council: Acts of War (2001). The first appearance of cortosis was actually in I, Jedi (1998), the novel by Michael A. Stackpole. It entered canon with the novel, A New Dawn (2014). 

Yord crosses his lightsaber with the Stranger’s blade in a block. Then, the Stranger strikes Yord’s leg with a shiim, an edge wound like Dooku inflicted on Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones (2002); GC-PT2. Two Jedis find their lightsabers reignite and engage the Stranger again. He slices one in the stomach and then runs his blade through another, then drags another in a shish kabob slaughter! Osha takes out her stun blaster as the Stranger closes on Yord still on the ground, but with his lightsaber out. She fires, but the bolt just rings on his armor. He turns and Yord screams for her to run! Osha starts to run and the Stranger follows. Mae sees this and looks around then finds Kelnacca’s lightsaber which she picks up. 

Osha runs through the jungle and then takes out a glowrod to look around, tense. The Stranger throws his lightsaber which twirls at her! Sol deflects it and the lightsaber slices through three trees before returning to the Stranger’s hand! The trees snap back and it is the two foes facing each other! Osha takes out the stun blaster and Yord has his lightsaber ready. Sol tells Yord, “Civilian to the ship!” He sends Osha back with a Force Push and Yord pulls her away. The music is intense as Sol has lightaber on guard. Then we get the titles! Bazil is running in the jungle, Yord and Osha join him, he convinces Osha to continue to the ship. The Stranger speaks in his distorted voice, noting that Sol doesn’t recognize him, a Youngling rejected as a Padawan? Sol says he senses “something familiar.” 

The duel begins! They withdraw and the Stranger’s raspy breath in his helmet is heard. Sol says his lightsaber is a Jedi weapon, but he is no Jedi! Mae exits Kelnacca’s house, but she is struck by Jecki’s flying kick! They both fall and then start fighting hand to hand! Jecki Force Pushes Mae through Kelnacca’s door! Mae swung around and Jecki puts a binder on one of her arms. Jecki makes the arrest, of course important, but she was just knocked back along with other Jedi by a powerful Force user, priorities Padawan! Mae flips back and Jecki continues, her relentlessness is more in line with Yord. Mae swings with her knife and kicks Jecki out of the house. The lightsaber duel continues with The Stranger pushed back with his lightsaber. Sol says the Stranger trained Mae and wants to see his face. 

His opponent says it would allow the Jedi to read his thoughts like Magneto’s helmet, though the Force only works on the “weak-minded.” A move over Sol’s lightsaber as he asks, “What Master hides his face fom his pupil?” Kudos to director Cameon Squires with hours of films, television, and cartoons, there are great shots of lightsabers in this ep! The Stranger puts the question back on Sol, I think doesn’t refer to himself, could it be Osha? H was duplicitous with her? Shift back to the Jecki and Mae fight, she cuts the Padawan’s leg and Jecki screams! This is heard by Osha and Yord who says they should continue with the dangerous Stranger. Cut to the duel with Sol and the Stranger who kicks him back! Sol pants, then sweeps his lightsaber across, but there is no sign of his opponent.   

Osha asks Yord about the Stranger and he says he doesn’t understand the Stranger’s fighting style. Yord says he gets into his head and Osha says Mother Aniseya did the same. I suspect the Stranger has a connection with the coven. Possibly an apprentice to Mother Aniseya? Also, this gives perspective on how Sidious was able to easily defeat several Jedi Masters with his lightsaber. Yord realizes that they lost Bazil. Suspicious, his part in all of this, Bazil keeps missing even as a guide. Mae has her knife to Jecki’s throat. Jecki forces the knife forward and then reverse head butts her into the pollen! Jecki locks the binders on Mae’s arms and Force pulls Kelnacca’s lightsaber. She hears the wind and then the dark shape of the Stranger runs towards her! Jecki instantly ignites her lightsaber and there a few quick strikes before the Stranger kicks her in the side! He wants Mae to watch the Padawan as he prepares to finish her! 

The Stranger says she is loyal. Jecki lashes out and then leaps striking his cortosis weave helmet! He attacks, but Jecki pulls out another lightsaber to block! The lightsaber style of Ahsoka Tano who used a lightsaber shoto when she was younger! Her first lightsaber ignites and she attacks with her two lightsabers! Mae uses her legs to slip under the binders and starts to run. The Stranger slices apart the lightsaber in her right hand! Then, he is gone again. She drops the lightsaber which still must have its Kyber crystal. Yord’s yellow lightsaber lits the misty jungle along with Mae’s glowrod. She whispers for him to deactivate his lightsaber, the umbramoths! He notices the masses around the trees are missing and closes his weapon. 

The lightsaber duel continues, The Stranger headbutts Sol’s lightsaber, and they fight hand to hand. Jecki cuts in screaming and then bashes the Stranger’s helmet with her elbow several times until it flies off! The Stranger pulls apart his lightsaber to stab Jecki three times! Sol screams out and then Jecki falls. Shocking that it is not just unnamed Jedi, but a character we know! Maybe the pollen will patch up Jecki, we’ve seen so many recover from fatal lightsaber strikes, but not this show. The Stranger closes down his lightsabers and his face is revealed, it is the person we saw as Qimir! Well done Jacinto, he kept his lightsaber training a secret in interviews. It is difficult to watch and rewatch the death of Jecki. I hope she has a comic book or novel that fills in her story. The villain is revealed in “Night”, I suspect still the apprentice, not the master, but The Acolyte is still has secrets and mysteries!  

Five Lightsabers (one for poor Jecki) out of Five!  

#AlexGarciaLopez, #KorAdana, #CameronSquires, #AmandlaStenberg, #LeeJungJae, #CharlieBarnett, #DafneKeen, #HassanTaj, #MannyJacinto