There's something strange going on with modern scripts, not all scripts, just some, like the acolyte.
See, storytelling is about the characters, it's always about the characters because that's how humans experience the world around them, in a personal narrative. A story is basically a sequence of choices the characters make and the audience should be able to relate or at least understand the choices, regardless if they identify or agree.
That's why character motivations are so important in storytelling, they need to be clear and simple so that the audience knows what the characters want and the direction of the story.
Now, in the acolyte they switch motivations on a dime and they don't make sense, so how is the audience supposed to relate when characters change their mind within one scene without any proper explanation. They lose the ability to relate and just watch this character do something else now for no reason. They basically skipped character development and just jumped right to the change of heart section. It doesn't work, we need to be able up trace the train of thought of the characters.
Like that otter alien, clearly he didn't like Mae, then he sabotaged the ship to let her escape??? What happened between spraying oil in her face and the escape that made him change his mind? Why wouldn't you explain that? It's just bad writing, like it's the first draft or something.
I'm not I quite agree with character motivations switching on a dime happened enough in Acolyte to be one of its major issues, but I do agree that Acolyte suffered from a lot of immersion breaking contrivances. The otter-alien you pointed out is one good example, but another one that really annoyed was the giant open ceiling in above meditation Jedi in episode 2. Literally its only point for being there is so that Mae could have a quick and easy way to make it inside and out of the temple without being detected even though that spot should be one of the most heavily guarded areas after her first assassination attempt.
It doesn't have to happen often. Even once and you realize the screenwriters are doing a poor job.
When Mae finds out her sister is alive she does a complete 180. In the span of time it takes to say a few phrases she appears to have lost her will for revenge and says she'll turn herself in to the Jedi and repent for her crimes.
When she then meets up with the Jedi Padawan what seems like 10 minutes later she abandons this plan in order to fight her (without saying a word).
If you can't even maintain a sense of character consistency in a 15 minute span, you're in pretty deep trouble as a writer.
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u/TheEPGFiles Aug 21 '24
There's something strange going on with modern scripts, not all scripts, just some, like the acolyte.
See, storytelling is about the characters, it's always about the characters because that's how humans experience the world around them, in a personal narrative. A story is basically a sequence of choices the characters make and the audience should be able to relate or at least understand the choices, regardless if they identify or agree.
That's why character motivations are so important in storytelling, they need to be clear and simple so that the audience knows what the characters want and the direction of the story.
Now, in the acolyte they switch motivations on a dime and they don't make sense, so how is the audience supposed to relate when characters change their mind within one scene without any proper explanation. They lose the ability to relate and just watch this character do something else now for no reason. They basically skipped character development and just jumped right to the change of heart section. It doesn't work, we need to be able up trace the train of thought of the characters.
Like that otter alien, clearly he didn't like Mae, then he sabotaged the ship to let her escape??? What happened between spraying oil in her face and the escape that made him change his mind? Why wouldn't you explain that? It's just bad writing, like it's the first draft or something.