I’ve started watching the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series with Evan. To be honest it’s not a particularly pleasurable experience for either of us. It’s not that I don’t like it, I do. In fact only 4 episodes in it’s started reigniting my interest in the Star Wars universe and healing some of those holes ripped in my soul by the demon Lucas.
But unfortunately Evan is just a bit too young for it. He enjoys the action, but can’t come to terms with the fact that the series is set before the existence of the characters he hears about from his peers at nursery. He can’t quite grasp that Anakin is not Luke, especially as people refer to him as Skywalker all the time. I also made the mistake of telling him Anakin later becomes Darth Vader and that he and Amidala are Luke’s parents and this further muddied the pool for him. Plus the clone troopers, who are goodies, look a lot like storm troopers, which are baddies.
He is understandably confused.
Every episode we watch together is unaccompanied by an endless stream of who, what, when and whys from Evan. With him never being able to grasp the answers properly. This is frustrating for both him and me, and means we can’t concentrate on the cool stuff in the show – like sarcasticv robots, Australian clone troopers, and people hitting each other with lightsabers.
Last night Kerry and I caught up a little bit with Dr Who. We haven’t seen the most recent episode yet (so no spoilers please) but we watched The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People. Now they were both great episodes with some fantastic moments, but I must admit at times I did feel a bit like Evan. “Who’s that?” “Is she a doppelgänger or a real one”, “Why did he do that?” I spent 90% of the episode in pure bafflement.
I’m not sure if it was just me having an off day, and I did manage to catch up before the end and work out what was going on. But it did make me wonder about the nominal audience for this show. I get that Steven Moffat likes to set up intricate webs of plotlines, insert little teasers, and keep things close to his chest. I also get that he is a very talented producer and writer and that he’ll not leave any loose ends once everything wraps up. And let’s face it, that’s all pure gold for a hardcore geek like me. But it just all seems a little too complex and convoluted for a family audience.
Dr Who is shown at 6:45 on a Saturday evening. When it’s not on it’s replaced by family friendly fair like Robin Hood and Merlin (or something like that – it’s been a long time since I actually watched any TV as it was broadcast). I do know people who’s kids watch and love the show – the president of the internet for one, but I’m convinced that the earlier seasons of the current run were far more accessible for children.
I’m not saying I don’t like the way the show is going because I do (although I know Lee has been less than impressed), but I think it’s begun to pander more to the geekosphere rather than it’s traditional audience. And that’s a bit of a shame really.
Any views?
