Star Wars: Visions: Season 2: Episode 2: Screechers Reach
What is it ? : We see a workhouse with various humans and aliens slaving away, 4 of them slip away, wanting to see something more of life, and the leader of the group, Daal, tells them he wants to visit Screechers Reach, a place haunted by a screaming witch or spirit. They steal some speeder bikes and race across the planet, camping down at night and talking about leaving the planet and seeing the galaxy, Daal cradles an amulet she carries.
They reach Screechers Reach, and explore the caves there, when a screeching noise causes the caves to shake and start collapsing, the Daal remains while the others escape the caves and flee.
She encounters a dark distorted being wielding a red lightsaber, who slashes at her arm. The collapse causes a crack to form in the ceiling and daylight pours in, so she flees towards it, but a rockfall disarms the creature which continues to scream at her, especially when she picks up the lightsaber. She fumbles to ignite the blade as the creature drags her towards it using the force.
Later she meets her friends outside the cave, and when they ask her what happened she just tells them she was strong. She then speaks to her amulet, telling it that it gave her strength, and it responds that now it's time for them to meet.
A space ship arrives, and a being which looks peaceful and serene, but glows with red light emerges, and calls Daal her apprentice, and the two leave together.
High Points : So we're shown planet Ireland in the Star Wars universe, and unfortunately it's one where kids are force to work in workhouses. I did enjoy hearing a different accent, especially one which is familiar to my ears (I live on the west coast of Scotland, just a short ferry journey from Ireland).
I was taken with the whole story, kids escaping from a workhouse and heading out on an adventure, it definitely felt like one of the many young adventure type novels I read in my youth. And it does feel like part of a longer story, as I'd like to know what the visitor was all about, and until I read the name of this character was "Sith Mother", I really wasn't sure whether she was supposed to be a Jedi or Sith, as she kind of appeared angelic.
Low Points : So we don't really get much of the story, and while that left me wanting more, wanting to know why the kids were in the workhouse, how Dall got her amulet, what the Sith Mothers plan was, what the creature in the cave was. And wanting to see stories as a bunch of kids make their way across a planet, having escaped the workhouse, and having adventures to make a living for themselves. But none of that is here, we've just got a whole bunch of unanswered questions and a feeling of unfulfilment.
So what do you really think ? : With a long run time, or a couple of episodes I think this one could have worked far better, Daal leaves with her friends, but then dumps them at the end of her quest. Some more time exploring her personality, showing us that she was that kind of person would make the resolution more acceptable. And likewise, seeing her working with them, some more interactions of them as friends and relying on one another as they travel would have made this ending more dramatic.
Final Words : I suppose it's a good thing to be left wanting more, but knowing that this is all we'll ever see of this story, and the writers knew that when they started, means its just unfulfilling.
Also where season one of Visions offered us glimpses into so many aspects of Star Wars, from a band playing for Jabba the Hutt, to a Samurai World under occupation by the Empire, to the far future where the Jedi are nearly extinct and forgotten once more. So far this season just seems to be about some Sith at an undefined part of history, the same subject from different angles rather than expanding our horizons. But that's just 2 episodes, so I guess we'll see where it goes from here.
Score : 8/10
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