Somehow missed this video when it originally came out but here's an interesting take on 'bad writing' criticism and how it specifically applies to marginalized characters while claiming impartiality, objectivity, a sort of "facts don't care about your feelings" "I'm just right just trust me" air.
Like, for example, if a game came out featuring a non-binary character in one of its best, most gut wrenchingly beautiful arcs and then a bunch of "fans" of the series complained that they were "badly written" and "ignored the established lore" that's the only reason they didn't like this character. That's the only reason every reactionary grifter uses the scene where this character helplessly watches their mother die and cries out in anguish for their "thing bad' video thumbnails.
Or, I don't know, hypothetically speaking if a bunch of these fans got really mad that their favorite fantasy oppressed minority was suddenly actually represented by people of color in the game and these new characters had the gall, the nerve to question and push back against some of the series' (notably outdated and racist) ideas about this fantasy race of marginalized people. And so they made multiple posts about how clearly these characters weren't "true" [redacted]. That would be wild, wouldn't it?
Anyway, I do really recommend this video and Pillar of Garbage's channel in general. His videos have only gotten more interesting and in depth in this last year and I really enjoy his commentary.
I wouldn't recommend reading the comments on this video - they're predictably rancid - but I do have one interesting takeaway from them before I leave y'all for the day.
Several commenters decided that they really need to prove that Reva was actually bad writing and posted several comments explaining why specific actions she took proved it. And I haven't rewatched Kenobi since it first came out, so I found myself nodding along with a couple of these comments at first. Disliking the message but not immediately being able to summon a counter to their argument. And then someone else in the comments would reply with the obvious thing that happened in the show to make sense of Reva's action in that moment and I would just have my little Knives Out moment of "oh right, of course. You're an asshole, I forgot!"
People are straight up just gaslighting, failing at basic media interpretation, or ( the most charitable interpretation possible) misremembering what happens in movies, shows, and games they don't like and then going online to confidently tell you why they're 100% right and it is uncomplicatedly bad actually and here's why!
Or, you know, not playing all the way through an 80 to 100 hour game I'm actually trying to engage with it as a piece of media before making their "thing bad" posts and videos.
Food for thought.
I think I might rewatch Kenobi now.
