The Disappointment of Padme

[Makarov]

I honestly thought their relationship wasn't too bad. There's lots of reasons (if it's really necessary for attraction to be logical) Padme would be into Anakin. He's driven, displayed extraordinary abilities, was present during critical times in her life, and maybe she's drawn to him in an attempt to help him - who knows. She also fought alongside the jedi which makes her more interesting than just having random god mode. I'd say she wasn't that bad of a character despite not being at the forefront all the time. She didn't get the catchphrases or bad ass moments that would make her a fan favorite.

Lets remember what the original trilogy was actually like in regards to characters in love: Han and Leia's hilarious bickering/flirting then bam, they're telling each other they're in love. By Return of the Jedi's end we don't even know what they'll actually be like together as a couple. It's practically a cartoon... a fun fantasy, not at all realistic.

 

[Spot's Meow]

He's driven, displayed extraordinary abilities, was present during critical times in her life, and maybe she's drawn to him in an attempt to help him - who knows.

This is an angle that does make some sense to me, that she sees the potential in him and that there is also something "broken" there, so she wants to "fix" it. That happens all the time in real life. Unfortunately we are left to guess. I wish that the scenes of them together in AOTC would have had more emotional depth, to give some real meaning to their relationship or to at least give us some insight.

Lets remember what the original trilogy was actually like in regards to characters in love: Han and Leia's hilarious bickering/flirting then bam, they're telling each other they're in love. By Return of the Jedi's end we don't even know what they'll actually be like together as a couple. It's practically a cartoon... a fun fantasy, not at all realistic.

This is true, Han and Leia's relationship wasn't exactly realistic either. However, as you say it was a fun fantasy, so I think it's a lot easier to overlook. With Padme and Anakin, there was no fun fantasy, it was just head-scratching confusion.

 

[Venardhi]

The whole thing would have been much easier to swallow if their "romance" in AotC was more passionate rather than cute, with her realizing her mistake by the time we get to the events of RotS and hiding the pregnancy from him, planning to run away with the child (both to keep it from him and in order to start the movement against Palpatine in secret) as he became increasingly unstable and controlling. Throw in his discovery of the pregnancy and her plan to leave him even as he is giving up his soul to save her life and we have some proper drama. She suffers some actual injury from Anakin's anger before Obi-Wan comes along and saves her and goes into labor as they clash. Afterwards, Obi-Wan takes Luke almost immediately (on her orders, both thinking she will soon be dead) in his hurry to escape before Palpatine's forces arrive. Leaving her in the care of her good buddy Bail who then helps her rally as a surprise second baby comes along unbeknownst to Old Ben who is already off and headed towards Tatooine. Bail and her escape in another ship and Padme holds the newborn baby, cries and slowly succumbs to her wounds.

Fuck, man, a toddler could write a more compelling plot than Lucas.

 

[DWF]

No fun fantsy, there was plenty of laughing an d fun scenes

The whole thing would have been much easier to swallow if their "romance" in AotC was more passionate rather than cute, with her realizing her mistake by the time we get to the events of RotS and hiding the pregnancy from him, planning to run away with the child (both to keep it from him and in order to start the movement against Palpatine in secret) as he became increasingly unstable and controlling. Throw in his discovery of the pregnancy and her plan to leave him even as he is giving up his soul to save her life and we have some proper drama. She suffers some actual injury from Anakin's anger before Obi-Wan comes along and saves her and goes into labor as they clash. Afterwards, Obi-Wan takes Luke almost immediately (on her orders, both thinking she will soon be dead) in his hurry to escape before Palpatine's forces arrive. Leaving her in the care of her good buddy Bail who then helps her rally as a surprise second baby comes along unbeknownst to Old Ben who is already off and headed towards Tatooine. Bail and her escape in another ship and Padme holds the newborn baby, cries and slowly succumbs to her wounds.

Fuck, man, a toddler could write a more compelling plot than Lucas.

Throw in the fall of the Jedi, the end of the Clone Wars and Palpatine becomming Emperor and you've got a good three hour movie there. I like Ep. II just way it is \, it's bad enough Lucas had to back and redo the bulk of the seond act.

 

[Venardhi]

Lose the lava acrobatics, Obi-Wan's pointless shenanegans with Grievous and trim a few scenes of Jedi sitting on cushions looking pensive and I'm sure they could find the time for it.

 

[Mr Light]

I think the entire Anakin/Obi-Wan fight should have taken place standing over a prostrate Padme while she goes through labor pains.

 

[Makarov]

Fuck, man, a toddler could write a more compelling plot than Lucas.

It's easy to rewrite a movie a decade later after the bulk of the work is already laid out... I will never understand the hate Lucas gets. It's like Rick Berman, all contributions taken for granted because the fans don't get some things they want.

 

[TremblingBluStar]

Anakn was the only guy who saw her as a woman, not as a queen or senator.

We don't know that. It wasn't stated, nor even implied in the film. Unless seeing her as a woman involves making her incredibly uncomfortable.

Nobody seems to wonder why Leia fell for Han and he turned out not to be a very relable husband leaving her after Ben turned to the dark side.

Leia and Han had a history together. She didn't literally meet him for the first time (as an adult) a few days before falling for him.

Also, Han didn't murder children.

 

[Makarov]

Who says she forgave him for murdering kids? The first group belonged to those raiders that just killed his mom (who Padme had met)... his reaction is understandable but she doesn't condone it. Then when it comes to the jedi kids, she didn't forgive him for that either, and it comes up when she essentially breaks up with him before the lava fight. It's all consistent...

We just don't get enough time with Han & Leia for much to be explored with them, what parts of his smuggling activities she would look past or not..

 

[Mr Light]

Every time they had a fight, Padme inevitable brings up the dead Sand People children, which just makes him madder

 

[drt]

I don't think any of the characters in the prequels were well developed or in any way memorable. Nor were they terribly consistent, as we have Padme not compromising in following the law as a senator, and a few days later forgiving Anakin for murder. Obi Wan is badgering Anakin for being reckless one scene, and jumping out a window the next. The characters adopted traits to suit the plot instead of having a story that fit their traits.

I was always OK with ObiWan jumping out the window bit, as it adds to Anakin's frustration that his mentor is "do what I say, not what I do"

 

[Venardhi]

It's easy to rewrite a movie a decade later after the bulk of the work is already laid out... I will never understand the hate Lucas gets. It's like Rick Berman, all contributions taken for granted because the fans don't get some things they want.

It is also pretty damn easy to rewrite a plot that clearly isn't working on very basic levels and plan ahead.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Padme's got a history of denial, as far as Anakin's concerned and that's not opinion, it's in the final thing. Hell, she was even in denial about her own feelings of love for him, in The Attack of the Clones. But it's also another case, here, of the trope where it doesn't matter what's being said, as who it's coming from, where the Sand People are concerned. We see Padme getting told by Owen's father that Sand People only walk like Men, that they're really just mindless, vicious monsters. Never, at any point, does she investigate that fact.

Had Watto so informed her, maybe she'd wrinkle her nose and looks askance, as if she didn't quite know about that. So, her reaction to Annie's admission does leap out. It's not clear what her look of mild shock's about, because all she's giving us is, "... to be angry is to be Human." Already, she's putting a spin on Skywalker's shortcomings and it's never clear why, as he has no real hold on her. Yes, as a scriptwriter, it's not always necessary to spell everything out, but sometimes it's good to have that coverage.

 

[Ithekro]

She fell for her bodyguard?

 

[2takesfrakes]

"The Things We Do for Love," perhaps, yes. Apparently, she's just as susceptible to a Man's charm as any other. She was infatuated with an Artist at a young age, that's all we're let in on about that. If she's got some kind of penchant for bad boys, or unhealthy relationships, that conversation was the opportune moment to establish that. But she's supposed to be a "role model" for girls, so maybe that had something to do with not mentioning it. The question here, though, is ... would she spin reality for any boyfriend, or is it just Anakin? Maybe the Artist story is meant to suggest the latter, which further suggests that maybe he's using the Force on her, some way ... perhaps, unintentionally. Politicians aren't often mental giants, to begin with ...

 

[Makarov]

Every time they had a fight, Padme inevitable brings up the dead Sand People children, which just makes him madder

It is also pretty damn easy to rewrite a plot that clearly isn't working on very basic levels and plan ahead.

Easier said than done... I can't imagine any part of the scriptwriting process being easy for most movies much less something as ambitious as a prequel trilogy to star wars.

 

[TremblingBluStar]

Who says she forgave him for murdering kids? The first group belonged to those raiders that just killed his mom (who Padme had met)... his reaction is understandable but she doesn't condone it.

So if the mafia killed your mother, it would be reasonable to not only kill those responsible, but their entire family and a bunch of random bystanders?

 

[Makarov]

So if the mafia killed your mother, it would be reasonable to not only kill those responsible, but their entire family and a bunch of random bystanders?

In that scenario my hypothetical mob wife would probably understand if not agree with the reaction But yeah if it's a mafia crime family where they're all knee deep in the family business then it'd be an understandable reaction.

We don't know if he killed random bystanders anyway, they were presumably all part of the group that condones his mother's death or at least did nothing to stop it. That's how they live, raiding and killing people apparently.

If Padme just immediately condemned him and became not interested because of one atrocity... then it wouldn't be believable to me that she could truly love the guy that becomes Darth Vader in the first place.

 

[Venardhi]

Easier said than done... I can't imagine any part of the scriptwriting process being easy for most movies much less something as ambitious as a prequel trilogy to star wars.

No one said it was easy, just that Lucas is clearly either not interested enough to put in the effort or not talented enough to pull it off. You don't get points for ambition when you squander it all with pedestrian execution.

 

[Makarov]

No one said it was easy, just that Lucas is clearly either not interested enough to put in the effort or not talented enough to pull it off. You don't get points for ambition when you squander it all with pedestrian execution.

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Fuck, man, a toddler could write a more compelling plot than Lucas.

It is also pretty damn easy to rewrite a plot that clearly isn't working on very basic levels and plan ahead.

Oh my bad

But seriously the writing could have been better but people don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater with the ultra hate for Lucas. Not only that but in the other thread the prequel fans are dismissed as mental patients.. I don't get it. It reminds me of the hate for JJ Abrams tainting some fans vision of Star Trek, only this particular bashing caught on in a more popular way in geek culture so it's accepted.

Padme could have had a stronger role but she's far from the worst character out there. And I do give filmmakers respect for attempting ambitious things... it's one thing to retread a fan favorite it's another to forge your own path. Terminator Salvation was a terrible movie but I respect that they attempted to show the future war, and these movies were far from that level of bad.