PT Addresing the "Anakin is a STALKER" nonsense

Padmé and Anakin are more than "barely acquainted" in I. They are friends. Unusual friends, that's true, being as she's 14 and he's 9, but friends. Padmé tells him she cares about him. He gives her a necklace that she keeps, as we see her wearing it in III, and she's buried with it. When Padmé has to pretend she and the Queen aren't the same person to Anakin, it clearly upsets her, having to lie to this boy she cares about.

And he's not "creepily obsessed with her," nor does he do anything that would necessitate a restraining order. He's assigned to guard her, and if he gets too close, she's quite able to shut him down. She's not scared of him at all, and why should she be? The one time he kisses her, she lets him. In fact, she looks at him invitingly. And if she feels he's creepy and a stalker, she wouldn't wear all those "come-hither" outfits around him. She's not innocently going about her life, occasionally wearing a jogging outfit while exercising, as Anakin hovers around the corner, unnoticed by her at first. He's assigned to guard her, necessitating his proximity, while she wears outfits that show off her lovely back and her toned tummy.

When she tells him they can't be together -- while wearing another "come-hither" outfit -- he backs off COMPLETELY, keeping his eyes and hands to himself (he takes her hand when helping her out of the transport on Tatooine, but that's it), until SHE tells HIM she loves him.

 

Something like that

 

Anakin IS a gentleman in the film. I was watching it again yesterday and Anakin is very obedient to her will. He respects her as a person. In the next film, however, he gets a little more possessive when he thinks she is going to die.

 

He is uncomfortably forward towards hers, it probably fits in a bit more in the SW society, but if you acted towards a woman the way Anakin did, she would find it extremely creepy.

 

He does come across as a bit of a creeper at times, though. "Please don't look at me like that... it makes me feel uncomfortable." *cue stalkery/serial killer film stare as she walks away*

 

People on this forum have made quite convincing defenses for Anakin and Padme's relationship (at least before the turn) in the PT.
I basically agree with those posters, while Anakin comes off a little forward in AOTC, their bond being established in TPM can often go overlooked. Padme likely partially still sees Anakin as the kind boy who helped out the main characters when they first met (she says as much herself, although this exchange sounds kind of like a rejection from Anakin's point of view).
While the progression from TPM to AOTC is admittedly a little jarring, the idea of it is there. I personally have a problem with some of the execution in AOTC, more than any of the other films in the series, but when you have watched the movies a few times the relationship makes more sense (the same can be said for Anakin's turn - if you know what to look for it is actually quite developed and foreshadowed).
Anakin has dreamed about Padme since before they actually met, their romance seems arguably meant to happen in a series that places so much importance on precognition and destiny. I think Anakin's motivation for pursuing Padme makes a lot more sense than Padme's motives as is presented in the final version of the films. Again, some reworking of included material in AOTC helps the believability a lot. ROTS presents it perfectly IMO; when it is already established that they are married I think the storyline is much stronger.

 

Yeah, the whole 'she lead him on through clothing' thing is no argument. Understandable perhaps that he'd get confused but she's a former queen and a long serving senator, fancy frilly outfits come with the lifestyle, no-one should ever labour under the impression that any form of dress invites any kind of behaviour, except serving military or emergency services when on the job in uniform.

That said, I don't think he was actually that stalkery/creepy in Episode 2, at least not deliberately. He is a young man going through some confusing feelings, and Jedi training for such matters is pretty much 'no attachments' which doesn't really help someone nursing a deep attraction but not sure how to act on it - or not act. When she asks him to back off, he does, she is the one to instigate it going any further.

Episode 3 is where he does go a little nuts though, what with the dreams and Palps messing with his head. He's got MAJOR abandonment issues after what happened to his mother especially and handles it really badly.

 

eh, wouldn't call him a stalker

then again I wouldn't give him the galaxies best BF award either.

 

Who says Tusken dresses aren't Anakin's secret fetish?



Yes, Anakin isn't a stalker, but I've never been a critic of their love story.

What I partly like it about is that their love is eventually formed through shared experiences. There was some infatuation from the beginning, especially on Anakin's part and based on their common bond from TPM, but true love only started to develop when they went into hiding. They got to her place, they had some juvenile fun with each other. They got to his home, where they both went through some very intense emotional moments.

Those are experiences that connect people with each other. Padmé started to see a man in Anakin who was good at heart but struggling to stay on the good path and Anakin got a feeling from Padmé that he was missing since he had left his mother, which was - of course - only strengthened by their short and painful reencounter.

I could feel for both of the characters in a way that I rarely can for movie screen couples, partly because their relationship had such a maginificent impact on themselves and the galaxy as a whole. I think it's often overlooked that Padmé at least could help Anakin in a way. Anakin's more matured personality in early ROTS is certainly in part a result of the emotional comfort that Padmé gave him. It was just when the nightmares started to endanger this comfort that made Anakin go mad again.

Take that what I think is a deep common story and combine it with the permanent beautiful and spectacular imagery of the love story and I don't really understand what's so off-putting about them for so many people....

 

For me I struggled with it because of the performances. What you describe is a pretty decent love story/relationship, what we got is Hayden struggling with the emotive bits (I think he's not bad as an actor but not good enough for the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker so not a basher) and Natalie Portman who can and has done a lot better with maybe better written roles and directors who are actor-friendly, which Lucas is not. That's not a criticism of Lucas though, I just feel he's a theme-and-plot man not an emotions-and-performances one and not all actors have it in them to delve deep into a character without prompting, perhaps Portman is one of them.

 

I disagree completely, the outfits were specifically meant to represent the difference between what the head said and what the heart wanted (and I think this even gets mentioned somewhere on the DVD extras). Any connection to the "she asked for it" debate doesn't really fit here at all; it's a gargantuan leap from what happens in the movie to that kind of thinking. This isn't some stranger making up a stupid reason for why he did something horrible, it's about one person saying one thing while doing very much the opposite, hence creating confusion in a person she obviously cares about. The entire story unfolds in a way which makes it very clear that Padme secretely wants to be with Anakin, while her mind keeps reminding her how this couldn't possible work out, hence the "regardless what we feel for each other" bit during the fire-place scene. It's a constant battle between heart and mind, with both gaining the upper hand at various times, before the mind seems to come out on top. It's only when she thinks that they will both be dead pretty soon anyway, that she lets her heart win over any logic that may argue against it, as their upcoming death will prevent any consequences.

 

I never really thought of Anakin as a stalker either.

After he put his Sabacc cards on the table, Padme basically tells him "no", he backed off and left her alone from that point on.

Another thing that bugs me, Leia says "no" and "stop that" in ESB, but Han clearly doesn't. Yet no one ever calls Han a stalker.

 

There is no such a thing as a "come hither" outfit. Real life does not correspond to bro comedies and pornography.

 

Any person ought to use self control regardless of attire unless specifically and clearly intended in a suggestive way. It is dangerous to merely assume. Personally, I find many of Anakin's behaviours dangerous but then Padme wasn't exactly all that wise either.

 

In the case of SW, any sentient. That's what makes a being aware of themselves different from an animal that wants to mate. XD

 

I don't think Anakin was a stalker but there were two moments which I found uncomfortable in ways which I would be very concerned about if I were in Padme's shoes.

The first has already been mentioned - when Padme is packing and she says "Please don't look at me like that... it makes me feel uncomfortable." and then he seems to stare at her. I don't know what that stare was suppposed to convey. Some of the options which seem appropriate to the situation for his stare are fine while others are a little scary.

The other is the disclosure that "From the moment I met you, all those years ago, not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of you." And now that I'm with you again... I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets." The fact that he's thought about her every day for so long seems a bit obsessive to me. It also feels unbalanced that he is so painfully in love so quickly. When I see that part of the film I know that I would want to distance myself from someone who said and acted like that towards me after such a brief time.

Apart from those two moments though their relationship seems good to me. In fact, I loved it that they got married in secret - it's one of my favourite scenes.

So, for me, no I don't think he was a stalker by any means, but I do feel that in a couple of places he did come across as intense to a degree that I feel would disturb a potenial romantic partner.

On the question of her clothing though I quite strongly disagree with the idea that she was wearing 'come hither' clothin,g as it implies manipulation on her part and significant weakness on Anakin's part in that he is regarded then as being unable to make his own choices about his behaviour because of what she is wearing. I think Padme is a strong independent young woman, very much like Leia in fact, and would not stoop to manipulation. I also think that Anakin is far too strong a young man to be manipulated by a wardrobe choice.

 

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually think that certain revealing outfits in PT and some other words may be there to demonstratet that the GFFA's civilisation has moved way past what we consider socially acceptable. Same goes for numerous humanoid species going bare-crotched.

 

Hey, that's my post! I wrote it on IMDB.com. And the OP is not my sock. This is the first time I've posted on this board today.

For the record, I was not saying or implying that Padmé's outfits were essential in determining whether Anakin was a stalker. What I was saying was a reply to some people who claim that she found him creepy or stalker-ish, or should have (although the absolute worst thing he does is stare at her intensely that one time; I admit, it's a little off-putting, but nowhere near the actions of a stalker). What I should have done is add a "likely" in there: if she actually did find him creepy or stalker-ish, then she LIKELY wouldn't have worn those outfits around him. She's not just going about her life while he lurks unseen in the background. She knows he's there, she knows he's smitten with her, and while she's not afraid of him personally, she's afraid of starting a relationship with him, for various reasons. But at the same time, she likes the attentions of a cute, if somewhat dorky, boy. So she takes care with her appearance and her wardrobe.

(Also, this is the only movie where she could feasibly wear sexier outfits -- in Episode I, she was a child, and in Episode III, she's pregnant. I'm not a fan of Ms. Portman but I acknowledge she is very pretty and has a nice body. So while her white outfit in the Geonosis arena does tear in a very convenient manner so as to show off her abs -- Lucas is obviously throwing out a little cheesecake -- it doesn't bother or offend me.)

I did not and do not think that her outfits would make it OK for Anakin to stalk her, if in fact he was stalking her. That's a pile of crap and one of the many revolting "blame the victim" tropes that, unfortunately, are still quite widespread.

 

Yes, that makes sense to me.

 

Now one just has to wonder if the OP is somebody else's sock, given the recent events.

 

Good question. Padme tells Anakin to drop any idea of a relationship between the two and Anakin agrees.

Leia pretty much makes it clear to Han from Day 1 that there isn't going to be any romantic relationship, yet Han pushes.

Why is it not OK if Anakin does it, but it's OK if Han does it?

As for the clothing thing, it doesn't matter if Padme were wearing their universe's equivalent of a bikini. 'No' means just that. 'No'. And Anakin has to respect that.

 

Because of Han's popularity?

 

I wonder if it's a matter of intensity and of the chap involved being aware of the woman's real feelings.

Anakin is very intense and seems to have a love which is like lava inside him. A love like that has, perhaps, the intensity to become a feeling which gives rise to stalker behaviour becuase the love is in charge of Anakin, not the other way around.. On the other hand Han seems to use humour and his innate, smuggler, scoundrel charm to repeatedly request Leia's affections while she repeatedly refuses but you never get the impression that Han is out of control in his feelings for Leia, despite their strength. To me it seems like Han and Leia are both playing a romantic game of cat and mouse. I think the fact that both of them play is absolutely essential because otherwise it might begin to move towards that stalker thing if Han's intensity was higher. However Han's intensity is low and it's mediated with humour, especially through his ability to take it on the chin when she calls him a nerf-herder etc. Yes, he does keep on trying for her affection but he keeps it light and you never get the feeling that Leia is in deeper than she wants to be. She always seems adept and confident in her dismissals of his advances.

The other thing which both of them do right is that they accurately read the real feelings of their prospective partners. Stalkers are frequently deluded in this area. Han is right, in the end, about Leia's feelings for him and we see that quite early on when Han is out in the cold on Hoth adn Leia is worried sick. Anakin is right too, although he goes about it in a typically immature way and is right at the top of the scale in the intensity of his love. But he is a young man who's never had a girl-friend before - everyone makes mistakes in the early days. Padme understands where he's coming from and loves him back.

Another thing to consider when comparing Han and Anakin is that Anakin ends up assaulting Padme and, I believe, causing her to die of a broken heart. That intensity which he has is what leads him to go too far when he thinks she's done something against his best interests (when Obi-Wan emerges from her ship). Han however, ends up marrying Leia and having children and being as good a father and husband as he can (This is Legends stuff, but seems perfectly believable given their love for one another at the end of the OT.)