Our discussion of the Hobbit and Before trilogies in recent episodes got Matt and I thinking about trilogies. Why do so few film series manage to make three great films in a row? What is it about the third (and occasionally the second) film that trips a series up? And what makes the trilogies that maintain their consistency so special? These questions and others form the basis of this episode, which also features an apoplectic rant from Matt about how poorly thought out the plan to rescue Han is at the beginning of Return of the Jedi.
Also, I realise that I completely forgot to mention Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy, even though they are three of my favourite films and I would consider that to be a truly perfect trilogy. I'm an idiot (though in my defense, this was the second episode we recorded in a row in a recording session that started at 6 AM, so my idiocy may have been exacerbated by having just woken up).