The Mandalorian (Star Wars Live Action Series)

[jye4ever]

.....he's still a child? Like Baby Yoda?

Baby Mando lol

Yep in one week they decanonized all the stupid Disney comics with "they fly now" and now AOTC and all the CG cartoons, lol. Holy crap.





Okay I totally screwed up the wording of that sentence but you know what I mean, lol.

Cut me some slack I'm still processing the fact that we have awesome new live-action SW that just rebooted 90% of the crappy stuff.

If they somehow elude to the fact that "Dark Empire" is taking place at the same time as Mando I'm gonna lose it, lol.

That would be bonkers lol

He was but he actually had people to chat *to* this episode. Somebody check on Prime Clone after he realizes what this episode has done to his entire way of life, lol.

I freaking loved hearing Gina Carano be the first character in SW history to actually use the term "AT-ST" on screen, lol.

Prime Clone watching next episode

I want Carano to crush me lol


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[Khev]

*** kicking woman debuted, and she was likeable, confident but not smug, and believably capable in a fight.

Dude when she planted her feet and drove her fist into Mando's helmet I couldn't help but wonder "is the guy inside okay??" lol

Yep people have asked "oh wait until a capable woman shows up" and here we are and we love her.

I honestly thought that Seven Samurai would be saved for Obi-Wan with Mando doing Yojimbo. I wonder if Kenobi will get the latter now or if they'll just go a totally different route with him.

 

[heon123]

Credit to Favreau and other writers for making the series feels episodic but still serialised. Kind of like Samurai Jack in that sense.

 

[Khev]

Prime Clone watching next episode

Lol!

 

[ZE_501]

I honestly believe there hasn't been this satisfying, "wholesome," uplifting SW story since the very first movie 42 years ago........god I hope it never goes grimdark."

Good point. The show is almost quaint at times. Nice callback.

Although you still get the odd bisection and burning alive. [emoji50]



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[Khev]

The bisected dude was just trying to escape too, lol.

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Love Bryce Dallas Howard as an actor, but that was one clunky directed episode; the fights were so slow and insanely telegraphed - you could see every single move from a mile away.

Felt more like and episode of Star Trek Next Gen.

Agree. It had a very cheap, 90?s tv vibe to it, like a Hercules/Xena Type feel and look that I didn?t care for.

I like the show so far, but I agree this was the weakest episode so far.

The two main things that took me out of it:

• Why did they sneak into the camp only to blow up a random hut, instead of just going straight for the AT-ST? Seemed like lazy writing to me just to set up that unnecessary battle scene.
• Can AT-STs be remote controlled now? Perhaps I saw it wrong, but it seemed that the cockpit was empty the whole time. Again seemed like lazy writing, because if there had been a driver, he easily could have sniped him out of it directly.

Yep. I also didn?t like how the AT-ST reacted to being shot and behaved like an animal rather than a machine. It was cool seeing it depicted as a real threat though.

Don't get me wrong, overall I LOVE the show, but the first 3 episodes set the bar pretty damn high.

Exactly. This one fell short of the quality of the first three. Good thing it won?t be the standard going forward.

This episode was a mixed bag for me, but as has been said, the first 3 set the bar high.

Good:

• They addressed the helmet thing directly, eating etc.
• The Child is still cute.
• References to post Empire conditions.
• AT-ST was shown to be a real threat.

Bad:

• Largely untrained villagers with sticks should have been slaughtered.
• Why were they being attacked by Orcs?
• Music -- first time I've not liked the score, it was really jarring and trying too hard. I get it, peaceful village.
• Acting -- the farmers were too slack-jawed and unbelievable. They looked like LARPers. Gina's a little stiff too.
• Strategy/writing -- why not find the AT-ST? Why not attack them with the Razor Crest?
• Repercussions -- Those Orcs took a beating but aren't finished yet.
• Cinematography -- looked like TV. Yes to whoever said it looked like TNG.

With that all said, it was obviously still leaning into the lone gunslinger/frontier tropes this series relies on, which I like, and one mediocre episode isn't enough to turn me off the entire series. Watchable.

*Is it just me or was our boy *very* chatty this episode?

Great summation. As long as there aren?t many more chapters like that one I?ll be happy. And, yeah, I did notice Mando was way too chatty but I did like the info about the whole never takes off the helmet thing.

 

[jye4ever]

I actually think that the TNG-Xena aesthetics worked in the episodes favor.

It made it very personal.

The visual effects in Mando certainly makes the show much more tolerable than TNG-Xena though.


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[TurdFurgusonsHat]

Overall another cool episode that was perhaps a tick below the previous three. Gina Carano was believable but a bit stiff(but sort of realistically stiff considering her characters background if that makes sense). I was probably more impressed with the scenes between Mando and his would be girlfriend, i suspect we may see her again. The field combat was a bit wonky in a ROTJ sort of way, which I suppose could be considered a callback based on the similarity of the battles. Baby Yoda continues to be insanely adorable. Can't wait until next Friday, which I suppose is the best compliment I can give this show!

 

[Khev]

RO's cinematographer Greig Fraser was the DP for Chapters 1 and 3 which is why those two have looked the best. He did one more episode this season, probably the finale.

That said I'm totally digging the TV aesthetic for certain portions because it still has that vintage LFL feel even if it is circa Ewok Movies or Xena.

The charging blurrg in Chapter 2 looked borderline stop motion which I freaking loved.

 

[jye4ever]

Let?s not forget that the mud horn was lion king jungle book quality and thankfully not AOTC quality.


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[Asta]

jye are you ready for this?

Mando Episode 4 established that he hasn't taken his helmet off in front of others since he was a kid because "that is the way."

Episode 3 established that he was a child during the Clone Wars.

Do you see where I'm going yet?

Well in one fell swoop The Mandalorian just decanonized

THIS:

AND THIS:

AND THIS!!!!!!!!

The Mandalorian officially has it's own canon that adheres only to:

and

and

That's right PT/CW/Rebels lovers Mando just decanonized AOTC and all your crappy cartoons, lol!

What we're seeing is an alternate fully rebooted PT/CW that actually syncs with the OT.

It's a pretty radical shift, considering that the cartoons were some of the material spared by the great de-canonization.

Maybe it's just the rules of the particular Mandalorian tribe that took him in?

And on that note, Mandy is yet another non-Mandalorian (by birth) wearing Mandalorian armour.

 

[Wor-Gar]

And on that note, Mandy is yet another non-Mandalorian (by birth) wearing Mandalorian armour.

Mando Fett

 

[Khev]

Let?s not forget that the mud horn was lion king jungle book quality and thankfully not AOTC quality.

Very true. The CGI on this show is sparingly used and top notch.

On another note was his outfit any different this episode than last one? Last episode I thought he looked a little "Jango-ish" but I thought he looked cooler in this new one and more like a 70's cylon.

 

[noisetrigger]

I decided to watch four episodes before penning my thoughts here to give the show a fair chance and not bought into the whole hype of the show.

Objectively, the first episode didn?t impress me. It was clear Filoni is new to live action and doesn?t know how to frame the camera or move it well. Hence mostly static shot instead of more tracking shots to help punch up the drama and tension. First episode ends up feeling like some sci fi TV show from the early 2000s.

You can also tell Pedro Pascal is still getting used to the suit and he moves really clumsily (as a Vader costumer, I can relate to the challenge of being in an uncomfortable restrictive costume with limited field of view).

However I didn?t see the ending coming and that blew me away. The reveal is what saved the first episode for me.

Second episode is a huge improvement. Visually it looks amazing and cinematic and the director really knows how to frame the scene well. He also moves the camera in a very organic way. In hindsight, the first episode should have been combined with second episode, the sum of these two episodes would have made for a superior single episode.

The third episode while typical in terms of story beat is probably the most well directed yet. It flows well without a wasted beat and has some really good action going on there. It is also the first time I can truly sense the emotion coming from The Mandalorian character. You can tell he is getting used to the costume and is making bigger more natural movements. He is really bonding with baby yoda, making that character more realistic and alive than the last two episodes.

And that ending, wow, an amazing ending on a scale one doesn?t expect in only the third episode of the show.

And after the high of such great two episodes, this latest episode is probably on the same level or below the first episode.

It doesn?t look cinematic at all, every shot is framed like a TV show from the 90s (comparison with shows like Xena is really apt). The homage to Kurosawa is sincere but BDH doesn?t have the experience to actually do it justice. Kurosawa is a master of camera movement and this episode has none of that. The two villagers are also badly casted.

Those two are always in those teen comedies and it really throw off what is supposed to be a constant sense of dread for the villagers. And that pike training montage, that is just straight out of Army of Darkness. It looks goofy back then and it still looks goofy today.

Hollywood really should stop making Gina Carano into a serious actress. She isn?t. She is stiff and only has one range. She is best with limited one liners and let her firsts do the talking. She will do well as that muscle grunt kicking *** but not a dramatic actor.

The action is this is a mixed bag. I like the first encounter with Mando and Gina where you really felt the punch and even pity on the guy inside the helmet. But everything after that just devolved into some really clumsy bar room brawl not benefiting the reputation of a Mandalorian.

The AT-ST looks great though and looks truly alive and monstrous. This is also probably the turning point where Pedro pascal is finally fully comfortable with suit.

I don?t mind that he is chattier. Instead he is subverting expectations by being surprisingly human and flawed instead of this stone cold hunter the early marketing seems to make him out to be.

All in all, four episodes in, the show is definitely still finding it legs but I am excited to see what is in store, especially the Waikiki finale.

 

[Wick]

Kinda didn't like how the woman got the upper hand on the Mando in the beginning. Yes she's supposed to me good and all, but he's a Mandalorian and shoulda wiped her clean. Seems like she pretty much won, so there's that strong woman deal again.(Don't wanna be the one to point it out but there it is) Right when he was gonna come down on her face it was BLOCKED lol yeah right. And then they end it with a tie. (have some balls guys) But it was Ron Howards daughter Bryce who directed so that's kinda telling.

Other than that it was an ok episode seemed a little filler though.


One thing i hope happens.





The child dies a tragic death.(after falling even more in love with him) It would be ballsy and unexpected....But Merch. This is supposed to be a series about a bad-*** Mandalorian, so after the child dies, we see the true Mando and it's rampage time. Coming into his own so to speak.

 

[Asta]

Mando Fett

Hmm, the clone of Jango Fett, the wannabe Mandalorian, who shortly after being orphaned gets taken in by the Mandalorians whom Jango was affiliated with, and dons the Mandalorian helmet...

 

[jye4ever]

Very true. The CGI on this show is sparingly used and top notch.

On another note was his outfit any different this episode than last one? Last episode I thought he looked a little "Jango-ish" but I thought he looked cooler in this new one and more like a 70's cylon.

I think it looked Cylonish as well and I attributed that to the chosen flat earth tones they went with.

It also had a Bonanza western type feel to it.

I do think it was a missed opportunity to tie the tribe to Baze from RO.

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[Khev]

Baby Yoda has now officially been in all four episodes and there's only eight total. How the hell did they keep him a secret, lol.

And lol at sad Indian gif.

 

[Asta]

That thing about never taking his helmet off in front of anyone... even Uther deigned to take his helmet off (even if he was disguised as someone else)...




So I guess they're all blind dates on Mandalore.