The Mandalorian S2E8 The Rescue

 

Who saved who?

Did Luke save Grogu or vice versa, The title of this episode has multiple meanings just like Return of the Jedi! 

My most heartfelt thanks goes to John Favreau and Dave Filoni, this show has single handedly rescued the franchise and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rian Johnson and JJ Abrams were not the right choices for Disney's ST.

The fact that there were so many fans guessing who was going to show up and it turned out to be Luke, it's a miracle that the secret wasn't spoiled! To be honest it was always gonna be Luke. It makes the most sense. Sure seeing Ezra would've been cool, and he is out there somewhere in this point in time but having Luke show up just felt right. 

And seeing him dispatching the Dark Troopers without breaking a sweat was what we were expecting to see in TLJ and never got. What I saw yesterday was not God Tier, Expanded Universe Luke, it was a logical progression of the Luke Skywalker we saw in Return of the Jedi. 

The scene when Din is holding Grogu and he removes his helmet was absolutely poetic and rhymed so well with the scene in Return of the Jedi when Anakin tells Luke to help him remove his mask so he could look at him with his own eyes. 

And with Grogu leaving with Luke to be trained the circle is now complete! Luke was trained by Jedi Master Yoda and now Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will train Grogu. Poetry. 

That was the highlight of the episode for me, but I also really enjoyed the scenes when Din recruits Bo Katan and the confrontation between Boba, Koska and Bo Katan Kryze. Calling Jango his donor was a low blow!

Now to the issue of the Dark Sabre and Din and Bo...

So Din Djarin defeats Moff Gideon in a rather impressive duel and thus unknowingly claims the Dark Sabre, which was Bo's sole reason for helping Din rescue the child. Gideon knows the story and gleefully explains it to Din in front of Bo. Clearly Din has no interest in the Dark Sabre buuuutttt.....

This will be a major point of contention when The Mandalorian Season 3 returns December 2021 or is that the Book of Boba Fett??? I doubt D+ will have 2 shows running simultaneously about two Mandalorians, more likely than not The Book of Boba Fett will be a miniseries that will lead into season 3 of The Mandalorian.  

The Mandalorian S2E7 The Believer

 

You have something that belongs to me......

This week Mando recruits his old friend Migs Mayfeld to infiltrate an Imperial facility on Morag Morak to locate Moff Gideon. 

Mayfeld and Mando infiltrate the facility, Fennec and Cara offer sniper support and Boba is the wheelman....what could possibly go wrong?

Well we will be driving a hijacked truck full of highly explosive Rhydonium and lest not forget the angry pirates/natives! The chase scene in this episode felt alot like a typical side scrolling action game from the 16 bit era with the multiple waves of bad guys, yet it was still was more thrilling than The Last Jedi's chase thru Space!  

Spoiler: they make it to the refinery! It was very interesting when the two TIE's flew in to assist Mayfeld and Din I felt like cheering, and as the two were being cheered on by the troopers and refinery workers it felt like the scene in A New Hope when Luke returns to Yavin IV after destroying the Death Star. The Juxtaposition was subtle and well executed to substantiate Mayfield's point of view when he is discussing the similarities and differences of The Empire and the New Republic with Din. The Dynamic Duo now face off against the boss of the level Valin Hess! Migs gets cold feet when he spots Hess so Din takes the data stick to the terminal and actually removes the helmet to allow for a facial scan....Din get's the coordinates for Gideon's cruiser but Hess approaches Din and asks for his designation. Mig's interjects Hess's inquiry to remind Din that they need to file they're TPS reports! LMAO!!

To celebrate the safe return of Hess's Truck he invites Mayfeld and Din to a drink. And this was, for me, the highlight of the episode when Mayfield suggests a toast to Operation Cinder and he defiantly questions Hess's belief of the validity and cost of Operation Cinder, but Hess apparently doesn't see Mayfeld's utter anger and disgust thru his hubris. I loved seeing Din's expression as he realized Mayfeld's stance on the topic and where the conversation was leading. The breaking point was when Hess explains to the boys that people think they want freedom, but what they really want is order, which reiterates the state of the galaxy. 

Mayfeld snaps and Hess takes a bolt to the chest, seeing the Trooper standing there holding his tray speechless and that brief moment of WTF just happened, was great, JJ could learn a thing or two from actually taking a moment between the action for dramatic effect....

Din and Mayfeld make a daring escape from the mess hall out a window to the roof as Cara and Fennec offer sniper support and Boba heads in for the pick up. As the two leap onto Slave 1 Mayfeld asks Din for a riffle and makes an impressive shot to the Rhydonium in the truck they came in on setting off a crippling explosion at the  facility. Two Ties pursue Slave 1 and Boba gives them a parting gift, a seismic charge! One of the coolest weapons introduced in Attack of the Clones. 

All in all The Believer was an enjoyable episode with a theme that beliefs change over time, this was illustrated with many characters in this episode Mayfeld and the Empire, Din Djarin and the way of the Mandalore, Cara Dune and her opinion of Migs based on his former allegiance to The Empire.

The message Din makes for Gideon was great, I love when heroes uses villain's own words against them. 

Next Friday is sadly the season finale and we will have to wait a whole fricken year for season 3!

 

The Mandalorian S2E6 The Tragedy

 

If  you're a fan of Boba Fett yesterdays episode was a love letter from Filoni and Favreau, this episode was directed by Robert Rodriguez (Alita: Battle Angel, Planet Terror) and it had his signature style. 

So Din and Grogu arrive on Tython and find the ancient Je' daii temple as Ahsoka instructed. The first few mins of this episode really shows the connection Din and Grogu have. The scene where Din is telling Grogu to take the ball, feels so honest, like a father and son playing catch. 

It's funny my wife and kids are legitimately more concerned about the well being of Grogu than any of the characters from the ST,  this just solidifies in my opinion that multiple directors with a clear planned outline for a story can work.....with the right people and a clearly planned story.

So Grogu is placed on the seeing stone and almost immediately Slave One shows up and Din goes into protection mode! I have 2 questions about this scene, Din has never seen Slave One, did he sense danger? And where was Slave One the whole time Boba was in the Sarlacc?

So somehow Boba tracked Din to Tython to reclaim his armor, I loved the line Boba uses when Din asks if he's a Jedi or if he's come for the child,

"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the galaxy."

The stand off between Din and Boba offered more than just a tense scene, it cleared up an item of contention regarding Jango, whether he was Mandalorian or not. Check box checked.

As Luke says in TRoS "No one is ever really gone", Boba tells Din he brought along a sniper whose got her sights on his little companion......Fennec Shand. Yup she's back and now has a life debt to Boba. 

Boba realizes the negotiations are becoming too aggressive so he offers a truce, the armor for child protective services.....so to speak.

But before an agreement can be reached a third party joins, an Imperial drop ship lands and a platoon oh Imps disembark to capture Grogu, unfortunately Din, Boba and Fennec have the high ground...

The Imps bring out the heavy repeater and a grenade launcher but between Fennecs best impersonation of Hawkeye, Din's Beskar and sharp shooting skills and Boba's absolutely ferocious CQC the Imps are absolutely massacred! After seeing Boba in action in this episode I gotta believe Boba could've gone toe to toe with Luke in ESB....but was hung over from Jabba's party the night before.

So when traditional storm troopers fail (as we know they will) Gideon sends out the Dark Troopers to retrieve the package...almost as if it was planned to divert the heroes attention down the hill.....very strategic, wink wink nudge nudge. 

Boba gives chase in Slave One but is told to stand down in order to not harm Grogu. 

When Boba spots the Imperial Cruiser he says "They're back", Fennec says "That can't be, the Outer Rim is under New Republic Jurisdiction" then Boba replies "this isn't a spice dream, I seet he Imperial Cruiser with my own eyes".

This scene totally  reminds me of Zahn's Heir to the Empire novel and is a subtle nod to Frank Herbert's Dune.

All in all another impressive episode, with only two episodes left I don't believe we will see any Jedi but I fully expect to see or hear Grand Admiral Thrawn in the season finale. My only gripe was not seeing more of Tython, like it's two moons Ashla and Bogen and perhaps a pyramid or two off in the distance. For fans such as myself we know the significance of Tython, but normies won't and if those things were seen it would pique there curiosity to possibly dig a bit deeper. 

Next week I suspect Din will begin to round up a pose to go rescue Grogu including Boba, Fennec, Cara and Migs.

The Mandalorian S2E5 The Jedi

 

I'm very happy with the live action iteration of Dave Filoni's character, Ahsoka Tano. This is a character that has earned the fan's approval and adoration. 

The future of the franchise was once believed to rest in the hands of the son of sons but that hope now rests in Dave Filoni's vision thanks to the lack of vision of JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson. Sadly they killed the legacy of the Skywalker. 

For me the Skywalker saga ended with Episode VI. The future now belongs to Ahsoka Tano, Bo Katan, Ezra Bridger, Din D'jarin, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Moff Gideon and all the new and fascinating characters that truly enrich the galaxy far far away that so many find enjoyment in.

Welcome to the greatest fandom on earth Rosario Dawson! And congratulations Ashley for being the strongest believer in a REAL powerful female character!

When we took our first steps into this larger world back in 77 the story was small and simple but then when episode V came out the galaxy expanded and so did our imaginations as did the fandom. 

Here we are almost 44 years later and the same thing appears to be starting anew, we have a simple man trying to make his way in a lawless galaxy post Imperial control learning about himself and the galaxy around him. He's met friends to help him on his journey as well as nefarious villain's such as Moff Gideon as well. 

But as a wise Jedi Master once said, "there's always a bigger fish."

So here we are on the forest planet of Corvus, but don't get ideas of Endor in your head Corvus is more reminiscent to Mordor! The planet is covered in a thick smog and there is nothing but dead trees as far as the eye can see, and a convor for the eagle eyed viewer. 

Fortunately we didn't have to wait till the final moments of the episode to meet Ahsoka Tano, we are introduced to Anakin Skywalkers Padawan immediately and I will say my anticipation was higher than seeing TRoS. and I wasn't disappointed. Rosario Dawson did a good job, it took me a few minutes to process seeing a character I've only ever know in animation and voiced by Ashley Eckstien but as I said before they did a good job. 

So Mando arrives at Calodan and meets Morgan Elsbeth the Cities Magistrate who offers Din a reward for killing a Jedi, I love how Din didn't accept the job but didn't deny it either but got the info he needed to find Ahsoka. Way to keep both options open Mando!

So the two meet and the quickest fight between a "Jedi" and a Mandalorian occurs and we get a more fulfilling and well thought out dialog between Din and Ahsoka than anything said in the sequel trilogy. 

Din has found the Jedi that he has been seeking since the Armorer on Nevarro set him on his way. 

Ahsoka tests the child and not only do we get some back story that connects to the prequels we get his name, Growgu! 

But wait there's more!

Ahsoka tells Din she cannot take Growgu and begin to train him because of there attachment to one another (they complete each other), and his attachment to Din makes him vulnerable to his fears, she says she's seen what these feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight (Not Master)...the best of us. She's obviously referring to Anakin. It's a great line because she speaks about someone she cares for and holds in such high regard; it reminds me of how Obi Wan spoke about Anakin in his hovel to Luke in Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope. The ripple is still going....

So the two come to an arrangement that Din will help Ahsoka with the Magistrate if she helps get Growgu to someone who will properly train him.

The part timer and the Mando head back to Calodan and we get a showdown that would make George tear up! This fight is straight up Ctrl C, Ctrl V Kurasawa, and then we get a Ctrl C, Ctrl V Eastwood Spaghetti Western mixed in while Ahsoka is facing off against Morgan Elsbeth!  

But wait there's more!!

If all this wasn't enough we get another name drop! 

Grand Admiral Thrawn!!!!! 

Yes I know he's cannon again thanks to Rebels but now, now he's 100% fully realized! And with this a new pathway to undo the absolute atrocity that was done to Luke Skywalker can be undone with 1 simple vowel!!! U

This episode of The Mandalorian is a day that will be long remembered, the day a thousand cries were not lost on deaf ears!

See you on Tython! Looking forward to a great history lesson!

   

The Mandalorian S2E4 The Seige

Last nights episode could’ve been a filler, when Din and the Child divert to Nevarro....but it was anything but! Last weeks episode connected Din Djarin’s journey to the past when he met Bo Katan, this weeks episode connects to the ST when Mando, Greeve and Kara infiltrate an imperial base to destroy it to free Navarro from the last remnants of the Empire. The mission begins just like every other base infiltration in Star Wars but the team stumbles onto something unexpected via a holo message from Dr Pershing to Moff Gideon regarding results of a blood infusion from the child. In this scene we see  bodies suspended in Bacta tanks. Now I’ve only seen The Siege once but I swear it looked like Snoke!

I really didn’t get hyped at this possible connection like I did when Bo showed up last week. Personally 

I was totally on board with the rumor that Filoni and Faverau were working towards relegating the ST to a possible future via the use of the World Between Worlds introduced at the end of the Rebels series. 

I guess that rumor is out the window, but I have faith Filoni and Faverau can improve the ST by explaining some of the numerous unanswered questions left by the ST.

Now back to discussing good Star Wars.....for the second big reveal, what were those things Gideon was checking out at the end of the episode? I asked some friends and they think they’re Dark Troopers. And since they’re from a part of the EU (legends ) I’m not familiar with I’m very pleased how Dave has successfully incorporated so much from the EU like The Bendu, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Cob Vanth, and the Nohgri, I'm sure what ever they are they'll actually be used to enhance the story not not end up being nothing but a marketing ploy for toy sales.

This episode had some great low key fan service moments during the base infiltration from sound bytes to a great chase scene reminiscent to the trench run in A New Hope with a dash of speeder bike chase scene in RotJ! 

Kudo's to Carl Weathers for directing a solid episode full of  fan service, intrigue and new material to theorize over till next Friday. 

The Mandalorian S2E3 The Heiress

 S2E3 The Heiress was awesome! I’m a huge fan of Bo Katan! And Katie Sackoff playing her character she’s voiced in TCW & SWR is Awesome!!! And the name she drops at the end of the episode to Din Jaren... YES!!! Can’t wait to see her in live action! Bo’s armor looked absolutely fantastic! 

The inclusion of Bo Katan just blew the doors wide open to a larger world and has, in my opinion, integrated Din D'jarin’s story more successfully into George Lucas’ Star Wars than the ST did by thousands of parsecs. The Mandalorian has brought a new hope to many fans across the world. Keep up the great work Dave and John!
This show is the way!

The Clone Wars S7E12 Victory and Death

The finale picks up immediately where Shattered left off and the chaos is relentless all the way through to the end. Rex and Ahsoka fight off wave after wave of clone troopers as Maul wreaks havok on his way to the engine room, There he uses all his anger and hatred he can muster and rends both hyper drive units thus dooming all onboard. I'll admit he seemed noticably more powerful than ever in this scene, but I suspended my disbelief by chalking it up to his desperation not to be brought back anywhere near Darth Sidious.

As the ship drifts into the gravitational pull of a nearby moon Rex and Ahsoka find their path to the one operational shuttle cut off by Commander Jesse and a sea of troopers. Maul capitalizes on the opportunity and races to take it.

And this is the last time we see Maul till Ezra finds him on Malachor.

This episode is strictly Ahsoka and Rex's story, there is no interlacing with Revenge of the Sith...we all know what's going taking place elsewhere in the Galaxy.

Suffice to say  Ahsoka and Rex survive the plummeting Republic Cruiser, the final ten minutes there isn't one word of dialog which exemplifies the melancholy atmosphere. 

The final scene was beautiful in it's simplicity, yet it is left wide open to interpretation to the viewer. Who do we see holding Ahsoka's lightsaber? Darth Vader or Anakin Skywalker? What is he thinking about when he ignites the lightsaber? Anger? Regret? Sadness?

 Now to re watch Star Wars Rebels! 

The Clone Wars S7E11 Shattered

We all know what's about to go down in this episode yet the tension was so palpable! The dirge-like music was perfect!  For me the most fascinating thing in the episode was the comment from Bo Katan to Ahsoka regarding the containment unit Maul was locked in,

"A relic from a bygone era when Mandolorians had to imprison you force wielding maniacs"

This episode could've gone by the numbers but Filoni added one little conversation between Ahsoka and  Bo Katan regarding the containment unit Maul was put in that opened up a whole new avenue to the Jedi/Mandolorian War from the Old Republic! This one conversation can now open up pathways to shows regarding Tarre Visla and the Jedi/Mando War from ages past!
The conversation between Ahsoka and Rex was made more emotional because we all knew what was about to go down, the visual cues were subtle but they were all around, when Ahsoka and Rex walked onto the bridge of the Republic Cruiser it absolutely felt OT with the officers in the bridge pits, and the hallways and detention cell Maul was put in felt so similar to Leia's in ANH!
Even with my knowledge from Star Wars Rebels I was still on edge throughout the episode with Ahsoka fighting off the Clones sudden attack.
Hearing the audio from RotS overlaid when Ahsoka is standing on the bridge when they make the jump had such emotional impact, and reminded me of Yoda's reaction on Kashyyyk when he felt the numerous Jedi falling after Sidious executed order 66.
Now on to my boy Maul, I absolutely loved watching Maul pulling a Vader even though it's actually the other way around...



Sadly the show will truly end next Monday May the 4th.
So with that I wish all of you an early May the 4th be with you!

The Clone Wars....Season 7 finally begins! Episode 10 The Phantom Apprentice was simply incredible!!!

Knowledge is power, and it's also a heavy burden!
Thank you Dave Filoni and the team for resuscitating one of the greatest characters born in the PT and truly making him one of the most fascinating characters in the entire Star Wars Saga!

Here is a man who was propped up to believe he was an integral cog and irreplaceable to a Sith Lord and his plan. Now a witness on the sidelines with complete knowledge of how irrelevant he actually was and full knowledge of "the plan" literally able to see the outcome before anyone is actually aware of what's going on! He's consumed by rage by the knowledge of how he was used and screaming out to anyone to help him thwart Sidious......but no one knows what he does.

These last two episodes have been more entertaining than the entire ST, there's a certain satisfaction you get when you're working on a puzzle and only have 3 or 4 pieces left and can see where they go to complete it, thats where we're at right now! With only 2 episodes left for the Clone Wars this has been an incredible journey. The Clone Wars is an integral part of The Star Wars Saga not just some ancillary animated show, it fleshes out Anakin Skywalker so much more than the 6 hours we saw of him in the PT, it literally makes him the legend I imagined him to be as a child when watching the OT and hearing Obi Wan Kenobi wax nostalgic about him to young Luke Skywalker. The show also introduces us to Ahsoka Tano, initially loathed but now loved by fans, a character that not only adds another layer to Anakin Skywalker's story, she has also had her own trials and tribulations which has forged her into a worthwhile addition in the Star Wars Saga, one which has earned the adoration of fans both male and female.....she's a great character that also happens to be female, not a great character because she's female.   

The Industry Vs Fans

I need to ask anyone who reads this which illustration better captures the essence of the character description, One is concept art from Lucasfilm, the other a fan....
So here's the official description of Avar Kriss:

Avar is the brightest, most noble example of Jedi-hood. She always tries to see the good in people and situations, and never puts herself first. She is invigorated about life on the frontier and the challenges it brings, and is an inspiration for those who work with her. She is compassionate, not dogmatic, and always ready to sacrifice herself over others. Avar Kriss is the best of the best.

Now here are 2 illustrations, which best encapsulates the above description?

A.

B.

This is a PERFECT example of the division between fans and the industry!

Steven Wayne Art redesigning-the-high-republic-female-jedi-as-a-woman

And here's another perfect example from Marvel...



I'll just add my own fan art for Snowflake and Safespace....

Project Luminous/ High Republic

There was a time when I thought working at Lucasfilm was a dream job with the most talented people in the entertainment industry! But thanks to the below trailer I think I was mistaken.
This trailer for Project Luminous ripped my soul out of me!
Specifically this white board!

We have 3 columns created by a multitude of  writers, the Lucasfilm Story Group members and a bunch of suits and these bullet points are what they believe are the pillars of Star Wars are!?!

If the utter excrement that was the Sequel Trilogy killed Star Wars, this shit is robbing the grave for body parts to re create a monstrosity that only resembles it's former self on the surface!
For fucks sake Diversity...TWICE.
There is no other Fantasy/ sci fi universe that is more diverse than Star Wars! Humans, Twi lek, Ug Naught, Wookie, Ewok, Hutt, Mon Calamari, Gungan, Trandoshan, Rodian, Zabrak, Chiss, Neimoidian, Kaminoan, Devaronian, Geonosians, Bith....to name a few.

NOT PRO WAR???!!! Did these people even understand George Lucas's story???? Star Wars IS NOT PRO WAR!!!!! It's literally the opposite! Jesus Christmas Trees!!!!

Erase Actual Ending and replace with Actual Story with a beginning, Middle and Conclusion....ya know like Episodes IV, V and VI!

Dinosaurs...

I had heard about Project Luminous a few weeks ago and it sounded promising but after seeing this video with the VP of franchise content and strategy, the Sr Creative Executive for franchise story & content and the Director of Creative publishing it feels more like this project is more about selling Star Wars Stories from the Old High Republic Era like DLC and waiting to see what grabs the hearts and minds of masses.

This is the way....to make an awesome Mandalorian Helmet

To celebrate the awesome first season of The Mandalorian I found this video from Punished Props Academy on You Tube.

My son loves building props from movies and this looks like a fun project I might endeavor to do with him!
Just remember once you put it on....

The Mandalorian Episode 8: Redemption

The final episode of The Mandalorian absolutely stuck the landing! I was a bit nervous with the way the episode began with the two storm troopers, that felt very fan filmy in my opinion.
Redemption picks up immediately where the previous episode concluded, the crew are pinned down in the Clients building by Moff Gideon and dozens of Storm Troopers and Death Troopers with a E pod repeating gun pod aimed at them.
IG-11 races to them with baby Yoda in tow, in the chaos the Mando takes a grievous head wound and tells the others to escape via the sewage system tunnels. They refuse to leave the Mando to die but he refuses to remove his helmet and break the rule. But finally concedes to allow IG-11 (the one team member he's had the biggest issue with) to remove his helmet since IG-11 isn't "alive".
The group fumble thru the sewers to where the Mandolorian hideout is only to discover they Mando's are either dead or escaped. The Mando recieves guidance from the Armorer on what to do with the Child...the Foundling is now tasked with his own foundling....the circle is now complete.
The armorer fashions the Mando his signet and gives him his jet pack.
The group make their escape via an underground lava river but a company of troopers are waiting to ambush them at the mouth of the river. As the group slowly drifts closer to the end of the tunnel they scramble to fight the ambush. IG-11 offers to save them by activating self destruct protocols which the Mando refuses to accept as a solution, not because the Mando needs him help fight the Storm Troopers but because he's finally over come his prejudice for the droid.
Thanks to IG-11's sacrifice the group escape but find themselves pinned down by Moff Gideon in his TIE fighter. In one of the coolest action sequences of the season The Mando shoots a grapple line at the TIE as it flys overhead and gets wisked off behind Gideon, the Mand plants some charges and releases from the TIE as the wing get blown off and Gideon crashes off in the distance. The Season concludes with Greef Karga and Kara Dune staying behind as the Mando flys off with the child.
Then we get the best surprise cliff hanger since Episode IV, The camera scrolls to where Gideons TIE wreckage sits and suddenly something begins to cut thru the fuselage and Gideon emerges holding the Darksabre!
 



I hope we see what fate befell Bo Katan, since it appears Moff Gideon knows alot about the night of a thousand tears on Mandalore.

Kenobi Fan Film by Jamie Costa

Christmas arrived a few hours early for Star Wars fans this year as Jamie Costa released his Kenobi Fan Film.
Jamie Costa impressed me with his 2016 fan film Han Solo a Smuggler's Trade, and this time he took it to the next level. I think Rian Johnson could learn a thing or two about respecting the source material and understanding Star Wars legacy characters.
Between Jamie Costa and Star Wars Theory we know that George Lucas's Galaxy is still alive with the fandom!

The Mandalorian Episode 7: The Reckoning

The Mando receives a transmission from Greef Karga offering a proposition to return to Navarro to kill the Client in exchange for clearing his name with the bounty hunter's guild. The Mando returns to Sorgen to recruit Cara Dune to help with Karga's plan. The duo then travel to Kuiil's planet to recruit him only to discover he found and rebuilt IG-11 as well as re purposed him to help Kuiil around the farm. After a lengthy exposition the Razorcrest takes off with the Mando and his party of a Rebel "dropper", an Ugnaught mechanic, a re purposed IG assassin droid, the Child and 3 Blurgs.
We get a glimpse at the dynamic of this rag tag group and unlike the ST these characters don't mesh together as well as Rey, Fin and Poe, they're pride and prejudice create a believable dynamic.
We also are treated to a scene that caught me completely by surprise when Cara and the Mando are arm wrestling.
This is a fantastic scene because it shows how the force has slipped away into mysticism that few even know about.
fast forward to Navarro, the party meet up with Greef Karga and his 3 guild members.
Now this is where something fascinating hppens that was hinted about in episode 2, the group gets attacked by a group of Mynocks and Greef suffers a nasty wound that is poisonous. It's here we see the Child use Force Healing to save Karga's life. This is something that we might have witnessed in the PT in AotC and RotS when Sidious places his hand on Crispy Anakin! Now this technique seems contradictory to the advice Yoda gave Anakin in episode III about learning to let go of the things we love....because I bet if they taught him that technique he might've saved Shmii and his destiny would've been completly altered!
There was one other great moment in this episode when Mando, Cara and Greef are sitting with the Client, we get a great bit of dialog that further develops the state of the galaxy when The Client asks the Mando if he thinks things are better since the revolution,....it's clearly not. And questions why Mandalore refused the aide of the Empire. He also mentions the great Purge which explains all the moments throughout the season where people seemed shocked to meet a Mandalorian. It seems as if the Empire executed a scorched Earth operation on Mandalore towards the end of the Empire's rule.
Episode 7 leaves off with a cliff hanger that had my whole family yelling at the TV.
Excellent Excellent episode! I cannot wait for next fridays season finale!

The Mandalorian Episode 6: The Prisoner

The Mando visits an old acquaintance, Ran, who requests help on a job. Ran explains it's a 5 man job and they need the Razorcrest.
This episode felt very different than any of the previous episodes, it reminded me of the Suicide Squad in a galaxy far far away. Xi'an especially came across as a Harley Quinn wanna be, I was glad to see a Twi'lek as more than just a sexualized manner and it was nice to see a male Twi'lek in live action. The mission was to breach a New Republic prison ship and break Qin, Xi'an's brother, out.
There's an atmosphere of un ease from the moment the Mando arrives on Ran's space station, and the episode does a great job of keeping the suspense through till the very end!
There's a good deal of action in this episode, Mando takes down about eight New Republic Security Droids that are definitely not to be taken lightly, they're no rodger rodger's! And later we see Mando get into a very tough one on one against the Devaronian. Burg, who takes a flame thrower to the face and keeps on coming! This fight does show how to avert our expectations correctly when Mando seeming end the fight with a similar tactic we saw in the first episode.
I enjoyed Bill Bur's character, Mayfield, an ex Imperial sharpshooter, there's a funny interaction when we're first introduced to him where the Mando throws shade at him and Mayfield retorts "I wasn't a Storm Trooper wise ass!". I also thought it was hilarious when Mayfield was egging the Mando on while they were heading to the mark saying maybe the Mando was a Gungan and talked like Jar Jar!
There wasn't much of Baby Yoda in this episode but what we got was enough, seeing him hiding from Q9-0 on the Razorcrest had my wife and son on edge, I can't wait to see the new meme's of Baby Yoda trying to use the force and then looking at his hand wondering how he blew away the droid only to see it was the Mando.
My favorite scene in the episode was when Mayfield was alone in the corridor of the prison ship with the red emergency light and flashing lights, very reminiscent of Aliens and every other flash you saw the Mando sneaking up behind Mayfield. That was great cinematography!
Congrats to Dave Filoni for becoming an X Wing pilot!
And now my theory about who that was at the end of episode 5 is wrong....I don't think it's Moff Gideon, so I'm gonna jump on the Boba band wagon. It was Tatooine, and perhaps she was meeting Boba at Mos Espa...

 

The Mandalorian Episode 5 The Gunslinger

The Mandalorian has every bounty Hunter in the galaxy looking for him except a young wanna be named Toro Calican. Young Toro is tracking Fennec Shand, a notorious merc whose worked for many crime families.
This episode starts with a dog fight between the Razor Crest and a sleek quad engine star fighter.
Things are looking dire for Mando and baby Yoda as the bounty hunter has disabled one of the Razor Crests engines but a quick maneuver with the trust reversers and full flaps extension the hunter becomes the hunted.
I'm not sure extending flaps in space would help slow the Razor crest down as there is 0 atmosphere.....anywho.
This episode is fan service overload as we hear Mos Eisley tower reach out to the Razorcrest with landing coordinates. We arrive at docking bay 35 and are greeted by Peli Motto and her pit droids, I enjoyed how she portrayed a mechanic, true to form finding all sorts of problems that need to be fixed. and once the Mando leaves she's sitting around playing Sabacc with her droids!

The Mando heads out to look for work to cover the costs of the repairs and we end up in the Mos Eisley Catina! Of course we head there, and this is where we meet wanna be Han Solo, Toro Calican.
The Mando teams up with Calican to go after Fennec Shand the merc I mentioned earlier.
We get a lesson on the natives, Mando get's shot in the ass but the Beskar protects him, and we catch Fennec. Mando leaves Toro with Fennec and the young n hungry wanna be gets a brilliant idea but it costs him his life.
For me the episode seemed a bit underwhelming but if you take a step back and think about it there are some questions it brings up. Where was Fennec running to beyond the Dune sea? How does the Mando know so much about Tuskens? Who's the new owner of the Mos Eisley? Allowing droids to work the bar? The place has really gone to the Dugs!
Everyone's wondering who the mystery person was at the end of the episode, I think it's most likely Bill Bur's Bounty Hunter character. I don't think we'll see Moff Gideon till we return to Navarro.

The Mandalorian Episode 4: Sanctuary

The Mando seeks a planet to lay low for awhile with baby Yoda and ends up on Sorgen, a backwater skughole, that's sparsely populated by blue krill farmers.
Mando meets a former Rebel Shocktrooper Cara Dune. The two hit it off right away >.- but she asks Mando to find another planet to hide on as she arrived on Sorgen first and wishes to remain under the radar.
As the Mando is prepping to depart 2 farmers approach him and ask for his help against raiders.
The Mando accepts under the condition the farmers provide shelter for him, baby Yoda and Cara.
Cara and the Mando train the farmers to defend themselves. Cara and the Mando discover the raiders have a tank....no an AT-ST!
OK so I'm rewatching The Clone Wars series on D+ also and just happened to watch S2E17 Bounty right after this episode of The Mandalorian...so we have bounty hunters defending farmers from pirates/raiders by teaching them how to fight and the Pirates/raider bring a tank/AT-ST to suppress the coalition.....hmmmm.
Aside from introducing Cara Dune in this episode it was a very basic story that I've seen time and again in shows like The A team and Knight Rider.

The Mandalorian Episode 3 The Sin

Another strong episode this week, the Mando delivers baby Yoda to the Client and Dr Pershing, and collects a large cache of Beskar Steel which he brings to the mystery Mandalorian Blacksmith to forge him new armor because his "armor has lost it's integrity" and "he may have to "start over" Interesting choice of words! absolute intentional double entendre . This scene was the most intriguing to me as we got a few more nuggets of info regarding the Mandalorian culture...."This is the way"!
And a further glimpse into the Mando's troubled childhood,
Jyn's hiding spot was much better than his was.
We know he survives but I'm curious who saves him....we know he's a foundling so I'm guessing a Mando. With 5 episodes left I doubt we will delve too deep into Mandalorian clan structure this season but I have a feeling we will be treated to a revelation in the season finale. Clan Wren, House Vizsla anyone?
When the Mando meets up with Greeve we get a nice little comment to reiterating the state of the galaxy. The Mando asks Greeve what they plan to do with the Mark and Greeve tells him if he has a greivance to take it up with the New Republic, the Mando's reply "That's a joke" is very telling....
7 years have past since the events of RotJ and the galaxy doesn't seem that much better off, in some cases it might be worse!
This insight is sorely lacking in TFA!

Now to the question of Dr Pershing's comments to the Mando, He protected him, if it weren't for Dr Pershing "he'd be dead already." So there's more to this bounty than meets the eye! Someone wants baby Yoda dead but who??? Is Dr Pershing Imperial? Right now Greef Karga is the furthest from the trust tree in my opinion. I think he'll betray anyone if the price is right, and yes I believe the Mando purposely shot him where he did.
Now to the shoot out, seeing the Mando's come to the aid of one of their own was great! It brought back fond memories of TCW episode The Lawless when Bo Katan helps Obi Wan escape from Mandalore. The one part that felt off to me was when the Razor claw was leaving and that one Mando flies up along side and salutes him....seemed kinda cheesy to me.
So where are we headed in episode 4? The Ocean Dunes of Karnak? He still has the puck....

The Mandalorian Episode 2 The Child

Picking up where the first episode leaves off we see the Mando making his way back to his ship the vintage Razorcrest with baby

Yoda

, but as the expression goes "some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant". The Mando gets ambushed by a trio of Trandoshan bounty hunters. but manages to fight them off and protect baby

Yoda

. When he arrives at his ship he finds that Jawas have stripped it clean and left it on proverbial cinder blocks! The Mando chases them down as they try to flee on their Sandcrawler. This was a treat for OT fans and lesson #2 in proper Star Wars humor.
We are treated to some ultra kawaii moments between the Mando and the asset. Those of us with kids can appreciate when the Mando has to return the lil fella back to his stroller.
With no means of return back to the Client the Mando returns to Kuiil's farm. Kuiil offers to help the Mando get his parts back. Kuiil arbatrates an agreement between the Jawas and the Mando, the parts for the Razorcrest for an egg. This scene is a crucial point in the story because it reveals that this species is perhaps the most in tune with the force and it again illustrates that even Mandalorians aren't omnipotent.

. It also shows the connection the two beings have and raises one very important question, why are all these other bounty hunters trying to kill the asset while Dr Pershing was so adamant on bringing it back alive.
The episode concludes with an A-team style montage of Kuiil and the Mando repairing the Razorclaw and the asset waking up from naptime after over exerting himself.
I understand that the asset is a McGuffin but unlike a holo map, wayf-finders or a Sith dagger, this McGuffin feels less like a pointless object and more plausable within the galaxy.