"Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)" Season Two Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

The Mandalorian Season Two
Studio: Lucasfilm Ltd
Premiere Date: October 30, 2020 on Disney+

Synopsis: The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire.

Chapter 9: The Marshal
The Mandalorian is drawn to the Outer Rim in search of others of his kind.

Related Links
*Official Website
*The Mandalorian News & Discussion
*Star Wars News & Discussion

 

[Frontier]

Jeez Mando, I know the guy tried to steal Baby Yoda and nix on your deal, but that was a brutal way of ending him. I would never have known that was John Leguizamo .

Hey, Mando doesn't irrationally hate droids now! IG-11's sacrifice has done something to him .

Cobb Vanth makes his live-action appearance from the Aftermath novels, looking ill-fitting in Boba Fett armor but played with absolute charm by Timothy Olyphant. I was kind of concerned about him at first, but he proved to be a true ally and good person by the end of the episode .

This series has really established that the Tusken Raiders are people too, and not just the savages who killed Anakin's mom and then were promptly slaughtered .

I love how Mando's reaction to Cobb taking the helmet off is practically "dude, what did you just do?" .

"He's seen worse." Y'know, sometimes I'm worried what kind of influence Din and these adventures are having on The Child. It's hard to forget his second major Force feat was Force Choking Cara .

Krayt Dragon! Krayt Pearl! Who on the writing stuff played Knights of The Old Republic ?

But I guess the biggest takeaway of the premier was...BOBA FETT LIVES!!! It's taken a heck of a long time, but they finally confirm, in proper canon, that Boba survived the Sarlac pit, and Temeura Morrison makes his first live-action appearance as Boba. And I'm betting he wants his armor back, so we're likely to see confrontation between Mando and Boba for it. Maybe we'll finally get decisive confirmation on the Fett's statuses as Mandalorian's as well ?

 

[rggkjg1]

If they copy the Expanded Universe explanation for how Boba Fett survived, will Disney owe royalties to the person who came up with this idea?

 

[Spideyzilla]

An entertaining episode to be sure, but it highlights my overall problem with the show: where is the plot actually going? We've had 51 minutes of content and yet the only thing that has changed is that Mando now has Boba Fett's armour. It's cool, but what really was the point of all of this? My issue with this show is that it doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a serialized show with a tight plot or a series of episodes with Mando fighting the monster of the week.

I think the closest comparison I can think of to a show with a structure like this is The X-Files, but that had 22 episode seasons. This is now episode one of an eight-episode season, and nothing has really happened. Mando thought there was another Mandalorian on Tattoine (which I assumed was going to be Boba, so nice slight of hand there), there wasn't, on to the next adventure. Why was Mando basically willing to die to kill the dragon? He told Cobb Vanth to look after the Child, but did he really think Vanth would take up his mission of reuniting Baby Yoda with the Jedi? The Child means nothing to him, and Mando must have known this as he decided to go inside the dragon, likely knowing there was a good chance he wouldn't make it out?

I don't want to bash it too hard. Like I said, this was entertaining, but I just wish this show had a more unified plot. And yes, Boba Fett lives. First time we've seen him since Return of the Jedi. Though is he as cool a character if he's not wearing the armour? I guess we're going to find out.

 

[Frontier]

An entertaining episode to be sure, but it highlights my overall problem with the show: where is the plot actually going? We've had 51 minutes of content and yet the only thing that has changed is that Mando now has Boba Fett's armour. It's cool, but what really was the point of all of this? My issue with this show is that it doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a serialized show with a tight plot or a series of episodes with Mando fighting the monster of the week.

I think the closest comparison I can think of to a show with a structure like this is The X-Files, but that had 22 episode seasons. This is now episode one of an eight-episode season, and nothing has really happened. Mando thought there was another Mandalorian on Tattoine (which I assumed was going to be Boba, so nice slight of hand there), there wasn't, on to the next adventure. Why was Mando basically willing to die to kill the dragon? He told Cobb Vanth to look after the Child, but did he really think Vanth would take up his mission of reuniting Baby Yoda with the Jedi? The Child means nothing to him, and Mando must have known this as he decided to go inside the dragon, likely knowing there was a good chance he wouldn't make it out?

I don't want to bash it too hard. Like I said, this was entertaining, but I just wish this show had a more unified plot. And yes, Boba Fett lives. First time we've seen him since Return of the Jedi. Though is he as cool a character if he's not wearing the armour? I guess we're going to find out.

I think of it as an episodic adventure show with an overarching goal, with the current goal being Mando taking care of Baby Yoda and delivering him to other Force Users and the adventures they get into along the way .

I think it was Mando's code of honor that made him commit to killing the dragon and felt Cobb was honorable enough to take care of The Child i his stead if he had to.

 

[Yojimbo]

CHAPTER 9 THE MARSHAL

The show doesn't shy away from its old western influences, and this season premiere was no different. Great start! Hasn't lost a beat.

Like they've done in season 1 with actors, I was shocked to realize Gore Keresh was John Leguizamo. Once he revealed he hunted down Mandalorians to steal their beskar, I knew one way or another he was gonna die. Strung up for beasts. Woof. So cute when the Child knew there was gonna be a fight and sealed up the carriage. Also Gore was in the cantina scene in A New Hope. Cool.

Tattoine! That was a great twist to see a town team up with Tusken Raiders for the greater good of taking down the Krayt dragon. If I'm remembering it right, there was a skeleton of one of these dragons in A New Hope. But loved that Mando was what cemented the alliance because he was in effect the translator and objective enough to point out they all had to work together to win. And they tipped it was going to happen because as he's heading to Mos Pelgo, you seem him in a circle talking to Raiders so he has that history with them. And their "dogs" like Mando so... lol.

And Cobb Vanth, played by Timothy Olyphant. Great casting if you've seen Justified. Neat way to tie it all together. From celebrating the destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi, to fleeing the next occupiers, luckily stealing something that he could use to bargain with Jawas and ends up taking Boba's armor that they scavenged. And looking it up, Plego was actually mentioned in an Old Republic video game once and Mos Espa was where Anakin was from in Phantom Menace. Also read the black melon Cobb refused to drink at the camp was from a Marvel comic where Obi-Wan noted it tasted horrible. lol.

The Child's role was pretty light though. Its worried look about the "dog" staring at it at the Raider camp was amusing enough. It was nice to see Peli Motto again. I love that Peli had one line that cemented it, after Return of the Jedi, in places like the Outer Rim - it was a free for all.

It was a nice hat tip with Mando emerging from the giant monster's mouth and killing it; considering Boba Fett's death at the hands of the Sarlaac.

And a Temuera Morrison appearance at the very end. I guess everyone is thinks that's Boba but could well be Captain Rex. Whoever he is, perhaps he's the person what came upon Fennec Shand last season? Well, back to square one for Mando unless the next episode continues right after and Morrison's character attacks him.

I love how Mando's reaction to Cobb taking the helmet off is practically "dude, what did you just do?" .

Definitely gonna be a "Dude..." meme, lol.

An entertaining episode to be sure, but it highlights my overall problem with the show: where is the plot actually going? We've had 51 minutes of content and yet the only thing that has changed is that Mando now has Boba Fett's armour. It's cool, but what really was the point of all of this? My issue with this show is that it doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a serialized show with a tight plot or a series of episodes with Mando fighting the monster of the week.

It'll either have him find Mandalorians that can point him to Jedi or he'll eventually run into ex-Jedi on his own. I doubt they're gonna have him run into Luke. But idk, at best they would recognize the Child is the same species as Yoda because it seems like there wasn't much data on their in his species. If this is going the Lone Wolf and Cub route with Mando and Child being the titular characters and Moff Gideon being Yagyu, it may not end well for Mando...

 

[Frontier]

And Cobb Vanth, played by Timothy Olyphant. Great casting if you've seen Justified. Neat way to tie it all together. From celebrating the destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi, to fleeing the next occupiers, luckily stealing something that he could use to bargain with Jawas and ends up taking Boba's armor that they scavenged. And looking it up, Plego was actually mentioned in an Old Republic video game once and Mos Espa was where Anakin was from in Phantom Menace. Also read the black melon Cobb refused to drink at the camp was from a Marvel comic where Obi-Wan noted it tasted horrible. lol.

Cobb's Speeder even looked like Anakin's podracer from Episode 1 .

The Child's role was pretty light though. Its worried look about the "dog" staring at it at the Raider camp was amusing enough. It was nice to see Peli Motto again. I love that Peli had one line that cemented it, after Return of the Jedi, in places like the Outer Rim - it was a free for all.

Not to mention good 'ol R5 .

And a Temuera Morrison appearance at the very end. I guess everyone is thinks that's Boba but could well be Captain Rex. Whoever he is, perhaps he's the person what came upon Fennec Shand last season? Well, back to square one for Mando unless the next episode continues right after and Morrison's character attacks him.

I think if it were Rex he'd be sporting the beard he had on during Rebels, so it's probably Boba. Although the bald head definitely makes him look more like Rex and the other Clones...

 

[Yojimbo]

I think if it were Rex he'd be sporting the beard he had on during Rebels, so it's probably Boba. Although the bald head definitely makes him look more like Rex and the other Clones...

Interesting. Thanks, never saw much of the CG animated series. The Mandalorian takes place like 5 years after Return of the Jedi? Guess if this is Boba, he opted to live as a hermit on Tatooine rather than try and leave the planet. Suppose he either wants his armor back or he's laying low from the Rebel Alliance/New Republic? 5 years trying to look for his armor? Idk.

 

[Frontier]

Interesting. Thanks, never saw much of the CG animated series. The Mandalorian takes place like 5 years after Return of the Jedi? Guess if this is Boba, he opted to live as a hermit on Tatooine rather than try and leave the planet. Suppose he either wants his armor back or he's laying low from the Rebel Alliance/New Republic? 5 years trying to look for his armor? Idk.

Well, he definitely looked determined and gritty for one reason or another at the end .

 

[Fone Bone]

The Mandalorian "Chapter 9: The Marshal"

A lot to talk about. And that is a very good thing. Normally I save my longest and most in-depth reviews for things I roast but this is a joyful exception. That was excellent on every level and the review is gonna be long because I have a lot to compliment.

Let me start off by saying as controversial as the sequel trilogy is, I like it very much, and that, both anthology movies, and this show tells me the franchise is in good hands with Disney. I can't speak for anyone else, but I feel like Disney is doing far more diverse and interesting things with the franchise than either the prequel trilogy or The Clone Wars did. I like much of the Disney stuff better than Lucas' tenure after he brought the franchise back with The Phantom Menace.

And I'll tell you the precise thing in this episode that made me think this show is better than anything Lucas ever did. Lucas' ideas of power and politics involved the people at the top exclusively. That is why it always struck me as a crying shame that essentially the formation and the destruction of the Empire was down to a single family. And why even though the sequel muddled that message from movie to movie, it erred on the side of not actually being about the Skywalker bloodline. It still probably wasn't enough though. Because I feel like the politics of an entire Universe should be bigger than three or four people. Lucas' other exploration of politics involved long boring scenes of powerful people making laws in The Galactic Senate. That was why The Phantom Menace was so terrible, and why the Clone Wars series was much worse than it could have been.

With Rogue One, and now this, Disney is exploring how the battle for the Empire effects real people. It would never have occurred to Lucas to include a scene where in the midst of the celebration on Endor, a bunch of slavers went into town on Tatooine and basically took over WHILE the Death Star was exploding. That kind of thing never interested Lucas. He saw things like social upheaval and even genocide as a statistic when observed by the "important" people fighting for and against it. I wouldn't expect Lucas to write that scene because it never would have occurred to him that the Rebellion was being irresponsible by simply destroying the Empire without laying a firm groundwork for whatever free government they were fighting for to take its place. Power abhors a vacuum, and I think very little of Leia for partying with Ewoks while everywhere else people were getting their crap together and taking power for reasons both noble and evil. And you know what? Leia being dumb about that one thing and having no plan for after the Rebels won is quite interesting. It's far more interesting than watching Palpatine manipulate the Galactic Senate through cheesy, easy-to-see-through speeches with obvious double-entendres. Am I wrong in being impressed by this show instead? Am I even wronger for the fact that this specific scene and idea lasts for less than two minutes in the episode, and I still find it far more interesting and credible than Lucas' tired political messages throughout the entirety of the prequels and Clone Wars? Because I don't think I am.

You can argue about the worthiness of the sequels. I welcome that debate. You could even (correctly I might add) point that the cartoon series Rebels and Resistance outright sucked. It's because of this show I think Disney's tenure is far more interesting than Lucas'. And yes, Kathleen Kennedy's name is on the credits for this show. How can a hater of the rest of this era reconcile that? Maybe the answer is this phase of Star Wars is in better hands than the cynics believe.

I was very interested by the Marshal. I was especially interested in Mando's reaction to him. Him wearing Boba Fett's armor and gear is obscene, and this comes from someone who knows what an utter dirtbag Boba was. In fact I found the notion that Mando agreed to the bargain a bit absurd. I think it shows that Mando is a far fairer Mandalorian bounty hunter than he needs to be. He did not have to cut the deal to kill the dragon in exchange for the armor. He would be within his rights to just kill the Marshal then and there and take it. And it's because the town needs the help which is why Mando bargains with a guy he could easily take out instead. And that's why Mando is an interesting character.

Once I saw the sand moving I was like "This village is Perfection, Nevada, and the Dragon is the Graboid." And based upon the hero moment at the end of Mando bursting out of the creature's mouth before exploding it, Mando is clearly Burt Gummer. But to be honest, that's where the Tremors comparisons end. The Tremors producers would KILL to have the budget for special effects like that.

A lot of people (including me) questioned before the series aired how the producers could do an actually a Star Wars series on a TV budget. The answer in season one was pretty ingenious. Instead of trying to match the prequels and sequels in CGI blow-'em-ups and space battles, the show basically returned to the more practical effects of the original trilogy, and was as planet-bound as those movies were, whereas the prequels and sequels dealt more with space battles. Moreover, the planet stuff this show does was about grounded as the original trilogy using practical explosions and special effects tricks that were in vogue in the 1980's. So when I saw the Graboid, I realized this was the first episode to actually use current feature film-level effects. And they saved it for the right moment. It was awesome.

While I am on the subject of politics, the show did something great, that again wouldn't occur to Lucas. I'll go further: It wouldn't occur to Star Trek either. But Mando wins my heart by taming the Tuskan lizard dogs and negotiating a fragile peace between the Sand People and the villagers. What I love about the peace he negotiated, (and this is ENTIRELY outside of Star Trek's view of diplomacy) is that it's more than likely the peace will not be permanent, will in fact die QUICKLY once this is resolved, and the Tuskans built that into the deal. The Tuskans promise not to raid their villages until the moment a villager raises their hand to one of them. Seeing the guy screaming at the Sand Person for accidentally dropping an unexploded bomb makes me realize how cunning this is for Mando AND the Tuskans. The Tuskans are basically giving nothing away because a stupid and reckless villager breaking the treaty to take a political stand is gonna happen sooner rather than later (probably while wearing a red hat). I almost feel bad for the villagers because they are at the disadvantage of not being smart or sane enough to keep their end of the bargain. And that was very shrewd wording on Mando's part. Frankly, were I the Marshal I would have noted, objected to, and resented the loophole immediately. Either the Marshal is dumber than I gave him credit for, or he's resigned to this not working out in the first place. But him agreeing to those specific terms is not in the village's best interest. He just must REALLY have wanted to get rid of that dragon. Because the villagers are not smart enough to uphold that treaty and he probably knows it.

I loved the opening scene very much too. Another case of the bad guys not knowing who they are messing with.

Were those wamp-rats? Wow.

I like that the Child had no part in saving the day either time. It is very good for the show to learn how not to rely on that character as a crutch. This specific premise is NOT about The Force. It needs to use it as sparingly as possible to retain credibility for Mando.

That was Boba Fett at the end? It's fun the things I learn online. Never would have known that otherwise.

I enjoyed the second season premiere far more than I did the first season finale. That was dynamite. *****.

 

[Frontier]

I actually think this show represents a lot of what George had in mind in terms of television spinoffs for the franchise, offering different and deeper perspectives on the events and world of the movies that they didn't necessarily have time to focus on in the films. And Dave Filoni is practically George's protege, so there's always that creative tether .

 

[Action!]

It was a great start to the season. It's good to see baby Yoda again. 9/10.

 

[Spideyzilla]

Points taken. There's just something about this show that makes me like it would be a bit better served if the story was more serialized, but I recognize that is a minority opinion (though the few critics that negatively reviewed this episode seem to have similar thoughts).

 

[Yojimbo]

Points taken. There's just something about this show that makes me like it would be a bit better served if the story was more serialized, but I recognize that is a minority opinion (though the few critics that negatively reviewed this episode seem to have similar thoughts).

For all we know, the first 2 or 3 episodes might be spent setting up the new characters appearing this season then spinning into a more serialized format. It's pretty clear that Moff Gideon will keep chasing him directly and indirectly hiring others. I think it'll make a lot more sense once they meet again and we find out clear as day what Gideon's intentions are: i.e. is it a) extracting midichlorians from those strong in the Force like Yoda's race and b) is he going use them on himself as he fancies himself the next Emperor or is trying to help the Sith cult resurrect Palpatine? But you know, once a show is really serialized... people complain it's too serialized.

 

[reflection01]

Exactly. This show isn’t meant to be a binge watch. It’s a short film you look forward to watching on Fridays. Each film is linked by an ongoing plot and mysterious hero and companion. We learn a little more about all three in each episode. And there’s only been nine episodes. I feel like there’s been plenty going on in a show length close to half of a season of a Netflix drama.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Frontier]

I think it's the Western influences that lend to the feel of the show being episodic, but there's definitely more going on .

 

[Yojimbo]

Chapter 10: The Passenger

The Mandalorian must ferry a passenger with precious cargo on a risky journey.

 

[Fone Bone]

The Mandalorian "Chapter 10: The Passenger"

I didn't like that at all. I actually thought the Child eating those eggs was horrific, and I was disgusted it was played for laughs. I realize the Child has always been dangerous. But this is the first time I realized he was dangerous to innocent people. I don't like or feel better for knowing that.

The teaser was pretty good. Mando's way to get his jetpack back was simple, funny, clever, and coldblooded. Although if you ask me Mando really should be naming the Child at some point.

That was actually the most horrifying thing I have ever seen in Star Wars. Negative grade. *.

 

[Yojimbo]

Okay, so The Child does not learn lessons very well. In this case, even when eating defenseless eggs can have consequences like waking up tons and tons of horrible ice spiders. A stern reminder that children can be an albatross around your neck. Slightly annoying this episode. But they are stepping up their terrifying creature game this season so far...

Though like it was revealed last week with the state of things being in a chaotic free for all, it's played on again here with the X-Wing pilots deciding to spare Mando because of the good he did on that prisoner ship from last season. And they decided it's better to keep him out there than in a cell despite the warrant on him.

But wow, a little sociopolitical commentary with Mando getting pulled over...by the 'cops' and he speeds off when they 'arm' themselves.

EDIT: Really cool to learn about some easter eggs and connections.
-The spider monster is called a krykna. It was meant for Empire Strikes Back but was discarded then it first showed up officially in Rebels.
-The jawa Mando tricks is named Scrapjaw and he first appeared in Force Awakens, he was the jawa hassling Ren.
-One of the X-Wing pilots was Filoni, reprising the role from last season. The other was Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. He's from a Canadian sitcom called Kim's Convenience that starting streaming on Netflix and he co-starred in it with Simi Liu, who is portraying Shang-Chi in the MCU.

EDIT2: Also some analysis about the items "Boba" is seen with in the last scene of the premiere.

 

[Yojimbo]

Chapter 11: The Heiress

The Mandalorian braves high seas and meets unexpected allies.