Mandalorian running thread

Very late to the party, finally caught up. Really good discussion on what I thought was an excellent episode.

I’m tired and forgot how to use the spoiler thing so stop if you don’t want this speculation.

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I don’t think the Armorer is a red herring. The Death Watch mention. That’s associated with Darth Maul. The horns on her helmet. I think she the traitor (from a certain point of view).

My 2 cents.

 

Random thoughts from the season finale:

Spoiler

• Gideon has clones? How many? Are there more of him somewhere else?
• Astromech droids are awesome.
• How much of Gideon is human and how much is mechanical? Is it just a powered exosuit or is he part droid?
• Did he really just destroy the Darksaber?
• This time, I think he’s really dead.
• Young Vizsla’s oath means a lot more at the end of the season than it did at the beginning of the season.
• (Also, Apple iOS spellcheck can spell “Vizsla” correctly and autocorrect it if I screw up. Interesting.)
• “On a case-by-case basis — an independent contractor.” Heh.
• Still unanswered: Who are the spies referred to in last week’s episode title? The Armorer was clearly a red herring

 

That wasn't a bad season finale, but I expected more. I assume bits of that story will continue in Ahsoka.

Spoiler

That makes me wonder if others here also think this should be the end of the series. It makes sense in terms of the narrative. It also seems like a good time because overall, the show just wasn't as good as it had been the first two seasons.

Of course, even if we don't get a Season 4, the characters are sure to pop up in other series. There is also the rumor of a movie pulling all of these characters together in a version of Heir to the Empire, which sounds great. I see the appeal of just ending the story with Din Djarin and Din Grogu hanging out on their property, but Disney is going to want to make more money off them and fans are going to want to know what happens to them between the end of this episode and The Force Awakens.

I'm a little surprised we didn't hear Grogu speak and we didn't see Pedro Pascal's face at all. I'm also surprised they resisted the urge to squeeze in more cameos or even a mid-credits scene teasing Ahsoka or some threat to the peaceful existence of the dad and his child, but I think that was a good surprise.

 

Honestly, one thing I appreciate about this show and Pedro Pascal is that they don't make excuses to show his face so he can "emote." It's the bane of many MCU and DCEU movies, IMO. Superheroes randomly removing their masks/helmets in the middle of a battle so the actor can grit his teeth or cry drives me nuts.

Din Djarin follows The Way and, as such, does not remove his helmet. Pascal does an excellent job as an actor with his body language. I don't need to see a tear roll down his cheek. Stay true to the character.

 

I thought the finale (really a two-parter since the last one picked up immediately after the previous) was a helluva lot of fun. Fun story, good action, satisfying ending.

If they do another season it can go anywhere. And assume it’ll advance into movies.

 

I agree. I wasn't complaining. I was just surprised.

I don't think it is him in the armor all the time, though. A lot of it is voice work. Remember, he is shooting two series these days.

 

We don’t necessarily need another Hey Mando season, but we definitely need a payoff on connecting the TFW dots with all these characters.

 

Jon Favreau has said he has already written Season 4 and I can't see Disney leaving well enough alone, but yes, they are definitely going to have to tell the story of where these characters were during the sequel trilogy.

I know there are a lot of complaints about taking this from a tight story about new characters to placing it in the larger Star Wars universe, but I think that can happen when any story goes on for a while. Take the John Wick movies as an example. The great thing about the first movie was that it was so simple and new. That is no longer the case. The same is true of The Mandalorian. Some people seem to think it was necessary to have watched the animated shows to understand everything. I think those things enhance this show, but I don't think it ruined the show if you didn't know about the Darksaber or you didn't know who Thrawn is.

I do think The Mandalorian can feel aimless at times, but that has been the case since the first season. Eventually, most of the threads do come together, but it takes some patience.

 

It's a snack mix that has one or two items in it you want to eat, but 3 items you don't - and there's a lot more of the other 3 items.

Aimless is a word. Leaden is another.

The Wick series is a masterpiece by comparison. (And it's pretty damn good without comparison.)

 

There are four John Wick movies and the first was less than 10 years ago and the world-building is already starting to seem a lot more cumbersome than the first, fantastic movie that came out in 2014. The Mandalorian is part of an expanded universe that has been around for over 40 years. I believe it is 11 movies, three live-action series, four in-canon animated series, various mini-series, novels, and comic books. So yeah, there is definitely danger of getting weighted down by the continuity. The question is if you can tell a story that doesn't require the audience to know it all. Whether or not The Mandalorian still does that is certainly open for debate.

 

On some crucial level - true for moving picture art, true for non-moving visual art - the art is the art is the art. What it is is what it is. You know, is it good? Can it evoke big, real emotions - joy, sorrow, etc - irrespective of what the little placard on the wall says (at a museum) or what the chef says the food is, or the 40-year freight The Mandalorian depends on to have meaning. Too often now art depends on some other spoken or written meaning, typically from people trying to make excuses and explanations for the art. Nobody had to make excuses for Get Out, for example. It's great art. You can criticize it, sure, but it's art and anyone who sees it knows they felt or went through something.

And I would just say - and I've watched, I dunno, all told about two seasons worth of episodes, - that The Mandalorian doesn't really do any of those things for any length of time for me, and I'd argue objectively speaking. The franchise has entered canon mode, and it feels like the art is either for the canon or a tweak of the canon, and it's about that time, IMO, the art needs to end.

 

The show is in its third season. Did you skip one? Are you watching just a few episodes here and there?

It seems like you skimmed my post just as you are skimming the show, completely ignoring the actual point. No, The Mandalorian does not rely on 40-plus years of history to have meaning. In fact, it is usually at its best when it puts all that aside and focuses on its two main characters and the supporting cast created for the show. Take the episode with the battle droids. Sure, knowing more of what they are from the movies and animated series adds something, but we know why Din has issues with droids, especially battle droids, from the show itself. They killed his family. The challenge he faces having to actually get information from a droid is right there in this show if you have been paying attention. The other history is just extras and Easter Eggs.

The Mandalorian doesn't rely on all that other stuff. If anything, the challenge the show runners face is telling the story while including it, but not being overwhelmed by it.

I brought up John Wick to point out how even something so simple and clear can start to get muddled very quickly.

Get Out is like comparing apples to hand grenades. It is an entirely different animal and each has its place.