I'm torn. I loved the first season because it had trappings of the films, but it mostly ignored them. You won't catch me watching any films after the OT (though I do like the Rebels and Clone Wars series). I like Ahsoka in The Mandalorian, and I like them showing Luke not being horrible, but knowing that now we may have to deal with seasons of Mandalore politics just makes me think they're going to dive back into the past and not doing their own thing like the first season. Here's an opportunity to create its own lore, its own legends, and it's going back to leaning on old material. At first when they teased the Book of Boba Fett and it was coming out at the same time as the Season 3 expected date, I thought it would have been a great idea for that to be Season 3, and Season 4 we join back up with Din and he says "I'm glad that Mandalore stuff is all behind us now."
For about the first half of the first season I was really torn. I loved bits in every episode, but then I was also always frustrated with the strange, seemingly unmotivated changes of pace or direction, the completely unfathomable power scale, were whether Mando would win gloriously or be beaten seemed to be only determined by the need of the plot, which made it so hard to get invested, as it seemed impossible to gauge the threat anything posed. What completely changed my mind wasn't really anything that happened _in_ the show, but something I realised when I talked to my brother about it, and we compared it to the we used to play Star Wars with the action figures and toys when we were kids. And suddenly it struck me: The first season, Filloni and Favreau weren't crafting a deeply thought-out, character driven, thematically resonant TV SciFi drama... they were playing the most expensive game of Star Wars ever, with real actors as their action figures. You could see it, how it all began: "I'ma play Boba Fett!" - "Nu-uh, you can't. He's ded. Sarlacc ate him!" - "Then I'ma play his kid brovver!" - "What's his thing then?" - "He wears the same armor, just all silver. And is name is... is... Mando!" - "Oh yeah, then I'ma play Yoda." - "Yoda's ded too! And you can't play his ghost!" - "Well, then I'ma play his son! Baby Yoda...!" - "Hmm, okay. Oh, hey look, I have this awesome plush rhino. I think it should be in the game." - "Oh yeah, it's this bad monster, and all the Jawas are scared off it. So they make Mando fight it!" - "Hah! They can't make him fight, he just blasts all of them. Ka-pow, ka-pow, ka-pow. They just 'splode!" - "But they got his ship and they took it appart, and they hide in their HUGE truck and he can't get inside. He only get's his ship back when he kills the rhino... AND get's the rhino's egg!" - "Rhino's don't lay eggs." - "Well, this is MY plush rhino, and it does!" And once I saw that this was two 10 year olds finally playing the game they wanted to play _their entire lives_, it became awesome. By now the stories got a lot better, there is more nuance, more drama, more depth, more structure, etc. But at it's heart, as we saw with Rodriguez, this is still what it is: Excited kids playing the most awesome adventure action game ever. And that was what I fell in love with.
I think it is rather weird how the Mandalorian has managed to create such a large amount of buzz and interest while treading a very careful "middle of the road" line with respect to the format, "made for TV". One of the things which I still consider ambiguous is the theme music plus the way that the end credits were always stylistically presented along with concept art or storyboard frames from that episode. It seemed very clear to me that the production team had conscientiously made an effort to engage with the ever-ravenous fan community by "padding out" the short run time with production art. In a sense, this is one of the best "fan-film" projects to ever be green lit for multiple seasons.
I loved it from episode 1. Not necessarily because it in itself was amazing...but because I could see what Favreau was going for. I could see the trappings of Star Wars all over it. It was the first thing to feel like Star Wars since the books and games pre-sequels.
It's funny to hear you list all the reasons that I loved The Mandolorian as the reasons why the first season didn't work for you. I loved that after 9 giant movies with lots of lightsabers and Jedi that there was a story focused on some relatively normal people. And I liked that Mando basically operated on the fringe, not necessarily connected to the main movie plot and that each episode was a stand alone adventure. It called back to old television westerns like Gunsmoke. As much as I loved the end of Season 2 I'm worried they are going to take the show in the same direction as the movies; making season long continuous stories that tie into all the main characters and that I wouldn't like anymore. You can only have so many Skywalkers or hidden Jedi before it strains credibility. My dream Star Wars show is basically just following Bill Burr's character around the galaxy trying to make people's lives better on distant worlds the rebellion and empire ignore like Kung Fu or Quantum Leap.
Totally fair enough, and I completely get why people enjoyed its smaller scope and scale. It definitely works better for the weekly release schedule on Disney+, rather than binge watching whole seasons at once. I just preferred the story to be more connected. To each their own.
@@PentexProductions I get it but I also feel like Star Wars has nothing but big giant stories that span decades and ultimately disappoint so I was excited to have one thing that wasn't that... and now it seems to be becoming that
'You can only have so many Skywalkers' -- and that's one of the reasons I love Mando: the show highlights that there are people out there who've never even _heard_ of the Jedi, or Skywalkers. Here's a (pretty successful) dude who _knows his stuff_ , and yet these epic galactic heroes and the battles they fought have apparently never come up in conversation or even in legend. That decision alone broadens the scope and size of the galaxy instantly. These people have other things to worry about than some story about magic wizards with laser swords off somewhere in the distant core worlds. For these people, the _Stormtroopers_ are real. The _Empire_ and their oppression, _that_ 's real. That's what _they_ deal with on a daily basis. Sick.
Mayfield was a fantastic character. The scene in the mess where he shoots his former commander was brilliant. The dialogue with mando explaining that they had similar motives and values nailed it👍
Vader's wise crack didn't entirely upset me, I thought it fit with the character given his history. Episode IV, he chokes a guy and Tarkin has to shout at him "Vader! Release him!" to which he responds with "As you wish" in an almost sing-song tone Episode V "Apology Accepted, Captain Needa" as the captain corpse gets carried off. Also Episode V "this was never apart of our deal!" "Perhaps you feel you are being treated un fairly?" because he knew Lando wouldn't do anything, again with the goading and being sadistic with a healthy handful of snark. He was sadistic in that sense and choking someone half to death while making an idle threat / pun wasnt entirely far fetched to me. But, to each their own.
Vader has always had the best one liners in his books, comics, and on screen somewhat less. It shows that beneath the cowl and the mask lies some remnant of Anakin Skywalker, Rogue One makes a point to show him without the suit to follow up on this fact.
Totally agreed. I love that line People mythicise Darth Vader as 'too much' of a badass sometimes. Yes, he's powerful, maybe even one of the most powerful Force users to ever grace the Galaxy, and yes, he's scary. But that's not _all_ he is. He doesn't just end at 'evil bad guy wtih epic fighting skills'
I view the episodes a little different. Most of them have a piece of the larger arc embedded within them along with the story of the week. So season 1 episodes 1-3 are the arc setting up the premise of the show, the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. 4 introduces an important later character and shows that the bounty is still active so they can not just hide out. 5 introduces other recurring characters and gives you some backstory on the Mandalorian. 6 is really the only standalone but you get some more history and it is an amazing episode. 7 and 8 being the close of the season 1 arc. Season 2 introduces Boba back without saying it in episode 1. Episode 2 is mostly filler but also shows his actions have not gone unnoticed by the authorities. 3 introduces important characters for the ending and the next season. 4 adds some creepy to what the bad guys are doing but is also mostly filler. 5 was amazing but also mostly filler instead of main arc until the end when you find the connecting thread between the different upcoming arcs. 6, 7, and 8 are the ending arc of the season. I admit they do a bit of weekly filler but everything turns out to be important in moving the Mandalorian's personal story forward to some extent.
S1E3 is what convinced me that Mandalorian isn't just a good show, it's a GREAT one. Especially the part where, after surrendering Grogu to the remnant, Mando boards his ship and hesitates to pull the lever with that ball Grogu likes to play with. Then at the end of the episode, he takes the ball off and gives it to Grogu after rescuing him. That's where you see the main themes of the show established, and with no dialogue to boot. It's about a flawed, but good person who makes difficult decisions, and it's about found family and fatherhood. As a person who has a complicated relationship with family, those themes really resonate with me. I like a grand space opera as much as anyone else, but every now and then it's nice to look at a familiar world from a different, more down-to-earth pair of eyes. Oh yeah and it having an adorable little green guy and Pedro Pascal in a space cowboy costume doesn't hurt its case. Not a bit.
Very much this. It turned our badass, masculine hero into an empathic, caring fellow. And eventually an implicit-father-figure, all through actions and none of the words. It's stuff like this that made the first season awesome, and the second season... Kinda... Boring AF. Fewer setpieces, fewer callbacks. Give me a character roaming the world, speaking through actions and mindful pauses.
It’s amazing what will draw people into a show. I personally didn’t think the Boba Fett episode was particularly great, even though I do love it. But I am happy you now like it the way so many of us do. On a personal note, I like the episodic feel of the show as Star Wars was inspired by classic sci-fi adventure serials which were very episodic in their structure. It’s a balance between stand alone and over arcing plot. Not for everyone, but I was hooked by so 3 of season 1.
One of the reasons the show started growing on me was precisely because different people enjoyed it for different reasons. As you say, for some viewers like you, the episodic structure is exactly WHY they like it. To each their own - thanks for watching!
I loved it from the first episode. It was Star Wars, the closest to the OT I'd seen since Clone Wars; however, it was the episode in which the Tusken Raiders - those most frightful sand villains - were shown sympathetically, with nuance, pathos, depth; it was at this episode that the storytelling miraculously showed gumptious ambition while remaining true to the heart of Star Wars.
Just discovered your channel today and I've already plowed through four essays. Alas, I've found your Persian flaw. After thinking we might be soul mates upon viewing your video on the rewatchability of Snatch, I realized the age gap is just too great. In one sentence you completely obliterated the bromance: "It was great to see the Mandalorian try and rekindle the prequal trilogy magic". Well, to paraphrase one of your other videos, nostalgia for things we watched as children can adversely effect our objectivity and tastes. These two episodes encapsulate the inherent cancer at the heart of Star Wars. Whereas this series used established settings to evoke the feeling of a universe, dredging up cartoon characters and long dead supporting characters. At best Asoka is Filoni's flattering his ego or delivering condescending fan service for Millennials. Ultimately, it feels like product placement and a marketing decision. Where the Mandalorian became great for you is the exact moment I felt the show lost its creativity, originality and integrity. Still, you can't get them all right or you'd be another Taika Waititi. Keep trying and I'll keep watching.
Fair enough, and each to their own. Glad you enjoyed the other videos - and since you mentioned him I hope you especially enjoyed the Taika Waititi one!
I was in high school when the prequels began, and yes...they are utter trash as movies go. The world building however, where it isn't a direct contradiction of what came before or a stupid contrivance, is pretty top notch. It does give a good sense of just what good things the Empire destroyed/displaced. Filoni's work with the Clone Wars establishes that and other much needed character context that the prequels just skipped. As a whole I find th thread of Late Roman Empire - Barbarian Conquest - Early Dark Ages to be a great thematic element that is well served by Filoni's recurring characters.
I literally couldn’t disagree more. Season 1 was fresh and full of things we’d never seen before, or at least seen through a very different lens. The culture of this weird Mandalorian cult, how the bounty hunting guild works, what life looks like for an average person post-rotj, it was all very ‘boots on the ground’, and having an episodic show ala Kung Fu was the perfect place to widen the galaxy by visiting tons of different places and peoples and problems without getting roped into some huge galactic-sized threat. I LOVED the more realistic stakes. There was an entire episode dedicated to taking out a single AT-ST, the protagonist almost died to a rhino, and half the time he just wanted his ship not to be torn apart. It was awesome! Yeah, there were some lame ideas here or there (S1E5 taking place on tattooine, ugh), but for the most part any iconography you might recognize felt like it was part of the world and not a little kid yelling to get your attention. For example, they showed Super Battle Droids, but somehow managed to make them meaningful and scary because the characters we follow feel like regular, relatable people, even though one of them wears a tin can on his head. That’s how you do a reference, through recontextualization. Then in Season 2, although I enjoyed it well enough, the show basically turned into a series of callbacks and references and tie-ins and the whole thing was honestly a little nauseating. It makes the galaxy feel so small and was a major downgrade. My favorite episode of the season was the one you called “filler” (S2E2) because I wasn’t being bombarded by things I’ve already seen. A whole episode about helping frog people and escaping giant ice spiders like in a horror movie and repairing a busted, hunk of junk ship? That’s fresh, sign me up. But then the series goes on and it’s like watching a child mash their action figures together. Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan, Tattooine AGAIN, Fenec Shand, Midichlorians, Thrawn, etc. It just makes you want to grab Filoni and Favreau by the shoulders and give them a good, hard shake. Look, if they did ONE big reference, fine, I could tolerate that. If you tell me Luke Skywalker is the guy who answered Grogu’s call, I’m willing to accept that because he’s strong and probably heard it before anyone else, and also there aren’t many Jedi left to pick from for Grogu to end up with, but having that happen after an entire season of references was downright egregious. S2E6 sealed the deal for me that The Mandalorian was no longer a series I could count on. It’s the only episode I genuinely hated because it represented every one of the show’s worst aspects. Also: the jet pack was RIGHT THERE! Just PICK IT UP, YOU CHROME DOOFUS! As the stakes get ‘bigger’, it becomes less and less interesting. There’s no sense of danger when your characters can annihilate entire platoons in open combat by themselves. Even in the season’s better episodes, like S2E7, it somehow manages to deflate it’s own tension. That scene in the cafeteria was fantastic because the audience knew this was not a situation they could shoot their way out of, so Mando had to remove his helmet, and then Mayfield was about to crack, and it’s so nail-biting, and then… they shoot their way out. What. Even as they waddle out the window, nobody gets hit. For God’s sake, can’t one of them at least get blasted in the shoulder or something?! I can’t begin to tell you how much I wanted Mando to throw the Dark Saber out an airlock or something. Anything to reject the inevitable forced conflict of Season 3, because now I guess he’s the leader of his entire religion now or whatever. It’s so ridiculous. Why can’t he just be some random guy going on adventures with his little alien baby? In any case, your video is well made and I totally respect your opinion and am glad you got more enjoyment out of the second season than I did.
And in case that all sounded too negative, I want to clarify that I still enjoyed Season 2, it just wasn’t as good as Season 1 in my eyes. There are really solid episodes throughout, and although I very much disliked S2E6 in particular, I still have the utmost respect for Robert Rodriguez as a filmmaker. I think he’s a talented guy with a distinct taste. That episode just really, really wasn’t my cup of tea. However, your video made me appreciate a few things about the episode: Firstly, I felt more emotion watching the razorcrest get destroyed than I did in all of the sequel films combined (unless you count unbridled disappointment as an emotion). After so many episodes getting that thing repaired, watching it blown up made me hate Gideon almost as much as watching Grogu get kidnapped, which is to say: a lot. Consequences matter and I’m glad we got some from that episode, for sure. And secondly, after so many years of Boba Fett content, I guess I hadn’t even realized he’d never kicked butt on-screen in live action before, weirdly enough. So, for the five year old in all of us, that was actually pretty neat to see. It was also prrrrobably ultimately for the best that they go overboard showing how many troopers Boba takes down, because you don’t want this dude’s first live action appearance in DECADES to be some flaccid display of him shooting like two guys. If Boba HAS to show up (though I’d prefer he did not), then he might as well kill a whooole bunch of bad guys while he’s at it! I think I just let my refreshed enjoyment of Season 1 overtake the childish glee that many (probably most) people got out of seeing characters like Boba. And there’s nothing wrong with childish glee; I’ll admit, they kinda got me with Luke. Granted, I still thought it’d have been better to not make another reference, but even with that I had trouble holding back the little kid going “OH MY GOD JEDI MASTER LUKE” in my chest. But then the episode ends and I’m reminded he winds up a failure who leaves his friends and family to die while he drinks green milk on an island like a pathetic hermit, and that kinda soils the moment a little bit. I miss the EU. I miss actual-Luke. …ANYWAY! Like I said earlier: great video, looking forward to more. Always like seeing different opinions on this kind of thing, and you showed me positives I hadn’t considered before.
Thanks for your well thought out and argued points - I totally see where you're coming from, and I think this shows how people can like the show for different reasons. Some people loved it exactly for the reasons you've said, because it was smaller stakes and not too connected to the wider world. I get that, it's just not how I experienced the show. But thanks for watching, and leaving your feedback - I really enjoy debating this show respectfully because it (like all Star Wars when it's good) can appeal to different people for different reasons.
i see it, but at the same time these crossing paths kind of are what describe the main thread of star wars. not the larger universe, which is cool in the way the EU was and star wars 1313 wouldve been with side stories of scum and villainy. but the through story itself is very much about recurrent characters meeting up against the odds, so we need to suspend disbelief in that way: its still supporting material for the central opera
You hit the nail on the head for my partner and me. All of those points you mentioned are exactly why I remember season 1 very fondly, yet look back on season 2 with mild disappointment. I fear for what season 3 is going to give us. So many books and series start out with a lovely small scale and stakes that matter for the characters personally. Inevitably, they raise the stakes to world or galaxy-spanning size and by doing so absolutely destroy that which appealed to me as a viewer/reader in the first place. We've seen it done too often and it rarely works for me. I very much fall for an idea or a concept as brought ot us in the first book or season. But the more successful a series becomes/the more material or seasons/books there are, the further away we strive from that initial concept that appealed to me. I mean, I'm happy to see that this brings a lot of joy to other people, but it really doesn't do much for me.
6:26 "Cleverly takes Mando's jetpack out of the equation" I think you mean "it takes Mando's jetpack out of the equation through poor writing, because otherwise the whole action scene would not work". Seriously, Mando had no reason to not put the damn thing back-on when the Empire showed up, and Boba and Fennec agreed to team-up with him. He just forgot, because this show and it's characters are driven by the plot, rather than the characters driving the plot...
A solution could have been have Mando call back his jetpack remotely, put it on, and take off to save Grogu when he's taken by the Dark Troopers, only to get shot/punched out of the sky by them. This can straight off the bat remove the plot hole and give a glimpse of the Dark Trooper's power beforehand. *Missed opportunity*
Maybe something happened in editing that would have made it more clear why he didn't have access to the jetpack, but was cut because it didn't work for the pacing of the scene.
@@Shrooblord I asked the people who made the movie..... Mando HAD to lose the jetpack... He forgot about it, and also you didn't mention the fact Grogu scene with he blue light ends 1/2second after Mando decides to leave, like he wouldn't turn his head, notice Grogu was done and grab him. Hamfisted episode
@@joemoment-o1275 well, yeah. Mando losing everything is the classic "low point" in the Hero's Journey. A screenwriting staple. I'd forgotten about the fact the ritual ends right after Mando leaves -- good point!
It really pissed me off the moment he dropped the jetpack because I knew it would keep him from saving the child. I was extra mad when he decided to run up the hill instead of to his jetpack. I don't like reversals and find them lazy storytelling, but Boba is also my favorite and that fight was the way.
I became converted to a Mando fan in s2e5, Chapter 13, the Ahsoka episode. The mood established, the roll out of the conflict, the intimacy when Aksoka and Din are discussing Grogu... I watched it 5 times. Chapter 14 was good because Chapter 13 was great. It felt like the writers were spoiling us (in a good way!) by bringing back Boba Fett in the very next episode. I thought I could sense them t0rying to make up for the poor treatment and disrespect shown by the KK bunch. I greatly appreciated it!
I completely disagree with this analysis. Not every show can be breaking bad, nor should they. A television show that is episodic? Such sacrilege. And the Shane Black "count" of twists is asinine. Apparently we both love those episode for different reasons.
S2E14 was a pretty sweet episode, but I felt the combat dragged a bit too much - the imperials deployed way too many troops and did it so poorly. If it had been trimmed and tightened slightly, it would've felt even more awesome.
so true, i never felt like rewatching season 1 because nothing was really special or amazing, except the last episode. Then season 2 happened and now i was engaged and wanted to see more, then the final episode of season 2 had me almost in tears
The less sith and jedi we have in the star wars the better, for the main films it's alright, but it's nice to see other stories that sith and jedi fight all the time. there are so many other kind of stories you can tell in that universe
I would've liked if this was a story entirely about a mandalorian doing his thing, with jedi's being sort of a myth. The introduction of fan fave characters, is making the universe feel so small.
I just got on this channel and this is my third video. As a new RU-vidr, learning calm you are and how you pace yourself is just great. I'm literally learning as I'm listening to you. Great job mate. Keep it up.
I don't understand why so many people are excited about Boba Fett, now or in the past. To me, he's just some random bad guy. I felt a sense of justice when I watched a random bad guy fall into a sarlac pit as a kid.
I've watched a few of your videos now, but I didn't even notice your Kiwi accent until you mentioned it lol. You're doing great work. Look forward to watching your channel grow.
I agree. Season 1 was good, it was legitimate...it had quality, but it wasn't anything that blew me away. I was enjoying Season 2. At the start I was actually very frustrated that we got the return of Boba Fett's armor, and saw it in action on ANOTHER person more than we ever saw Boba Fett himself in action while wearing it. It felt a little like 'Subvert your expectations' syndrome to me...and Star Wars has had too much of that. Confirming Boba Fett as alive at the end of the first episode was great, but I was adamant that he needed to be BACK and to REALLY be a part of the show. The episode of The Jedi was quite good, but to me it was bittersweet. I like Ahsoka, but she'll never mean as much as classic OT characters to me. She got this awesome episode and Dawson's performance made me like her more than ever...but the whole time I was like 'Dang, so Ahsoka can get to come back and be awesome, but characters like Luke and Boba Fett can't return and be awesome?' Then The Tragedy came out...and it was everything and then some. Boba Fett back, in the plot, getting more dialogue and prominence in a few minutes than he had in the entire OT. "Like my father before me"...then we got to see him wreck shop with the staff. That's cool...but I had that bite of bittersweet taste in my mouth. Boba Fett comes back, and is super cool, but he isn't in his armor and iconic. That brief thought was quickly expelled as he returned in full force WITH the suit on, blasting with everything he had. His pistol, his gauntlet blaster, his knee darts, his missile. That episode fully transformed the show into the most legitimate continuation of the original Star Wars Saga that we have gotten so far. The Seismic charge in Episode 15 was just another assurance, Boba Fett was back and better thane ever. The entire build-up to the finale, I kept hearing things like Mace Windu returning, etc etc...and I said "Honestly, story wise, the big and also logical choice would be Luke...that would be the biggest event, but I don't think they could pull it off"....I just thought expecting young Luke to appear on a Disney+ show was far too big of an event to expect. Then what went down went down, I cried as a grown ass man, and the concrete legacy of The Mandalorian was cemented. Truly the greatest and most True Star Wars we've had since Revenge of the Sith.
Personally I like a lot of what the second season has to offer but overall, i like it less that the first one only because of one thing. I hate the feeling of someone dangling shiny objects in front of my face, remember Ahsoka? Remember Luke Skywalker? remember Boba t̶e̶a̶ Fettu̶c̶c̶i̶n̶e̶? It just feels like somebody is trying to sell me something while I'm trying to watch a Space bounty hunter doing his thing. I loved that the mandalorian was able to free itself from the shackles of comfortable fan service to explore the vast possibilities the Star Wars universe had to offer so those tiny things did soured my experience a bit.
That's a fair comment, and I think the sequel films did that too much. I think the Mandalorian got the balance right. To each their own though, and thanks for watching.
I felt similar about Season 1 (including the Star Wars fatigue), but for the complete opposite reasons. I like the episodic, short story like middle (especially the prison heist!), but I really hated the giant plothole that was the season finale. But I was also positively surprised by season 2's second half. It had great character development, including the side characters and a great, coherent story.
I already liked Mando from the very first episode, his quite confidence, wit and combat skills. But for me the moment I started LOVING this character was on S2E7.. that scene where he's hunting down Mayfeld and comes up behind him like a ninja, those flashing lights and him creeping ever closer, that was premium level horror movie right there!! Even without having to turn his back, Mayfeld knows Mando caught up to him and screams nooooo. Genius!!
Sorry I'm late to the party but RU-vid didn't show this to me until now. I haven't see Mando s2 yet so will give it a whirl, but I'm curious what you think of Book of BF. I've been underwhelmed by it, so say the least, so was very surprised to see BF actually acting like BF on this show. What happened between this and the BF show? I'm frankly puzzled that Dizzy would bring him back like this then piss it all away in his own show. Thoughts?
I'm afraid I haven't had time to check out the Book of Boba Fett yet, but from what I hear it has similar pacing issues to what I saw as holding back season one of the The Mandalorian. I've also seen some interviews with Tem where he said he felt the character had too much dialogue. I always felt he was a character whose appeal lay in the mystery - making him the focus of a show seemed to undermine this premise.
@@PentexProductions Pacing? We don't need no stinking pacing! (But seriously...) "Boba Fett" is probably one of those series more instructive in what's wrong with it than what's good, because there isn't much; and I'm really dying for a fly on the wall article on it because the talent's there but it's just flat and my impression is that they think bringing in more cameos is going to save it. Uh huh. At the very least, Rodriguez should be shooting this like it was "Space Sin City" with Dutch angles and hard close-ups instead of lunch break at Don Cuco's. Doesn't fill me with hope for "Kenobi" or "Andor." (BTW, let me plug a show you should check out and that is "Money Heist" on NetFlix. You want to see a show that stomps everything into the dust? That's the show. Writing, acting, photography, music, editing. It makes nearly everything else being done look like first-year student films. I'm on my second go-round and love it as much as the first, and I don't do that with a lot of shows. Tour de Force...) Looking forwards to future video essays.
The only reason it took so long for them to do Mando right was having to work under the all seeing eye of KK, knowing that at any moment she could pull the plug. They had to wait for the conditions to be just right so they could do SW right without fear of reprisal. Look at the measures they had to take to keep LS cameo a secret.
So two episodes got you hooked up with The Mandalorian : One with Ashoka and the one with Boba Fett... This is what Disney does... they have to pull in characters from the Lucas SW era and play the "nostalgia" card in the SW fans senses. Imagine Rogue One without Vader, Tarkin and the Death Star scenes. Many didnt like the Tarkin call back but deep down in their subconscince the trick it did work.
Being a star wars nerd and knowing some lore of Mando and mando's being my favourite faction I didn't really like what was happening in the show as most of it wasn't correct and too much of the same thing
The Jedi, The Tragedy and The Heiress are when I realized The Mandalorian is going to squander its potential. Season 1 was telling new stories about new characters. There was no reason season 2 had to dig up old relics. Also, Boba Fett isn't a badass; he's a bitch. He's so incompetent at bounty hunting that Vader had to remind him not to disintegrate his targets. He didn't do anything in Empire; Vader had to capture Han and Leia himself. Then in Jedi, he got taken down by a blind guy and his inability to control his own jetpack. I have no idea how anyone could watch Star Wars and come away thinking "Boba Fett is awesome!"
I kinda agree with you.. in some parts the serie was cool, but it was only for very short moments. It was lacking of that greater arc that joined all together, even after watching all season 3. In my opinion I really didn't like The Mandalorian and here's why: There is too much filler content. Almost all the problems that the protagonists get into don't even contribute to the plot and were put entirely for the creator’s convenience, not because the story should go that way. Nearly all the secondary characters aren't well integrated in the plot, most of the time they are coming out of nowhere and appear again just when it's convenient. It also has very forced moments and it advances too slowly. This series is a clear example that if you don't have any problems, you create them yourself. Also, the resource of putting creatures as the enemies when there's no clear antagonist becomes repetitive and tiresome. It gets boring. There is no clear conflict or objective. The characters often find themselves immersed in difficulties that they alone get into because they like to keep it complicated. Also, there are so many moments where you honestly don't understand the point of the story. And it doesn't have teachings or that complexity that Star Wars has always managed to create. Everything is only resolved through fight, but the discourse of neither both sides who fight has depth. For me, good and evil doesn't have any argument in this series. In my opinion it is supposed that if you make a live action it will be superior to the animated series. But this is not the case, not at all. The Clone Wars, Rebels or The Bad Batch have no comparison. The brilliance of these series is that in each episode it keeps moving, new things happen that add value to the plot every time, it teaches a lesson, develops the characters. And in fact the chapters are shorter, but there is more stuff going on!! It makes sense. And most important of all, it keeps moving forward. If a series doesn't advance it gets boring, just what happened to The Mandalorian for me. It's honestly the worst Star Wars series I have watched so far.
You think it's weird hearing a kiwi accent in Star Wars? Bill Burr is from Space Boston and it's the weirdest thing to hear my dad's accent in Star Wars
I simply can't agree with you on this. I didnt like Mandolorian but this episode just turn me off even more. I dont see noy acknowledging the prequel is a problem. After all given time period it make sense that most of prequel influence die out. My problem is this episode confirm to me star wars will never escaped its legacy. It obsessed about referencing the past instead of moving future. The entirety of season 2 is just exist for fan service over fan service. And I'm just tired. Dave filoni honestly is a great dude but he literally need to stop jam ahsoka in every show he involved in. For a universe about vast galaxy, everything has to go back to one place.
Hey, thanks for sharing your thoughts. You make some interesting points around Star Wars and it's legacy. Hope you enjoyed the video even if you disagreed with my argument.
I don’t think Star Wars being ‘obsessed’ with its legacy is a problem. Practically every movie or tv franchise does the exact same. It’s just the nature of a franchise, a way of ‘rewarding’ loyal fans of the earlier stories and making the stories connect in different ways whether that be large or small. If anything Star Wars making references makes more sense than some other franchises. Not acknowledging the prequels is a problem for Star Wars because nowadays a large portion of the Star Wars fan base grew up with those movies as their intro to the universe, while they have there issues they are still admired by fans for there good parts and the intro and story they provided. If you just flat out ignore this massive part of the Star Wars story you essentially ignore a large part of the fan base. A big problem with the sequels is the ignoring of not only the prequels but the originals, while they may copy paste a story thread or ‘character’ here and there they ignore the larger story and meaning that 1-6 laid out. The only bit I’d maybe concede is the fan service of including boba and Ahsoka however it could easily be argued that because they influence the story and go on to probably continue said stories in their own respective shows it’s not so much fan service.(this vid kinda shows that by comparing it to the actual fan service in the sequels - Lando...) tbh though Ahsoka is probs one of my favourite Star Wars characters and who doesn’t love boba fett so I might be biased on this point. I think Mandalorian has done a lot for Star Wars, it revitalised the fan base, made them realise that there are still good stories that can be told. Even if that means sprinkling in a little ‘fan service’ to make Star Wars fans smile and laugh. Plus it’s actually made fans excited for future Star Wars content, something the sequels didn’t do...
@@MaDHaTTeRI999 By your logic then the problem with the prequel is that they too news and completely ignore the feel and the atheistic of the the original? I mean this is the same criticism that was applied back to prequel. It was stupid back then it especially stupid now. It is not sequel jobs to please bunch of 40 years old fan who can't grow up from their childhood. It is sequel jobs to expand into jew territories and challenged the series further (something the sequel also failed to do but I will address that in another time) It is not star wars jobs to please the fan. It is star wars jobs to tell a compelling story. There is a reason why Lucas didn't like TFA. He literally told Igers "there was nothing news." If im being honest even outside of the terrible nostalgia pandering Mandolorian cater to the lowest common denominators. It all substance with no thematic nuaced to them. It represent everything wrong with star wars nowadays. Instead of being a story about something, it just about a cool action guys going to place to place being badass with little hint of development but no grander message. It like watching bunch of kid playing with toy on a big screen. And this is not me insulting it. This is the director admitting Mandolorian feel like bunch of kid playing with toy.
It’s a show heavy on fan service and lite on narrative integrity with the wider universe. I’m a fan of the storied universe. This doesn’t inspire any interest for me, but what sucks is that it’s all about action poses, performativity and bad action. The final fight in the first season is simply awful. Go rewatch it as a fight scene. It barely passes muster as a fan film.
10:35 this is exactly why the sequels were trash. JJ doesn't love Star Wars, he was hired to do a film and he did it. RJ doesn't love Star Wars, he was hired to do a film and he did it. This is why you don't hire the 'hot' director of the moment, you hire the director that loves Star Wars and has something to prove. The very fact that KK had no plan and didn't know this about Star Wars, when every fan does shows she is the wrong person to be in charge of Lucasfilm. She is a very solid Exec Producer with a ton of experience, but she really doesn't 'get' Star Wars, it's just a brand to her.
I feel like mandelorian season 1 wasn't great but the bar had been so low for so long that to see one among the new generation of directors deliver something at least mediocre rekindled, dare I say, a new hope. I didn't mind the episodic feel and kind of liked the TNG Twilight Zone feel of a series without having to go so deep into story. But the story is in great hands here so I am looking forward to what's next.
I think they chose to make Mando S1 episodic because (after Ep 7 to 9) it's light and easy way to woo a battered and forlorn fandom back into a show. Like rehab from an injury. Slow easily achievable goals , at the begining, to build confidence. Then (Mando S2) move onto more complicated stuff.
Spoiler alert - the talent left- Favreau killed off and kk’s “the message” took over and the puss poor writing. Mandalorian went from the only half decent thing in star wars to absolute garbage in the third season. 😂😂
You pretty much missed the entire point of the creators of the show. They WANTED it to be slow build for 1 1/2 seasons. They needed to save Star Wars from the idiots in charge. They needed to set things up on their own terms and that takes TIME. And once the pay off happened, you care. You said it yourself. You were invested in the story.
Filoni, is a world builder and character developer ............the rest of the Disney drop kicks are world and character destroyers. The only thing they could have done better is get Bobba to fit his armor better.
I wish there had been some mystery in who “the Jedi” actually was, and some tension when Mando and Ahsoka meet… and those short head tails were awful… aside from just being “wrong,” they looked more like a goofy hat, or just a cosplay piece, rather than actually part of her character. the longer head tails on a character like Shaak-Ti always seemed to have a sort of regal wisdom to them, and the shorter ones on young Ahsoka reinforced her youth and naïveté. (also, Boba needs to lose a few pounds…)
The Tragedy is incredibly dumb. Its laughable that anything involving the stormtroopers in this show could be considered well written. They are completely incompetent until they are needed to save mando. Season 1 was 4-5 out of 10. Season 2 is maybe a 2 or a 3.
And then season 3 jettisoned all of it. Hard to believe Robert Rodriguez directed that amazing Mandalorian episode and was also responsible for the awful Bobba Fett series.
I think the action was really good,but just for the sake of Boba, to open his series, mando just becomes dumb in this episode for no reason, tries to push the force barrier for 3 times leaving the jetpack. These just doesn't seem things that a skilled bounty hunter would do. I mean every star wars fan loves this episode, its boba after all. But ıt just pushes din a side, and does it in a bad way. Ahsoka episode did that in a near perfect way, this episode did not.
i love Boba Fett and mandos, so this series was like candy for me until i started watching it. the shows great when the plot is moving and theres some kind of narrative progress, but it just immediately went into quest of the day filler for so much where few things were connected. i sincerely hope season 3 and Boba Book retains this flow of narrative progression and also embraces more of the prequels rather than ignoring them like other bits of sw media
I personally disagree completely. You might not enjoy it but it's not fair to say people only enjoy it for the nostalgia. Take my dad for example, he isn't a Star Wars guy yet he considers Mandalorian to be among his absolute favourite TV shows of all time, was hooked by every episode. For me, it brings a unique on the ground perspective to the star wars world. It has an engaging story, not about galaxy defining stakes but more personal ones. It has a beyond fantastic aesthetic, between its atmosphere, music, set design, costuming, etc. But most important of all, it's fun as hell. It's episodic enough for each episode to deliver a satisfying payoff to its own story, yet serialised enough for the overall story to be properly fleshed out and stakes built up and kept
@@lizardlegend42 Well, it may be true that not only for the fan service. However, I don't think it's well written. It doesn't have neither good characters nor plots. Lot of action (which I usually find quite poorly coreographed) without purposes. No moral themes. Just sequences after sequences. And very unimaginative in terms of designs (honestly, everything look like rip offs). And one last thing, generally bad scripts with bad pacing, dialogues and others. I can't avoid compare it to Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars, excellent in most aspects. Excellent story lines, good scripts, great characters, weight behind every action, useful filler, etc. And not much fan service (the few they have are extra things, they don't carry the scenes).
Funny.I prefer season 1 to season 2 AND my least favorite episode of season 1 is the last. Too much stormtroopers killed, that becomes ridiculous. Same for the one you talk about here. They're so incompetent I can't fear for the characters.
sadly the show is not as good season 3, as Bo is stealing the show and buzz from what could have potentially been Boba Fett and Din reunited all mandos.
It is unfortunate StarTrek The Next Generation never figured this out. The producers deliberately kept it episodic, avoiding anything like over-arching story lines, leaving us with just one (or two?) two-episode stories in all those years. Exactly the way John Lenon refused to listen to George Martin about making thematically related songs until too late, with the B side of the Beatles' last album, which teased the universe with "what could have been".
First, I want to say you make great videos, with well presented arguments. You talk about something you truly enjoy and it shows. But... The Mandalorian is a cash maker, with lots of merchs to follow. That's Disney's business model. The days of Walt are long gone. Most episodes are cookie-cutters (Mando lands, deals with baddie, moves on, with a few "maze of death" episodes), with basic development, and The Kid is specifically built to be a toy/figurine. I'm sure there are mathematical formulas to produce those creatures. Just as Yoda was fleshed out and believable, Grogu is... cute. Sure, they make him spew that force field/beam of energy but its main purpose is to be cute. And I agree with Pedro that his character should have some "unhelmed" time, if only when he's alone, to create some connection with the viewer. Otherwise, all The Mandalorian is is a "cool idea". And you cannot build a satisfying movie/series on a cool idea. There has to be a story. Otherwise, we get "Lost", "Game of Thrones" or "The Flash". It's a good cash grab for the studios, but a disappointing experience for the viewer, especially if you love the superheroes/fantasy genre (like I do). The Mandalorian has immense potential. But I'm pretty sure Disney won't use it. They want to please the largest audience with vacuous plots. Preferably kids, because they scream louder for the toys.
Glad you liked the video. The start of your third paragraph is partly what I was trying to articulate - I liked The Tragedy because it broke that mould a bit.
