Television The Mandalorian OT - This is the Way

[Reputator]

8 hours ago, legend said:

I don't think you need a final clear goal to accomplish like it's a video game.

 

The story seems pretty focused on what it means to be Mandalorian and how that interacts with the characters current beliefs and motivations. It's using both Mando and Bo as opposing sides.

 

Mando grew up in the cultish set of beliefs, but his own journey brought him in conflict with his core beliefs. He's struggling to hold on to how things were before and to be reunited with his former home and people. But the problem that's probably always at the back of his mind is his conflict with the beliefs remain. He would still violate his oaths for Grogu and probably others he cares about. It's a ticking time bomb.

 

On the other hand, Bo came from a more modern concept of what it means to be Mandalorian, but in her journey that "way" has failed her. She lost everything. But the cult she previously mocked very readily accepts her and offers her a new home. She's seen things she didn't think were even possible before. Her new experiences are causing her to rethink her beliefs and whether "the way" has value.

 

The conflict is palpable for both characters, yet the tension is in opposite directions. I'm not sure how they're going to resolve it, but something is going to happen.

 

Of course, if nothing does come to a head with these conflicting trajectories then that will be a disappointment  

 

Good points for sure.

[Kal-El814]

Again I am begging people to remember that even though this is ostensibly prestige television, some of the best episodes of long running shows have little to nothing to do with "the plot" and indeed many wonderful shows barely have "a plot" at all. The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Star Trek TNG, the list goes on and on on and on.

[cusideabelincoln]

Second episode this season where they battle and kill a giant beast, and we all know the taming of the Mythosaur is yet to come. Only one episode in each of the previous seasons had this beast fetish, so it definitely feels like this season is really stretching that taffy.

 

19 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

Again I am begging people to remember that even though this is ostensibly prestige television, some of the best episodes of long running shows have little to nothing to do with "the plot" and indeed many wonderful shows barely have "a plot" at all. The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Star Trek TNG, the list goes on and on on and on.

 

I'd say lack of focus is supermassive, glaring issue, but it's not the only one. The green screen effect was really bad this episode. These Star Wars shows have a serious problem with chase scenes looking horrible - the bikers in BoBF, little Leia in Obi-Wan, and now Coruscant escape. And Grogu jumping was weirder than the other times. 

[Guest]

I thought we learned this show was just “adventure of the week” after like…season one, episode 4. The show is the show, time to accept it.

[Kal-El814]

8 hours ago, cusideabelincoln said:

I'd say lack of focus is supermassive, glaring issue, but it's not the only one. The green screen effect was really bad this episode. These Star Wars shows have a serious problem with chase scenes looking horrible - the bikers in BoBF, little Leia in Obi-Wan, and now Coruscant escape. And Grogu jumping was weirder than the other times. 

The lack of focus is a feature and not a bug. And again, besides, I’d wager there are more “mythology / plot” episodes in Mando so far than there were in the first 50 X-Files episodes.
 

 

[Reputator]

9 hours ago, Kal-El814 said:

Again I am begging people to remember that even though this is ostensibly prestige television, some of the best episodes of long running shows have little to nothing to do with "the plot" and indeed many wonderful shows barely have "a plot" at all. The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Star Trek TNG, the list goes on and on on and on.

 

And again, as pointed out a couple times by others, this isn't a long-running series with dozens of episodes in a season. They don't have a lot of time to get the show back on track if it loses focus, and a "wasted" episode matters a lot more if there's only eight.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Kal-El814 said:

The lack of focus is a feature and not a bug. And again, besides, I’d wager there are more “mythology / plot” episodes in Mando so far than there were in the first 50 X-Files episodes.
 

 

The *exact same* conversation happens every season with this show!

[Kal-El814]

51 minutes ago, Reputator said:

 

And again, as pointed out a couple times by others, this isn't a long-running series with dozens of episodes in a season. They don't have a lot of time to get the show back on track if it loses focus, and a "wasted" episode matters a lot more if there's only eight.

This is holding them to a goal they’re not looking to achieve, though. 

[Reputator]

34 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

This is holding them to a goal they’re not looking to achieve, though. 

 

I mean, none of the other episodes in the whole series have been as tangential* as S3E3.

 

*barring further elaboration that might tie it all together in the end

[Spork3245]

It’s weird that the people defending Mandalorian S3 are complaining about Ted Lasso S3 with similar complaints. “Feels aimless”, “episode x was weak”, “the stuff with character x is boring”, etc.

I’m enjoying both shows but

[legend]

27 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

It’s weird that the people defending Mandalorian S3 are complaining about Ted Lasso S3 with similar complaints. “Feels aimless”, “episode x was weak”, “the stuff with character x is boring”, etc.

I’m enjoying both shows but

 

I'm also enjoying both.

 

 

[Greatoneshere]

33 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

It’s weird that the people defending Mandalorian S3 are complaining about Ted Lasso S3 with similar complaints. “Feels aimless”, “episode x was weak”, “the stuff with character x is boring”, etc.

I’m enjoying both shows but

 

4 minutes ago, legend said:

 

I'm also enjoying both.

 

 

 

I am also enjoying both shows.

 

[Spork3245]

5 minutes ago, legend said:

 

I'm also enjoying both.

 

 

[cusideabelincoln]

5 hours ago, Kal-El814 said:

The lack of focus is a feature and not a bug. And again, besides, I’d wager there are more “mythology / plot” episodes in Mando so far than there were in the first 50 X-Files episodes.
 

 

 

It turned into a bug when they spent half an episode in the POV outside of Mando with a character they barely established in a manner similar to an SNL-like skit of Andor. Elia might as well have been Keenan saying "I'm not going to double cross you" with wide-opened eyes and a silly smirk the entire time. Please stop with the X-files metaphor, you're the only one using this argument and this isn't the 90's anymore.

[johnny]

y’all just need to relax and try enjoying star wars for once 

[Jason]

12 minutes ago, johnny said:

y’all just need to relax and try enjoying star wars for once 

 

[johnny]

6 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

[cusideabelincoln]

1 hour ago, johnny said:

y’all just need to relax and try enjoying star wars for once 

 

Andor spoiled me... 

[SoberChef]

23 hours ago, johnny said:

y’all just need to relax and try enjoying star wars for once 

 

For this & your other comment about just enjoying all thing Mando related being unveiled to us after all this time!? Glad to see I'm not the only one who's allowing the story to be told instead of "Dammit why isn't it being told the way I want it to be!!?".

[Spork3245]

With Tim Meadows in literally everything else, I’m glad he is finally in Star Wars

[Reputator]

They tied several story elements together with this one and it was definitely a good episode.

[CayceG]

That episode was fucking incredible. Absolutely so much fun. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

That was damned fun episode - definitely maximum Star Wars there!
 

Going back to the Imperial attack in the third episode, I keep coming back to something that one of the characters mentioned: that the attack was too complex/sophisticated to be the work of an ordinary Imperial warlord. 

 

This got me to thinking about who in the Imperial Remnant could responsible and I really do think that they were from whatever remains of Thrawn's 7th Fleet.

[legend]

In the dog fight I kept expecting to hear "You're good! But I'm better!"

[SoberChef]

Tying up a couple threads whilst laying bare a few new tendrils of mystery to unravel yet. Showcasing the might of the Mandalorian's as a complete unit (Tait Fletcher is killing it as Visla by the way!) while providing them a home & base of operations to bring more Mandalorians from around the galaxy. Also, for those that are Rebels fan, THAT character in the pilots bar, OMFG YES!!!!

[TheShader]

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[jinx8402]

Spoiler

Zeb!

 

 

[SoberChef]

Now if we can get Chopper to appear, talk about a mean little psycho droid!!!

[CayceG]

Today's episode was WILD. It felt like an old Clone Wars cartoon arc, honestly. Lots of callbacks that I dug. 

 

The guest stars were equal parts cringey "Disney is putting familiar faces in again" and also "this is pretty rad." The performances were at times wooden, but given the entire episode's theme and atmosphere being film noir mystery, I don't think it took away from things really. 

 

Assorted feelings:

 

 

Spoiler

The politics of the episode really threw me for a loop. The planet is independent and direct democracy. They've created essentially a utopia (is it non-capitalist?) where humans don't have to work and slaves droids do all the labor. Everyone is free to be at leisure. I can't really parse what this is saying in respect to direct democracy. It's interesting, but I'm not sure if I fully absorbed it. 

 

Spoiler

Building on that, the droids straight up say they're totally cool with subservient service to humans because "it ain't all bad." I've viewed the organics/droid relation in Star Wars through a lens of upper/under class for some time and this is pretty disappointing. Looking at it that way, the message of the droid's station in society is "we're slaves, but we're treated well, so everything's fine being unequal." It comes off as icky and says more about how the writers view droids vs how characters view them. 

 

With that, the fact that the droids are malfunctioning from their program based on a rogue person causing it, that tells me that the droids aren't really provided with independent wills to choose to rebel or disobey. As we've seen before, this independent streak can show up regardless of outside nanobots, so I'm disappointed that that was the plot line. I understand the time constraint, but I think there's a deeper more interesting story to tell here in a different way. Which... that definitely hits the same as most Clone Wars episodes did!

 

Spoiler

I love the rules-lawyering that goes on with the Darksaber. 

 

 

Overall, I'm digging the season, but I don't think it's hitting the highs of S1 and S2. It seems to just be... cornier. That's not bad. But it's just...

 

 

Filoni!

[Kal-El814]

39 minutes ago, CayceG said:

Today's episode was WILD. It felt like an old Clone Wars cartoon arc, honestly. Lots of callbacks that I dug. 

 

The guest stars were equal parts cringey "Disney is putting familiar faces in again" and also "this is pretty rad." The performances were at times wooden, but given the entire episode's theme and atmosphere being film noir mystery, I don't think it took away from things really. 

 

Assorted feelings:

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The politics of the episode really threw me for a loop. The planet is independent and direct democracy. They've created essentially a utopia (is it non-capitalist?) where humans don't have to work and slaves droids do all the labor. Everyone is free to be at leisure. I can't really parse what this is saying in respect to direct democracy. It's interesting, but I'm not sure if I fully absorbed it. 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Building on that, the droids straight up say they're totally cool with subservient service to humans because "it ain't all bad." I've viewed the organics/droid relation in Star Wars through a lens of upper/under class for some time and this is pretty disappointing. Looking at it that way, the message of the droid's station in society is "we're slaves, but we're treated well, so everything's fine being unequal." It comes off as icky and says more about how the writers view droids vs how characters view them. 

 

With that, the fact that the droids are malfunctioning from their program based on a rogue person causing it, that tells me that the droids aren't really provided with independent wills to choose to rebel or disobey. As we've seen before, this independent streak can show up regardless of outside nanobots, so I'm disappointed that that was the plot line. I understand the time constraint, but I think there's a deeper more interesting story to tell here in a different way. Which... that definitely hits the same as most Clone Wars episodes did!

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I love the rules-lawyering that goes on with the Darksaber. 

 

 

Overall, I'm digging the season, but I don't think it's hitting the highs of S1 and S2. It seems to just be... cornier. That's not bad. But it's just...

 

 

Filoni!

 

Spoiler

Droid sentience in Star Wars is something that you just can't think about critically at all. Absolute case scenario it's heartbreaking, worst case scenario it's mass slavery on an enormous scale. It's not even completely a "good guy / bad guy" thing, Bail Organa casually has Threepio's mind wiped which is just a huge violation and tragedy, since it's clear he has feelings and emotions.

 

[CayceG]

33 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Droid sentience in Star Wars is something that you just can't think about critically at all. Absolute case scenario it's heartbreaking, worst case scenario it's mass slavery on an enormous scale. It's not even completely a "good guy / bad guy" thing, Bail Organa casually has Threepio's mind wiped which is just a huge violation and tragedy, since it's clear he has feelings and emotions.

 

 

The one thing worth a damn that Solo gave us was 

 

Spoiler

the discussion on droid sentience. And that's been whitewashed or ignored by every other piece of Star Wars media. There's something there! 

 

[johnny]

On 3/12/2023 at 12:59 PM, johnny said:

so is bo katan the rightful holder of the dark saber now? that robot thing clapped Din and then bo katan took that thing out. 

LETS GOOOOO

[Reputator]

2 hours ago, johnny said:

LETS GOOOOO

 

You called it!

 

Yeah the points @CayceG brought up could end up an editorial on some political site at some point in the future. For the same reason Disney has tried to erase "Song of the South", droids being happy in servitude could be....yeah, sticky for them if anyone decides to read into it.

 

This episode was fun. I'm not finding myself all that excited to watch a new episode of Mandalorian though, and that seems to be largely because I'm not very invested in what's happening. It's very much Saturday Morning Cartoon levels of "villain of the week" vibes, whereas the previous seasons I was leaping at the chance to find out "will they, won't they" with the different aspects of the plot.

[CayceG]

Mando seems like it's transitioning into the Rebels-sequel era. Which I am hooting and hollering for. 

 

Now that johnny had his called shot, I'll make mine:

 

Spoiler

Bo Katan will reunite with Sabine Wren (who will be in the Ahsoka series and is already cast), when they take Mandalore, Bo Katan will die and Sabine will pick up the Darksaber and lead a united Mandalore.

 

Maybe this doesn't happen in the next 2 episodes, but certainly through the next arc.

[Reputator]

I had that same thought. Her showing up could definitely reignite my excitement.