Watching Tim Meadows have an argument with an astromech droid put a big smile on my face.
Nice! I loved it! Nice fights and a dark reveal in the end.
Ah Karabast! Zeb was such a treat !
That homage to Jeremy Bulloch, the original Boba Fett made me tear up a little.
certainly more action packed than the last few ones and story getting interesting.
GARAZEB MOTHER FUCKING ORrELIOS OMG
I was hoping Bo-Katan and the Armorer were going to kiss :heart:
Why is the story telling so inconsistent? The back story revolving around Gideon is very interesting and atmospheric. But the pirate stuff simply is ridiculous. They look like somebody ordered Pirates of the Caribbean on Wish. And how is somebody a High Magistrate of a settlement for about thirty people with no weapons and no defenses? It is somehow entertaining but it makes no sense. And I don't like the show losing focus on the Mandalorian. This is not the way.
Solid war movie. It doesn't aspire to be more. But it does this one thing right while encapsulating the particular style of the Star Wars franchise.
Up to this point, the season was somewhat aimless. Is this now what the season wants to tell? The unification of all Mandalorians to rebuild their former greatness?
Why is Mandalorian just good but never great anymore?
While this still felt like another side quest in some ways, this episode was set up nicely by all of the episodes that came before. It brings us back to Nevarro, Greef Karga, and the pirates from episode 1, shows us a little of the New Republic and Kane which we have some context for thanks to episode 3, at the end we start hinting back to the events of episode 2 and Mandalore, and this entire episode wouldn't have worked if it wasn't for episode 4 when we saw Mando and Bo-Katan earn the respect and trust of the Mandalorian covert. It also provided some more great action with exciting moments, and was another big episode for Bo-Katan as she continues to rise in the ranks and gain a lot of power very quickly. This felt like a bridge episode to start tying in the various elements of earlier episodes into a more connected narrative, and while the balance wasn't perfect, I liked how it connected things a little more. At the same time, I was a little underwhelmed by the events of this episode and more so just appreciate the writing that got us to this point. There are also some things I'm not so sure how I feel about, such as Bo-Katan being entrusted to take off her helmet and unite all Mandalorians just because she has "walked both ways" and saw a Mythosaur. Din has the darksaber and has walked both ways too, so why did he have to go to so much trouble to become redeemed? I get that Bo-Katan's history is different and she may be better suited for uniting the Mandalorians, and maybe Din doesn't really care to walk both ways, so it doesn't bother me all that much but certainly feels a little contradictory from the Armorer. So overall, a little underwhelming but this episode was set up nicely.
Am I the only one who is irritated by the silliness? The whole town evacuates, 30 people. Big ass war ship with dozens of fighters, easily defeated by a small ship and transport. Radar, never heard of it. Defenses, never heard of it. Somebody shooting from above, if only we had rockets on our backs.
This is really the a-team/macgyver equivalent of Star Wars. Low quality entertainment
Most of the episode was boring... but I like the ending with the Mandalorians trying reunite - but also the implication that Mandalorians stole Gideon. Which, I guess, is just a ruse by the Imperials.
It all makes no sense.
Ah, Karabast! This is the Way!
I really enjoyed the episode this time. Great to see some more action and some unit cohesion for the mandalorian people.
[7.5/10] I would call this episode simple but effective. Greef Karga and Nevarro are under attack by pirates. They need the Mandalorians’ help. The Mandalorians come defeat the pirates. There’s more to it than that, obviously, but that's the gist, and it works.
Writer/showrunner Jon Favreau has the shtick down. We’ve seen the burgeoning community Karga has built in the outer rim, and the way he plans to build into a place that could truly thrive. So when some buccaneers who are bigger on texture than character show up to tear it all down, it’s easy to be sympathetic and want our heroes to, well, do something to protect them.
The texture is good though! One of the complaints about the live action corner of the Star Wars on television is that there haven't been enough aliens in the mix. None of the pirates left a big impression on me in terms of personality, but the prosthetics and puppeteering on them is super impressive. From the mossy Gorian Shard, to his Mr. Smee-like ugnaught lieutenant, to the surprisingly expressive Vane, and the motley collection of other baddies, you can tell the production team went wild here, and it adds personality to what are otherwise a collection of disposable villains.
Likewise, the action here is predictable, but solid. Mando distracts the pirates in his Naboo starfighter. Bo-Katan air drops her new comrades in Nevarro to take back the streets. And the people of the city rally to get the last of the baddies. There’s some very cool moments, from Paz Vizla bursting out his turret once more, to the Armorer taking out the goons who’ve commandeered Greef’s office. There’s few real stand out sequences, but some nice moments of character amid all the tumult.
Despite the straightforwardness of some of this, there are some nice bits of character development and major arc storytelling that take place here. My favorite of them is Paz Vizla speaking out in favor of helping Din save Nevarro. The pair have been foes for a while, but after Mando helped save Paz’s son, the fences have been mended. And again, even if it’s predictable, the feint of Paz seeming to pour cold water on Din’s request for help, only to ultimately offer his full-throated support is a nice emotional turn in the story.
It’s a story of the Mandalorians coming out of the shadows and moving to a new phase of their existence. The idea that helping Greef is a bridge to finding a new home for their kind is a cool deal, one where you can see the show paying off tidbits it set up earlier in the season. Bo-Katan removing her helmet at the behest of the Armorer, being dubbed someone who “walks in both worlds,” and being tasked to go unite the different Mandalorian factions feels appropriately momentous given how far she’s come and how seriously the Armorer takes the creed.
With all this Mandalorian business going on, we continue to gain insight into the blind bureaucracy of the New Republic and the forces within it working to rebuild the Empire. I like centering that story on Captain Teva, who’s a familiar face at this point in the show. He’s a good avatar for someone who sees connections that should interest the New Republic’s institutions, and wants to provide aid to those who need it regardless of technicalities like membership, but whose pleas fall on the deaf ears of a new government dealing more in requisitions than rebellions.
In truth, I actually don’t love the tone of this. This is my soapbox, but there’s a sense of glorifying the rough-and-tumble battle while downgrading the hard work of building a government and the institutions that can help people in their day-to-day lives. Star Wars is basically stuck telling a story of a New Republic that ossifies and becomes vulnerable to the First Order down the line. But at the same time, it sucks, at least a little, to see the people trying to make a go of civilization once the glow of the Rebellion wears off treated like hapless middle managers.
That said, it’s in keeping with Star Wars’ focus, and still nice to see Captain Teva sticking to his principles and trying to get Mando involved in his place. Plus, it’s a nice excuse for some cameos. It’s always nice to see Tim Meadows, and despite my gripes, he plays the “I’m in charge of TPS reports, not warships” role well. More than that, it’s especially cool to see a photorealistic Zeb from Rebels depicted in a live action setting! There’s not much of a point to it, beyond a “Hey! It’s Zeb!” moment, but it’s still nice to see in a season of The Mandalorian that's had more than a few shoutouts to the animated corners of the Galaxy Far Far Away.
Captain Teva’s crusade which motivates those cameos isn’t just a “We gotta help the little guy” quest. He sees a connection between Moff Gideon’s disappearance, the pirate takeover of a planet he once commanded, and other suspicious activity. The way Elia Kane subtly manipulates her superior to stop Teva from interfering suggests this conspiracy continues to run deep within the New Republic. There’s hints that various members of the proto-First Order are plotting a comeback, but it’s interesting to see them in action as the pieces fall into place, and only folks like Teva can see the bigger picture.
Overall though, this is a fairly straightforward story of people who need help, and people who deliver it. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Much of Star Wars is taking basic, elemental ideas and doing them in a way that nonetheless resonates with people. The Mandalorian is no exception, nor should it be.
Loving how this season is building up to the rise of the New Order. This is the way!
Zeb and Chopper! Love it! This really does seem like it’s leading into the sequel trilogy now.
is this going to be The Bo Katan show at some point ??? no thanks
Shout by FinFanBlockedParentSpoilers2023-03-29T16:25:53Z
During the recap I thought: please, no. Not pirates again. But this episode really caught fire, literally as well as figuratively. It's beginning to go into the direction I'd hoped for with the Mandalorians.
Now, I wonder since Din still posesses the Darksaber could that become an issue again ? Or can Bo lead them without it now that the Armorer has spoken on her behalf ? And I'm certain it wasn't Mandalorians who freed Gideon. That's a ruse to blame them. Even with him escaping I'm still convinced there is a bigger fish in the water.
We can now safely assume that the ex-imperial is an operative for the empire remnant. I really like that Capt Carson gets a bigger role. He's a really honest guy.
And what do you know - Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios. Another Rebels connection. Uhh, I like where this is going.