In it's first year this felt like a "Star Trek" series with no ambition and little progress but with a cool premise. Then suddenly it started to become bolder and more interesting. It dared to go deeper into religion, politics and character studies than any of the other Trek series did on the air. Today I would say that this series began a kind of production that we would later see on cable with long-running story arcs, a huge cast list and pushing the envelope on what was allowed on TV. The last 10 episodes of this show (and beginning of the 6th) was like seeing a long-running 10 episode HBO series on syndicated TV to be blunt. I also liked that this was "Star Trek" where the leads were flawed and not perfect so they actually had to have internal fights with themselves and their own demons at times. They even managed to make their villains three-dimensional and sympathetic and I liked them all. What would have helped the show would have been an even healthier budget would have given some scenes better effects, more action and detailed battle sequences as this show had bigger ambition and tried to be more epic than what they really could manage to get through on screen. Some lousy embarrassing comedy and weak B-plots ruined some episodes too but this show produced some magic moments and is the show that has more hits than any of the other newer Trek shows that I have seen so far. This is the one show that deserve a revisit if one only skip over most of the filler episodes in season 1, 2 and major part of the third one.
Yet another show by Netflix that's sub-par. Superhero nuns fighting demons and monsters shouldn't be this dull of a dud.
It starts with a massive bang with a squad of women wearing stealth suits, crashing into church shouting about being ambushed by mercenaries. They pull an angel's halo out of their wounded leader. A nun dies to protect this artifact from a demon possessed solider. The opening scene felt like a mix of John Wick with John Constantine stories.
But then the action & show grinds to a halt. Nothing really happens for the first 5 episodes. Things slowly pick up & we get to last 10 mins where bad ass action once again picks up only to end with a massive cliffhanger (you will literally say "what the fuck").
This show was a waste of 10 hours of my life. What great potential this show had, but as usual Netflix gives you dud.
The entire 10 episodes are designed for the show creators to get budget for season 2 (where hopefully something happens that moves the story forward).
I would say wait for season 2 or even season 3 to be released before wasting your time watching this show.
The Mandalorian started out OK, but ended up as some half-baked, lazily written show that exist merely to lure parents to justify a Disney+ subscription. Kids get the usual Disney contents, moms get Baby Yoda, dads get Star Wars nerdy reference. The show almost feels like being made by a bunch of fanfiction writers with familiarity of the setting but zero sense of screen writing.
Nothing wrong with liking it, it's just the show appears to be all style and no substance.
Storyline shows no complexity at all. In fact, most of them are fillers. You can skip 4 of 8 episodes and you'll still understand the story just fine. Characters are completely uninteresting. None of them are developed. None of them had nuances: protagonists are morally good heroes; antagonists are one dimensional evils. The show relies only on a cute muppet and flashy action, but has zero substance. Had a potential great world-building with some details, but they chose to abandon it for rule of cool (and cute).
The "it's Star Wars, so it'll be simple" excuse commonly said by the series' defenders doesn't hold up if you actually consider other Star Wars titles such as Knights of the Old Republic, Republic Commando, Jedi Academy, Thrawn trilogy, the original and Tartakovsky's Clone Wars, and so on. Those titles are known for having remarkable storytelling; something that The Mandalorian doesn't have for its poverty of creative vision.
This is a show that has unexpectedly touched me at times. The sincerity and quaint nature of each character and to their relationships matches the enduring spirit of those charged to pursue their faith or bring new life into the world. A subject that could easily be cheesy and procedural actually wraps you up into its world through every complicated birth and to the light at the end of every tragedy. The word "hope" underlies this world's reality. It's a hope that can be found for each and every character. This is not something many shows take the time or care to do. Even with the losing of the main characters or settings you still feel like you're returning home, to a familiar and inviting sensibility that smooths out any one character's rougher edge. It tactfully navigates history and cultural sensibilities while allowing relationships to be complicated but not overwrought. This show feels like art. If you're willing to dive in you can discover how it helps support you instead of the mania of "fandom" we currently employ to keep every shoddy mockery alive and rebooted past their expiration. Could this show have gone that direction? Had it done anything less than create a masterful setting and tone, absolutely. Finding myself drawn to complete it in the face of 200 other shows I'll watch this year I believe speaks to the value and power of its perspective.
