The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 20: The Foundling

Now that the Living Waters have been visited and Din's back in the covert, I guess the writers had to figure out what to do next. As such, this feels a lot like filler and turned this season into "The Meander-lorian". I'm also getting a "Beware the Grey Ghost" vibe from it.

Din volunteers Grogu for combat training, but their sparring is interrupted when a winged beast snatches another foundling. As Din and Paz run out of jetpack fuel while trying to pursue the creature, Bo-Katan shadows it back to the lair in her ship. She promptly volunteers to lead a hunting party to rescue the foundling. Meanwhile, Grogu is forced to stay with the Armourer, who forges him an extended flashback of how he escaped the Great Jedi Purge; he was spirited out of Coruscant by Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, aided by several members of the Royal Naboo Security Force.

Despite this episode being a filler, it's not actually that bad. It's cool to see Bo-Katan leading the hunting party and gain acceptance amongst the covert. Through her, we learn more about the practices of this particular group of Mandalorians. We also get to Paz Vizsla get some more depth. In his first appearance, he accused Din of cowardice by taking an Imperial bounty. In The Book of Boba Fett, he challenged Din for the Darksaber, and in the earlier episodes of this season he always disparagingly referred to him as an apostate. But he still works with them, especially when it's later revealed that the foundling who was snatched is his son. He's also a lot nicer to Bo-Katan; when the hunting party is camped, Din explains that the Mandalorians find a secluded spot to eat so they can remove their helmets. Paz tells Bo-Katan that as the leader of the hunting party, she can stay by the fire.

The rescue sequence gets tense as they climb the mountain with grappling lines and later encounter chicks in the creature's nest. In a similar vein, we get some more blazing action during Grogu's flashback as he and Kelleran are pursued by clone troopers. It's also great to see that not everyone agreed with the purge, as Kelleran's allies fight the clones. It's implied they're part of Padmé's security detail, whome she probably sent to extract any Jedi they could while she went to find Anakin on Mustafar.

Of course, I can't talk about this episode without talking about Kelleran Beq. Apparently he was a character who appeared in some game show, but this is his first canonical appearance. He's also played by Ahmed Best, who previously played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. Alright, Jar Jar was a reviled character, and Ahmed Best got a lot of flak for playing him. But I wish him well, and I'm happy he was able to find another role in the franchise. I couldn't help but draw a parallel with the aforementioned episode of Batman: The Animated Series which featured Adam West.

Although I'm still wondering what else happened to Grogu. That could be its own story.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 19: The Convert

Ah, the "Paperclip" episode. And probably one of the weaker ones of the series.

Picking up where we left of, both Din and Bo-Katan have bathed in the living waters. But as they're returning to Bo-Katan's castle, they're attacked by a squadron of TIE Interceptors. Din has to bail out of Bo-Katan's ship so he can engage them with the Hotrod N1. But after they fend them off, a bomber squadron razes the castle.

And now for something completely different. The rest of the episode follows Gideon's scientist Dr Pershing, who has since accepted a pardon through a New Republic "Amnesty Programme" and has become a celebrity on Coruscant. At a housing project set up for the numerous ex-Imperial personnel on the programme, he re-unites with Elia Kane, the former comms officer from Gideon's cruiser (whom I thought was killed during the season two finale, but then noticed on the re-watch she only got hit in the shoulder). Frustrated in his soulless 9 to 5 and learning that his field of research is illegal, Pershing joins Kane on a plan to salvage some lab equipment from a de-commissioned Star Destroyer.

You can probably see why this episode is considered weak; all told, it has little to do with the main series. Din and Bo-Katan's skirmish with some suspiciously organised Imperials takes place entirely before the opening titles, and they don't appear again until the very end of the episode. It seems rather meandering.

Having said that, it's interesting to see what life is like on Coruscant now that the New Republic is in power. All told, it's not great. You've got a sheltered high society who are completely indifferent to the regime change, obstructive bureaucracy, and work cultures that seem to value busy work. On top of that, there's unsettling treatments for Amnesty personnel who are deemed "failures" that are apparently based on Imperial technology that people on the Outer Rim believe to be horror stories or propaganda. Other than that last part, it seems to perfectly encapsulate the illusions of western democracy.

Anyway, after that lengthy diversion, we see Din lead Bo-Katan to his covert. After proving that he's visited the living waters, he's welcomed back to the covert with open arms. When the Armourer learns that Bo-Katan had also bathed in the living waters and hadn't removed her helmet since, she's also invited to join the covert.

Well, I suppose we could get some hooks from this episode for the rest of the series.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore

Well, that quest didn't take long.

Seeking a replacement memory core for IG-11, Din travels to Mos Eisley and makes inquiries with Peli Motto. When he mentions he requires a droid to visit Mandalore, she sells him her astromech droid R5-D4 (the one which Luke's uncle almost bought instead of R2 back in A New Hope). After travelling through an electrical storm in the upper atmosphere, Din finds that Mandalore's atmosphere is breathable and ventures into the ruins of Mandalore's capital, Sundari. While travelling, he's captured by a cyborg, forcing Grogu to flee the ruins and find Bo-Katan.

This episode is actually a pretty good one. The ruins of Sundari are reminiscent of the Mines of Moria in Lord of the Rings. Once a great city, it's now fallen into ruins and occupied by troll-like creatures called Alamites. The poor lighting creates a tense atmosphere, and makes you wonder what kind of dangers are lurking. In addition to the Alamites, there's some creatures that feel like a cross between wolves and bats, and the cyborg that captures Din. I found the design similar to General Grievous from Revenge of the Sith, but this one is more feral in nature. You don't learn much about it, but the fact that you don't actually makes the encounter more chilling. What follows is probably the most active we've seen Grogu as he races back to the ship (Force pushing an Alamite at the cave entrance in the process).

If there's anyone who truly steals the show, it's Bo-Katan. While she told Din last episode where the mines were, she wants nothing to do with him and is ready to send him away when his ship returns. But when she only finds Grogu there, she realises Din's in trouble and goes to save him. She takes out the cyborg and shows him the mines, while still being dismissive of the stories. She then saves Din a second time when he falls beneath the waters. What is kind of funny is that it's built up to be him getting pulled in by another monster, but in reality he just took a bad step. However, it turns out that there is something in the water: a creature called the "mythosaur", which has a legendary status and is used as the main emblem of Mandalore. Said mythosaur leaves them be though.

All in all, this was one of the strongest episodes of the season. The trouble is that the previous episode set this up to be the main story arc for the season. Now that's been resolved, what do you do with the rest of the it?

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 17: The Apostate

After a brief diversion to deal with an attack by the supporting feature, it's time to start the third season of The Mandalorian.

If you didn't watch The Book of Boba Fett, and skipped the recap, here's a quick rundown: After entrusting Grogu to Luke Skywalker, Din Djarn reconnected with the survivors of the Mandalorian covert from Navarro. However, he was cast out because he had removed his helmet in front of somebody, and is tasked with bathing in the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore.

Anyway, it turns out that the Armourer has managed to find other Mandalorians to rebuild her enclave, but a large sea creature disrupts an initiation ceremony. Din Djarin arrives in his "hot rod" Naboo fighter with Grogu and saves the day, but receives a cold reception. In a scene that's largely exposition for anyone who didn't watch The Book of Boba Fett, Din and the Armourer discuss rumours Mandalore has been rendered uninhabitable since the Imperial purge. She permits Din to return if he can prove the rumours wrong. Again, the quest that was outlined in the spin-off, which goes to explaining why those events should have been depicted in this series rather than that one.

But I digress. Din returns to Navarro, which has received a makeover and become a prosperous independent trade port under High Magistrate Karga's supervision. He even offers Din a home in the region. However, all's not well as a subplot emerges: A group of pirates are causing trouble at the local school (which used to be a cantina). In the ensuing showdown, Karga proves he's still a fast draw, but he seeks to recruit Din as a new marshal; Cara Dune's been promoted to special forces (as Gina Carano had been fired at this point), and his desire to make his town independent has made him reluctant to approach the New Republic. He's also kind of crestfallen when he learns that Din had come back on business; seeking to rebuild IG-11 to help him go to Mandalore.

As stated above, the story gets a little jumbled in this episode. Although it does finally reveal what happened to Bo-Katan in the aftermath of the last season; her people abandoned her when she didn't recover the Darksaber, and she's since grown bitter over her failure, giving up on her quest to reclaim Mandalore and living in solitude at her castle on one of the other worlds in the system.

Jumbled story aside, there's still some good action sequences, with the monster battle at the beginning of the episode and the stand-off with the pirates. There's also a Terminator-like sequence when a rebooted IG-11 tries to kill Grogu, and a space battle with more pirates.

Speaking of Grogu, he provides a bit of comic relief in the episode; using the force to steal candy and spin the chair in Karga's office, and later trying to hug the diminutive Anzellan technicians whom Karga tasks with rebuilding IG-11.

The Mandalorian Marathon - The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor

I've got some time to kill, so I figured I'd wrap up this little interlude before returning to the actual marathon.

Fett is preparing for war with the Pyke Syndicate, and it isn't looking good. The mayor of Mos Espa is on their payroll, the city's major gangs have pledged neutrality, and Fett's crew is underpowered: Fennec Shand, Din Djarin, a wookie gladiator called Krrsantan, two Gamorreans who used to work for Jabba, and a gang of 70s mods with cyberpunk mods. Yes, really. I groaned when I heard them referred to as such too.

Anyway, Murphy's Law is in full effect. Cad Bane makes his presence known, revealing that he gunned down Cobb Vanth and threatened the people of Freetown into staying away, while also admitting that Pykes were responsible for killing the Tuskens Fett lived with in the earlier flashbacks. At the same time, the local bosses double-cross Fett and ambush his people as they're scouting. As the Pykes converge on the ruins of The Sanctuary, Fennec Shand leaves to assassinate the bosses, leaving Fett and Din to face them alone.

There's a particularly funny part when Fett sends the mayor's majordomo to negotiate when he volunteers to present terms for surrender, until he realises what those terms actually are. After that, it all kicks off. While that's going on, Grogu arrives in Mos Eisley, having decided to be a Mandalorian rather than a Jedi. He finds Pelli Motto and they travel to Mos Espa.

The climax is full of highs and lows. Fennec takes a detour to save the Mods, Krrsantan is able to escape from his ambush, and a posse from Freetown arrives to save Fett and Din. This is promptly reversed when the Pykes send out two war droids, until Fett arrives with his rancor. Yes, he got a rancor (supplied by Danny Trejo), and is riding it into battle (like the Nightsisters in Empire at War: Forces of Corruption). It all plays out like a Kaiju battle. And while that's going on Fennec goes all Agent 47 on the other bosses and the mayor.

Overall, the action was great, but it did feel a bit too over-the-top at times. Anyway, we end with Din reunited with Grogu, leaving Tatooine to go back their own story.

I'll be back tomorrow to talk about that.

The Mandalorian Marathon - The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger

That title's a mouthful. Anyway, we're still carrying on The Mandalorian's story in "The Book of Everyone but Boba Fett".

Last episode showed us what Din was up to. This one shows us what happened to Grogu. While he's learning the Force under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker, Din attempts to deliver his gift. However, he's met by Ahsoka Tano, who warns him that it's going against the Jedi's code of forsaking attachments (a contrast to the Mandalorian code which values loyalty). Meanwhile, Din returns to Tatooine as Fett prepares to go to war with the Pyke Syndicate.

A large portion of this episode is taken up by Grogu's lessons with Luke, as the latter tells him about Yoda and shows him what the force can do. There's also some funny moments as Luke uses the training remote from A New Hope to test Grogu's reflexes and Grogu ends up using the Force to crush it. It's also quite touching to see the interaction between Luke and Ahsoka, who jokingly tells Din that she's "an old friend of the family". Considering how she's one of the few people around who knew Luke's father, that actually speaks volumes. The final scene shows Luke presenting Grogu with the beskar chainmail Din had made for him, alongside Yoda's lightsabre, presenting him with a choice. Honestly, I think the Mandalorians had more of a community than the Jedi.

Anyway, back at the plot. Fett is on the lookout for more muscle, and Din pays a visit to Cobb Vanth, who has been chasing the Pykes out of his territory around Freetown (formerly Mos Pelgo). The trouble is, the Pykes are mounting up their operations against Fett; two of them bomb a popular gambling den and nightclub in Mos Espa. Even Cobb Vanth is targeted immediately after his return by another character making a return: Cad Bane, the gunslinging Duros bounty hunter from The Clone Wars. They even got Corey Burton to reprise his voice role. The return is a welcome one, but still won't make much sense if you haven't seen The Clone Wars.

On the subject of that, I need to do some number crunching.

• The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett both take place five years after Return of the Jedi, and nine years after A New Hope. After her first appearance in The Mandalorian, Fennec Shand later appeared in The Bad Batch, which begins concurrently with Revenge of the Sith, taking place 19 years before A New Hope. That's a gap of 28 years. Ming-Na Wen was 56 around the time she first appeared in The Mandalorian. If we use that age for Fennec, she would have been around 28 at the time of The Bad Batch. Probably already made a reputation for herself, which goes to show why the Bounty Hunters' Guild didn't want to go after her. 
• Boba Fett's earliest canonical appearance would be as a ten-year-old in Attack of the Clones, which is set three years before Revenge of the Sith. That would make him 41 when The Book of Boba Fett takes place. He's played by Temuera Morrison, who was 61 when it aired. But the series establishes his time in the Sarlacc pit took a physical toll on him. 
• Cad Bane first appeared in The Clone Wars, which takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. According to Wookiepedia, he was born 62 years before A New Hope, which would have made him 40 around the time of Attack of the Clones. That means he's 71 in the Book of Boba Fett. 

Then again, Grogu is an infant despite being 50. And Chewbacca is established to be 190 when Solo takes place (Ten years before A New Hope). According to the core rulebook for the Saga Edition roleplaying game, Duros are considered venerable if they're over 70. However, this material is pre-Disney and no longer regarded as canon. Nevertheless, someone who has been doing the bounty hunting game for that long is someone to run away from really fast. The Book of Boba Fett is certainly reinforcing the message of "beware of old folks in a profession where they usually die young". Bounty hunting doesn't strike me as the kind of work that has a pension plan, which seems be why Boba Fett is setting himself up as a crime lord.

Anyway, I'll wrap up this lengthy diversion tomorrow when I finish The Book of Boba Fett and make a start on the third season of The Mandalorian on Thursday.

The Mandalorian Marathon - The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian

And now for something completely different.

Teased by a stinger at the end of the previous episode, The Book of Boba Fett follows Boba Fett and Fennec Shand as they try to establish themselves as the bosses of Jabba the Hutt's territory on Tatooine, which soons brings them into conflict when the Pyke Syndicate attempts to establish themselves. The series also features flashbacks of how Boba Fett escaped from the sarlacc after Return of the Jedi, lived with the Tuskens, and then found Fennec Shand. By episode five, they decided to say "and now for someone completely different".

When we last left Din Djarin, he saw Grogu being taken away by Luke Skywalker to learn the ways of the Jedi. This episode opens with him claiming a bounty at a meat packing plant on a ring world, and reveals that he still carries the Darksaber. It later turns out he took the job in exchange for information about the whereabouts of what remains of his old covert, now reduced to two: The Armourer, and Paz Vizsla (whom Din butted heads with over taking the job to find Grogu). Paz, who is descended from the original creator of the Darksaber, challenges Din for it. Din prevails, but is cast out of the enclave when he reveals that he removed his helmet. The Armourer tells him that he can only redeem himself if he visits the Mines of Mandalore and bathes in the waters (despite claims that their ancestral homeworld is no longer habitable). Seeking a ship, Din travels to Mos Eisley, where Pelli Motto supplies him with an old N-1 Starfighter (as used in The Phantom Menace).

While it's nice to see Din again, this episode has a lot of exposition. We learn about the origins and legend surrounding the Darksaber, and that the Armourer believes Mandalore fell because Bo-Katan didn't originally win the blade in combat (as depicted in Rebels), although it doesn't state what happened to her. We also learn that Moff Gideon was taken back to the New Republic to stand trial.

That said, Din gets put through the wringer here. He injures himself during a job while getting used to the Darksaber, gets chastised for not killing Gideon, gets shunned by the people he's being trying so hard to re-unite with...and has to check in this sword in the stone during a commercial flight. On top of all that, it's clear he misses Grogu. To the point of having his beskar spear melted down to make chainmail for him. During that sequence, the armourer forges another flashback which depicts the Empire's campaign against Mandalore; the "Night of a Thousand Tears". It feels like a future scene from Terminator.

The second half has a few laughs though, as he re-unites with Pelli, who produces a ton of funny lines. I thought it was interesting to see one of those sleek prequel-era craft get the "second hand" treatment, and it seemed refreshing to see Din actually get enthusiastic when taking it for a spin. There's even a funny moment as he gets "pulled over" by two X-Wings, one of which is piloted by Carson Teva (whom he encountered while conveying Frog Lady).

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 16: The Rescue

It's the finale of the second season, and boy is it a ride. Once again, I'll have to discuss some major spoilers.

Having learned where Gideon's cruiser is going to be, Din and his companions capture Dr Pershing - now revealed to be an expert in cloning - in a bid to determine if Grogu is still alive. Seeking more guns, they recruit Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves. Bo-Katan agrees, as she seeks the blade that Gideon possesses; the Darksaber. During the raid on the cruiser, Din's companions move to take the bridge, diverting the ship's garrison so Din can rescue Grogu and knock out a platoon of Dark Troopers that Gideon is storing.

What exactly is the Darksaber? It's essentially the Mandalorian's equivalent of the "sword in the stone", the holder of which has the right to rule Mandalore. It served as a major plot device in The Clone Wars and Rebels. If you hadn't watched either of those, then Gideon explains it during a confrontation.

Before the main action sequence, there's a brief opening where Boba Fett disables the shuttle carrying Pershing, and we see an interesting mix of personalities: one of the shuttle pilots takes the good doctor hostage, shooting the other one when he tries to negotiate. But when he gloats about Alderaan in front of Cara, she blasts him then and there. Pershing himself is also an interesting case. For an Imperial scientist, he's not exactly your typical mad scientist. He's genuinely concerned for Grogu's safety, and willingly offers information about the Dark Troopers.

We also get a brief moment where Boba Fett ends up butting heads with the other Mandalorians, even getting into a wrestling bout with Koska Reeves. But even he wishes them luck during the mission as he pretends to attack the stolen shuttle in a bid to get close.

The main strike team - Bo-Katan, Koska, Fennec Shand, and Cara Dune - kick a lot of ass when they make their way through the ship. Meanwhile, Din struggles against one of the Dark Troopers before he ejects the rest of the platoon into space. And when he gets to Grogu, Gideon is there waiting for him.

Even when the ship is seized, things are still tense. Gideon shows how dangerous he is in captivity, sowing discord amongst the party by stating that the Darksaber has to be won in combat, meaning that Din can't willingly hand it over to Bo-Katan. And while Bo-Katan is almost ready to fight Din for it, the platoon of Dark Troopers fly back to the cruiser and lay siege to the bridge. All seems lost until a lone X-Wing arrives. Gideon previously bragged about how Din should assume he knows everything about his foes. And when he realises who was on that X-Wing, he's terrified.

Now, things are gonna get a little messy from this point forwards. After the credits, we get a brief scene where Boba Fett and Fennec Shand storm Jabba the Hutt's old palace and take over what remains of his organisation, serving as a teaser for the first release spin-off; The Book of Boba Fett. Trouble is, the latter half of that series involves Din Djarin, essentially turning it into "The Mandalorian Season 2.5".

With that in mind, I'm going to be looking at those last three episodes before I move onto Season Three.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 15: The Believer

It's the penultimate episode of the second season. Again, I'll have to discuss some major spoilers.

In a bid to find Moff Gideon's cruiser, Din seeks out Cara Dune, now a Marshal of the New Republic. Using her position, she is able to recruit Mayfeld for his knowledge of Imperial protocol. He suggests they access a terminal at a secret Imperial refinery on Morak for the information they need. As Cara, Fennec, and Boba Fett are too well-known to the Imperial Security Bureau, Din reluctantly accompanies Mayfeld in infiltrating the facility. During this time, Din is forced to go against his code to find Grogu.

A large of the episode involves Din and Mayfeld's plan to infiltrate the facility by hijacking a transport carrying a highly volatile mineral, during which time Din is forced to swap his beskar for stormtrooper armour. They're later waylaid by a group of pirates who are blowing up the shipments. It's a tense scene as Din fights wave after wave of them while Mayfeld is forced to walk a thin line between trying to outrun them and trying not to destabilise the cargo too much. You know you're in a mess when you end up being saved by stormtroopers.

Bill Burr does a good job providing an interesting foil to Din. While we've seen other characters awkwardly attempt small talk with the terse Mandalorian, his cynicism makes him stand out. He discusses how people still chafe under rules, no matter who's in charge of the galaxy, and talks about how everyone has a line they won't cross until they're desperate.

This theme gets put to the test when they reach the facility. Mayfeld finds the terminal in the officer's mess hall, but balks when he encounters his former commanding officer, Valin Hess. Din is forced to go in Mayfeld's stead and removes his helmet so the terminal can scan his face. When Hess questions him, Mayfeld is forced to step in, creating a tense scene as he calls out Hess over an atrocity referred to as "Operation Cinder".

It's a great episode, and Din's Liam Neeson-style message to Gideon at the end (using the same words that Gideon used) makes me excited for the finale.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 14: The Tragedy

Wow, Robert Rodriguez directed this? Also, I'm going to have to discuss a fair few spoilers in this episode.

Following Ahsoka's advice, Din takes Grogu to Tython and places him on top of a Jedi "seeing stone" in the hopes of reaching out to a Jedi who can teach him. But as a familiar ship arrives, the stone activates and sends Grogu into a deep trance while surrounding him with a force field. Unable to get him out, Din goes to confront the newcomer: Boba Fett, everyone's favourite bounty hunter from the original trilogy, played by Temuera Morrison (who played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones). He's accompanied by Fennec Shand, whom he'd found on Tatoone after she'd been shot and left for dead by Calican. They seek Fett's armour, which Din had taken from Cobb Vanth, and offer to guarantee Grogu's safety in exchange for it. Din is reluctant to hand it over, as Boba didn't take the Mandalorian Creed, but their discourse is interrupted when stormtroopers arrive to take Grogu.

If you enjoy action, this episode has it in spades. Most of the running time is taken up by Boba Fett and Fennec Shand fighting the stormtroopers while Din tries to get Grogu off the stone. Fett doesn't have his armour at first, but he's able to take down a squad with a Tusken gaffi stick. Meanwhile, Shand is able to quickly snipe many troopers, even as they begin deploying heavy weapons (including a mortar). Din later joins the fray, using his armour to protect Shand as she fires back. Fett eventually recovers his armour and takes down the transports as they're leaving.

Of course, there's not just action. The beginning shows Din interacting more with Grogu. In the early episodes, Grogu enjoyed playing with a silver ball which he unscrewed off one of the levers in the Razor Crest. Din initially chastised him for playing with it, and later gave it to him. In the previous episode, he used that same ball to connect with Grogu during Ahsoka's training, and does it again here. It also hints at his ambivelance at the thought of Grogu finding a Jedi, having grown fond of The Child.

By the end of the episode, we see Din at probably one of his lowest ever points. An airstrike from Gideon's cruiser obliterates the Razor Crest, and then combat droids known as Dark Troopers (which initially debuted in the FPS game Dark Forces) abduct Grogu.

It's also interesting to see Boba Fett get a bit of depth. In the original trilogy, he was largely a background character who met an unceremonious end in Return of the Jedi. In this one, he's shown to be quite level-headed and surprisingly honourable for a mercenary. Having promised to guarantee Grogu's safety in exchange for his armour, he offers to help Din rescue him.

All-in-all, I'm excited for what happens next.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 13: The Jedi

Time for another blast from the past. And a hint at the future.

With the Razor Crest ship-shape again, Din Djarin travels to Corvus in search of Ahsoka Tano, hoping to find a Jedi to train Baby Yoda. He visits the city of Calodan, which is under the despotic rule of Morgan Elspeth, a former Imperial magistrate played by Diana Lee Inosanto. Ahsoka, played by Rosario Dawson, is hiding in the forests and harrassing Elspeth's forces, seeking to learn information about her master. Elspeth offers Din a Beskar spear if he kills Ahsoka, and sends him into the woods. The pair soon team up to liberate the town.

Like in "The Heiress", we see the return of a prominent character from the animated shows. Again, I'd already seen Ahsoka in Rebels when I first watched this, but hadn't watched The Clone Wars. If you're unfamiliar, here's the run-down: She was originally a Jedi padawan apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars, but later left the Jedi order and became something akin to a Neutral Good ronin. It's clear that her Jedi skills haven't faded.

This episode utilises a strong Kurosawa-themed element, which is something that has been part of Star Wars from the very beginning. The visuals of Calodan and the surrounding woodlands do a great job in painting a bleak world. It seems kind of symbolic, but it's also mentioned that Elspeth helped build the Imperial war machine, so the visuals and deforestation are akin to industrial smog. A subtle environmental message?

This episode also reveals that The Child's name is Grogu, and he was raised on the Jedi Temple in Coruscant until the Empire hunted down the Jedi. Between the action sequences, we get some quiet moments of Ahsoka trying to teach Grogu how to use the Force, but she chooses not to fully train him on the grounds that he's too attached to Din.

As for the action, we open with Ahsoka fighting off Elspeth's faceless goons who are essentially knock-off Stormtroopers before confronting her at the gates. There's also a brief scrap between Din and Ahsoka when she initially assumes he's working for Elspeth. During the final battle, Ahsoka does most of the fighting while Din works with one of the locals (later revealed to be the governor) to free several prisoners whom Elspeth is holding hostage. While she confronts Elspeth, Din gets into a staredown with her main enforcer; a gunfighter called Lang, played by Michael Biehn. We don't get to learn much about him, other than that he's likely from a military background.

Finally, this episode serves as a teaser for Ahsoka, a spin-off show in which Rosario Dawson and Diana Lee Inosanto would reprise their roles. I'm not going to look at that in this marathon. However, I will say that while I enjoyed it, I felt it relied a little too much on having seen Rebels.

Anyway, it's a great episode.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 12: The Siege

What is it with Imperial aversion to guard rails? And what do we know of Jeans Guy?

When we last left off, Bo-Katan told Din that if he wants to find the Jedi, he should travel to Corvus and seek out Ahsoka Tano (another character from The Clone Wars). Unfortunately, the mechanics on Trask did a substandard job on the Razor Crest, forcing him to seek repairs on Nevarro. Upon his return, he finds the town has become more peaceful: Greef Karga is now serving as the local magistrate, Cara Dune has become the marshal, and the Bounty Hunters' guild house has been converted into a school. We even see the Mythrol whom Din hunted in the first episode, working off a debt to Karga. In exchange for the repairs, Din offers to help Karga and Dune shut down an Imperial forward base in the region.

Once again, this episode provides some great action sequences. Notable moments include Cara's return, during which she single-handedly takes down a criminal gang hiding in the remains of the Mandalorian enclave. There's also running gun battles through the facility, followed by a chase through the canyon as the party escapes in a transporter pursued by speeder bikes and later TIE fighters.

There's also a couple of funny moments, largely provided by Baby Yoda and the Mythrol. For example, Din is trying to get Baby Yoda to help him with repairs. He later leaves him at the school, during which time he uses the Force to steal another kid's sweets. Meanwhile, the Mythrol serves as a Cowardly Lion-type character who acts the party's rogue of sorts. Even that role gets defied at times when he's called to open an electronic panel to open elevator. As he's working, Din flies up to a landing platform on his jetpack, we hear sounds of a battle and see a stormtrooper fall into the ravine, and then Din calls the elevator.

This episode also hints at the Imperial remnant's interest in Baby Yoda. Din and his companions initially set out to knock out the forward base so the troops stationed there wouldn't threaten the town and the hardware couldn't be sold on the black market. However, they soon discover that the facility was a lab in which several cloning experiments were being conducted. The party soon finds a recent holographic recording from Dr Pershing and learn that Moff Gideon is still alive and still seeking The Child. We also learn at the end of the episode that one of the ship mechanics on Nevarro is a spy for Gideon, and has planted a tracking beacon on the Razor Crest.

Looking forward to the next episode.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 11: The Heiress

I'm getting a Firefly vibe from some of those Razor Crest shots.

Picking up where we left off, Din arrives on Trask (after a bumpy landing) and Frog Lady is able to reunite with her husband. Din and Baby Yoda are then directed to an inn where they can find somebody who has seen other Mandalorians. Seeking passage on a trawler, the pair are promptly betrayed by the ship crew, who seek to harvest the Beskar in Din's armour and lock them in the tank with a carnivorous sea creature. The pair are promptly rescued by a trio of Mandalorians led by Bo-Katan Kryze, the displaced ruler of Mandalore who seeks to reclaim her birthright. In exchange for information about the Jedi, she asks Din to help her seize an Imperial freighter carrying weapons and loot salvaged from Mandalore.

From this episode, we start to run into a major issue a lot of the Star Wars shows face: crossovers with the other shows in the franchise. Bo-Katan is a character who appeared in The Clone Wars and Rebels, and they even got Katee Sackhoff to reprise her role in her character's first live-action appearance. When I first saw this episode, I had watched Rebels but not The Clone Wars, so I was familiar with her backstory which those shows had established. I just wonder if those shows would be required viewing for someone watching this one?

Anyway, that concern aside, it's still a great episode. Bo-Katan kicks a lot of ass, whether it's the Quarren fishermen who targeted Din or the Stormtroopers guarding the freighter. And she isn't alone: she's accompanied by fellow Mandalorians Axe Woves and Koska Reeves, played respectively by  Simon Kassianides and professional wrestler Mercedes Varnado (also known as Sasha Banks). There's some tense moments as the freighter captain kills the pilots and attempts to crash the ship in order to prevent Bo-Katan from seizing the cargo.

In a further development, we learn how dogmatic Din can be in his beliefs. He's shocked when he sees Bo-Katan and her companions remove their helmets (which he considers a serious taboo), but then learns that his covert - The Children of the Watch - are regarded as zealots by other Mandalorians. He initially refuses to be with them until they save him again, after which he reluctantly works with them.

All in all, a fun watch.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 10: The Passenger

Talk about a road trip from Hell. Getting a Ridley Scott vibe from this one.

When we last left off, Din had acquired Boba Fett's armour from Cobb Vanth and left Mos Pelgo while being observed from afar by a mysterious figure. As he returns to Mos Eisley, he's ambushed by a group of bandits but fends them off, although the mysterious figure isn't with them. Anyway, he meets back up with Pelli, and learns from a "Frog Lady" that there were Mandalorians sighted on the planet Trask. In exchange for the information, Din has to take the Frog Lady to Trask so she can meet her husband and fertilise her eggs. 

The voyage to Trask is troublesome from the get-go: The eggs cannot safely travel through hyperspace, requiring sublight travel; the Frog Lady can only speak her own language, making communication difficult; and Baby Yoda keeps eating her eggs. To make matters worse, they're waylaid by a New Republic patrol who recognise the Razor Crest from the prison ship job in the last season. Din attempts to make a break for it, but crash lands on a frigid world. And there's spiders. Lots and lots of spiders.

The first portion of the episode is largely played for laughs, with Pelli Motto persuading Din to cover an insect creature's stake in a card game, and vouching for Frog Lady whom she only met ten minutes earlier. We get a cool but ruthless "Papa Wolf" moment from Din as he fights off the bandit attack and one of the assailants threatens Baby Yoda, demanding his jetpack. Din agrees to the exchange, and then activates the jetpack when the bandit takes it, sending him plummeting to his death.

The tension ramps up when they encounter the patrol. It starts out as the equivalent of a routine traffic stop, but when Din sees the two X-Wings take up an attack position, he realises he's in trouble.

When they crash land, Frog Lady demonstrates some ingenuity by using Q9-0's wrecked chassis to make a translator to admonish him. She later saves The Child from the spiders by shooting them.

All in all, this is a pretty good episode with a strong horror element.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 9: The Marshal

 

Well, it's time to start the second season.

Din Djarin is travelling the galaxy in his quest to reunite Baby Yoda with his people. Seeking other Mandalorians, he meets with a gangster called Gor Karesh, played by John Lenguizamo. Karesh attempts to kill Din to harvest his Beskar, but he defeats the goons and learns that there's another Mandalorian in the town of Mos Pelgo on Tatooine. Travelling there, he meets the town marshal Cobb Vanth, played by Timothy Olyphant, who wears Boba Fett's old armour. As he isn't Mandalorian, Din seeks to take the armour from Cobb, who offers it in exchange for help bringing down a Krayt Dragon. But the pair encounter a band of Tusken Raiders who are also after the dragon, forcing Din to make an uneasy alliance.

This is a pretty strong season opener, and it's nice to see the Tuskens being given some depth. Timothy Olyphant steals the show as the frontier lawman he seems to play a lot (like in Justified, Deadwood, and later Fargo). There's a tense stand-off between him and Din, but he still remains affable throughout it until the Krayt dragon shows up. After which point he suggests they work together. The teamwork between the Tuskens and the settlers is also very teeth-clenched. Cobb is initially apprehensive (even while they're breaking bread) but is able to keep the peace with Din. The title character also gets some development, having overcome his prejudice against droids after IG-11's sacrifice last episode. He even allows Peli Motto's trio of pit droids to work on the Razor Crest.

The action sequences are still great. We have Din fighting Karesh's men with his "whistling birds" (a set of mini rockets), followed by a pretty ruthless interrogation. There's also a cool flashback which shows how Cobb obtained Boba Fett's armour and used it to single-handedly rout the Mining Collective who occupied Mos Pelgo as soon as the Empire withdrew from Tatooine. And of course, we have the battle against the Krayt dragon.

All in all, it's a great episode with an intriguing cliffhanger.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 8: Redemption

Last episode was the build-up. This one's the pay-off.

When we last left off, Mando, Greef Karga, and Cara Dune are trapped in the cantina by Imperial forces. Kuill has been killed by Scout Troopers while trying to take Baby Yoda back to the Razor Crest. The client is also dead, but was revealed to be a puppet of the real mastermind: Moff Gideon, a former Imperial Security Bureau officer turned warlord, played by Giancarlo Esposito.

We open with a comedic segment of the two Scout Troopers waiting to deliver Baby Yoda to the Moff and trying to find ways to pass the time until IG-11 arrives. Meanwhile, Gideon prepares to raze the cantina as the rest of the party try to find a way out. During this time, we learn that Mando's real name is Din Djarin, Greef Karga was once a magistrate, and Cara Dune was from Alderaan. After an action-packed shoot-out, the party escapes into the sewers but discover that most of the Mandalorian covert was wiped out by the Empire. The Armourer deduces that The Child may have come from The Jedi (ancient enemies of the Mandalorians), and tasks Din with reuniting them.

The action in this episode is brilliant, with everyone being able to dish it out to the stormtroopers. Yes, even The Child. We even have a seuqnce where The Armourer single-handedly takes out a squad of them with a hammer and a pair of tongs. Finally, there's a sequence in which Din obtains a jetpack and confronts Gideon as he tries to strafe them in his TIE fighter.

There are also some truly poignant moments too, such as when Din refuses to take off his helmet so Cara can treat him due to his oath, or when they find the aftermath of an attack on the covert. It almost puts Din and Karga at odds again, until The Armourer assures him that neither of them are truly to blame.

All in all, it wraps things up quite nicely and sets up the story for the next season. I'm gonna spoil it now and reveal that Gideon survived the confrontation, and it in possession of a sword which won't be of particular significance unless you've seen The Clone Wars or Rebels. I'm going to mention this now, because it's where we start to see the issues that form in the later seasons.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 7: The Reckoning

It's the penultimate episode of Season One, and man is it a good one.

Mando receives a message from Greef Karga, who informs him that The Client has effectively occupied his town on Navarro. He offers to cancel the contract on The Child if Mando helps him kill The Client. Although it's an obvious trap, Mando realises that he can't pass up an opportunity for the guild to lose interest in him or his charge. He recruits Cara Dune and the ugnaught, whose name is revealed to be Kuill. They're also joined by IG-11, whom Kuill has rebuilt and programmed to act as a nurse and protector for The Child.

This episode is full of tension from all directions. Mando has serious misgivings about IG-11, stemming from his previous attempt to kill Baby Yoda combined with his own prejudice against droids. There's also moments where Cara butts heads with Kuill over their services during the Galactic Civil War, as Cara served the Rebellion while Kuill worked for the Empire in indentured servitude. We also see what Baby Yoda is capable of with his use of The Force.

The tension only ramps up as the party arrives on Navarro, meeting Karga and several hunters. Both groups give each other some serious side-eye, and there's a moment when they're attacked by hostile fauna which results in a hard choice being made. What follows is a "Trojan Prisoner" strategy to deliver Mando and Baby Yoda's pram to The Client in a town occupied by stormtroopers.

It all amounts to a harrowing cliffhanger which leaves me excited to see the next episode.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 6: The Prisoner

This isn't the first piece of Star Wars media in which the stormtroopers' poor shooting skills is mentioned to be an in-universe thing. Anyway, this is actually one of my favourite episodes.

Mando takes a job with an old partner-in-crime, Ranzar Malk, to spring an associate from a New Republic prison ship. But he soon has misgivings about the crew he's going to be working with: Mayfeld, a former Imperial sharpshooter played by Bill Burr; Zero, an arrogant droid pilot played by Richard Ayoade; Burg, a Devaronian bruiser played by Clancy Brown; and Xi'an, a Twi'lek knife thrower played by Natalia Tena, who claims to have been romantically involved with Mando.

This plays out like a heist story, but Mando is being deceived from the beginning. Mando reluctantly takes the job when he learns that the security detail is comprised of droids, but gets into a stand-off with the crew when they find a human officer on board (played by Matt Lanter, who voices Anakin in The Clone Wars). And when he finds that the target is Xi'an's brother Qin, the crew double-cross him as revenge for Mando previously abandoning him.

This is probably one of the strongest episodes in the first season so far. The first third roughly consists of the crew picking on Mando, which produces some of the funniest snarky dialogue (apparently Bill Burr was cast as a joke when he went on record saying he wasn't a fan of Star Wars). We also have some truly tense moments as they sneak on board the ship and get into a fight with several security droids. And when Mando is double-crossed, it's satisfying to see him go after the rest of the crew. I won't reveal that detail though.

Great action and characters all around, and we get to see Mando develop his caring side.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 5: The Gunslinger

Of course there's gonna be some call-backs to the films. I must admit, this episode's kinda slow.

Mando gets into a dogfight with another bounty hunter above Tatooine, and the Razor Crest is badly damaged. He travels to a facility at Mos Eisley Spaceport operated by Pelli Motto, played by Amy Sedaris, and looks for work to cover the repairs. At the cantina, he meets Toro Calican, a cock young gunslinger played by Jake Cannavale who seeks to join the Bounty Hunters' Guild. Calican asks Mando for help bringing in a notorious assassin named Fennec Shand, played by Ming-Na Wen.

Overall, this episode is similar to Unforgiven, featuring a young gunfighter taking up a job and enlisting the aid of a seasoned killer. Star Wars is essentially a Western after all. There's a brief moment where Mando and Calican encounter a pair of Tuskens, but Mando is able to barter for safe passage usining Calican's binoculars. Nice to see a protagonist deal with them non-violently.

While the last couple of episodes took place on new worlds, this one shifts to a location familiar with the fans, showing how much has changed since the fall of the Empire. We're treated to a shot of several stormtrooper helmets on display, and return to the cantina from A New Hope, which is a lot deader than previously shown. But at least droids are welcome there now. There's also some jabs at prequel material. Peli Motto uses three pit droids from The Phantom Menace, but Mando shoots at one of them as they go to work on his ship.

The action's still good, including the opening dogfight and a tense sequence where Mando and Calican try and reach Shand as she tries to snipe them. However, there are some moments which don't make a lot of sense. For example, Peli discovers Baby Yoda in the ship and plans to look after him to try and squeeze more money out of Mando. But that only gets mentioned and doesn't really go anywhere. On another occasion, Fennec tells Calican about Mando's dust-up in Nevarro, but I wonder how she heard about that when she's hiding in the desert?

Anyway, despite some hiccups, there's still things in this episode to enjoy. Plus an interesting cliffhanger.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 4: Sanctuary

 

Nothing like a good old Kurosawa retelling. "The Magnificent Mandalorian"?

After fleeing Navarro with The Child, Mando travels to a lush arboreal world called Sorgan. While seeking lodgings, he gets into a brief scuffle with Cara Dune, a former shock trooper for the Rebel Alliance who is lying low after going AWOL. He's subsequently approached by a pair of krill farmers whose village is having a problem with raiders. Mando agrees to the job in exchange for lodgings, and hires Cara as an extra gun. After learning that the raiders are in possession of an Imperial walker, and the villagers can't establish new farmland elsewhere, they opt to train the village to fight.

Yeah, it's a familiar story. Not much I can really say about it. That said, we see Mando growing close to one of the villagers, a widowed mother named Omera, to a point where it's suggested that he settles down with her (according to Mando's creed, he can't put his helmet back on if he takes it off in front of somebody). We also see Baby Yoda bond with Omera's daughter Winter and the other village children to a point where Mando is willing to entrust him to Omera's care. Unfortunately, this idyllic plan is scuppered when a bounty hunter targets The Child, forcing him to leave with Mando so he's always on the move. It's a truly poignant scene as he's forced to leave.

The action is still great, with Mando and Cara Dune making a great team as they battle the raiders at their camp in a bid to draw them out. And while Cara is a seasoned veteran, Omera is pretty cool as well, demonstrating some excellent marksmanship during the training sequences and even ordering the villagers to charge during the final confrontation.

If there's one thing that bothers me in this episode (other than the problematic individual playing Cara Dune), it's the plan our heroes hatch to draw the raiders out. If they knew the raiders had the walker, why not take it out of commission at the camp? Granted, the walker provides some tension as its activated, complete with some sinister red lighting, and it provides some cooler scenes at the climax of the episode. But luring it back to the camp rather than knocking it out feels like an unnessary risk. I guess that's a minor issue, and one that just leads to more speculation.

Anyway, see you tomorrow for the next episode. And before anyone asks: Yes, I will be watching The Acolyte. I'll probably post my thoughts when the season wraps up, but that's a review marathon for another time.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 3: The Sin

While this previous two episodes play out like a two-parter, this one is where things truly kick into gear.

Mando returns to Nevarro and delivers Baby Yoda to The Client and a scientist named Dr Pershing, played by Omid Obtahi. In return, he receives a large consignment of Beskar; a durable steel which the Mandalorians use to make their armour. However, the aftermath of the job begins to weigh on him: The Child saved his life, and he's being forced to hand him over to people associated with the now-defunct Empire.

Roughly the first half of this episode focuses on drama, with a strong "only the lost walk alone" vibe, as Mando sees little comfort in such a lucrative payout. The Client reprimands him for asking questions. Another member of the secret Mandalorian community (known as a "Covert") he's part of is angry that he took a job with Imperials, who carried out a purge of their people. The rest of the Bounty Hunters' Guild - all of whom carried tracking fobs for The Child - are resentful that he beat them to it. Even Greef Karga tells him to put it out of his mind and report any Imperial activity to the New Republic (who are likely too far away and bureaucratic to do anything about it). After preparing to leave for his next contract, Mando sees a knob that The Child had taken from one of the levers in his ship to play with. Once again, you can't see his face under his helmet, but you can still read him from how he stares.

We also get some insights into Mando's past. The first episode established that he's a "foundling" who wasn't born on the Mandalorians' homeworld of Mandalore, but nonetheless swore to uphold their values at an early age. Both this episode and that one feature sequences where the covert's Armourer, played by Emily Swallow, forges new armour for Mando, which is interspersed with flashbacks to Mando being a war orphan. The sequence in this episode shows that his parents were killed when Seperatist forces attacked his home, and he was confronted by a Super Battle Droid. It's a harrowing sequence applied to an entity that's normally used for comic relief. It certainly hints at why he's prejudiced against droids.

The latter portion of the episode is more action-packed. Mando storms The Client's safehouse and battles the stormtroopers that guard it. We see him isolate and dispatch the troopers with his walking armoury, and he recovers The Child. But as he leaves, the rest of the guild are alerted when their tracking fobs activate. What follows is an even bigger street fight with Karga and his men.

All in all, this was a good episode.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 2: The Child

 

The trouble with bounty hunting is that finding the target is only half the battle.

Anyway, picking up where we left off, Mando has found the Client's "Asset" which turns out to be an infant version of Yoda. An infant that's 50. Baby Herman, anyone? Anyway, after killing IG-11 when he attempts to eliminate it, he begins his journey back to Nevarro. Unfortunately, the journey isn't a simple one. He's attacked by a trio of rival bounty hunters, and later finds that Jawas have looted the Razor Crest. Reuniting with the ugnaught who helped him earlier, he meets with the Jawas and reluctantly agrees to recover "The Egg" in exchange for all his parts.

This episode seems more comedic in tone. Mando disintegrates several Jawas as he sees them stripping his ship, but gets his arse handed to him when he attempts to board their sandcrawler. While those things might not stand a chance against any serious military strikes, they're certainly hard to breach by a band of raiders or a single foe. He has to scale the side of it as the Jawas throw scrap metal at him, and there's even a reference to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when the driver attempts to crush him against a canyon wall. When he finally reaches the top, he's zapped by several Jawas and falls off the edge. I'm surprised he didn't break any bones through all that.

When Mando and the ugnaught meet with the Jawas, we get some funny lines as the Jawas immediately point guns at the pair of them, and Mando butchers an attempt to speak the Jawa language. Later, he's forced to battle a giant mudhorn for "The Egg" which tosses him around like a ragdoll. It's a harrowing sequence, which makes the resolution funnier when the Jawas proudly proclaim the egg...and then messily devour the yoke.

Nick Nolte is still great as the ugnaught (who is yet to be named at this point), and he strikes up a friendship with Mando, who offers him a place on his ship.

Still a good episode, and it makes me eager to see what happened next. Especially after Baby Yoda unexpectedly saves Mando during his tussle with the mudhorn.

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 1: The Mandalorian

Well, it's June. Happy Pride Month by the by. Let's make a start on this marathon.

Taking place some time after Return of the Jedi, we follow Pedro Pascal as "The Mandalorian" (sometimes referred as "Mando", similar to how Clint Eastwood's character in For a Few Dollars More is referred to as "Manco"), a member of a proud warrior culture which the Empire had driven underground. He's getting by as a bounty hunter, working for a guild based on the volcanic world of Nevarro led by Greef Karga, played by the late Carl Weathers. With a shortage of lucrative bounties (most of whom are bail jumpers), Mando takes a special job for a mysterious client played by Werner Herzog, who has stormtroopers as bodyguards. The job takes him to another planet where he meets an Ugnaught played by Nick Nolte who seeks to help him.

The episode has some great action from the outset. We open with Mando tracking a bounty to a cantina on a remote ice world. Said bounty is being hassled by some local toughs, who immediately decide to pick a fight with Mando. He don't say anything, and you can't see his face behind the helmet, but he's probably thinking "Seriously?" Anyway, he proceeds to kick their asses, including cutting one of them in half with a door. He then presents the target with his bounty puck, telling him "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold."

The following segment establishes that Mando harbours a strong prejudice against droids. While taking his target back to his ship, the Razor Crest, he refuses to travel in a droid-operated speeder, paying extra to ride in a more run-down speeder with a human driver.

The cantina brawl at the beginning is topped with Mando raiding a safehouse where The Client's target is located, reluctantly teaming up with a bounty droid called IG-11 (voiced by Taika Waitit). It's an epic shoot-'em-up sequence with some truly harrowing moments, such as when the mercenaries occupying the compound uneveil a heavy gun.

There are some funny moments too. Mando's target at the beginning is very chatty, while Mando doesn't say anything during the journey. Reminds of Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare in Fargo. Later on, we have Mando getting snarky as he meets with the Ugnaught (especially when he mentions that he aided several hunters, who were killed). We also have a small moment where one of those cackling lizard things that Jabba the Hutt kept is being roasted on a spit. Something tells me that Jon Favreau wasn't fond of those.

Anyway, great start, and I'm already hyped for the next one.