SPOILER Mandalorian S1E5

Spurs jangling up next to dead BH, possible it's someone who knows her, Care for her, most likely another Bounty Hunter, who has now declared war on Mando. The entire series so far has laid out a very solid Star Wars scenario. Each episode is packed with previous Star Wars happenings, movie, books and cannon. We've been introduced to a host of characters, situations and possibilities. These are all places Mando and BabyY can return to, if they stay off the beaten path. Did anyone hear a name for Hanger Bay 35 woman? I'd select her as BabyY's off and on babysitter in a heart beat. It's a baby and needs mothering, feeding, cuddling and an all out safe home life. From the ragged hard worn looks of BabyY's floating bassinet in first episode, a life of quick escapes, barely making it out from under crumbling buildings, etc has given BabyY a series of unpleasant memories. The children in the village and the Hanger Bay 35 woman have given him new memories, new things to ponder.

 

In one of the books (one of Chuck Wendig's?) there were something like interlude chapters about a man named Cobb Vanth on Tattooine who found pocked Mandalorian armor. It implies that Fett made it out of the Sarlacc or that the Sarlacc spit up the armor.

At least that's how I remember it from videos and Wookieepedia.

Edit: yeah, what @LadyMusashi said

 

OK, thanks! Yeah, I read those books...I was just wondering if there was something new I hadn't heard about. I guess at the time I figured that even if Boba Fett somehow made it out alive, if he gave up his armor he wasn't in much of a state to survive!

 

If I had writtten it, the Child would've used the Force to disarm the kid. Mando could've then said, "You're no bounty hunter." Peli Motto, instantly recognizing the Child's Force potential and therefore its high-value (to society, not as a bounty), might have returned some of the money and urged him to protect the Child with his life. Mando replies: "I already do."

Something like that...

 

I kinda expected that, to be honest.

I figure this season will be pretty self-contained, and Episodes 1 and 3 did a lot of the heavy lifting so far. Especially after Chapter 3, I figured we'd see 2-3 episodes of the Mando on the run before the final sprint downhill.

I wouldn't be too surprised if next week is more or less the same, too, with the final two ushering a big finish.

 

Right? I also thought that a. she's not dead yet and b. what if that was the Mandalorian who went back to get her? Since he's a wanted man now it would make sense to try and ally with her, but I'm probably wrong on that part.

Either way I enjoyed it. Now I'm wishing they had placed the entire season on the service, but oh well. It means I can again look forward to Friday.

 

Certainly seems like he may be assembling his own Dirty Dozen with Fennec and Cara heading the way...

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At this point I think it's fairly obvious that s1 is more like part 1.

The pace has come to a crawl and while I enjoy the world building to a degree, the story has been the same for, more or less, 3 episodes now. We learned last week he can never rest or let his guard down. And this episode, while having some good moments, just does the same thing as ep4. He can't trust people. Why would he trust anyone with the guild at all in the first place? Bizarre.

Seems unlikely we get a true conclusion to this story in s1.

 

Haven't given it a re-watch yet, but I'd probably rank it my 3rd favorite episode so far.

That opening bounty hunter space scene didn't really work for me. Mando is getting blasted multiple times and then gets away with shooting the other dude once. Didn't really care for that. (Yes, I'd say this is a nitpick).

Glad they only stayed for a brief visit on Tattooine, but I enjoyed all the easter eggs and references.

I'm quite surprised with what happened to Fennec. Way to subvert my expectations, in a good way. Who found her at the end? I'm assuming Cobb Vanth or Boba Fett.

Neat in-world building showing that the droids run the cantina when they were previously banned. It is looking like the outer worlds are getting the stiff end of the deal now that the Empire is gone.

Where will The Mando and The Yodaling go now? Everywhere they go they're hunted down. Very interested to see how this season ends.

 

I don't think Fennec is alive, but if Darth Maul survived, I suppose anyone can.

If Boba Fett is alive or dead is a matter of debate, and I think that's he way it should stay. Star Wars is set to move forward. Leave the fate of some characters ambiguous and up to the imaginations of fans.

I like that some episodes primarily advance the overall story while others are mostly self contained episodes.

 

Interesting that on the Disney+ app there is a new banner for the Mando at the top--still brown/deserty but more stylized and with just him--and a new smaller icon below. That one is more like pale dawn light with the Mando and Cara Dune together.

 

Couldn't agree more. It's why I am still not the biggest fan of introducing Gizmoda. Yoda's mystery is one of the only good mysteries left in Star Wars. Could you imagine the outrage if ESB came out today and we didn't have a full backstory and species type on Yoda? Then he just freaking DIES the second movie he's in? How did anyone even care about this chara....oh.....sorry off topic. But the mystery of Boba Fett is the best thing about his character. I hope he and Yoda's species stay a mystery forever.

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It's more or less how SW space battles have always worked. Bad guys die faster. This is the way.

 

So many things could factor into it. Different ships with different attributes like armor/shield strength, and the power of their respective weapons. My impression though was he was trying to force Mando to land, not blow him up. He wanted the Child. Space debris isn't much evidence to collect a bounty on.

 

Lots of nostalgia talk in this thread and it's to be expected after this specific episode. But the heavy easter-egg quality really didn't bother me. Sure there's been callbacks, etc. thrown about throughout the series, but I've felt F&F have given the Mando room to be his own character and do some world building of his own without relying solely on what we've seen prior. I mean I'm (pleasantly) surprised it's taken this long to get back to Tatooine!

As for the space battle, someone mentioned above the bad guys always get blown up quicker than the good. Yes, that's kinda the way SW works ... I've conditioned myself to not let it take me out of the moment (Rebels was especially guilty of this).

After watching at 5:30 am (my new Friday morning ritual!), I had a wild thought: What if this series had been the Sequel Trilogy? Obviously with a blockbuster movie budget. Life after the fall of the Empire, a totally separate storyline from the previous six films but in the GFFA nonetheless, characters and tie-ins from the past trilogies would be sprinkled in (think the Rebels storyline that ran adjacent to ANH-era -- separate, but intertwined). Yeah, it'd have to be handled a bit differently, but this is just a thought exercise. Anyway, I'm not posting this to get anyone riled up, just an idea that hit me that I thought you all would enjoy.

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My first thought was also that the Mando went back for her. I just had this sneaking suspicion these two may have had a past.

 

Heck, perhaps that other bounty hunter only had their shields set in the front of their ship meaning there was no protection in the back (heh). Like I said, I know I was nitpicking, but it still stood out to me.

 

Mando said that the female bounty hunter was not worth anything dead. So I guess the bounty was for being alive.

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Mando took the credits from the rookie after he killed him.

 

I only saw wanted and the credit amount on the puck. I didn’t think about dead or alive until he said “She’s no good to us dead”.

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I believe the same. I think it looks like their headed towards a “we need to take out the one who put out the bounty” situation.

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I only hear it when they were discussing Ming in the cantina...

 

You make valid criticisms that are not lost on most of us. It is just a matter of what we choose to focus on. In the first episode, I disagreed with some of the other commenters who felt like it was slow. I think we need more room to breathe in episodes to let the story play out. This episodic format doesn't feel as fluid as it could since each episode is presented as a standalone story like the old western TV shows, though I wish there was a bit more unity like the opening 3. It is starting to feel like it will be a little bit looser like Samurai Jack. I want to explore these worlds and our character more than just getting the fun call-backs and simplified homages to Kurosawa, John Ford, etc. BUT I appreciate what they are doing and what they are trying to do with this new kind of show. The fact the Disney renewed the show for a 2nd season before it was released tells me that the 2nd season will probably be more technically sound and will deal with a lot of the problems we choose to overlook or to not overlook. I know some people who are working on the show as lower-tier crew and they keep telling me how break-neck the pace of production is and how bleeding edge they are getting with some of the technology and techniques on it. They didn't have much time to stop and think about what they were doing or really make many changes because they flew through the first season. In fact, they were learning as they went in season 1 to be able to do the things they actually want to do in season 2. It is all a grand experiment that will hopefully make for even more interesting GFFA media opportunities in the future.

On a storytelling side, I hope working in live-action helps develop Filoni a bit more. I've always felt a little less enthused about him than some fans despite how much I appreciate the mythology and the kinds of stories he wants to tell. The opening with the dogfight above Tatooine is a perfect example of his style. He will dwell on some things that fans may find tedious but will flash by other moments that feel like they should have been played out a bit more. He is having to learn about pacing and performances in a new way and I'm interested to see how he responds going forward.

With all that being said, I am enjoying this show and I think it has its merits. I see the problems but I also see the opportunity and the story potential of it. It is imperfect, yes, but it is live-action Star Wars on a weekly basis that has inspired a sense of wonder and excitement in a fanbase that desperately needed it. Let's say I'm optimistic about it.

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Interesting idea. I think it could have been an interesting concept if this show took place during the time period that the current trilogy exists in so that our core cast from the OT fits their ages both in and out of universe. That could be an interesting way to introduce the world of the films, the politics, the grassroots life of outer rim planets and the underworld of Core and Mid-Rim planes while also checking in on Lando, Han, Chewie, Luke, and Leia. We could play more with the idea of ex-Imperial warlords and rogue Moffs. We could bring in new factions and create a tense waring state period of feudal fragmentation around the fledgling New Republic.

The only dilemma there though is the question of whether this Star Wars media landscape we are in now could have existed without Episode 7. Could this have preceded 7? Could this have existed in tandem with 7, 8, & 9? Maybe. We will never know. It just shows how the strategy implemented in the opening phases of the Disney acquisition is quite different from what is being implemented now. Other than that, it becomes a chicken and egg discussion.

 

Absolutely and agree on all you said.

Changing the matter with your permission, It's fun when a lot of people, with all the new related SW material, has been so critic in always showing another desert planet, saying is repetitive and unoriginal.
But I must say, I really love to go back to Jakku. I mean on a desert planet. I mean on Tatooine! Love Tatooine!! Love desert planets! Love Jedha! Love all desert planets and can't wait to see the new one on TROS!

See the streets, the docking bays, the cantina leaded by droids, the same table of the ANH. That was really really cool.

Ouch! Yes. That was my first thought. I wasn't paying attention. We see clearly Mando's ship flying away (what I didn't remember) and then the misterious character. Now am excited! lol

 

Yeah she's not dead. Or at least she'll be revived so to speak. I forgot her name, but you don't get that kind of a an actress and only use her for one episode,

 

I'd say the story itself is pretty simple right now, more or less a backdrop to give us some classic Star Wars mixed with Western tropes for a bit.

Though I have been wondering what exactly the upcoming season 2 would look like. In a way, I don't think I want conclusion right now, as the Child is pretty much inherently tied to that conclusion in one way or another.

I don't mind them drawing it out for a few seasons, if it means more of the Adventures of Space Dad (or as we call it at our house, "Baby Yoda Power Hour").