The Mandalorian The Mandalorian 1.05-Chapter 5-Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

great episode! miles better than chapter 4.

now... who could that be at the end? cad bane?

 

I felt like this episode had sort of a melancholy feeling to it. It was like a passing of the old west theme was at play with Chalmun's Cantina almost deserted. This establishment that once hosted the likes of Han Solo and Boba Fett now sits largely forgotten and patroned by young inexperienced upstarts like Toro Calican.

It also feels like a theme the show itself is exploring overall. Both the heroes and villains introduced so far are trying to reclaim past glory that they lost. The Mandalorians and the Imperial Remnant trying to rebuild out in this lawless frontier while a more civilized age is returning to the galaxy in the form of the New Republic. That more civilized age is personified in little Baby Yoda who the Imperials are naturally trying to warp to suit their own ends while Mando is trying to protect him. That's why I think Boba Fett could fit well in this narrative. While rivals like Han have embraced this new civilization Boba is stuck clinging to the old ways. He's the old outlaw way past his prime still desperately trying to reclaim it from the young Mando who has usurped him.

 

That ROTJ celebration in Mos Eisley never made much sense in in-universe logic. The city is a hive of criminality - it doesn't make much difference to them who the galactic government leaders are. It's not like the new government was going to legalize smuggling and slave trafficking.

I'm not sure yet what the changes in Mos Eisley imply about the new galactic environment, maybe nothing. But it was interesting to see that things change even in the armpit of the galaxy.

 

My favorite episode so far, I’m giving it a 9. I have a suspicion this is as good as the show can get, especially since they’ve committed themselves to the Baby Yoda bit, a choice I’m still cold towards.

When The Mandalorian is firing on all cylinders, the thing it does best is create atmosphere. The GFFA feels alien, dangerous, and magical all at once. This episode nailed it. Tatooine is eerily ghost-like compared to the PT and OT, as if Jabba’s demise and the Empire’s collapse created an economic depression. Whether in the claustrophobic alleys of Mos Eisley, or the agoraphobic Dune Sea, there is always the sensation that a mysterious stranger is lurking around the corner or over a hill. When Mando walks out of the docking bay to find Toro Kalican lounging on a swoop bike, it’s instantly classic and distinctly Star Wars.

Speaking of Toro, he’s definitely my favorite character introduced so far. While he’s been written with several layers of cheese (Looks like you’re stuck with me now partner!), the archetype is instantly recognizable and fun, an over-confident, short life-expectancy criminal who can’t be trusted with anything but being handsome and making bad decisions. Jake Cannavale plays him charming and desperate at the same time, easy to root for and easy to memorialize when his time comes.

When they chase their target in the Dune Sea, it’s clear that this episode is a riff on Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, which is fine. The swoop bikes bounce over dunes like horses on a prairie, and the sniper shootout is probably the most Western action scene of the series thus far, barring the pilot’s opening. Toro’s fight with Fennec is great (makes you wonder why they couldn’t have done something equally cool with Carano vs the goons), and when she settles down to play the young bounty hunter against his boss it all clicks together.

I hate to say this, but the only weak part of the episode is Baby Yoda, who continues to be a huge momentum killer every time he pops up. Thankfully he was locked away most of the episode. The grumpy mechanic is a great character (much better than the bar keep from episode 4) and her goofy pit droids provide plenty of comedy on their own. There’s no need for more Yoda stuff, which is really just the same joke over and over again.

But overall, great episode, even though it didn’t really progress the story at all. There’s a lot of stuff I haven’t even gotten to, the wonderfully B-movie starfighter battle, a return to The cantina complete with aliens, beautiful binary sunsets, like I said I think this is a good as the show will get.

 

I also want to mention that I don't think chapter 5 is at the same level of 2 and 3.

I don't think anything will top chapter 3 for me. the emotions were sky high.

 

This episode was very Meh for me. About the same as the last episode so i'll give it a 6/10. It felt even more like filler than the last one did and I have some criticism but I'll try not to be too harsh. The jokes were pretty eye-rolling here. "I could bring you in warm or cold" joke felt out of place just 3 episodes later. "She has the high ground" was especially annoying for me as we literally just had a high ground joke in Fallen Order. The scene where the tusken raiders snuck up on the newbie bounty hunter was stupid. Maybe if the camera turned to them faster it wouldn't have been so bad, but it felt very DaveFiloni and not in a good way. I still can't tell if the tuskens actually snuck up on them or if the tuskens somehow bumped into them on accident too, as they didn't really have their weapons ready.

As others have said, this episode was obviously on a tv show budget. Space battle looked weird(probably as good as it could have been so I'll ignore that). The shots in the desert didn't look very good tbh. I feel like they didn't do many wide shots which are pretty much mandatory in this type of setting to make it seem vast.

All that said, the baby yoda scenes were nice again and the speeders looked cool.

 

I guess this episode is very divisive amongst the audience.

 

Blandly divisive. it's not the kind of thing that is going to make anyone upset. I hope.

 

Were the dewbacks something the Stormtroopers just picked up in a New Hope or were those troops stationed there all the time.

Those Stormtrooper helmets on pikes me think the Imperial presence on Mos Eisley was more than looking for droids.

 

I hope that’s not the last we see of Ming-Na Wen’s character, if so that’s a real shame. Episode loses a couple points just for that.

otherwise the show continues to be pretty fun, can’t wait to see where it goes.

 

Was definitely hoping for a overarching plotline in the beginning but the more standalone nature is cool too.

 

Absolutely loved it. Simple story but Mos Eisley and the Dune Sea once again. No complaints.

 

But that hasn't been followed up on in any way.

 

My prediction for the series finale: Mando is standing in the desert with his rifle and BY is behind him and says his first words: "Mando Daddy!" Mando turns around in surprise, his rifle bumps into BF's jet pack sending him flying into the maw of the Sarlacc. His last words are, "Poodoo, not again!"

Remember, folks, you heard it here first.

 

I was going to say that she's dead, so you shouldn't have any hopes, but:

 

Okay people, consider this: Baby Yoda is a clone, clones have accelarated aging. Mando can now watch him grow up. You're welcome.

 

Waiting to Fennec Shand's twin sister to avenge her for lack of screen time,lol.


It was meh for me too. On one hand, while I can appreciate the 1980's B movie effects and character actors/acting but at the same time I think it makes the show kinda a big budget package for a made to order B cult type series which is just weird. But no wonder why Maul killed Zek Peiro so early on in Age of Republic, Toro Calican was the same annoying type.

 

True, but I'm confident that it's going to be important in the close future.

 

Oh, I will continue to hope, Ming-Na Wen is way to awesome of an actor to waste like that.

and like you say, Star Wars has a history of bringing characters back

 

I don't see it as a waste at all. She played her part.

I understand why she, alongside Nick Nolte and others were advertised prior to the show's premiere, but I am thinking that most of the characters in this show will appears sporadically, like they have so far. Recurring characters at the moment haven't existed for more than 2 episodes (some characters in Chapters 1 and 3), though obviously we will see a lot of them again (Carl Weathers, the Mandos, the Imperial Remnant, the Client).

I don't think we'll see Nick Nolte, Garano, Wen or the IG droid again actually. The same will probably apply to Bill Burr. And I am 100% fine with it. They served their purpose in the story, and now they're gone (or dead). Some of the alive ones might return though.

 

Unless I'm remembering wrong, we have footage of Gina and the droid which has yet to be seen in an episode. But I'm also fine with not having reappearances if they've done their part.

 

Cara and IG-11 will almost certainly return as we've seen them in a shootout with Mando that hasn't happened yet. I think Bill Burr confirmed he was only in one episode though. I hope to see Kuiil again but that's much less certain.

 

I don't think the episode itself is divisive. It's just compounding the feelings that there isn't a central through-line for the season.

 

I think these past two episodes have established that there's nowhere to run that will be safe for Baby Yoda. They'll always be looking over their shoulder. So I suspect Mando will go on offense over the next three Chapters.

 

Another little thing this episode did well: when Mando is rummaging through the dead hunter on the Dewback, he finds the beeping fob. It was a good "uh-oh" moment that only works because we know exactly what they do.