The Mandalorian The Mandalorian 2.03 - Chapter 11 - Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Imagine Din ends up with the Dark Saber ruling Mandalore.

*shivers*

 

At the pace the show moves, you’re probably right. And thats not a bad thing.

 

If ahsoka gets her own show, i don't think she will be too involved in a Mandos arc. Ahsoka will have her own situation to deal with.

Not like ahsoka was there in this episode helping Bo Katan.

 

I don't think we have heard anything about Tano getting her own show

 

I wasn't someone who complained about the simplicity of the last episode but at the same time there wasn't much to talk about so I didn't comment on it. Anyone who was disappointed by lack of moving things forward can't complain now.

I should have guessed the Mando was going to find the Mandalorians right away but even though Bo-Katan was rumoured I didn't think she'd be one of them so beyond the surreal sight of seeing an animated character translating into live action with the original actress playing her I was kind of surprised to see her but it was a good surprise. I kind of figured she'd be part of a flashback episode with Gideon's backstory and then we find out he either killed her or maybe kept her alive to see her people's destruction as they fall one by one throughout the years. So the fact she's alive and trying to rebuild Mandalore will make for an interesting story going forward. And I have no idea how old she is now but she's looking well. It feels like casting Sackhoff way back when was to get to this moment and she was pretty good and it's a cool payoff to what was once a minor role back in Season 4 of TCW. Her explaining the Mando's belief and why he doesn't like the helmet being taken off answers that question but also raises new ones.

Who exactly are this cult really and their goal and does he ultimately believe her? It seemed like post TCW we were getting back to the planet being ruled by clans like in the EU and it seems that way still because Bo says she's trying to get a new Manda'lor on the throne presumably herself and we thought the Armorer and the group the Mando was a part of were all for that but now we don't know. It seems like there's more to the Armorer than we thought and maybe we'll get a clearer reveal as to who she is and what she wants by the season's end if she has something else in mind.

The show and this season has had the recurring theme of what it means to be a Mandalorian and who you are. Whether you're born of blood or not if your actions drive you those actions will determine whether you're worthy of the armour. The Mando wasn't born of Mandalore but he was brought into their world although now it's possible history was muddled for him. But then again it's possible the people he follows despite Bo's description aren't evil people nothing has been given of that so far. It's all about the Mando finding what he believes rather than holding to the philosophy of someone else. Jango in the EU was similar to the Mando in how he was adopted from what I read of it and now that Boba is coming in and the more we meet the Mandalorians throughout the galaxy that are left it seems like we're trying to answer this question more of what it means to be a true Mandalorian and it's possible that the Mando could come to the role of a reluctant at first but eventual leader like Boba was in the EU.

For awhile I thought that'd be kind of a stretch to see our hero become the new Manda'lor but going back to TCW and Rebels there is always a hero who rises to be something bigger then their intended role that they thought they were at first. Ahsoka was just another Padawan originally. The Padawan of the Chosen One but still one of several fighting a war who then grows up to become a leader and a part of the Rebel Alliance. Then Kanan doesn't want to fight another war but Hera tells him they can't avoid it so what was once a small team fighting small battles that would be seen as nothing by the Empire suddenly they get the attention of the big leagues like Thrawn. What starts here as a man who has only known one life could expand to him rising to something he didn't expect. The final bridge between extremists, true born Mandalorians and the people who come to be them. Or he could retire who knows. We'll just have to wait and see.

Other things I did like the dock setting because it made for a different environment and seeing Quarren and Mon Calamari again was cool though I do wish at some point and we did a little in TCW that there would be at least one noble Quarren. When they knocked the Child in to the water again I should have expected treachery but didn't. Anyone who was upset with the Child last time can now relax because he knows now not to eat the babies especially since they are hatching and seeing him play with the little tadpole and the Frog family made for some innocence in the episode. It's funny how we expected Sasha Banks to be a big role and then she's just another of Bo's allies. Not diminishing her part by any means she played it fine but again we should be careful what we put stock in. Anyone who was hoping for a live action Sabine that felt closer to her animated design there's still a possibility for that. I liked seeing Titus Welliver as an Imperial captain. Him and Gideon are the example I guess you don't have to be a British person to be an Imperial officer. I'm thinking there's still a possibility for a Gideon backstory episode except now it'd be about him capturing Bo and her two allies and then the two of them would relate about the past. Why did he let her live? Does he know she's after him? Hopefully we'll get that sooner rather than later.

And now we're officially getting Ahsoka. I don't know if she'll be in the next one or if we're waiting till Dave's episode but than again I don't know what to expect at this point. Also this gives the indication she and Bo crossed paths again so that's a story to be told at some point. It'll be interesting to see what Ahsoka is doing now. Is she not a Jedi anymore still or is she a new kind of Jedi? Maybe she's raising a sect of force sensitives and creating a different Jedi order separate from Luke's? Maybe they've met and he's tasked her with watching over some younglings? Don't want to ask too many questions for something that might not be that and she might be doing something else entirely. As much as people are tired of Dave using her I think it's hard to let a character go if you keep creating scenarios and ideas for them to get into and maybe grow them further and have more stories to tell. There's also the reluctance of letting a character go to someone else and that person maybe doing a disservice to them whether it's they aren't written well and don't feel in character or they go out with a whimper. If Dave ever wants her story to be finished he wants to finish it in a way that will satisfy him. I know some people think the Vader fight was that but that didn't feel like an end to Ahsoka herself so much as her wrapping up her story with Anakin. It'd be pretty cool if Hayden appeared as a surprise cameo of Force Ghost Anakin somewhere in the episode but again that's wishful thinking.

There's probably more that I've forgotten but long winded as it is. Big things ahead.

 

I think this show is tops 5 to 6 seasons so maybe The finale hour will be about the discovery of the first order and the rbuilding of Mandalore.

 

I have a feeling they already know when it will end already

 

It has been a rumour next to Boba fett getting his own show and a few others. but then what are the chances they won't want to do it?

 

Very solid episode, I might even like it more than the first episode of this season. When the rating poll goes up I'm definitely rating it something like a 9/10.

Bo-Katan was one of my favorite minor character's from TCW, so her in full live action glory is grand. She looks like she came straight from one of the cartoons, right down to her weird boxy blaster pistols! Love it.

The worldbuilding is also at its strongest it's ever been so far, they really gave the port some character. I especially loved the snobby Mon Cal.

Finally the big action scene with our Mandalorian heroes raiding the Imperial ship was a sight to behold for my, admittedly, fanboy eyes. Never thought we would see Mandalorians fighting Stormtroopers in live action but here we are.

As always next week can't come soon enough.

 

No, I don't.

 

One of many ways, apparently. But one of the better ones.

 

Wait. My timeline is waaaaay off. I keep forgetting how far past Rebels this is. Maul is dead. Never mind.

 

Then that would be like the ending of GOT.

 

I was about to reply as you’re not the only one who’s mentioned it. I’ve no doubt Maul will pop up in other material but at this stage in the timeline he is most certainly dead!

 

I’m usually good at timeline stuff, too. What a brain cramp! Lol! It’s all this reminiscing on the past that messed me up.

 

I think Bo-Katan will once again rule Mandalore with the darksaber on her. Mando isn't ready for it and many would probaly reject him as being in a cult and not being one of the big important ones.

 

Did I miss the joke at the end when Din surveys the Razorcrest held together with string and fishing nets and says "Calamari" as though it's typical of their work? Of all the ships in the Saga, the Mon Calamari cruisers are the most beautiful with clinical interiors, far removed from what the Razorcrest is now.

 

maybe this is whats behind all the shiny interiors and bulbous grey hulls

 

Yep, we’ve had Dan Dority, Seth Bullock, and now Silas Adams from Deadwood. Now all we need are Al Swearengen, a few prostitutes, and a whole lot of ****suckers and other foul language and this can be Deadwood in space. Then I will die a happy man....

 

To be honest I am really amazed that ship isn’t toast already

 

Everyone should go back and take a look at the “Special Look” one minute preview on Disney+. There is a tiny moment when Din is meeting Greef and Cara. The audio overlay isn’t from that scene but, more importantly, if you pause at the right moment you’ll see the Crest in the background and it is all done up just as it is when it is leaving Trask—the back door and half down, there are wires holding it together, etc. It seems clear to me that before Din takes the child to Ashoka he limps back to Nevarro, probably to get some much needed help and repairs. This falls in line with the Filoni episode being the one with Ahsoka Tano.

 

Wonderful episode! One of the best ever.

Seeing Bo Katan in live action made me have a fanboy heartattack. Everything about this episode was awesome. The frog lady's reunion with her husband and the hatching of their egg (I guess they only needed one?). The Quarrens and their plot to steal Din's armour. And of course the Night Owls!

I think part of the problem with the last episode was that the destination (i.e. more Mandalorians and possibly some familiar faces) was so darn exciting that it was hard to be patient with the journey. Not that I think the first episode should have led directly into this - I like journeys taking time in stories. I guess that can be a problem with using pre-existing lore and characters that the audience has an emotional attachment to. If I'm reading The Odyssey, there isn't a familiar face waiting for me in Ithaca that I can't wait to get to, even if there is for Odysseus. For me, it's just the end of the quest and the journey is more interesting. Here it was the opposite.

They way the two plots split up here was cleverly executed. Of course I want Din to go with Bo Katan to retake Mandalore from the Empire because I have a vested interest in that, but before I have a chance to feel disappointed that we aren't going down that plotline for a while - BOOM - the Ahsoka namedrop happens! And now I want to stay with the Mando and see her.

I was unsure if I wanted the show to expand too much beyond its simple premise of a father and son travelling the galaxy old Western-style, but this episode removed all doubt. As much as I enjoyed the narrow focus of the first season, the state of the galaxy is too cool to not explore. The Mandalorians and the Empire battling for a planet in live action is absolutely something I want to see. It also feels relevant to Din's story. His universe just blew up when he learned there were other Mandalorians who weren't part of the Watch. It's appropriate that the show's universe would blow up to. I wonder how the New Republic and the Jedi are going to play into this...

My hype is through the roof right now. I'm so glad we have this show.

 

The next episode will probably end just revealing Ahsoka as the cliffhanger.
I also just noticed, Bo tells Din that she is the last of her line, do you think she means the last of House Kryze? Because if so what happened to Korkie?

EDIT: I also saw lots of people speculating that Bo would face off against Gideon in the end, which is more likely to be true, but I just hope it ends up being Ahsoka. Filoni has proved that he can pull off a great lightsaber duel, something we haven't seen in live action since the prequels. So I really hope we get to see one soon. Although, Ahsoka would probably be way too powerful for Gideon.

 

I think Korkie probaly died between TCW and the purge. He weren't reallu a soldier seemed more into politics. Also great light saber battles like in animation might prove to very hard to get.