The Mandalorian The Mandalorian 2.01 - Chapter 9 - Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Seeing the sand people riding into town brought me back to my favorite scene from Hell On Wheels.

 

The use of sea urchin shells for the Sand People beverages was an interesting choice given Tatooine's climate

 

What a way to kick off Season 2! Just an incredibly satisfying and impeccably made episode that never steps wrong.

The tone, the pacing, the action, the lore... Favreau was in total control as a writer AND a director. I even appreciate that he brought Amy Sedaris back. Favreau tells his story the way he wants to tell it. Sometimes he wants to be vicious; sometimes he wants to be goofy. That's Star Wars after all!

The show looks like it's taking things up a notch this season, both in scale and quality (which were high to begin with).

 

Am I the only one not that excited about that episode? I thought it was just average. Yeah it looked cool and the fan service and nods and whatever, plus the reveal at the end but did we really need to spend 45ish minutes on that for the FIRST episode of the new season?

 

I wasn't blown away either, I'd give it a 7.5/10. A decent start to the season, probably a bit meandering for an opening, especially one that doesn't advance the story a whole lot. It was good fun though.

 

They totally ignored what happened in the Aftermath novels, and changed almost everything. If they were going to include a character from the books they could at least have respected the plot. I was extremely excited when I found out that Cobb Vanth was going to appear early in the episode, but ended up growing more and more disappointed as it went on.
I don't know what to think.

Everything else about the episode was impressive, of course.

 

Wow, that was great. Now I have to go back to waiting a week for the next one .

Spoiler

I've been wondering about this. It probably is Boba, but the mysterious figure looks like he wasn't wearing what Boba is wearing. The cape looks different and shorter than the robes Boba is wearing and the boots look and sound pretty metallic. It honestly looks more like Boba's original armor and hence at first I thought it might have been Cobb Vanth. But he doesn't have a cape. I'm guessing it's probably just something they decided to retcon in season 2, but it is possible that it might be a completely different character. Maybe Mando has to team up with Boba to stop whomever it is?

I guess since Mando is looking for Mandalorians, he's probably going to find Sabine at some point. When they showed the first planet which had lots of graffiti, I thought we were about to see Sabine. I also loved BatMando.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I really liked how they didn't go straight up Anakin with the Tuskens, and instead joined with them and showed more of the Tuskens and their perspective.

 

I don't think they changed novels, he could have come back later and bought them. In the book he says he has knowned them and traded with them and the books happens months later and the flashback is just right after ROTJ i could see some easy retcon witn a new novel.

I loved seeing Tatooine again and tusken culture and how to deal with them.

 

Spoiler

Well that was absolutely brilliant. I can see why people would be slightly disappointed but for me I thoroughly enjoyed it

I loved seeing the Tusken Raiders in action and seeing them hold the pearl at the end just like the Jawas did with the egg in season 1

To be quite honest the whole episode was worth it for the reveal at the end. The music, the scene, then pulling out to see Boba. I loved the look they’ve given him. It was wonderful just seeing Morrison back in Star Wars but he looked epic.

Can’t believe we now have to wait another week for the next episode

 

I don't know... I don't remember exactly how it all happened, but as I recall in the book he had to fight another man to get the armor. Also, he already had an agreement with the tusken in exchange of a dragon pearl and water supply, I think. I don't know, doesn't seem like any of this (as well as other stories that I don't remember in so much detail) has happened in this version.

 

I could see them having been hostile to each other after afermath and go back to hating each other. All we know from this episode is that Jawas saved him agreed to sell him boba's armor and he and tuskens became enemies again, after killing off the gangs.

 

Well it's 5 years between i can forgive that if they had some disagreement after aftermath.

 

Oh my......... that is just pure greatness !! Completely lost for words in how good this stuff is. And if that's the start of the season..... wow, just wow!

So much to love;

The Krayt Dragon - great to see it in living form (giving context to the massive skeleton previously seen). How it sounds (echoing back to Kenobi in ANH) and its sheer size - again echoing back to ANH and why the Sandpeople were so scared of the sound Kenobi was making. All of these plot intricacies being further reinforced subtlely.

The Sand People - not only interacting with others, but also a further brief look at "village life". I love what looked like a Gaffi Stick doubling as a tooth cleaner for a Bantha. I just love small things like that. I also like how that despite being a brutal race, given the right circumstances and the right person to act as some sort of mediator, they can be brought together with other Tatooine folk in fighting for a common cause.

Cobb Vanth - I liked the ego in which Olyphant played Cobb Vanth. But more so with this character, I love how it connects with the greater story in respect of the Aftermath novels. As described in the novel and now presented on-screen, we see the situation where he is stumbling through the desert dehydrated and hungry and is "saved" by Jawa's. And then he obtains Boba's armour and becomes a self-appointed Sheriff. If there was any lingering doubt as to Star Wars canon is just in the movies and the TV shows, then this one scene proves that is completely wrong. Whats in the novels, whats in the comics, whats in the computer games - ITS ALL CANON!

Boba Fett - I love how he was left to the end of the show. I'm glad I was wrong in my head canon as to how Boba Fett would enter the show. The one look, like Luke in TFA, can say a million words and you can tell that Boba is not happy. This is the start of future conflict in future seasons.

I love the real Western-feel as Din "rides his horse" into town. As he passes by the townfolk, they look at him with suspicion. It really feels like a space version of many of those Western films.

I love Anakin's old pod-racer engine converted into a speeder bike; well, it looked like his pod-racer engine. I love that Baby Yoda continues to be fantastic and cute and endearing, but he doesn't steal the show from our Mando.

But one thing I really did love is Favreau bringing to screen a toy that was banned because it was too dangerous; a toy that is worth an absolute mint now because of its rarity. When Cobb Vanth engaged the sight on Boba Fett's helmet and bent over and the rocket flew and destroyed the fleeing marauders, I absolutely lost my mind. Oh Fav.... you are a ****ing genius. If Lucas is God, you and Filoni have to be the next level down because you guys are brilliant.

There's so much more to love, but I definitely need more viewings to capture it all.

That Episode ranks in my top 3 for me.

 

They successfully faked me out.
I know. I'm dumb.

But they convinced me Boba was dead.
But then... Fennec Shand. High odds she turns up next episode.

 

I do think it was kinda funny how they made so much of an effort to 'humanise' the Sand People but then we only see Sand People, and not human villagers, being eaten/acid blasted in the climactic scene

 

TUSKEN LIVES MATTER!

 

Was I the only one getting strong KOTOR vibes from the Krayt Dragon's lair?

 

I predict, well hope, a ROTS Vader-like moment when Boba Fett eventually gets his armour back.

After Anakin's burnt body had been reconstructed into his Vader armour in Revenge Of The Sith, when that table raised and that breathing kicked in, not only did that send shivers down my spine, but it also brought tears of happiness to my eyes in respect of how the storyline then met up with the OT.

I feel another moment like this coming up when Boba puts the armour on, buts his helmet on and turns and looks at the camera.

I love this stuff.

 

A lot of similarities with how in KotOR you have to use banthas as bait to lure the krayt dragon out of its cave to get blown up by mines... sounds like someone's played KotOR. I bet it's Filoni.

 

I love how they included Vanth. Also first time seeing a Krayt dragon they are bigger than I thought.

also saving Boba for the end was great! I would love to see what he has been up to in the past years

 

I wonder if Boba will be as much of a total loser in Mando as he has been in every other screen appearance?

I mean let's be honest, Boba was only revered because he had cool armor and fans in the 80s and 90s built up this mythos around him that Legends writers ran with.

 

If Aftermath is canon then we can assume the comics are as well, Boba Fett is still outfights any other bounty hunter there.