These are my thoughts on the first couple episodes of The Mandalorian:
Chapter 22: Guns for Hire (AKA the Cameo episode)
• Wasn’t the Mon Calamari prince mentioned in the first episode of The Mandalorian when he was looking for bounty pucks?
• I guess being the captain has its privileges; she’s just soaking on the bridge.
• Axe Woves and Koska Reeves are back and are just great actors.
• This planet with all its Epcot Centers reminds me of The Time Machine (or Pixar) with the droids on the bottom doing literally all the work for the upper classes. Their own laws are being used against them.
• Holy Poodoo, that’s Lizzo and Jack Black (I did see his “Amnesty” badge)! And Grogu really will do anything for food. Why men great till they gotta be great?
• Captain Bombadier is a great name, I hope he comes back and doesn’t break the Duchess’ heart!
• Holy Poodoo, that’s Christopher Lloyd!
• Kuill “I have Spoken” reference!
• Lots of Clone War-era droids, exactly the kind Din hates. I love the way he just starts kicking them!
• DROID BAR! I hope the idea of Nepenthe as stuff droids drink for fun. I hope it finds its way into a Doctor Aphra or Bounty Hunters comic.
• So, Christopher Lloyd is a Seperatist and managed to drop a Count Dooku reference.
• Alice in Wonderland-style space croquet with live animals! Grogu is a Knight!
• Mandalorian fight!!
• And now the Darksaber is back in Bo’s hands!
• Give Bryce Dallas Howard a damn Star Wars movie!
Chapter 23: The Spies
• The beginning is very Blade Runner. I love Imperials sneaking around Coruscant in trench coats.
• This episode is called The Spies, but who are the spies? I’m not liking the vibe the Armorer has lately.
• So Gideon is still deep into cloning, despite what he says.
• THE SHADOW COUNCIL complete with Captain freakin’ Paelleon from Heir to the Empire (I really got to read this again) and General Hugs’ father. Oh and THRAWN mention. I bet once Gideon dies, Thrawn just slides right into leadership.
• Looks like a brain-scrambled Pershing is off the board since Gideon seems to have no problem cloning.
• The Mythosaur skull on the bottom of the ship is such a cool detail; hopefully we’ll see it on a model or toy one day.
• Once again, a ton of Mandalorians in one area reminds me of playing Star Wars with my friends with our two Boba Fetts.
• Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. It took me a while to realize that was Taiki Waititi’s voice.
• I love the design of the Survivor Mandalorians! Their ship is great; I see a future LEGO. I also hope for a few Black Series figures, too.
• Din’s speech to Bo Katan really moved me and will go down as a very Arthurian thing to say.
• White Imperial Mandalorians!
• Moff Gideon has some killer armor! Who made it? Could it have been….the Armorer?
• Something tells me he wasn’t going to spare the other Mandalorians. And how come the TIES haven’t attacked the fleet yet?
• Holy Poodoo! Praetorian Guards! So Gideon’s Imperial faction eventually is responsible for Snoke and Palpatine after all (maybe whether he likes it or not). It took 2 Jedi to take them down in the future….
• RIP Paz Visla
Chapter 24: The Return
• Some great hand-to-hand (beskar-on-beskar) combat.
• R5 to the rescue! There is also the ongoing commentary about the lax safety standards that seem to be present in all Imperial bases—no guardrails, no signs, nothing. OSHA would have a field day.
• Those crazy shields were certainly used against the Imperials, opening up Phantom Menace-style!
• Also, R5 vs. Multiple Mouse Droids (one of which forget his place and sailed over the edge).
• Looks like Gideon has made some improvements to his armor. Also, kind of unfair using Preatorian Guards after saying he was going to kill Mando himself!
• I’m glad the Survivor Mandalorians survived; they would make great action figures.
• YES!! BO-KATAN WITH THE IGNITED DARKSABER! IN THE AIR!
• Did the Clone Jedi Mando Gideon open his eyes because he felt Grogu in the Force?
• Now if Moff Gideon was tracking Mando and Grogu throughout the base somehow, why didn’t he stop them from destroying his clones?
• I was getting nervous for li’l Grogu jumping all around. He did get some good hits in multiple fights.
• Axe Woves. Another true Mandalorian hero, loyal to Bo-Katan!
• Force Shield ala Grogu! I’m assuming Gideon didn’t survive getting totally immolated and his clones all destroyed.
• OK, so no spies. No traitors. Good.
• I think Grogu (excuse me, Din Grogu) is communicating with the Mythosaur through the Force. I would have thought Bo-Katan would have jumped up and ridden him somehow but luckily the script didn’t allow it. I am glad that Ragnar was able to finish his baptism after attempted maulings and kidnappings.
• The sound of hundreds of Mandos banging beskar gauntlets together chanting is truly a religious experience and moved me, being a fan of the original Republic Commando novels.
• While igniting the Great Forge. Very Lord of the Rings. Mythological.
• IG-11’s redesign as a Marshall is beyond awesome!
• Mando, just chilling in his cabin with Din Grogu waiting for his next case. They’re a true family now. Going after a Warlord or rogue Imp general? Or Grand Admiral?
• No Thrawn ‘til Ahsoka then!
My theory for the next season/upcoming movies: looks like the rest of the Shadow Council got some of Gideon’s cloning research since they were able to clone at least 2 sucessful Force-using clones in Snoke and Palpatine. The mass Mandalorian army was able to disrupt the Imperials’ plans for at least 20 years; guess Mandalore really was THE KEY. However, Elia Kane still remains on Coruscant to interrupt New Republic plans as a future First Order saboteur. Luckily, she doesn’t know about Din Djarin’s unofficial contract with Captain Teva and (in my mind) a Dave Filoni-hatted Trapper Wolf.