[kscherer]

You do understand how social media works in 2020, right?



Edit: LOL. Then I go back and you've removed 16 hours, 29 minutes, and 33 seconds of well-written critique!

[psmith2.0]

I'm not talking social media. I'm talking regular articles at regular websites (Yahoo, etc.) accessible/seen by everyone. I should be able to go to those without worrying, do you agree?

If I go to some neckbeards's STAR WARS SPOILERZ!!!™ Twitter, YouTube, Instagram or whatever page/feed, then yeah...that's on me, and I get what I deserve if I want to not have something spoiled. I waded into something clearly labeled what it is.

If I'm at some general topic website - Yahoo or any bazillions of others that aren't even about Star Wars, or spoilers, etc. - reading about some sports story or new car model and I see a list of other articles on the side and there are spoilers sitting right there (which is exactly what I encountered all weekend), that's wrong/inconsiderate. I shouldn't have to stay off the entire damn Internet just because people don't know how to write.

They have an entire article to talk about everything they want, without putting it in the headline, visible to everyone. That's just a writer being a clueless, inconsiderate shithead.

Social media isn't the same as general info websites. I thought I knew where not to go to avoid such things, but apparently not. Dipshit writers (and I use the term lightly) will apparently just blab it all, no matter where.

And, again...the stupidity of them putting a spoiler alert in the opening paragraph or subhead, AFTER they've already spoiled it via their headline/artwork kinda misses the point, doesn't it? You typically see the headline/artwork before you get to the article itself. That's my beef here...the placement and presentation of spoilers. Give me that choice to proceed or not, don't take it away by saying it in the (unavoidable) headline.

It bothered me because I don't really follow/watch much of anything (shows, etc.), and the one thing I kinda do, I see how some writers approach it. So now, if I'm unable to catch a new episode Friday, or even Saturday, I gotta just stay off the entire Internet in case I'm on some site that has nothing to do with the subject, in case one of their aggregated articles is written by one of these chuckleheads? Seems a little unfair...me staying offline for 2-3 days vs. assholes not putting spoilers in their headlines.

One of those seems a little easier, and more reasonable to expect, than the other.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 regular articles at regular websites

… and social media have merged into one common, disjointed bundle of crap.

[psmith2.0]

These writers may have a social media presence (that's how I contacted several of them), but a long-form article meant to go on various websites of general interest still isn't the same as me deliberately wading into a dedicated, focused social media site/page/feed that is clearly about nothing but spoilers and the like. I know to avoid those if I don't want to be spoiled.

That's my beef.

Just don't put spoilers in the damn headlines. That's all. It's that easy.

You can say "Episode One of the New Season of The Mandalorian Delivered on a Mind-blowing Cameo" or whatever. Appropriately vague, non-committal and teasing (just how I like my women) is fine.

But you don't say/show who it was, in the headlines/artwork.

Not less than 24 hours. Maybe 1-2 weeks? I don't know. But sure as shit, not the same weekend. Period.

[kscherer]

I agree with you. But in this age of instant gratification, where many people only read the headline, what else you gonna expect?

[psmith2.0]

More.

[kscherer]

Yes. I also have expectations. I just reserve them for non-idiots.

[Capella]

FYI, Paul, you don't need to say that he stuck around post-sarlaac for 30+ years. Mandalorian is set in 9ABY, or 5 years after ROTJ. The Empire's been deconstructing all this time, and half a decade isn't long to turtle up and recover from a major life-shaking event.

[psmith2.0]

Oh that’s right. I got my timelines mixed up from those stupid sequels. Yes, it’s very soon after ROTJ. Oops.

I think he wants his threads back.

[drewprops]

::watches Scates slink back down into his Star Wars pit::




...

[psmith2.0]

"Threads" as in clothes/armor, not Applenova threads.

This is about the only non-idiotic Star Wars thing I've seen from Disney* since December 2015, so...

I want to love this property again; this show is the clearest route to that. It makes me happy to discuss SW again, and I’d honestly reached the point where I wondered if that could ever happen. If this same bunch is even remotely involved in the Kenobi project, that’s wonderful news.

Somebody - Favreau? Filoni? - actually appears to have a clue and seems hell-bent on producing fun, watchable SW fare; and it’s obvious Abrams and Kennedy don’t have their paws all over it. Thank goodness.





*Yes, yes...Rogue One. It has some nice moments, but, overall, it never really grabbed me much. It has some great scenes/sequences (and amazing visuals), but I kinda think it's a bit overrated. But, when I look at what it's compared against (those three sequel releases from J.J., Rian & Co., then Rogue One may as well be The Godfather or Citizen Kane at this point. It's certainly the best of the bunch of the five live-action theatrical releases from Disney, no doubt. I even enjoyed Solo, the lead actor aside, more than I ever imagined I would.

[psmith2.0]

PS - When do new episodes hit? Fridays? Is there a certain time? Literally at 12 midnight early Friday morning, or do they just appear randomly sometime on Friday afternoon or evening?

Because of the putting-spoilers-in-their-headlines dipshits discussed earlier, I figure my safest bet - if I want to use the Internet at all on the weekends - is to try and catch new episodes as early as I can (stay up late tonight, watch during lunch on Friday, etc.).

I’m new to this... :

[kscherer]

Disney and Kathleen Kennedy failed to demonstrate any vision for the third trilogy. It was just … empty. I enjoyed the first and the third films as independent movies, but the trilogy sucked beans! Rogue One was amazing. Solo was good. The Clone Wars and Rebels have been fun, but obviously intended for a younger audience (my kid* and I still try to catch an episode from time to time, but she's crazy busy in her new job, so we don't get much time any more).

The Mandalorian has been brilliant, fun, and engaging. And, yes, if Disney has anywhere near the same vision for the Kenobi series, it will be awesome! And my suspicion is that Ahsoka Tano is going to show up in there as well, and that will be the BOMB!

* LOL! She's 23!

[kscherer]

Some Obi-Wan stuff has been moved.

[turtle]

Yeah, new episode was posted this morning when I got up so I'm sure it is midnight Friday. I'm planning to watch the next episode after I get off work again.

[psmith2.0]

I read that the new ones, in the U.S. anyway, are made available at midnight PST, 3AM here in the east. I watched it this morning, as the sun was coming up. I got up to pee around 4am and saw that it was available and thought "it'll only take 45 minutes and then I can go back to sleep"...and then I realized how silly that sounded. I went back to sleep right then.

I'd classify this one as a "filler" episode. Nothing really happened, big picture. Just a standalone type of thing that really didn't tie to any of the larger things established last week (or last season), once past the opening sequence.

This guy is the unluckiest character ever. Everything bad happens to him and his ship. He just can't catch a break. But, if you're in that line of work, trouble/danger is just part of it, I guess. But nothing ever just goes easy or as planned. Even when he tries to help someone out, or even just mind his own business, everything goes sideways within minutes.

The one thing I've noticed about the show is the music. All other SW live-action properties, by design, have been orchestral (strings, horns, etc.) I heard Lucas and John Williams talk about how the world itself is so crazy and out there, that there should be timeless type of music to "ground it", etc. I think that's been such a good part of the OT and even the prequels at times. But The Mandalorian is way more electronic and "thump-y"...white noise, dissonance, pulsing bass, aggressive percussion, etc. Sometimes it reminds me of that synth theme that plays at the start of Stranger Things when the red letters all appear and come together. That's kinda new/different for Star Wars, isn't it?

Question: is that Mos Eisley woman supposed to be funny? Because she isn't, at all. Every time she utters a line in that over-the-top, hammy Comic Relief™ way she does, in my mind I just hear Family Matters/Full House type of cranked-to-11 laugh track (because nobody ever actually said anything funny on those shows either). What an annoying character. We get it...you're brassy, world-weary, you've seen it all and you have a quip or snarky reaction to everything. Good...now go away.

And yes...I know who she is, who's playing her. I still don't give a shit; she's unbearable.

Any humor in this show typically comes from the lead character, and some of his reactions to the child or droids/aliens, or even that marshal last week. They're subtle and natural/believable. Huge difference! Nobody acts like that spaceport woman except in bad comedies, which this show isn't. That's why she sticks out so much and mangles every scene she's in.

PS - I eagerly await the return of Cara Dune. My gosh...

More of her, less of service station lady above, please.

[kscherer]

notreadingnotreadingnotreadingnotreadingnotreading notreadingnotreadingnotreadingnotreadingnotreading notreading

[psmith2.0]

If you haven't seen it, then you shouldn't even be in this thread...the one that YOU made spoiler-friendly! What's the matter with you?

I've got no problem using spoiler tags, but I notice they don't seem to show up on iOS. Or at least that was the case a year or so ago.

Testing...

EDIT: still the same...you see the stuff in a little box labeled "spoiler", but it's not blacked out on iPhone, so it's totally visible...it's just inside a little frame/box.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 If you haven't seen it, then you shouldn't even be in this thread...the one that YOU made spoiler-friendly! What's the matter with you?

Oh, I'm an idiot. And a glutton for punishment. And only as smart as the average wamp rat.

And maybe not that smart.

[psmith2.0]

In traditional TV, 20+ episodes a season, a filler type of episode is a little easier to swallow. But these cable or streaming shows - The Mandalorian, The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, etc. - where a “season” consists of only 8-10 episodes, having these go-nowhere, “...yeah, and?” entries are a bit more aggravating.

A show like this, eight episodes a year, should all be balls-out story progression, etc.

These Walker, Texas Ranger and Higheay to Heaven entries where things just meander for 35 minutes while he helps out some stranger so everyone sees what a good person he is, etc. aren’t my favorites.

They tease things - Moff Gideon and that lightsaber, you-know-who from last week, etc.) and then, as I predicted last week, they hold back and do some “traveling around, helping out farmers and miners” episodes, knowing nobody gives a shit about that.

I bet you the above two characters won’t surface again until episodes 7-8.

Unfortunate.

I bet I could lay out exactly how these next six episodes will go...and there will still be another 2-3 pointless filler ones in the mix, no less. It seems to be the established template far too many shows are using anymore.

If I’m making a show that’s only on for two months out of 12, I would be going out of my way to not waste everyone’s time (and goodwill). They need to tread carefully with that sort of stuff.

Everyone’s still in the honeymoon phase, but, eventually, people will want more of what is always teased or hinted at.

You can’t put everything cool and meaningful in the season opener and season finale and then blithely screw around for all the others. Far too many shows engage in that and I’m hoping this one avoids it.

All this is on my mind because I binged season 1 last night, without any rose colored glasses, and I could’ve done without a solid 2-3 of the episodes.

Maybe I expect too much, but when you’re only doing eight entries a year, they should all be stellar and mind-blowing. And nobody should ever be left feeling/thinking “okay...why?” I finally bailed on TWD four years ago for this very reason.

I hate filler, in any form/media.

[kscherer]

Also, because I have the Mad Mod™ skilz, I check any thread with new posts just to make sure the bots aren't active, and you chump-sticks aren't beating each other over the head with digital rocks!

The Ban Hammer has his responsibilities!

[psmith2.0]

Because I watched them all last night, it's still fresh on my mind...in addition to the music, another thing I noticed/liked is that this show kinda pulls from the all-star bench of prestige cable/premium/streaming/genre casting, huh?

I saw Clancy Brown, Mark Boone Junior, Ming-Na Wen, in addition to Timothy Olyphant, Bill Burr and there's probably a dozen others I didn't recognize due to makeup or masks.

They should do an episode where everyone in the cast is from Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy, The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, etc. They might be working toward that!

Also, there's a neat behind-the-scenes feature that talks about how the show uses virtual sets vs. green screen, and the reasons why - lighting, reflections, no green bleeding/spill, the actors have something to look at/react to, scenes can be changed on the fly, etc. - it works well for such a show.

I love watching stuff like this.

[Dr. Bobsky]

I will say that almost all 20+ episode series are filled with fluff. Deep character dives are part of 6-12 episode story arcs. It's the 3 episode series where you cannot waste a moment.

[psmith2.0]

What show has three episodes?

Eight episodes is enough that they shouldn’t be farting around with dead, filler episodes. That’s my only point. I don’t give a shot about other things I don’t watch or know about.

[Dr. Bobsky]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 What show has three episodes? Eight episodes is enough that they shouldn’t be farting around with dead, filler episodes. That’s my only point. I don’t give a shot about other things I don’t watch or know about.

some of the series from the UK are 3 episodes...

[BlueRabbit]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 This guy is the unluckiest character ever. Everything bad happens to him and his ship. He just can't catch a break. But, if you're in that line of work, trouble/danger is just part of it, I guess. But nothing ever just goes easy or as planned. Even when he tries to help someone out, or even just mind his own business, everything goes sideways within minutes.

"Bounty hunting is a complicated profession."

The one thing I've noticed about the show is the music. All other SW live-action properties, by design, have been orchestral (strings, horns, etc.) I heard Lucas and John Williams talk about how the world itself is so crazy and out there, that there should be timeless type of music to "ground it", etc. I think that's been such a good part of the OT and even the prequels at times. But The Mandalorian is way more electronic and "thump-y"...white noise, dissonance, pulsing bass, aggressive percussion, etc. Sometimes it reminds me of that synth theme that plays at the start of Stranger Things when the red letters all appear and come together. That's kinda new/different for Star Wars, isn't it?

Here's a good interview I read with the composer about season 2. Sounds like making a move away from "old" Star Wars music was very intentional, and I think it worked out pretty well.

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, it works for the action/tension, I guess. It just jumped out at me, after 40+ years of watching/knowing the OT and how nothing in them sounded "disco" or 80's, etc.

That pulsing, bass-y synth and "heartbeat" percussion is very Stranger Things to me.

[Dr. Bobsky]

I don't think this was a filler episode. I think it just failed to add any details to the character, obviously frog lady is an important character for the rest of the season or at least the next episode... Just like the previous episode was the most obnoxiously SWsy thing that ever SWed. And I do mean obnoxious. (Hackneyed recycled plotlines do not make for good television or streaming or whatever.)

[psmith2.0]

I enjoyed this latest episode. Getting a bit closer to things happening. Talk of Jedi and the actual mention of a name familiar to those who follow the animated stuff. It’s only a matter of time.

Not being a viewer of any of the animated/Clone Wats stuff, I had to do some Googling/SW Wiki to get up to speed on another character introduced.

Kinda neat to see characters seen only in animated form brought to real life. They nailed this particular one.

PS - I might be in love.

Thoughts and observations (spoilers, obviously)

- Frog lady was back, but only as expected and a direct continuation of last week’s story. I doubt she factors in again. Good thing she was around to babysit the child for a bit

- The whole episode was very squid-heavy throughout, including a mon calamari

- in their quest to keep hiring actors from Deadwood, lo and behold there’s Titus Welliver

- Bryce Dallas Howard directed this episode. She directed 1-2 in the first season as well, I think? Following in dad’s footsteps, who has also worked on SW (he took over directing on Solo after Kathleen Kennedy ran out of people to fire)

- Post Empire Stormtroopers are somehow even worse shots than their predecessors. The show made a joke about their marksmanship.

- I saw that double-cross coming from 10 miles. “Don’t do it, Mando...don’t get on that boat!”

- There’s Moff Gideon again, in hologram (holograph?) form. Giancarlo Esposito plays a bad guy so well. Space Gus! I first saw him on a few episodes of NYPD Blue ages ago (late 90’s?) and he was awesome then.

- The dark saber mentioned

- I assume those two Imperial freighter pilots were cameos, as much screen time/reaction shots as they received, but I can’t place them (there’s a ton of genre fare I don’t watch, so they could be from anything and I’d never know). But I have a feeling they’re known actors from something else...just a hunch

- The Razor Crest is starting to give the Falcon some competition in the most patched-together, shitty-looking piece-of-junk sweepstakes.

- Nice, underplayed humor in this one, mostly from Mando’s reaction to the kid and the repair work done on his ship.

- Speaking of ships, it was funny/odd to see one - a real one, as in ocean-going/sailing (vs. the usual, expected SW hover approach to transportation) - in this episode. Much like those treaded speeder bikes in The Rise of Skywalker, it seemed a bit odd and “of another time/franchise”, frankly. Everything in SW floats/hovers (landspeeders, scout bikes, the child’s crib, Imperial probe droids, tha interrogation sphere droid, frozen-in-carbonate prisoners, the little lightsaber practice remotes, Jabba’s barge and accompanying skiffs, etc.), so to see a big boat actually cutting through water looked more like a scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean than SW. Those treaded speeder bikes in TRoS were so idiotic. What purpose did they serve, in universe, 30+ years after the OT (where vehicles and devices were floating/hovering all over the place). Stupid, piece-of-shit movie...

- The child is becoming more vocally expressive. Amps up the cuteness by 400%. I wonder if we eventually hear him speak? And will it be the Yoda-like syntax? “Hungry I am...”, etc. I kinda like his little coos and whimpers, so I don’t mind him staying dialogue-free

- Katie Sackhoff in Mandalorian armor; I didn’t realize this was something I was missing in life. Meow.

Next episode is 4-of-8, so halfway in. I figure the payoff/reveal folks have been waiting for (no, the other one...the non-armored female one) is coming soon.

Not sure how I’m supposed to concentrate on plot/dialogue once Ms. Dawson is added to the mix. Between Gina Carano, Sackhoff and Dawson, the “OMG...totally my type” factor of this show is through the roof.

This show looks great. That slow zoom in on the ship looked so real. You know every actor there never set foot on the water for it. As impressive and real-looking as anything I’ve ever seen. Great CGI/effects/compositing work!

[turtle]

Man, you get up WAY to EARLY!

I want to read what you wrote but I'm going to watch this in about 7 hours.