[kscherer]

Well, I subscribed to Disney+ and the first thing I did with it was watch The Mandalorian with my daughter.

The show had a wild west, Clint Eastwood kind of vibe, although I thought it was just a bit slow moving during the middle act. I did like the way the bounty hunter is humanized, that he actually has some scruples. The effects were excellent, as is always the case with Star Wars things, but the music seemed off. I think the composer was shooting for sci-fi/gunslinger and it comes off just a bit weird.

My only real grumble: Disney seems to be shooting for weekly shows rather than filming a series and dumping it all at once. This is certainly better for maintaining subscription revenue, but HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BINGE-WATCH THE MANDALORIAN?

[psmith2.0]

Does it seem to have a plan or some sort of "we know what we're doing/going" type of arc (as opposed to any of the theatrical releases)?

PS - Swung by to see all the exciting "Rise of Skywalker" discussion sure to be taking place, and fling out a thought or two. As expected - in line with the overall hype/marketing, merchandising, real life discussions I have, etc. - nobody seems to really be giving a rip at this point. After Rian Johnson's little experimental student film two years ago, I can't blame a soul.

Kennedy, Abrams & Co. kicked it in the nuts, dumbed it down, Woke™ it up, got all their ideas/inspiration from 35+ years ago, checked all the boxes that require checking for post-2015 moviemaking, except the ones labeled "coherent, enjoyable story" and "relatable, memorable characters".

Funny, however, that the one saying "purple-haired, suicidal ice queen" made it through with no problem.

Priorities.

[chucker]

Hi Paul!

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 as opposed to any of the theatrical releases

oh snap

[kscherer]

Holy Crap™!!

Wowzers and yowzers!

It's a Paul!!

Woo and hoo!

Oh, sorry. Just had a minor shart and headsplosion right there. Age, you know.

—

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Does it seem to have a plan or some sort of "we know what we're doing/going" type of arc (as opposed to any of the theatrical releases)?

So, yeah. There does seem to be some direction to the show. It ended with the idea that this cagey, reckless bounty hunter is somewhat merciful, and will struggle with the immediate future, which seems to involve going against the Bad Guys™. The entire, 30-minute episode felt good and fresh, and left with a cliffhanger thing that makes me want to see episode 2. Heh, Episode 2. That's funny. There is also a "Halo" effect to the show, since the Mandalorian does not remove his helmet. It makes us want him to remove it so we can see the face back there, much as we wanted Master Chief to do so. i like that. There is a mysterious side to it.

As I said, there was a bit where it felt just a little too slow, like maybe they didn't really know who this guy is or his purpose in the SW universe. But I felt like they got back on track toward the end, if perhaps a bit too quickly. I don't want to give things away, so I'll stop with that.

Time will tell if there is anything to it. If this was all that Disney had, I would still subscribe to check it out, but there is a lot of other stuff, including the entirety of The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and more (even a bunch of Lego stuff).

—

As far as Episodes 7 & 8 are concerned, I loved 7 and hated 8. With 9 on the near horizon and JJ Abrams in charge, I have A New Hope that the ship may get righted, but it's a small hope. The more I think about the whole thing, the more I realize that 7 was an Episode 4 remake intended to drive the story toward a new, younger audience. But, Episode 8 was this horrific dig at my 40 years of Star Wars fandom. It was an overly political, poorly conceived, disgusting attack on the entirety of the SW universe, and I was insulted to the point that I have not watched it a second time. Seriously, I have seen every other SW movie at least 10 times (even the crap that is 1-3), but I have only seen 8 one time. There is a piece of me that thinks Disney recognizes the damage Episode 8 did and that 9 has to get things back on track, much in the same way that the whole of 1-3 is just kind of ignored, as if it never happened. If 9 bombs, then for me SW will be drilled down to a quadrilogy of movies that spans from Episode 4 through Episode 7, and ends there.

—

P.S. I should ban you for 24 hours for staying away so damned long!

[psmith2.0]

I'll post my thoughts on Episode 9 over in the "saga ends" thread...

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I'll post my thoughts on Episode 9 over in the "saga ends" thread...

Ooooooooooooooo …

< kscherer rubs hands in anticipation >

[709]

Originally Posted by kscherer ...but HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BINGE-WATCH THE MANDALORIAN?

Exactly. As much as I want to jump in I've decided to wait until after the new year to subscribe so I can at least binge a good portion of the season at once. Was planning to do the same with TV+ but Anna got hooked on The Morning Show (the first-episode-free thing really works as a hook, btw) so I guess we're doing that now.

[turtle]

I actually appreciate the delay between episodes. When I get to binge watch it the problem is it is more like a movie with intermissions rather than shows.

[kscherer]

Watched Episode 4 last night. This show continues to impress, and I really enjoy the way the main character is written and, although his face is always covered by a helmet, there is a great deal of personality conveyed. My only complaint thus far is the continued use of ex machina to resolve problems that arise. While it can be fun, if overused it gets a touch monotonous and predictable. But, that is my only complaint. The show is stuffed with good, well-timed humor, great effects, fun scenarios, believable characters, good acting, and a storyline that has me "rooting for Boba Fett", which is weird because there is no Boba Fett in this show, but it explains a lot about that long-ago character that has me respecting him and the trials he must have gone through.

This is a good show!

P.S. It's fun to look over at my Star Wars-nerd daughter and see the smile of enjoyment on her face. That makes me

Edit: Also, I wanted to toss in an update to the music complaint I had in my first post. Things are looking up. Music is one of those elements that should never detract from the story. I thought it did that in the first episode, but since then I feel like the music is more harmonic with the story and not distracting.

[kieran]

I absolutely love this show and am kind of happy that it is being spaced out on a weekly basis.

I got my wife to watch strictly by showing her a picture of Baby Yoda and she's still actively watching, so that's a good sign.

I love how this reminds me of Rogue One. it's Star Wars, but not the Skywalker. This is what I was hoping for after Rogue One and I'm honestly happier having them as TV shows rather than stand alone movies.

Super excited to see what else comes down the pipe.

[kscherer]

Yeah, right there with you. The Skywalker saga seems too confusing for Disney to negotiate, but the outlier stuff they are mostly nailing. And, yeah, at this point I am glad for the weekly releases. It spaces the show and gives me something to look forward to. My wife could care less, but my daughter is a huge SW fan and we see all the things together, so it is a good opportunity to hang with her and childishly giggle our collective pants off!

[torifile]

We have made the Mandalorian our "family" show to watch on Sunday nights. Given how disparate my kids' interests are, it's a minor miracle that they've agreed to watch something together.

I agree about the music. My wife and I both commented on it after the first episode but since then, it's been invisible which is a good thing.

This last episode (the one with the ATST) there were a few plot holes that my kids pointed out but it was still just fun to watch. And my 9 y.o. daughter cannot stop herself from "awwwwww"ing every time baby Yoda is on screen. It's too cute.

And, as "woke" as it may seem, I really appreciate the strong woman characters in this last episode. My daughter needs more of that in her TV watching. It's interesting what we take for granted until we see the world through our kids' eyes.

[kscherer]

I think my first reaction to the female warrior was that she was too strong to be believed. However, after thinking about it I realized that this is the Star Wars universe, which is filled with strong female characters (both human and alien). This one was a bit too strong to be believed at first glance, but I didn't think it felt "woke" any more than Xena Warrior Princess.

The Last Jedi is a different story.

[turtle]

I’m finally watching this. So far I’m really liking it.

“Hey, spit that out!”

[Brad]

I know I'm super late to the party here, but has nobody mentioned here the multiple references to The Star Wars Holiday Special in the first episode of The Mandalorian, effectively cementing that disaster even further into Star Wars canon?

Mando's first bounty talks about celebrating Life Day while he's rummaging through the ship's lower deck.

The dude that teaches him to ride those warthog-bear things mentions how Mandalorians used to ride the "mythosaur", presumably the dinosaur-looking thing in the animated segment.

Mando's disintegration rifle thing (jeez, I'm really bad with names today) looks just like the forked weapon Boba Fett had in the animated segment.

I suppose I should be ashamed for my ears perking up and immediately noticing these references when I first heard them.

[kscherer]

There's all kinds of nifty little easter eggs floating around in this show. My favorite—so far—was the "put another monkey on the Bar-B" scene in the first episode.

Freakin' Ha-larious!

I also loved the guy's utter contempt for Jawas and the way he treated them. That stuff was just awesome.

[Brad]

I just watched the fifth episode, and…

hmm…

I hope this one was a fluke. It felt like a 100% "filler" episode. Unless I blinked and missed something, there was zero plot or character development in this episode, and you could easily skip the whole episode and not miss a beat. Other than a small moment of foreshadowing at the end and the cameo by the lovely Amy Sedaris…

…anyone else of potential interest is gone by the end of the episode.

Anyone tell me I'm wrong?

[kscherer]

Won't see it until at least Sunday night, so can't help you.

[drewprops]

I think the important part of episode 5 is WHERE he is...


...

[psmith2.0]

Getting to where you can't tell any of these desert planets from each other, huh? Star Wars is never gonna depart/deviate too far from that place. Too much history/lore, and, let's face it, opportunity for Disney/Lucasfilm to harken back to the good ol' days, which can only please/placate viewers...especially the 35-and-older ones. It's like going home. That place will forever be "home base" for any and all live action SW projects, even if just a casual mention or flyby. It's where it all began, after all. It'll always loom large, for reasons both in, and out of, the story. But I've seen the several clips from this episode...fan-service galore. Even down to a certain table/booth. I did notice that sign, in Aurebesh, hanging in the background (you have to pause just as the camera is panning right): "Shoot first, be sorry for the mess later".

Okay, I totally made that last part up...

[kscherer]

But, that's one of the true beauties of this show. It hangs around the old stomping grounds, a place where smugglers and bounty hunters were always known to frequent, and where we feel comfortable. There was always going to be some backstory and—in the case of The Mandalorian—some fore-story. Life continues to happen, even within the chaos of all the war and rebellion. These side-stories give us a glimpse into that "reality" and it really is good fun!

[psmith2.0]

I don't have a problem with it. I wasn't complaining (for once). I'd much rather return to, and see, Tatooine than Coruscant or any number of other planets/locations (Krait, Naboo, Geonosis, Mustafar, etc.) that have played a part in this saga.

I'm a Tatooine, Hoth and Dagobah kinda guy (with Cloud City/Bespin tossed in, because of its cool facilities and made-for-adventure layout). Probably not too many places in the galaxy you can get carbon-froze, fly out a window, get your hand chopped off and free-fall hundreds of feet into an exhaust port/weather vane.

[drewprops]

Planets was a big thing about the first Star Wars trilogy.

A desert world!
A snow world!
A cloud world!
A jungle world!
A forest moon!

It was seriously kind of a mind-blower as a kid.
I kept wanting new planet types.

And then later...

An ocean world!!
A city world!!
A volcano world!!!

And then I was like, wtf?

These aren't realistic. Geology and topography and equators and poles are going to demand more complexity.

And now I just don't care, actually.

Entertain me then bugger off.

It's okay if the movies don't get hung up on showing us ultra-weird planetary types because it's all about the people anyway.


So. Desert planet #43?

Fine.

Whatever.




...

[psmith2.0]

And there was that neat-looking day-glo plant planet where the hot blue Jedi was killed during Order 66. Had I been a trooper on that detail, I might've gone against orders, offed my comrades instead and escaped with her.

"We can have a life somewhere far away, baby...whaddya say? I'm hoping you say 'yes' cuz I just plugged my entire platoon over yo' fine self!"

That is a funny/interesting thing about the planets, though. Never really thought about it, but yeah...no bio/geological/meteorological diversity at all. The entire joint is one thing (snow, swamp, rock, etc.), at least as far as we're ever shown. Basically every major environment/surrounding on Earth given its own planet/moon to shine. Trying to think if there's one they've missed out on...never really been a mountainous type of planet, with huge peaks and ridges, endless ranges, etc. Maybe there's one in Episode IX? That Rogue One movie featured a tropical/Bahamas/Sandals Resort looking place in the third act. Pretty place to vacation, all that blue water and palm trees, had there been no Imperial tower/presence.

[psmith2.0]

Not keeping up with this property as I once did, what else is on the horizon? Is that Obi-Wan thing still proceeding? Didn't I hear about Ewan McGregor's involvement? This show is proving (for now, anyway...everything eventually runs its course, whether it's six months or six years) that well-written, entertaining SW fare can succeed on the small screen (like those various Clone Wars shows a few years back), so you have to assume there are some meetings and brainstorming taking place at Disney/Lucasfilm to figure out what other non-Skywalker saga characters or storylines might be worth pursuing.

It would be interesting if, three years or so from now, everyone just kinda associates Star Wars with home TV viewing via Disney+, vs. big multiplex/feature film releases every 2-3 years. Things have changed enough in recent years where such a suggestion doesn't sound as nutty and off-the-wall as it might have just 10-15 years ago. Most people have nice, large HD TVs in their house (and they're only getting larger and more HD it seems), and all these streaming services have changed how we think about screen-based entertainment. And I don't know anyone without really snappy broadband to pipe all this stuff in. And I figure in another 5-10 years, it'll be even more widespread.

If I were a producer/writer/director type and truly felt that I had a big, sprawling story I wanted to tell in this universe, I think I'd prefer the multi-episode Disney+ route, like this Mandalorian show, vs. trying to cram everything into a single 135-minute movie (or even 2-3 of them, over the course of 4-6 years).

The Sopranos, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, etc. have all generated as much passion and following as any big-screen release or property I can recall. 25 years from now, the thought of going to a movie theater to watch stuff might seem like a weird, out-of-date and "can you believe that's how we used to watch movies?!" laugh/eyeroll trigger. Scorsese and his peers will lose their minds at such a transformation (if not outright loss) of "cinema", but they're not going to be around in 25 years anyway, so... Things change. We don't go to sock-hops, buy 8-tracks (or, hell, even CDs) or smoke on airplanes either...watching original, first-run Star Wars (or anything) in your underwear on your 128" 12K Samsung may be the norm at some point in most of our lifetimes. But such a thing also opens up other opportunities. The multiplex as we know it may cease to exist in 2-3 decades, but the opportunity for enterprising types to capitalize on nostalgia and "the old days" could be huge. This past summer, I went to the Tivoli Theater in downtown Chattanooga (old, ornate movie/performance hall that's been around for ages...the balconies/boxes, big red curtains, all the decor/lighting, a big Wurlitzer organ on the side, etc. to see Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen for the first time since 1981. It was the most fun/enjoyment I've had in a movie theater in decades. It was awesome, so I could do with more of that, and less of the Flick-O-Rama 38, that's for sure. I think a lot of people could. It was so fun, just the entire vibe and presentation. That may be how things transition...mainstream, first-run viewing at home, with friends and family. And then for "special" outings, you go to a restored movie house with great sound and ambience to see showings of classic, timeless movies? Way back in the 90's, my girlfriend and I saw Casablanca in that very same theater, and it was the same sort of joy/thrill. Something about those kinds of movies in that environment just elevates the evening/experience. For me, anyway.

[709]

Originally Posted by Brad I just watched the fifth episode, and… hmm… I hope this one was a fluke. It felt like a 100% "filler" episode. Unless I blinked and missed something, there was zero plot or character development in this episode, and you could easily skip the whole episode and not miss a beat. Other than a small moment of foreshadowing at the end and the cameo by the lovely Amy Sedaris…

A lot of fan service regarding Ep. IV in this one so I enjoyed it quite a bit. The cantina, the booth with the gunslinger kid sitting legs-up Solo style (even his blaster was very Solo-esque), location callouts (beyond the Dune Sea, Beggar's Canyon), the encounter with the Sand People (I was sure that a Raider was going to pop up in front of the binocs. Close, but not quite), etc. That's just off the top of my head from watching it last night... I'm sure there's tons more. Plus the cinematography in this episode was just great.

I thought the previous episode (the fish-farmers) was a bit of a throwaway, honestly. I'm sure the badass fighter woman will show up again, but the possessed AT-ST was just weird.

Originally Posted by Brad …anyone else of potential interest is gone by the end of the episode.

I don't believe that Agent May is really dead.

Originally Posted by drewprops I think the important part of episode 5 is WHERE he is...

Indeed. And since this is set after Ep. VI I think that bit of foreshadowing Brad mentions is

the return of our favorite Mando in name only. Sarlacc scratched armor and all.

[turtle]

Ok, I'm only two episodes in right now but having a tough time figuring out the timeline for this "universe". How is Yoda a baby but the Empire gone? That isn't actually Yoda but a similar creature? I'm sure one of you guys have looked it up or will it tell me as I get through episode 3 and beyond?

[709]

Oh, and I absolutely LOVE the credits sequence in all of these episodes. The McQuarrie style art is amazing and gives me a real sense of nostalgia.

[709]

Originally Posted by turtle Ok, I'm only two episodes in right now but having a tough time figuring out the timeline for this "universe". How is Yoda a baby but the Empire gone? That isn't actually Yoda but a similar creature? I'm sure one of you guys have looked it up or will it tell me as I get through episode 3 and beyond?

The Child isn't Yoda, just the same species. The nickname of 'Baby Yoda' the internet has bestowed on it is misleading. The show is set after Episode VI.

[edit]: "Favreau has said that The Mandalorian is set five years after the fall of the Empire in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and 25 years before the rise of the First Order, the authoritarian regime that is firmly in control of the galaxy when Episode VII: The Force Awakens begins."

[turtle]

Oh thank you so much. That makes much more sense to me!