• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

The Mandalorian |OT| A Complicated Profession [SPOILERS ON EPISODE DROP]

What did you think of Chapter 8: Redemption?

  • Great

    Votes: 708 73.8%

  • Good

    Votes: 179 18.7%

  • Average

    Votes: 60 6.3%

  • Poor

    Votes: 12 1.3%
  • Total voters
    959
Status
Not open for further replies.
Reader mode
Duane

Duane

Unshakable Resolve
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,425
Finally got to sit down and watch it. That episode was great. There's some people in this thread that really just want to be contrarian.

We have the classic seven samurai story here, with a little bit more world building, and some more character development, and a key new character introduced. This was good.
 
Scarlet Spider

Scarlet Spider

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,738
Brooklyn, NY
Man, I really wanted to like this but it just didn't click with me like the first three episodes. The writing and directing just felt off. Still liked it for what it was. Hopefully next episode is better.
 
DrForester

DrForester

Mod of the Year 2006
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,631
Was putting off starting this, but decided to watch the first episode.

Ended up watching the first three.


This is a pretty fun show. And I'm really, REALLY shocked it's not full of silly jokes and one-liners.
 
Sabretooth

Sabretooth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,048
India
The sudden shift in setting really threw me off. I was kind of expecting this series to be more urban and full of underworld intrigue. The sudden detour into saving a village seems just weird to me, even though it's an established Western trope.

Highlights of the episode were the adorable village kids, and of course, baby Yoda.
 
Hella

Hella

Member
Oct 27, 2017
23,392
This was posted in a Cats thread, and I think this should be posted here too:



Sometimes the Internet is good.
 

Venomgxt

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
88
Pretty good series so far, tho i thought the last episode was poorly directed. Mando attempts to burn Gina alive during their fight then end up having a normal conversation right after like its all good. Baby Yoda mindtricks probably. At-St turns its flashlight on, Gina tells everyone to cover, yet some of them clearly have their heads sticking out. Little annoyances here and there. Definitely the weakest episode by far
 
Halbrand

Halbrand

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,612
I kind of feel like the story got to baby Yoda way too early. I hope we'd seen him just doing more bounty hunter work first and not having to babysit. Feels early to already be developing him away from being a very morally grey character.
 
Aztechnology

Aztechnology

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
14,131
Just watched the episode.

I like components, Cara dune is cool. But I think the episode was middling at best. The tone just didn't feel right.
 
zoltek

zoltek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,917
Still enjoyed it immensely but this was the first episode that left me wanting. It felt... rushed and underdeveloped and thematically different from the first three episodes. The whole episode presented Mando doing stuff that the Mando we saw in the first three episodes would just not do.
 
Kin5290

Kin5290

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,390
This show tried, and failed, to do justice to Seven Samurai in a 20-25 minute time frame depending on when you start counting, but I don't think this episode is particularly bad relative to the rest of the series. Because the entire series thus far has been lacking in substance or overall plot. People call it Star Wars Samurai Jack but Samurai Jack was ostensibly about Jack's quest to return to his own time and destroy Aku. There's no underlying plot or compelling desire behind Mando's aimless wandering besides "survive", and that isn't particularly interesting IMO. It's just a way to transplant Western and Ronin tropes (which are pretty much the same thing) into a Star Wars setting in an extremely truncated manner. That's another fundamental problem with the show: it apparently costs so much to produce Star Wars film quality television that everything seems insanely rushed and is not allowed to breathe.

Before people start replying to me asking why I gotta keep posting if I don't like the show, it's because I wanted to like the show. I wanted to like it a lot. I'd be thrilled if I loved it, but the lack of character motivation beyond self perpetuation is leaving me cold thus far.

I still liked bits of it. Cara is great, for starters, and I'm disappointed that she's not going to be around for a bit. The perspective of the (perhaps not so) common rebel trooper is one that has been mostly neglected thus far, minus a book that looked pretty awful TBH.
 
RazzMahTazz1319

RazzMahTazz1319

Member
Oct 30, 2017
707
Anyone feel like they are going after the Genndy Tartakovsky feel for this series? Feels so much like Samurai Jack or his take on The Clone Wars. Basic Tropey B-plot to justify cool concept action piece.

Other than cute Yoda, I'm not emotionally engaged in the show. I don't even mean that the title character has to show his face. He is pretty bland so far.
 
Randdalf

Randdalf

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,167
I just realised the reason the Mando hates droids is because of that battle droid in the flashbacks. That totally flew over my head.
 
BringBackSonics

BringBackSonics

Member
Oct 27, 2017
44,942
Seattle
there is something definitely going on with the widow, the way she handled that blaster, she seemed ridiculously proficient with it, surprised that Mando didn't catch on
 
Kin5290

Kin5290

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,390
BringBackSonics said:
there is something definitely going on with the widow, the way she handled that blaster, she seemed ridiculously proficient with it, surprised that Mando didn't catch on
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
While she probably has a backstory that could actually be moderately interesting if the show took the time to explore it, her skills with a gun were no different than that of any generic Determined Homesteading Widow character from any Western shot after feminism became mainstream (see the Magnificent Seven remake).
 
Aztechnology

Aztechnology

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
14,131
Kin5290 said:
This show tried, and failed, to do justice to Seven Samurai in a 20-25 minute time frame depending on when you start counting, but I don't think this episode is particularly bad relative to the rest of the series. Because the entire series thus far has been lacking in substance or overall plot. People call it Star Wars Samurai Jack but Samurai Jack was ostensibly about Jack's quest to return to his own time and destroy Aku. There's no underlying plot or compelling desire behind Mando's aimless wandering besides "survive", and that isn't particularly interesting IMO. It's just a way to transplant Western and Ronin tropes (which are pretty much the same thing) into a Star Wars setting in an extremely truncated manner. That's another fundamental problem with the show: it apparently costs so much to produce Star Wars film quality television that everything seems insanely rushed and is not allowed to breathe.

Before people start replying to me asking why I gotta keep posting if I don't like the show, it's because I wanted to like the show. I wanted to like it a lot. I'd be thrilled if I loved it, but the lack of character motivation beyond self perpetuation is leaving me cold thus far.

I still liked bits of it. Cara is great, for starters, and I'm disappointed that she's not going to be around for a bit. The perspective of the (perhaps not so) common rebel trooper is one that has been mostly neglected thus far, minus a book that looked pretty awful TBH.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Absolutely agreed. This was the weakest episode for me thus far. I felt like we were starting to get there with 2/3 for character. But we kind of backslid a little. And with only 8 episodes in the season I'm really worried about them being able to bring it together in a compelling way. Especially with having different directors constantly.

Cara was the best part of the episode and if she doesn't continue than I'm not sure what reason this episode really even had to exist. It could easily have been left out and it we'd probably be none the wiser.
 
Kain

Kain

Unshakable Resolve - One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
7,592
This episode was boring as hell. I'm not sure they'll deliver a satisfactory ending...
 
Queen Calanthe

Queen Calanthe

Banned
Aug 16, 2019
844
UK
I think I am done with this, it's just not for me.

I already found it cringy and with too many writing cliche', but to have basically a filler episode too like it was 1990 it's too much for me.
 
3bdelilah

3bdelilah

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,615
Ever since I read a fan theory about how in its core this was originally going to the long-canned Star Wars 1313 game, I look at The Mandalorian differently. A lot of it finally makes sense. The slow pacing in its video game-esque mission structure, the fetch quests, the upgrading armor bits, the "protect the farmers" side quests, you name it. Having a character not taking off his helmet (at least for now) also gives the impression this was supposed to be a character that represented the players (although I think in 1313, the rumors were that Boba Fett was the playable character).
 
Inugami

Inugami

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,995
I really want to like this series... But baby Yoda is the absolute worst thing about this, he's porgs and ewoks and r2d2 with random thrusters AotC style... Every cut to him just pulls me out of the experience. He's (successful mind you) meme bait, but it comes at the cost of a consistent tone.

It doesn't help it feels like the writers want to do a darker star wars story but it's hamstrung by ratings and toy marketing.
 
Paganmoon

Paganmoon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,586
3bdelilah said:
Ever since I read a fan theory about how in its core this was originally going to the long-canned Star Wars 1313 game, I look at The Mandalorian differently. A lot of it finally makes sense. The slow pacing in its video game-esque mission structure, the fetch quests, the upgrading armor bits, the "protect the farmers" side quests, you name it. Having a character not taking off his helmet (at least for now) also gives the impression this was supposed to be a character that represented the players (although I think in 1313, the rumors were that Boba Fett was the playable character).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
1313 was going to be set on coruscant, on floor 1313 of the megacity, iirc.
SL doesn't quite work with the show going all over the place. Unless the theory is they took the quests but changed locations, which begs the question, why even bring over the quests?
 
Carn

Carn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,908
The Netherlands
Kin5290 said:
There's no underlying plot or compelling desire behind Mando's aimless wandering besides "survive", and that isn't particularly interesting IMO. It's just a way to transplant Western and Ronin tropes (which are pretty much the same thing) into a Star Wars setting in an extremely truncated manner. That's another fundamental problem with the show: it apparently costs so much to produce Star Wars film quality television that everything seems insanely rushed and is not allowed to breathe.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I think you pretty much summed up my feelings. While there is no doubt about the production values; it somehow all just feels meaningless because we have a main character who's only redeeming quality (so far) is that he looks cool and is a badass. That might work in a cartoon format; but it somehow does not gel well with Western/Ronin vibes the series clearly aims for. Still, I'm having a solid time with the series, it's just that I expected more of it I guess.
 
Lupercal

Lupercal

Banned
Jan 9, 2018
1,028
johancruijff said:
isn't that also the reason he's "chroming" himself?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That's more of a Mandalorian thing than anything else.
The Mando's prowess & status is shown through his armor, weapons etc ..
In the beginning he doesn't have anything with Beskar steel (except the helmet I think), so he gets a pauldron.
Then he gets the chestpiece and other pauldrons + the little birds.

It's explained better in the EU but yeah, they really need to do some worldbuilding in you're going in completely blank.
 
3bdelilah

3bdelilah

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,615
Paganmoon said:
1313 was going to be set on coruscant, on floor 1313 of the megacity, iirc.
SL doesn't quite work with the show going all over the place. Unless the theory is they took the quests but changed locations, which begs the question, why even bring over the quests?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Of course I didn't mean to say it's a 1-on-1 copy of what 1313 was going to be, but I meant a lot about The Mandalorian just feels like a video game, and with this rumor/fan theory, everything kinda falls into place. Before chapter 1 launched and I read the synopsis, I didn't know they'd take "After the Empire, a lone gunslinger makes his way through the galaxy" so literally.

Because we're halfway through now, and Mando has done jackshit aside from what the synopsis said, making his way through the galaxy. There's close to no narrative, we still know surprisingly little aside that his town was raided when he was a kid, zero background information about Baby Yoda aside from being cute as fuck, zero nothing aside from a lonely gunman hopping planet to planet with his new-found baby in a weird mix of Star Wars featuring The Road/The Last of Us.

I still like it for what it is, but before I watched the first chapter, I had no idea it was going to be like how it turned out.
 
demosthenes

demosthenes

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,575
3bdelilah said:
Ever since I read a fan theory about how in its core this was originally going to the long-canned Star Wars 1313 game, I look at The Mandalorian differently. A lot of it finally makes sense. The slow pacing in its video game-esque mission structure, the fetch quests, the upgrading armor bits, the "protect the farmers" side quests, you name it. Having a character not taking off his helmet (at least for now) also gives the impression this was supposed to be a character that represented the players (although I think in 1313, the rumors were that Boba Fett was the playable character).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

As someone who has just scratched the surface of star wars lore this just reads like someone who has never seen mandalorians. I do agree that the episodes have felt video gamey so far though.
 
johancruijff

johancruijff

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,232
Italy
Lupercal said:
That's more of a Mandalorian thing than anything else.
The Mando's prowess & status is shown through his armor, weapons etc ..
In the beginning he doesn't have anything with Beskar steel (except the helmet I think), so he gets a pauldron.
Then he gets the chestpiece and other pauldrons + the little birds.

It's explained better in the EU but yeah, they really need to do some worldbuilding in you're going in completely blank.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
no i understood that
Mandos have this hierarchy symbolized by their equipment yadda yadda
but they are not homogenous anymore, everyone follows the culture and traditions but have personal/internal/subconscious goals
that's what i read in the flashbacks he has during the forging, he's "chroming" up cause that's the mandos' way AND because he wants to stand up and stop the same big hunk of chromed metal that blew his parents away
at least that's what i read into it
 
Vipershark

Vipershark

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,376
KojiKnight said:
I really want to like this series... But baby Yoda is the absolute worst thing about this, he's porgs and ewoks and r2d2 with random thrusters AotC style... Every cut to him just pulls me out of the experience. He's (successful mind you) meme bait, but it comes at the cost of a consistent tone.

It doesn't help it feels like the writers want to do a darker star wars story but it's hamstrung by ratings and toy marketing.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is the reason I don't like Star Wars as a whole.
There always HAS to be a witty droid or cute meme to sell merch. There can't just be an interesting story with good action.
There always HAS to be family-friendly comic relief characters and moments, even in a "dark and gritty" bounty hunter series.


That being said, I've been able to largely ignore most of that in the Mandalorian so far, but as soon as I saw Baby Yoda in Episode 1 I knew how things were going to go, and oh look, they did.
I like the show so far but episode 4 was definitely weaker.
What bothered me most was that the widow was somehow the only person in the whole town who had ever shot, much less SEEN a gun, and the show never explored that whatsoever.
They showed a shot of her striking bullseye over and over and the Mando's reaction and then just completely ignored that plotline.
Who is she? How did she get to that planet?
 
BebopCola

BebopCola

Member
Jul 17, 2019
2,032
Well I thought it was entertaining, and holy shit did that AT-ST look menacing. And if anyone complains that Ewoks were able to take two out, remember that they are a fucking warrior race of hunter/cannibals that, in less than a day were able to prepare numerous MASSIVE LOG TRAPS, one which crushed a walker and the rolling logs mission-killed it.

Meanwhile these shrimp farmers didn't know to aim the pointy end of a stick towards their opponent until Cara literally showed them what a spear was.

Speaking of Cara, one day I hope she beats the hell out of me in an alley and puts her knee on my neck. There, I said it.
 
Batatina

Batatina

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,263
Edinburgh, UK
I'm quite enjoying this. And baby Yoda is the absolute best part of it all. If he wasn't there, a show just about the Mandalorian would be extremely boring. It's all about those moments where Yoda will kick-ass vs when he's being a super cute retro symbol.
 
Window

Window

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,282
Kinthey said:
I don't think the shows are the same quality, but the opening scene with the raiders could have really been straight out of samurai Jack.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
i was reminded more of a LoTR montage more than Samurai Jack. The latter is hyperstylised. There's obviously going to be similarity in plot between the two because they both borrow from samurai/western stories and TV shows but they're miles apart in style.
 
Brewm0nt

Brewm0nt

Member
Dec 22, 2017
978
Orlando, FL
Vipershark said:
This is the reason I don't like Star Wars as a whole.
There always HAS to be a witty droid or cute meme to sell merch. There can't just be an interesting story with good action.
There always HAS to be family-friendly comic relief characters and moments, even in a "dark and gritty" bounty hunter series.


That being said, I've been able to largely ignore most of that in the Mandalorian so far, but as soon as I saw Baby Yoda in Episode 1 I knew how things were going to go, and oh look, they did.
I like the show so far but episode 4 was definitely weaker.
What bothered me most was that the widow was somehow the only person in the whole town who had ever shot, much less SEEN a gun, and the show never explored that whatsoever.
They showed a shot of her striking bullseye over and over and the Mando's reaction and then just completely ignored that plotline.
Who is she? How did she get to that planet?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Do you think, that maybe, they might explore that plot line...in the coming episodes? That haven't been released?

Man, being able to binge shows has really done a number on people's sense of patience, huh.
 
Reader mode
Status
Not open for further replies.