It's time once again for another recap of "The Mandalorian" on Disney+. We'll be talking about Episode 5 this time around, so if you haven't watched it yet, I'm not sure you'll understand anything I'm about to type. Spoilers incoming.
Let's cut right to the chase this time. In this episode, The Mandalorian finds a rookie bounty hunter, tracks down a veteran bounty hunter, and Baby Yoda gets a new babysitter. Two of those characters (allegedly) get killed off by the end of the episode, and it's all a little strange, to be honest.
Let's start with the stuff I liked about this episode:
- The opening dogfight was cool. Mando is such a baller.
- Baby Yoda making noises (cooing, giggling, etc.) is just great. He's still adorable, but I'm sure you already knew that.
- Mos Eisley! And it's a bit different than it was back in the original trilogy; it went from being run by stormtroopers in the movies to being adorned with Empirical helmets on pikes, so that's... a little dark.
- Seeing The Mandalorian make a deal with the Tusken Raiders was unexpected.
- Lots of Easter eggs!
Easter eggs
Speaking of Easter eggs, let's break down some of the ones I caught:
- Pit droids
- The old insult "womp rat"
- Mentions of Tatooine and the Hutts
- Mos Eisley cantina
- Toro Calican sits with his legs propped up in a booth that appears to be the one where Han shot Greedo in Episode IV
- Speeder bikes that look like the same model as ones used in Return of the Jedi
- Tusken Raiders
If you caught any other references to the movies, I'd love to hear them.
Let's break down the new characters introduced in this episode.
- Peli Motto, the mechanic: She seemed like a stereotypical redneck car junkie that you'd see in something like "My Name is Earl." My wife insists that she looks like Richard Simmons. She has a good heart, but she's rather obnoxious and not my favorite character. She takes it upon herself to babysit The Child and gives Mando a hard time for not watching over him properly. Who knows if we've seen the last of her?
- Toro Calican, the rookie bounty hunter: Brash, cocky, not the sharpest tool in the shed. Basically par for the course when it comes to expectations for an up-and-comer. Too bad he didn't last long... but we'll get to that later.
- Fennec Shand: A high-value target played by Ming-Na Wen (known for her work on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and as the voice of Mulan). She is only seen on-screen for a couple minutes, which was quite surprising. She tries to convince Toro to turn on The Mandalorian because she (correctly) assumes that Mando is the guy who got The Child.
Instant Analysis: We hardly knew ye...
Two of the new characters introduced in this episode got whacked before we really even got a chance to know them. Why?
If nothing else, it reinforces the style of short-form storytelling that Disney+ is going for with these new, original series. It shows that nobody is safe, in a kind of Wild West sort of way. It's a lawless time and people have got itchy trigger fingers.
I was a bit surprised to see Fennec Shand die so soon. When I had heard that Ming-Na Wen was going to be in this show, I assumed it would be long-term and I thought she'd be an ally of The Mandalorian. I supposed I guessed wrong. Kind of strange. Toro just... shot her. And then she was gone. Supposedly. I don't think she's actually dead, though.
Toro Calican didn't make much of an impression on me, either. He was just kind of there and then he was just kind of gone. The episode was so short that I didn't have time to develop any strong feelings for him, so when that little punk got offed by Mando, I mean, I guess he got what he deserved.
The moral of the story here is that there are still some good people out there, but The Mandalorian has got to be careful about who he trusts. But overall, it just didn't feel like that important of an episode. I've seen it compared to a "side quest" from a video game, which isn't unnecessarily harsh - something optional, which is all fine and good if you've got nothing else going on, but not something you have to do to complete the main story.
If I had to rank it, this was my least favorite of the first five episodes. It wasn't bad. I just didn't like it as much as the previous four.
Questions: The mystery character
At the end of the episode, a (presumably) new character walked up to the dead body of Fennec Shand and took a knee next to her. We only saw the character from the waist down, so it's still unknown who the character could be. The obvious thought is that it could be Carl Weathers' Greef Karga, but there's no real concrete evidence to support this claim. Not yet, anyway.
Quotes
- "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold." "That's my line." - A great one-liner from The Mandalorian after his opponent in the opening dogfight stole his catch phrase
- "You have an awful lot to learn about raising a young one." - Peli Motto, disapproving babysitter
- "You done?" - The Mandalorian, to Toro Calican as the youngster posed with a blaster while attempting to wake Mando up
Qualms
I watched the episode on Friday night with my wife, then again on Saturday with my parents. It seemed a little dark, lighting wise, when I watched it the first time, but I didn't notice it the second time around. I guess that's what happens when so much of an episode takes place at night. Made it a little hard to see things a couple times. Not a big deal - simply a minor, temporary annoyance.
***
That's it for this week. Anybody else out there watching this show? I know people are watching it. I'd love to chat with you about it. Feel free to comment below, follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground) or find me on Facebook.
Until next time,
I have spoken.
No comments:
Post a Comment