The Mandalorian Recap: S1E6 - The Prisoner

Another week has come, and along with it came another episode of the hit Disney+ show "The Mandalorian." We're hot on the heels of an episode that was easily my least favorite of the season so far, but the sixth installment of the show was AWESOME. Let's talk about it.

I've come to accept that the general formula for "The Mandalorian" is this: Stuff happens. The Mandalorian deals with it. More stuff happens. He deals with it again. These things are not always necessarily interconnected, and I suppose they don't really have to be. But if you're looking for a running storyline, that's not exactly how this show has been laid out. It's almost as if the series is set up as an anthology, though we do get two recurring characters in each episode.

In this week's escapades, The Mandalorian is recruited (mostly for the size of his ship, the Razor Crest) to help break somebody out of prison. Somewhat reluctantly, Mando agrees. He squads up with a ragtag group of misfit mercenaries, comprised of a loudmouth named Mayfeld, a robot called Zero, a Twi'lek named Xi'an, and the literal spawn of Satan - a horned brute named Burg. They're not a friendly bunch, but The Mandalorian wants to get paid.

Fun fact: I just discovered that Burg, who I hated in the episode, was played by Clancy Brown, who I love.

Once they reach the galactic penitentiary, they hurry to break out their target without being spotted by security droids. There were a couple fun sequences showing us how the team made their way throughout the ship - and struggled to co-exist - that felt like it could have been a movie-quality jailbreak film. I was digging it. Some kind of "Suicide Squad in Space" or something. Ultimately, they reached a control room with one poor, unfortunate human being inside of it. You see, there weren't supposed to be any humans on this ship, so this was a surprise to our friend Mando. The team disagreed on what to do with the ol' chum, and he ended up biting the big one, but not before setting off an alarm that would alert New Republic fighters of the problem.

Quickly, the team needed to reach their mark. They finally bust the guy out of his cell; he's a Twi'lek named Qin, and he's not friendly, either. At this point, Mayfeld and his pals decide to turn on The Mandalorian. They lock him in a cell and make their way for the Razor Crest.

In the meantime, the robot pilot, Zero, goes Baby Yoda hunting back on the ship, and that, quite frankly, was not something I wanted to see. You leave that little guy alone!

It's not long before Mando breaks out of his cell and starts tracking down his deserters. There were some really great sequences here, including the strobe-light stalking scene, where TM incrementally gained ground on an unsuspecting would-be assailant. That was just great. The scene where he slams a pair of mechanical doors on Burg was terrific, too. The second set of doors got an audible reaction out of me. Loved it.

One by one, The Mandalorian takes down the team, culminating in his saving of Baby Yoda, eliminating Zero just before The Child was able to use, presumably, The Force to protect himself. I have a feeling we're going to get some awesome Force usage in the final two episodes of this season. Can't wait.

Mando returns to his bounty giver, Ranzar Malk, with prisoner in tow, explaining that the rest of the crew "got what they deserved." Upon his departure, "Ran" orders his cronies to shoot the Razor Crest out of the sky. However, Qin realizes that something on him is beeping - it's the alarm trigger from the prison. The Razor Crest zips into hyperspace just as a squadron of X-Wings arrives to blast Ran's ship. Good stuff.

Elsewhere, we see that The Mandalorian didn't kill Mayfeld's crew; he simply locked them up.

Instant Analysis: The Space Heist

I'm all for a good heist flick, and this played out to be just that, with twists and turns all along the way. This instantly became a Top-Three episode for me, out of the six episodes thus far into Season 1. Episode 1 was a pleasant Surprise. Episode 3 was incredible. This, Episode 6, was a blast, despite not feeling terribly consequential, as far as the long-term story is concerned. But it certainly was some quality entertainment, and definitely an episode I'd have no problem re-watching.

Here, again, we see that The Mandalorian really is a good guy, despite a perhaps troubling past. In the end, he's not really out to kill anybody if he doesn't have to. He's just out to score some nice bounties, and he's taking pretty decent care of a very special kid all the while. I've said this before and I'll repeat it here: The Mandalorian has quickly become one of my favorite Star Wars characters.

Questions:

• Can we be certain that this is the last we'll see of Mayfeld's crew?

Qualms:

• THEY DROPPED BABY YODA ON THE FLOOR!!!

Quotes

• "Is that why yousa don't wanna show your face?" - Mayfeld, insinuating that The Mandalorian doesn't want to take off his helmet because he is Gungan
• "I told you that was a bad idea." - The Mandalorian to Baby Yoda, after handing The Child the metal knob from the cockpit

***

That's it for this week. Did you guys love this episode like I did? Have any predictions for the remainder of the season? Let me know in the comments below, follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground) or find me on Facebook.

Quick note: I was just informed that this week's episode of "The Mandalorian" will go live on Disney+ on WEDNESDAY, not Friday, and there will be a sneak peak of "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" after the credits.

Happy Star Wars week to you all.

Until next time,

I have spoken.

The Mandalorian Recap: S1E5 - The Gunslinger

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.

The Mandalorian Recap: S1E4 - Sanctuary

Things got busy over Thanksgiving weekend, which means a couple things: 1) the fourth "Mandalorian" blog is a week late, and 2) it has been a seven days since I watched the episode, so I'm not going to sit here and recap every single thing that happened. I'll touch on most of the scenes, but because it's so far removed, this shouldn't be a play-by-play synopsis. That's a good thing, though, because I shouldn't need to tell you everything that has been going on. Hopefully, you've also been watching the show right along with me.

Of course, this blog will still feature full, detailed spoilers for Episode 4 of "The Mandalorian," so proceed at your own risk.

The episode started by showing a vicious raid on a village by a Klatooinian tribe. Most of the villagers are killed but two people survive - Omera and her daughter Winta, who do their best "Baby Moses" and hide under a wicker basket in some shallow water.

We flash forward to some time in the future. The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda have traveled to this same planet, which we learn is called Sorgan, in search of respite from the constant evasion of other bounty hunters. It's not long, though, before Mando discovers that he has been tracked down by an ex-Shocktrooper named Cara Dune. After a brief scuffle, he tells The Child that this planet has been taken and they'll have to move on.

Some locals stop TM from boarding his ship and ask him to run off some of the raiders that have been pestering the village as of late. Reluctantly, Mando agrees and convinces Cara to help him out.

It's at this point that The Mandalorian meets Omera and Winta. Winta and the other kids in town help babysit Baby Yoda. (Is this not every Disney+ subscriber's dream chore?)

Also, it is of note that this episode did confirm the gender of Baby Yoda - it's a "he," so I won't have to continue using gender-neutral pronouns anymore, which is quite a relief.

As the kids play with The Child, Omera chats with Mando about his helmet. This, of course, has been a topic of conversation in basically all of my previous blogs. Every episode so far, I think, has gone out of its way to point out that The Mandalorian can't take off his helmet. In "Sanctuary," a little light is shed upon this topic. Here's what we learned:

• The Mandalorian took off his helmet "Yesterday." Whether literally or metaphorically was not specified.
• He goes on to say that he hasn't taken off the helmet in front of anyone since he was a child. (How long has he been wearing that thing??)
• On a somewhat related note, we also learned that Mandalorians took him in and raised him after his parents were killed.
• If he takes his helmet off in front of another person, he can never put it back on again.

Once Omera leaves and The Mandalorian is left alone, we see him - from behind, and from the shoulders down - remove his helmet so that he can eat some dinner. Perhaps, he thinks, this would be a great place to leave The Child. It was happy there, the people were glad to have it, and space travel is no kind of life for a little kid, anyway.

Later, Mando and Cara urge the villagers to relocate. There has been an Imperial AT-ST stalking through the woods around the town, but nobody wants to leave. They beg the bounty hunters to teach them how to defend themselves. This led to a fun training montage, where we learn that these people are infantile in their protective prowess. Stormtroopers would be impressed by their accuracy. That's how bad it is. Omera is the only one who knows how to shoot, and she's a crack-shot, essentially. Very impressive.

TM and Cara Dune do some reconnaissance, ultimately infiltrating the Klatooinian camp to plant explosives, but they're caught in the act and a scuffle ensues. Cara shows decent form for a belly-to-back suplex fit for a WWE ring. The explosives go off as planned, albeit a bit prematurely, and the AT-ST is alerted to their presence.

This ain't your mama's AT-ST, either. It looked completely menacing, with glowing red eyes and a body that looked as though one of the machines from the old Empire started doing P90X or something. The walker is drawn back to the Sorgan village, but stops just short of the trap set by the locals. Of course. The raiders rush the camp and a big battle unfolds before our eyes.

Having the AT-ST stop shy of the trap was a great way to build tension for viewers. Cara takes it upon herself to draw the walker a couple steps closer. It eventually stumbles on top of the crumbling earth beneath it, falling into the lake. The Mandalorian plants a charge on the vehicle and blew it sky high, causing the raiders to retreat.

In the wake of the war, the Sorgans attempt to return to their normal lives. Mando and Omera discuss whether it would be ok to leave Baby Yoda in the village. Meanwhile, our worst nightmare is about to come true - there's a fob-toting bounty hunter perched in the woods, and he's got the crosshairs of his rifle aimed right at The Child's perfect little head.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity as I pondered why would happen to our society, in general, if they went ahead and blew Baby Yoda's brains out:

• The Internet would probably ignite into flames stoked by the passionate grievances of a million Twitter trolls.
• The Rotten Tomatoes rating for the episode would bottom out. Kleenex stock would boom.
• Cars would be overturned. Grocery stores would be raided.
• Certainly, a Change.org petition would be created to ret-con the entire episode.

Palms sweaty, I leaned forward on the couch in anticipation of what would happen next. A gunshot. Birds suddenly, ominously flying from the trees.

Thankfully, to our great surprise and delight, we learned that Cara Dune had sneaked up behind the nearly infamous bounty hunter in the woods. The shot was hers, it turned out, and she had taken out the would-be assassin before he had a chance to steal our precious Child away from us.

The episode ends as The Mandalorian realizes that this planet is not safe for him, nor Baby Yoda. They've got to keep moving.

Instant Analysis

Episode 4 game us the viral moment of the series so far: Baby Yoda sipping soup.

Also, the whole sequence with TM and BY in the cockpit of the ship was adorable, but this moment happened, and somebody added music to it:

Africa by Baby Yoda pic.twitter.com/NNWrnl0bQE

— égua™ (@a_demare) December 2, 2019

Quotes

• "Stop touching things." - The Mandalorian, to a button-pressing Baby Yoda.
• "Knock knock." "Come in." - Omera and The Mandalorian, missing the perfect opportunity for a joke.

Qualms

To be honest, I think I blinked for one second and must have missed the explanation of how The Mandalorian and Cara Dune already knew each other. Maybe they just ran in the same bounty hunting circles or something. I don't know. Kind of confusing.

The controversial pronunciation of the Empire's battle tanks is something that bothers me. Many people swear that the correct way to say the name of the four-legged walker is "At-At" (as opposed to "A.T.-A.T."). But, then, how would they say "AT-ST"? "At-St"? It's got to be "A.T.-S.T.," right??

Another note. A hot take, if you will. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Baby Yoda... but is he becoming too popular for his own good? I just hope he doesn't become one of those things that people talk about so much that I start to dislike it. Don't ruin Baby Yoda, people. For now, at least, I would still protect The Child with my life. He is the best thing to happen to Star Wars in many moons, and that is practically indisputable.

***

Since this post is a week late, I'm gonna call that a wrap for Episode 4. If you feel so inclined, feel free to comment below, follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground), or find me on Facebook.

Until next time,

I have spoken.

The Mandalorian Recap: S1E3 - The Sin

This week, the Mandalorian returned to The Client for that big payday. But if you thought that little reunion was going to go smoothly, you had another thing coming. Let's get into Episode 3 of the Disney+ original series "The Mandalorian." As always, if you haven't seen the most recent episode yet, you shouldn't be reading this blog, so consider yourself warned. Full spoilers ahead!

First and foremost, Baby Yoda remains adorable. I know this episode was technically called "The Sin," but they might as well have called it "Baby Yoda's Day Out." The Internet's collective child was wide awake and in the height of its glory for the first 15 minutes. In the opening minutes, The Child climbed out of its pod and curiously poked around the cockpit of The Mandalorian's ship, finding a metal knob that the bounty hunter explained was "not a toy." Once they touched down, TM embarked out to turn in his highly valued target, and the lil' thing was just poking its head out of its levitating pod, checking out its surroundings - his hair blowing in the wind - entirely cute as a button. It was a joy to watch.

On a serious note, I fear that, if anything happens to the miniature Force-user, the World Wide Web will burst into flames. It's probably going to happen at some point, and it's not gonna be pretty.

The Client and his men determine that the baby is healthy. They're pretty happy about it. The Mandalorian inquires as to how many other hunters had been sent in search of this particular mark. A lot, it turns out. (We later see that literally everyone in the cantina has a tracker-fob.) But to the victor go the spoils. In exchange for the kid, TM (or "Mando," as he is frequently called in this episode), is presented with a huge stack of credits, which he promptly takes to get melted down for new armor.

We found out that there is an underground society of other Mandalorians that are just chilling outside the armor forge. They give TM a hard time, jealous of the exorbitant amount of money he just earned, and envious of the suit of armor he has been building over the course of the season. Things nearly come to blows at one point, but the female armorer breaks things up, reminding the bounty hunters of the vows they have made for their creed. TM explains that he has never taken off his helmet (since joining the guild, we must presume), and that it has never been removed from him by anyone else, either. The armorer offers to forge another signet (similar to the one he had made for him previously) as a reward for taking down the rhino-beast in Episode 2, but he declines that honor because he couldn't have slayed it without the help of another warrior (Baby Yoda). Instead, he has her craft him something called "whistling birds," which he is warned are very powerful, can take out multiple enemies simultaneously and should be used sparingly.

As she begins to pound out the armor, we see more flashes of The Mandalorian's childhood - most of which seem similar if not identical to shots we've seen before. We do appear to get a bit of additional insight this time. We get a better view of the opponents that attacked his childhood village; there were enemy warships, as well as battle droids. We get a better idea of what happened to TM's parents - it appears that they were either taken or killed just moments after they hid their son in the hatch, and almost immediately, a battle droid discovers the hidden child, which is where the flashback ended this time around.

The Mandalorian heads to the local cantina, fully clad in his brand new Beskar steel armor, and it looks glorious. Truly, this man is an intergalactic baller. He meets up with his old friend Greef Karga (Carl Weathers). Greef explains that all of the other bounty hunters hate "Mando" now because finding Baby Yoda raked in the largest treasure any of them had ever seen. But they both got paid (he flashes some silver bars, which he has been keeping inside his tunic), so he's happy with how things turned out. Despite Greef's constant insistence that The Mandalorian take some time off to enjoy his newfound wealth, TM demands to be given his next mission.

Before he departs, Mando expresses some skepticism about the ex-Empire goons who took Baby Yoda, then asks Greef what The Client intends to do with the infant. At the beginning of the episode, Greef had mentioned, "I don't know if he wants to eat it or hang it on his wall, but he's very antsy." He clarifies that he didn't ask what the goal was, though, because having done so would have been a breach of his "code."

The Mandalorian returns to his ship and finds the knob that Baby Yoda was playing with at the beginning of the episode. We can't see the protagonist's facial expressions, but his long, drawn-out reaction indicates that he is considering going back for the child. What a softy.

Mando returns to the village in search of the infant. He finds the baby's pod, destroyed in a dumpster. (At this moment, it was as if millions of Twitter users cried out in terror, for fear that their Baby Yoda had been taken from them prematurely.) It would seem that The Mandalorian is not very pleased about this, either. He immediately heads to a rooftop and pulls out his long-rifle, which can not only see but also hear through walls, to locate The Client. TM draws some stormtroopers outside of the building, then blows a hole in their wall. Swiftly, he fights his way to the holding cell where Baby Yoda is being kept and monitored. After briefly searching for answers, he grabs the young alien and attempts to make his way out, although he is met with some resistance. He makes light work of those who dared oppose him with a flamethrower built into his armor and those amazing whistling birds!

Elsewhere, the fob trackers of all the bounty hunters light up like the Fourth of July. There's a new bounty, and he's wearing Beskar steel. The hunter has become the hunted.

Mando is eventually surrounded as he makes his way back to his ship. Of all people, Greef is leading the charge. He demands that The Mandalorian put Baby Yoda down and turn himself in peacefully. TM initiates a gunfight and hops into a droid-operated speeder. Greef shoots the droid, crashing the ship and allowing the other hunters to close in on the most wanted man in the galaxy. TM starts blasting away his enemies, popping shots and disintegrating them one shot at a time. It seems as though all is lost. TM looks Baby Yoda in the eyes and it mutters its first adorable sounds.

Suddenly, the Mandalorians from the forge fly in for the save, over the rooftops, allowing TM to escape. Greef sneaks onto Mando's ship and confronts his former friend one final time. Greef accuses The Mandalorian of breaking the code - a sin worthy of death. Mando shoots Greef in the chest, blasting him out of the ship and back to the planet below. We later see that Greef took the shot to those precious silver bars that he was holding so dear, so he's going to be just fine.

As Mando flies away, a jetpack-clad Mandalorian soars up to salute him. TM takes the metal knob and gives it to Baby Yoda. So precious. So heart-warming. Such a great episode.

Questions

There are two recurring themes that, if I'm not mistaken, have been brought up in every episode so far:

• The value of Beskar steel - and the fact that The Mandalorian is one of the very few who possess it
• The fact that The Mandalorian cannot remove his helmet

• What were they monitoring Baby Yoda for? Midi-chlorians?
• What the fight between The Mandalorian and Greef an act? Greef didn't seem too trigger-happy during that shootout, and Mando shot him right where he had seen those credits.
• Will we learn more about the Mandalorian purge that forced them all to go underground?
• Upon further contemplation (conversations with co-workers and the Ringer article I hyperlinked at the top of the blog), the odds that The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda both survive this series are very low. (Why haven't they been mentioned in any other movies or TV shows?) What is the end game here?

Quotes

• "Easy with that." - The Mandalorian, responding to the stormtroopers' rough handling of Baby Yoda's cradle.
• "Such a large bounty for such a small package." - The Client
• "Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength." - The female armorer describes the Mandalorian creed
• "This is the way." - The Mandalorian mantra
• "How do I know I can trust you?" "Because I'm your only hope." - The Mandalorian and Greef Karga
• "I gotta get one of those." - The Mandalorian wants a jetpack

Qualms

At this point, I really don't have any complaints about this episode. Each episode keeps getting better and better. I love it. The only thing I wish would have happened was that I wanted Baby Yoda to save The Mandalorian from that final fight, but I'm all right with what ended up happening, so it's cool.

Instant Analysis

I thought this was a great episode. We had some great action scenes, wth the hostile break-in to The Client's lab and the shootout at the end. The Mandalorian went full "face turn," to use a pro wrestling term. He's a good guy now and he's going to take care of Baby Yoda. It's awesome. Seeing the Mandalorians come to the aid of one of their own was awesome. I'm really digging this show.

Episode 3 of #TheMandalorian was better than like three or four actual #StarWars movies.

— Aaron Christensen (@atownmania) November 23, 2019

I loved this opening paragraph in the aforementioned Ringer article:

Here's what a very wise former co-worker had to say:

"Tombstone, 13 Assassins, the Mandalorian Ep. 3. All masterpieces of the cinematic showdown. In Episode 3, we feel the heart of The Mandalorian, plus we get more 'ice cream maker' and vibroblades."

- Estevan Ramirez

***

That's it for now! What did you think? Leave a comment below, find me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground). I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories.

Until next time,

I have spoken.

The Mandalorian Recap: S1E2 - The Child

Before we get into this blog, let me quickly remind you that we're going to be breaking down every episode of the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," including full spoilers. Please stop here if you're not caught up through Season 1 Episode 2, "The Child."

When last we left our pal, The Mandalorian, he had tracked down an invaluable bounty - a baby Yoda. This 50-year-old child, we learned, has been the source of much strife in nearby regions, resulting in the death of many bounty hunters who had sought to bring the infant in, dead or alive.

Episode 2, "The Child," begins with The Mandalorian being jumped by a group of bounty hunters. It seems that the hunt continues for the galaxy's hottest commodity, and The Mandalorian must now protect it. TM is wounded in the scuffle, but he is able to overcome his foes, shooting and killing them with his long rifle, which apparently has the ability to disintegrate targets. Pretty nifty.

We see in several instances throughout the episode that Baby Yoda is a pretty observant little thing. After his fight with the bounty hunters, The Mandalorian takes some time to fix up his wounds. The child watches him curiously from his pod and somehow gets out of it! It waddles over and seems to attempt to heal his bloody babysitter, but TM, perhaps surprised to see it walking around, picks it up and puts it back in its crib.

The Mandalorian had a couple encounters with Jawas in this outing. Upon coming across them for the first time, he sniped a couple from long distance, completely eviscerating them with his gun. The battle eventually spilled over onto the desert dwellers' sandcrawler. In a slightly humorous encounter, the midget meanies threw heaps of junk out of their vehicle at The Mandalorian as he attempted to scale the side of the ship. Ultimately, TM made his way to the top of the tank, only to be electrocuted and tossed back down to the earth below. All the while, Baby Yoda looked on, from a safe distance inside his levitating pod.

Upon regaining consciousness, The Mandalorian returns to his spaceship, which he discovers has been ransacked by the Jawas. He returns to the mysterious stranger, Kuiil (who saved his life in Episode 1) and explains that his ship is no longer functional. They take off to track the Jawas on foot.

Kuiil barters with the Jawas to get The Mandalorian's stolen parts back. The Jawas explain in their native jibberish that they will willingly trade the ship's scraps for the Mandalorian's Beskar steel armor. (Again, making a big deal about that steel!) That's not going to fly, though, because TM humorously explains that he shouldn't have to trade anything to get back parts that were his to begin with. The Jawas compromise and say that they'll return the goods if the bounty hunter brings them back "The Egg."

"The Egg" belongs to a beast that dwells in a nearby cave. The Mandalorian tracks down the monster and gives us the best scene of the evening. A brutal battle ensues between our protagonist and a gnarly space rhinoceros. Just when it would seem that all was lost, Baby Yoda came through with an epic save. After showing previous signs of Force usage, our suspicions were confirmed, as Baby Yoda outstretched its hands and halted the beast mid-stride, raising it up into the air and causing enough separation for The Mandalorian to move in for the kill. The expenditure of Force energy overwhelms Baby Yoda, leaving it completely exhausted.

The Mandalorian exchanges The Egg for the stolen scraps, then we're treated to a little ship repair montage. Kuiil wonders whether Baby Yoda was hurt. TM says the baby was not injured - not physically, anyway. The two do not quite understand what happened with the infant in the heat of battle. TM thanks Kuiil for his help, and the old man wishes the bounty hunter well; he hopes that the baby will bring him a handsome reward.

The Mandalorian takes off in his newly refurbishes ship, and Baby Yoda awakes as they travel through space.

Questions

• Still wondering why they're making such a big deal about the value of Beskar steel... Other than that, seemed like a pretty straight forward episode to me!

Quotes

• "They really don't like you, for some reason." "Well, I did disintegrate a few of them." - Kuiil and The Mandalorian discussing Jawa hostility
  
• "I'm a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion." - The Mandalorian
• "I'm surprised you waited." "I'm surprised you took so long." - The Mandalorian and Kuiil after handing The Egg over to the Jawas

Qualms

• My only problem with this episode was that it ended so quickly. Coming in at about 10 minutes shorter than the season premiere, Episode 2 clocked in at a brief 28 minute run time.

Instant Analysis

We didn't have any takers to provide their brief review of the episode this time around, so I'll just give you my quick thoughts. I thought it was a good episode. Baby Yoda is just adorable. The Mandalorian and his child-like bounty are becoming some of my favorite Star Wars characters - and we're only a couple episodes in! I thought the episode was fun and gave enough action and humor to keep me glued to the TV, and I can't wait to see where they go from here.

***

That'll do it for tonight! We're done with Premiere Week on Disney+, so we'll enter a weekly cycle from here on out, with new episodes of "The Mandalorian" streaming each Friday through December 27, 2019.

What did you think? Do you have any questions about where the plot is heading? Did I leave anything out of this recap? What were your favorite parts? Leave a comment below or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. You know the drill.

Until next time,

I have spoken.

The Mandalorian Recap: S1E1 - Chapter One

Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you know that Disney+ launched today, on November 12, 2019. Years from now, we, as a society, may look back on this day as a landmark moment for popular culture. Truly, if executed as it should be, Disney's brand new streaming service will be life-changing. For the first time ever, most of Disney's movie and television library can be found under the same roof. Animated classics - even those that have been "locked in the Disney Vault" for years - Pixar movies, Disney Channel originals, Marvel, Star Wars and Disney+ originals are all available with the click of a button. It's going to be great.

One of the most highly touted original series to premiere on Launch Day is a weekly, episodic installment of Star Wars content called "The MandalorianThe Mandalorian." As described on IMDb, the series chronicles "the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic."

Be warned: from this point on - and, I hope, weekly, after each episode, I'm going to break down what happens in the show, including FULL SPOILERS. If you haven't watched Episode 1 of "The Mandalorian," now would be a great time to stop reading. (But come back later, please, and discuss with me after you've watched!)

So what is "The Mandalorian"?

"The Mandalorian" will be based on the adventures of a yet-to-be-named bounty hunter. At this point, we honestly don't know much about him. But he is reminiscent of the legendary Star Wars character Boba Fett, and he's apparently very good at what he does. While Episode 1 only lays a little bit of the groundwork for who this guy is and what the series is about, episode previews listed on IMDb (for the first three episodes) seem to indicate that the season will largely revolve around the target acquired at the end of the first show.

If we learned anything about the tone of the series after one episode, it truly feels like a throwback to the O.G. Star Wars. Chronologically, Executive Producer Jon Favreau has stated that "The Mandalorian" takes place five years after the fall of the Empire and the events of "Return of the Jedi." This means that a lot of the characters and set pieces look similar to Episode VI - and that's a good thing. The season premiere does have its fair share of CGI (and, for the most part, it looks really good), but it also incorporates a lot of practical effects, from costumes to creatures and props. It's also nice to see a lot of familiar costumes that look like they walked off of the set of "ROTJ." For a day filled with an over-abundance of Disney nostalgia, this step back into the glory days of George Lucas' original vision was a breath of fresh air.

Who is The Mandalorian?

As far as the character, himself, is concerned, The Mandalorian (who I may periodically start referring to as "TM" for the sake of brevity), looks awesome. He's got great armor, cool weapons and a gorgeous ship. In my mind, he instantly became one of the best-looking characters in the Star Wars universe.

He doesn't talk much. I suppose you could say that TM chooses his words wisely. He's no wise-cracking Marvel character - that's for sure - and, when he does talk, his dialogue seems important.

We learn that he had a troubled childhood. We briefly see glimpses of a child, who we presume was The Mandalorian, running through a pillaged town with his parents, gunshots blasting in every direction. We see a couple images of him being hidden by his father, from which we can deduce that the bounty hunter was raised as an orphan.

I also sensed that TM is inherently kind. At one point, after he is saved from almost certain death, he sincerely thanks a stranger for his help. Behind the rough exterior, it would seem that The Mandalorian is a good person. Time will tell.

Intergalactic fun! - Episode 1 Recap

While some early world of mouth indicated that "The Mandalorian" gets off to a slow start, I dug it from the very beginning. The opening cantina scene (which aired during halftime of last night's Monday Night Football) was a good way to kick things off. It felt like it came from the same vein as the "Han Shot First" scene from Episode IV. The part where that the guy got split in half by the mechanical door was brutal and I loved it.

Upon retrieving his first on-screen bounty, TM hauls the criminal back to his ship. Moments later, a gigantic underwater beast breaks through the ice and attacks the spacecraft. That was a fun moment, introducing the first hint of external danger. Generally, the galaxy is not a safe place. It isn't long before the newly bound prisoner tries to weasel his way to freedom. The Mandalorian puts an end to that unfruitful quest by icing the guy with carbonite - simultaneously linking this series to the iconic moment when Boba Fett dooms Han Solo to a similar fate in the original trilogy.

Carl Weathers (best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" franchise) is introduced as a reluctant creditor who has an exclusive job for The Mandalorian. It's great to see him on the screen again! This leads to TM encountering a group of ex-Empire stormtroopers and a wealthy client (played by veteran actor Werner Herzog). He offers TM a lucrative bounty for a highly valued target. Of course, our man accepts the job and heads out for the task.

Along the way, he is saved by an extra-terrestrial stranger (apparently played by Nick Nolte), who, as previously mentioned, saves The Mandalorian's life, then teaches him how to ride some gnarly fish-beasts to cross the desert planet. Meanwhile, the stranger indicates that this particular region has been a hotbed of mercenary activity as of late, and that all bounty hunters who have passed through have died in their pursuit of treasure.

The Mandalorian reaches his destination at the same time as a robotic bounty hunter who I regret to inform you is not the legendary IG-88. Nope. This one is called IG-11, and he's voiced by "Thor: Ragnarok" director Taika Waititi. I really liked the character design of IG-11. His robotic movements and ability to rotate his arms and body 360 degrees were really cool.

IG-11, we discover, is after the same bounty as The Mandalorian and, after a brief moment of hostility, it agrees to help TM acquire the target for a share of the reward (and all of the reputation credits associated with the capture). The two join forces to take out the hostile bystanders outside the building in question. This was my favorite scene of the episode - great action and a lot of exciting moments. The robot's (manufacturer-installed) propensity to initiate his self-destruct protocol was hysterical, too.

When the coast is finally clear, The Mandalorian and IG-11 make their way inside the building and eliminate the last man standing. TM's tracking beacon indicates that the target is nearby. TM discovers the bounty's precise location, but shows some signs of confusion. He had been informed that the target was 50 years old, but what they had stumbled across did not meet that description. The camera reveals that the target, in fact, is...

It's a little baby Yoda?!

IG-11 insists that the target must be eliminated, but TM refuses and kills the droid, instead. The episode closes with a shot of The Mandalorian reaching out toward the tiny hands of his childlike bounty.

Whoa.

Questions

• What happened to The Mandalorian as a child?
• What was the significance of the Beskar steel?
• Why don't Mandalorians take off their helmets? (They mentioned it several times, after all.)
• Where did this Yoda baby come from? What does that mean, exactly? Was Yoda not the last of his species?
• Why do so many people want the Yoda baby dead?
• At the end of the episode, was the Yoda baby hovering with the Force, or was the pod/cradle doing it? (Great question from Clyde Ratliff!)
• Will this show affect future movies or the expanded Star Wars universe?

Quotes

• "Stay off the ice. That's the understatement of the millennium." - The Bounty, after narrowly escaping the ice monster
• "We have him four to one." "I like those odds." - Stormtroopers, The Mandalorian
• "Bounty hunting is a complicated profession." - The Client
• "Anyone else?" - The Mandalorian, after eliminating the last hostile

Qualms

• Overall, I really liked this episode, so I really don't have any major complaints about it, but the second I saw that big, intimidating Mandalorian at the weapons forge, I knew they would end up being a female. It just seemed like the obvious "Disney" thing to do. I was right.
• The playback was a little bit choppy for me. I'm unsure whether this was because of my internet connection or because of extremely heavy traffic for the Disney+ servers, as widely reported throughout the day.
• Also, in the opening cantina scene, there were tons of unnecessary commas in the subtitles. That was quite troublesome to me, as a writer.

Instant Analysis

"I expected it to be good, but it was better than I expected. I didn't anticipate it ending that way at all. I thought we were just gonna have a solid action bounty hunter series. I didn't expect to play with emotions. That baby was adorable."

- Clyde Ratliff

"Episode 1 of The Mandalorian brought great interest in to where this series can go. Brought the Star Wars universe to life with a mix of laughs, action, and suspense."

- DJ Mein

"Having had kept up with additional canonical series like 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' and 'Star Wars: Rebels' in recent years, it made this show really exhilarating to watch and makes me excited to see what they have in store next."

- Cody Christensen

"There were a couple of fun surprises for true Star Wars fans. This is a promising series with 21st Century Star Wars special effects."

- Gayle Christensen

"Wtf is that yoda"

- Chris Martellaro

***

Well, what did you think? Did you watch "The Mandalorian"? (If you made it this far, I certainly hope so!) I'd love to hear your thoughts and have a nice, weekly conversation about the show. Feel free to add your thoughts to the comments section below, hit me up on Facebook, or tweet at me (@atownmania or @sottunderground). If you'd like to contribute to these posts in the future, we'd love to have you!

Episode 2 of "The Mandalorian" hits Disney+ this Friday, November 15, and then the weekly cycle will commence, with new episodes streaming each Friday, through December 27, 2019.

Until next time,

Do not self destruct. We’re shooting our way out.

WWE 2K20 preview: Who's out? Who's in? What's new?

Another year, another updated roster for WWE 2K. Let's take a moment to break down the changes and prepare for the brand new pro wrestling video game, which launches today, October 22, 2019. To view the entire announced roster for WWE 2K20, click here. Now, behold our breakdown of which wrestlers have been taken out and which characters are being added or returning, and get a look at an overview of some new features:

Who's out?

• Legends
• Alundra Blayze
• Bam Bam Bigelow
• British Bulldog
• DDP
• Greg Valentine
• Lex Luger
• Mr. Perfect
• Rick Martel
• Rick Rude
• Ricky Morton
• Rikishi
• Robert Gibson
• Sycho Sid
• Tatanka
• The Godfather
• Vader
• Those who just don't get enough TV time
• Aiden English
• Alexander Wolfe
• Epico Colon
• Jason Jordan
• Killian Dane
• Konnor
• Lio Rush
• Primo Colon
• Rhyno
• Viktor
• Those no longer with the company
• Chris Jericho
• Dean Ambrose
• Goldust
• Hideo Itami
• Nick Young
• TJ Perkins
• Tye Dillinger
• Alternate attires
• Chris Jericho '00
• Daniel Bryan '12
• Daniel Bryan '13
• John Cena Retro
• Randy Orton '13
• Sting '98 (Wolfpac)
• Sting 2010s
• Triple H '14

Who's in?

• Main roster
• Buddy Murphy
• Nikki Cross
• Zelina Vega (playable)
• NXT / NXT UK
• Io Shirai
• Jaxson Ryker
• Keith Lee
• Mark Andrews
• Matt Riddle
• Mia Yim
• Rhea Ripley
• Tommaso Ciampa
• Toni Storm
• Trent Seven
• 205 Live
• Humberto Carillo
• Legends
• Jerry "The King" Lawler
• Mark Henry
• Molly Holly
• X-Pac
• Managers
• Bobby Heenan
• Drake Maverick
• Alternate attires
• Bayley '15
• Bayley '17
• Becky Lynch '15
• Becky Lynch '17
• Charlotte Flair '14
• Charlotte Flair '15
• Charlotte Flair '17
• Charlotte Flair '18
• Maria Kanellis '08
• Natalya '14
• Natalya '16
• Nia Jax '17
• Nikki Bella '15
• Nikki Bella '16
• Sasha Banks '15
• Sasha Banks '16
• Sasha Banks '17
• Triple H '01
• Undertaker '91
• Season Pass DLC (available at launch)
• Braun Strowman - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• Bray Wyatt - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• Chyna - Deluxe Edition
• "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt - "Bump in the Night" pre-order bonus
• Finn Balor - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• Hulk Hogan - Deluxe Edition
• Mandy Rose - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• Mankind - Deluxe Edition
• Nikki Cross - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• Randy Orton - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• The Rock: $500 Shirt - Deluxe Edition
• Sasha Banks - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire
• Sheamus  - "Bump in the Night" alternate attire

By the Numbers

WWE 2K20 includes:

• 186 unique playable characters on-disc (excluding DLC)
• Same number as the 2K19 roster
• 225 playable characters on-disc, including alternate versions of superstars
• Three less than 2K19
• 47 unique playable women on-disc
• Five more than 2K19, including DLC
• 238 total characters on-disc, including managers and MyCareer original characters
• Fourteen less than 2K19

[Thanks to The Smackdown Hotel for providing these numbers.]

Roster take-aways

Honestly, the only characters I'll miss playing with are DDP and Chris Jericho. Jericho is one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, so he'll be a big loss for the 2K20 roster. (It's an easy fix, though. I'm sure there will be a created wrestler that is the spitting image of Y2J within hours of launch.) Everybody else that has been removed was someone that I rarely (if ever) played with, and most of them have either been off of TV for so long that I don't care about them or is a legend that was popular before my time, so I'm good with it. Cutting the dead weight. I approve.

As far as additions go, 2K is finally adding the three most glaring omissions from last year's game: Buddy Murphy, Nikki Cross and Tommaso Ciampa. A bunch of NXT talent joins the roster this time around, including big names like Io Shirai, Keith Lee and "The Original Bro" Matt Riddle. Perhaps the best additions to this year's game come via the Deluxe Edition, with the return of the hardcore legend Mankind, the immortal Hulk Hogan and (for the first time ever) the Eighth Wonder of the World, Chyna. The last-minute inclusion of Bray Wyatt's most recent incarnation, The Fiend, is great, too.

What else is new?

This year's Showcase Mode will focus on the story of the Four Horsewomen and the Women's Evolution in WWE, so we'll be treated to a bunch of retro alternative attires for the likes of Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, among other prominent female characters.

There will be a Tower specifically dedicated to the career of cover co-star Roman Reigns. The tower will cover classic rivalries with Brock Lesnar, John Cena, the Undertaker and more.

In a first for the series, players will finally be able to create women wrestlers for use in MyCareer mode. Certainly, this is a good step for the inclusion of female gamers who want to have a more relatable story to play.

Arguably the most innovative change coming to 2K20 is the "WWE 2K Originals" concept, which will put unique twists on familiar characters. "2K Originals" will be available as paid DLC for gamers, beginning with the horror-themed "Bump in the Night" pack, headlined by The Fiend Bray Wyatt. Along with the freaky iteration of the former swamp dweller will come a handful of alternate, Halloween-like attires that transform our favorite superstars into monstrous versions of themselves. The mode will take players through original storylines ripped from the realms of science fiction and beyond. While we're don't know an incredible amount about the new mode right now, it will certainly open up the flood gates of creativity for the future of the franchise.

I wanted it and we're getting it!

• Mixed Match Challenge: Mirroring the popular annual competition that WWE has started hosting, 2K gamers will finally be able to create tag teams and play matches with mixed-gender partners. Want to play with John Cena and Sasha Banks? Would you like to pair the popular real-life MMC team of Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss? Care to match up against Sheamus and Becky Lynch? We'll finally get the chance to do it in 2K20.

Quick Q&A

• Who will be the first wrestlers you play with in 2K20?
• I'll probably take advantage of the long-awaited return of Hulk Hogan, but I'm definitely going to use The Fiend very early on.
• Are there any superstars that you are more excited to play with in 2K20 than you have been in the past?
• Ricochet, Samoa Joe, Ali, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, Bayley, Sasha Banks
• Are there any superstars that you are less excited to play with in 2K20 than you have been in the past?
• Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, AJ Styles, Becky Lynch
• Are there any superstars that you have no intention of playing with in 2K20?
• Andre the Giant, most of the cruiserweights or new NXT talent, Bobby Fish, Authors of Pain, Tamina, Nia Jax, X-Pac
• Who are you most looking forward to beating up?
• Matt Riddle and Roderick Strong, for sure. Probably Baron Corbin and Shane McMahon, too.
• What is your weapon of choice?
• Kendo stick, easy.
• What feature are you most looking forward to?
• As usual, probably Universe Mode. I created a new promotion called "Friday Fight Night" last year, and I think I'd like to reboot that, but without drafting out the entire roster to RAW, Smackdown! and Fight Night. There's too much unused talent if you do it that way. I'll probably draft about 20 or 25 people to each brand, then leave a big pool of unused free agents so I don't have to worry about leaving out popular superstars from my rivalries and storylines. I also think the 2K Originals mode is going to be fun.

The Bottom Line:

Admittedly, I've seen some less-than-stellar reviews for 2K20 so far, so that's a little troubling, but I have heard good things about the creativity of 2K Originals, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and make up my own mind. It will be nice to have a new, updated roster, despite the loss of Jericho, which pains me to the core. It seems like there aren't a ton of new features right off the bat, so I'm hoping they're focusing on improving existing modes and features. Time will tell, I suppose.

For now, enjoy a couple WWE 2K20 videos to get you hyped:

And if you're in the mood for even more WWE content, don't forget about my recent interview with the infamous WWE villain Vickie Guerrero, which can be found here. Enjoy! See you jabronis in the ring.