TVFan17

As is the case with every episode of this series, I'm seeing/hearing conflicting opinions about this episode. Some people are in the "This is the best episode of Gallery so far! I loved seeing how they are working in The Volume!" camp. Others are in the "I'm not getting enough behind-the-scenes technical details on exactly how the scenes are shot and I'm disappointed" camp. 🤣 It IS fascinating to see how the scenes are put together, though. Jon Favreau was able to take things he learned and/or tried on his previous movies and apply them here. I've liked each episode so far, although the Cast installment has been my favorite. I am waiting to see when -- or if -- they get into talking about bringing The Child to life, because to not talk about him would be very odd. He was in every episode, and he was a scene-stealer largely because of how expressive he was, which is directly tied into the people who created his facial expressions and operated his movement, chose the sounds and noises he made, etc. I am really curious to know if all of the round table discussion scenes were shot before the first season aired, or sometime after the fact. I kind of tend to think that they filmed those scenes early on, like maybe on one of their days of shooting press kit footage for Disney, but I don't know. They might have also filmed them when they were all together to appear at both Star Wars Celebration and at D23 last year. There is nothing to indicate that they shot those discussion scenes after the series premiered and became a big hit (so far).

You would think that in all of these years there would be a better helmet/mask design for actors who have to wear them the entire time, at least -- if not the ones who only wear them briefly too. And Star Wars projects are full of people in crazy alien ensembles, helmets and all sorts of things to obstruct the face, so it must be difficult for a lot of people to see and breathe all the time. If I recall correctly, I think Dave Filoni talked about his difficulties in trying to direct actors who couldn't see (because of whatever their costumes entailed) in one of the Disney Gallery episodes, didn't he? I think he was specifically referring to one of the characters in Chapter 1 (at the bar on the icy planet). He felt out of his element because he was not used to directing live action, let alone in situations like that in which actors who were unable to move very well because they couldn't see.

I was just watching a video Zoom chat/interview featuring Pedro Pascal, Joel McHale and Ken Jeong. And, way, way into the chat they finally got around to talking briefly about The Mandalorian (it's approximately at the 54-minute mark). Ken asked Pedro about the challenges of doing the series in the helmet and armor, with the exception of the one scene where he shows his face. Pedro mentioned that other guys are in the Mando suit. But Pedro's follow-up comments were very interesting!! (I typed up some of them.) He said: And then Pedro added, with a smile: (I'm sure all the cast and crew are under strict orders from Disney and Lucasfilm to keep quiet about what's happening in Season 2, so he was understandably cautious and wary of revealing too much.) Werner Herzog and Bill Burr were also brought up. Immediately after the Bill Burr mention and talk of Chapter 6 from Season 1, Pedro said: (Clearly, if the rumors are true about Burr returning for Season 2, Pedro cannot say anything about it because it has not been officially announced by Disney or Lucasfilm. So I think he was trying to be very careful to not accidentally slip and say something he shouldn't say.) If you're sensitive to hearing the F-bomb dropped, you might want to skip this video. There is occasional cursing here and there. But here is the full Zoom interview, most of which is not about The Mandalorian --

Well, one thing is clear... certain aspects of whatever Favreau, Filoni and other writers on the show have planned for an episode or a season can change. That doesn't necessarily mean that they will change, but they can. In watching the "Cast" episode (the one that premiered on May 15th) of the Disney Gallery series, and hearing about how the plans for the Greef Karga character changed -- both his physical appearance and also how long he was supposed to be on the show -- I wouldn't be surprised if certain little details of future seasons or episodes are modified based on viewers' reactions to specific elements of the previous season(s). Season 2 of The Mandalorian started production a few weeks before Season 1 premiered in November. I have no idea which Season 2 episode they were working on when Season 1 premiered, as they are often filmed out of order, but I think the cast and crew were on their holiday break when the Season 1 finale aired at the end of December. So they all had time to absorb and process all of the feedback, reactions and rave reviews to the entire first season before they returned to continue shooting Season 2 in January. That means that they could have possibly made some script changes based on the feedback for Season 1-- IF any changes were necessary -- before resuming production on Season 2. In other words, if Favreau, Filoni, etc., got feedback that viewers thought there was too much Baby Yoda or not enough Baby Yoda in Season 1, they would have time to deal with that in the remaining episodes to be shot for Season 2 (from early January to early March). if they got feedback that people loved the Mando face reveal or hated the Mando face reveal, we could see more or less of Mando's face in Season 2 based on that input. I don't think things are 100% fluid and ever-changing because there is a lot of preparation that goes into putting the scenes together, and they are probably working with a budget and a filming timeline, but I think that some details here and there can be altered as they go along. To be honest, I would not be shocked if the Mandalorian team occasionally films a scene and banks it until they figure out where to put it in the season they are working on, or in the following season, etc. (much like what Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have done with some of their actors' guest appearances in "Better Call Saul"). Even in Season 1 of The Mandalorian, there were a couple of scenes here and there -- and even whole episodes -- that made me question if that was when/where they were originally supposed to air, or if their placement was changed along the way. I recall thinking more than once, upon repeated viewings of Season 1.... "Was that scene originally supposed to be in that spot in that episode?" and "Was that episode supposed to air at that point in the season, or was it moved?" There were just minor little things that didn't seem to quite connect or flow together as well as the rest of the season did, and I wasn't sure if it was due to editing, or due to things suddenly changing mid-production (even though the cast and crew did not have the benefit of feedback on a previous season when they shot Season 1). So it will be interesting to see how Season 2 plays out, and if there are any scenes that seem slightly out of place, or details we can pick up on that seem to have been directly influenced by viewer reaction to Season 1.

I don't think -- and I could be totally wrong -- that Hallmark will be able to dramatically increase the number of productions going on at one time beyond what they would normally be doing. But... That said.... sometimes Hallmark has a lot of productions going on at the same time -- not just in Canada, but in Utah, Georgia and other states. There are times when they might have 10 movies (of various themes) filming at the same time. Perhaps some are just wrapping up and some are just starting so they overlap, with many of them in Canada but also in some in other countries and states. I think one time in the last 2 or 3 years I counted something crazy like 13 Hallmark movies at various points in their principal photography at the same time -- but spread out in different locations around the world, with the bulk of the filming in various parts of Canada. A lot of Hallmark's directors, producers, production companies, writers, editors, hair & make-up people, various crew members and assorted actors work on Lifetime's movies too, as well as movies for UP, Netflix, ION, etc. They all film in the same places in Canada, but some of them film in Utah, Kentucky, Georgia, Connecticut and other states Hallmark films in as well. Even Romania can be a hotbed of filming activity for different networks. So there was already a need to expand the pool of people working on these productions, because sometimes the people Hallmark works with might be tied up on projects for other networks. Or sometimes Lifetime might want a director to work on a movie but that person has a Hallmark movie booked at the same time. I would imagine that happens a lot. Realistically, though, I don't know about what any other network will do, but I think Hallmark will mainly try to stick with roughly the same kind of filming schedule they would normally have in the late summer and fall -- IF they are free to film -- with maybe just a couple of extra shoots thrown in here and there. September, October and November are consistently very busy months for them in terms of how many productions (especially Christmas movies, but also mysteries and Winterfest movies too) they have going on. As long as they are able to film by then, I think they will be busy as usual with many things going on. They still won't be able to premiere as many Christmas movies this year as they normally would because they have lost too much time, I think -- but they might be able to get the same number of movies filmed in Sept-Oct-Nov that they would normally film in that time frame. Hallmark is very loyal to their regular actors, of course, and they will probably go right to their familiar faces to quickly put them in movies. But that's also going to be a challenge, because some of those actors probably have series and other projects that have also been put on hold, and they will have to get back to those as well. For example, Luke Macfarlane said that he was about to film a feature film romantic comedy -- not a TV movie -- right before everything shut down. So when things open up again, will he go right into starting that feature film, or will Hallmark be able to snap him up for one of their own Christmas movies? There could be a lack of availability of certain actors for Hallmark if those actors are required to return to their other jobs first. I don't know if there will be enough time for Hallmark to start filming multiple Fall Harvest movies if they are not free to begin productions before August or so. They'd be lucky to get two Fall movies done at this point, and even that is pushing it. So they might just go straight to their Christmas movie productions, because that's how it will work timing-wise. They will probably try to get some mysteries filmed for January too, I would guess. I would not be shocked if Hallmark goes to Utah and Georgia to knock out a few productions before Canada fully opens up.

I liked hearing about the original plans for Carl Weathers/Greef Karga, and how he wasn't supposed to be around past Chapter 3... and that he was supposed to have a whole different physical appearance (alien) than what we know now (human). I liked that they made a point of showing Pedro in the full Mando armor on the day he had to shoot the scene in which his face was revealed. They never addressed the fact that he was away from the set for a lot of the time (I'm sure they didn't want to draw attention to that), so they made it sound as though he was there on the set more than he actually was! lol I laughed out loud at Pedro's anecdote about how he walked out of the make-up trailer on the set of Mando, and ended up injuring himself and getting 7 stitches. I mean... poor guy.... but he brought up a good point about how he didn't get hurt in all of those insane situations he was in for other jobs, but just exiting the make-up trailer on the Mando set was enough to send him to the hospital! The scenes with Pedro recording his dialogue were interesting (I enjoy seeing how that all works), and the pillow was hilarious! I think that Pedro and Gina genuinely like each other and get along. I can picture them staying friends after this series ends (which, hopefully, won't be for a long time). Pedro is always very engaging in group interviews, or anytime he is interviewed along with someone else he worked with. He seems to really be a team player, and he develops a natural camaraderie and chemistry with almost everyone he works with (or it comes across that way on camera). He is generous in complimenting them on their work, or mentioning other projects they've done, etc. In other words, Pedro seems to want to make sure the other people he works with are able to shine and get the recognition he feels they deserve, and he is quick to be modest and self-deprecating, calling himself a "dork" or saying that he was a "mess" when the helmet came off or whatever. While I appreciate what both Lateef and Brendan have brought to the physicality and movement of Mando/Din -- and it is not insignificant -- at the end of the day, Pedro Pascal IS Mando to me. He is the one I most closely associate with playing Mando. Pedro is the headlining name on the show. Pedro's voice is pivotal to the role of Mando at this point. And now we have seen Pedro-as-Mando's face too. It's not that I want Brendan and Lateef to work less, but... there might come a time when we see Pedro's face even more often on the show -- particularly in scenes where Mando is not in a physical battle, but is just sitting around in the cockpit of the ship or talking to someone or whatever -- which is what I hope will happen. While the action scenes are fun, I connect more with voices and faces, and that's what interests me more than 'who is performing this elaborate stunt in this scene, in this episode.' When Darth Vader is onscreen in a movie, I am not thinking about how there are 3 different men representing his voice, face and body. I'm only thinking about the iconic voice of James Earl Jones and that's what I associate with Vader.

I've seen some speculation (by people who are much more familiar with the animated series than I am) that one way for Mando/Din to possibly start removing his helmet a bit more often (if that's the direction the series takes) is by Bo-Katan "teaching him a new way" and showing him that other Mandalorians are walking around helmet-less. lol Again, because I am not that familiar with all that goes on in The Clone Wars and Rebels, I have only heard the tales of other Mandalorians showing their faces and I'm not sure of the circumstances surrounding those situations. So I don't know how plausible it would or wouldn't be for Din Djarin on The Mandalorian. I've seen other speculation that Bo-Katan might only be shown in a quick flashback in Season 2, with a larger role in Season 3 -- perhaps Moff Gideon will explain how he got the Darksaber and she will be shown in that context, and then she will pop up in Season 3 for more screen time.

I was a bit baffled by it too, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures! lol They are definitely running low on movies that are already in the can and ready to go on both channels, but clearly titles such as "Timeless Love" and "Midway to Love" sound like they'd fit better on Hallmark Channel and not on HMM. Of course, there is always a chance that Hallmark will move them over to the main channel and off of HMM before they air. I can only guess that Hallmark is doing it this way because they don't have anymore mysteries completely wrapped up and ready to air in June, but they DO have 3 new movies to air on the main Hallmark Channel in June. So they need to put something new-ish -- even these 2 acquired movies -- on HMM in June, even if it does not completely make sense, theme-wise. July will probably be all about Christmas on at least 2 of their channels, if not all 3 channels, so that buys them some time to gather up some additional content for August. The next new mystery (Picture Perfect Mysteries #3) is probably airing in August, according to what Ron Oliver said in an interview, but they need something new for the main channel as well. Hallmark is undoubtedly in the process of trying to scrounge up some acquisitions to air in August in lieu of their usual Summer Nights event, as it looks unlikely that they will be able to get anything summery filmed in time to air by then. They picked up the new Marcus Rosner-Morgan Kohan movie called Take Off to Love (AKA Love at First Flight) after it was filmed, it seems, so I think that one will air sometime soon. Tomorrow night, Hallmark Channel is airing My Favorite Bachelor (FKA "A Man for Every Month"), which is a PixL movie, but it's flying under the radar in its 6 PM time slot on a Thursday. It's looking as though Hallmark might not be able to film anything anywhere in Canada until at least July, if not later than that, as Canada seems to still have a lot of restrictions in place through June. I'm not sure when domestic productions will be allowed to resume either.

Well, this is an interesting new twist on the news we already learned about Olyphant's appearance in Season 2 (although nothing has been officially confirmed by the cast & crew of The Mandalorian, nor by Disney or Lucasfilm, so this is all just rumors and speculation for now)... From Peter at /Film (Slash Film) -- "Exclusive: Timothy Olyphant Will Wear Boba Fett’s Iconic Armor in ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2" An excerpt from the article -- So the Updated cast/director confirmations & rumors for Season 2, as of 5/19/20, are as follows... Confirmed/official directors for Season 2: Jon Favreau Dave Filoni Carl Weathers Rick Famuyiwa Robert Rodriguez Peyton Reed (he possibly directed 2 episodes instead of just one, but that detail has not been confirmed) Rumored directors for Season 2: Bryce Dallas Howard Confirmed actors in Season 2: Pedro Pascal Gina Carano Carl Weathers Giancarlo Esposito Rumored/not confirmed by anyone on the cast/crew or by Disney/Lucasfilm -- but very likely to be true -- actors in Season 2 are: Sasha Banks (it is unknown which character she is playing, but she was the first rumored appearance to be revealed this year) Emily Swallow (as the Armorer) Rosario Dawson (as Ahsoka Tano) Michael Biehn (as a bounty hunter Mando knows) Ming-Na Wen (probably as Fennec Shand again - maybe in a flashback?) Bill Burr (as Mayfeld) Sala Baker (not sure if he is reprising his role from Chap. 4, Season 1 -- maybe in a flashback? -- or playing a different character) Temuera Morrison (as Boba Fett, only briefly & maybe in a flashback, and possibly also as Captain/Commander Rex?) Katee Sackhoff (as Bo-Katan Kryze) Someone playing Sabine Wren (not sure who?) Timothy Olyphant (as Cobb Vanth) Rumored, but not as certain, to appear in Season 2 or Season 3 are: Jamie Lee Curtis (who supposedly had costume fittings, then realized there was a scheduling conflict that prevented appearing in Season 2, so her appearance -- if it happens -- could be delayed until Season 3) Taika Waititi (he was at one point rumored to be involved in Season 2 in some way, but no one knows if it's as a director, actor or producer) --------------------- There is, of course, also speculation and wondering (no legitimate rumors) about whether or not certain other non-Mandalorian-specific characters will appear, such as: Ezra Bridger, some version of Luke Skywalker, maybe Yoda as a Force Ghost, etc. There is speculation about whether or not other Season 1 guest stars such as Omid Abtahi (Dr. Pershing in Chapters 1 & 3); Julia Jones (Omera in Chapter 4); Amy Sedaris (Peli Motto in Chapter 5); Natalia Tena and Clancy Brown (Xi'an and Burg from Chapter 6, respectively); Jon Favreau (Paz Vizla from Chapter 3), etc., will reprise their original roles, but there have been no credible rumors or reports to indicate that they will.

There are certainly more than a couple of people who agree with you that Ahsoka might take the Child. Of course, even before we knew Ahsoka would (allegedly) be part of Season 2, I saw various online comments from people who thought that Baby Yoda was a temporary storyline distracting from Mandalorian lore and culture, and they seemed relieved that Baby Yoda's story arc would presumably come to an end in Season 2. But then the 'Baby Yoda is a temporary character' chatter kind of died down for a while. And now that people know about Ahsoka, the 'Baby Yoda is a temporary character' chatter has resumed. Just in the last week I saw two different people on YouTube, on two different channels, indicate that they each think that Baby Yoda is not going to be around "for the whole series." One of them said that as much as he likes Baby Yoda, he thinks the Child's story arc will come to an end in Season 2. There are plenty of people who don't even seem to be entertaining the idea that perhaps Mando and his newfound green son form an unlikely duo that sticks together for the remainder of the series, especially not if Ahsoka is around. I keep thinking that there is no way Disney would let Baby Yoda get away after Season 2 if they plan to keep the series going for another few seasons. That Child is way too integral to the show now, and too integral to Disney merchandise! lol But... that doesn't necessarily mean that Baby Yoda has to stay with Mando, or even stay on The Mandalorian itself, if a spin-off show is created where the Child could logically fit in somehow. Personally, I still think that the magic -- the core of The Mandalorian -- is the father-son relationship between Mando and the Child. Those two together are very essential to my enjoyment of the show. However... there are people who think that there is nowhere the show can go if Baby Yoda is kept a young, adorable child, and that the only way to keep the show from getting stale would be to send him off with someone else to train, or to have him age significantly, or start talking, etc. They think that if Baby Yoda's story arc doesn't come to an end in Season 2, then his whole "cute" bit will get old. So now I don't know what I think will happen. I thought it was so obvious that the point of the show was how this little toddler changes Mando's life, as they travel around the galaxy for different adventures. I figured they'd stay together until the final season, at which point Mando might have to give him up. And yet, it seems that others think differently. I can't say that they're wrong because it's just a different perspective/view than mine -- and they could end up being right. Maybe I am looking at this show all wrong, and everything I thought I knew was a lie!! lol

Pedro Pascal did an interview with the UK's version of GQ magazine back in March. It's interesting in that he talks about various things, including being on his own in isolation, away from his family, and the various birds in his neighborhood. But, of course, he also talks about Mandalorian-related things, including Baby Yoda and Werner Herzog. Click on the link for full article... "Pedro Pascal on The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984 and life in isolation" Here is one excerpt...

How to Train Your Husband is a movie Hallmark acquired, and it fills a bit of a gap in the schedule because they didn't have any of their own content ready to air in May (I think they're more focused on building a movie event in June because their previous June movie events have been successful -- and May is sometimes a lower priority). So it's not their own made-for-Hallmark movie. HTTYH is a couple of years old. I have not watched it yet -- either on Hallmark or when it was available for streaming on Amazon or on Hallmark Movies Now in the past -- because I am usually less interested in watching the acquired movies right away than I am in watching the original Hallmark movies right away, but I'll try to watch it today. There are more gap-filling, acquired, not-made-for-Hallmark movies airing on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel in June (Midway to Love and Timeless Love).

These bits of Mandalorian casting rumors and news just keep coming! From The Hollywood Reporter (although Peter from Slash Film says that he had also been working on this story for a couple of months)-- "Timothy Olyphant Joins 'The Mandalorian' (Exclusive)" Excerpt --

I'll save the rest of the comments for the dedicated thread devoted to the episode, but I loved the 3rd installment of the Gallery series!

I forgot to include this in my post from earlier, about Katee Sackhoff, etc. Bob Chapek -- who is about as high up in the Disney ranks as one can go, next to Bob Iger -- is reconfirming and reassuring us that Season 2 of The Mandalorian will not be delayed. (Yay!) From The Star Wars Underworld - "Season Two Of 'The Mandalorian' Will Still Debut In October, Despite COVID-19" Here is an excerpt from the article, with a quote from Chapek -

This casting news -- IF it turns out to be accurate -- does not surprise me. I have suspected it for a few months because I saw some signs or small clues pointing to Katee Sackhoff being involved. (I almost mentioned her name here the other day, and decided not to until more info came out.) At least it's out there in an article now. This scoop came from /Film (Slash Film) -- "Exclusive: ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Recruits Katee Sackhoff to Play Bo-Katan in Live-Action" From Deadline -- "‘Mandalorian’ Season 2: Katee Sackhoff To Play Live-Action Version Of Her ‘Clone Wars’ Character Bo-Katan" And as for those Sabine Wren and Captain/Commander Rex rumors... From EpicStream (via Kessel Run Transmissions) -- "Sabine and Rex to Reportedly Appear in The Mandalorian Season 2" I'm still not thrilled about this show becoming a 'who's who from the world of Star Wars' situation though. --------------------- I couldn't edit my earlier post with the list of confirmed (by Lucasfilm and the cast/crew of The Mandalorian) and rumored directors and actors working on Season 2, so I will post the updated list here: So far, the confirmed/official directors for Season 2 are: Jon Favreau Dave Filoni Carl Weathers Rick Famuyiwa Robert Rodriguez Peyton Reed (he possibly directed 2 episodes instead of just one, but that detail has not been confirmed) Rumored directors for Season 2 are: Bryce Dallas Howard And, so far, the actors who are confirmed to be appearing in Season 2 are: Pedro Pascal Gina Carano Carl Weathers Giancarlo Esposito Rumored/not confirmed by anyone on the cast or by Disney -- but very likely -- actors appearing in Season 2 are: Rosario Dawson (as Ahsoka Tano) Emily Swallow (as the Armorer) Michael Biehn (as a bounty hunter Mando knows) Ming-Na Wen (probably as Fennec Shand again) Bill Burr (as Mayfeld) Sasha Banks Sala Baker (not sure if he is reprising his role from Chap. 4, Season 1, or playing a different character) Temuera Morrison (as Boba Fett and possibly also as Captain/Commander Rex) Katee Sackhoff (as Bo-Katan Kryze) Someone playing Sabine Wren (not sure who) Timothy Olyphant (not sure who he is playing, but possibly Ezra Bridger) Rumored, but not as certain, to appear in Season 2 or Season 3 are: Jamie Lee Curtis (who supposedly had costume fittings, then realized there was a scheduling conflict that prevented appearing in Season 2) Taika Waititi (he was at one point rumored to be involved in Season 2 in some way, but no one knows if it's as a director, actor or producer) --------------------- There is, of course, heavy speculation and wondering (no legitimate rumors) about whether or not certain other non-Mandalorian-specific characters will appear, such as: Ezra Bridger, some version of Luke Skywalker, Force Ghost Yoda, etc. There is speculation about whether or not Julia Jones (who played Omera in Chapter 4, Season 1), Amy Sedaris (Peli Motto from Chapter 5), Natalia Tena and Clancy Brown (Xi'an and Burg from Chapter 6), Jon Favreau (Paz Vizla from Chapter 3), etc., will return, but there have been no credible rumors or reports about whether or not they will. --------------------- Also... adorable new Baby Yoda containers from Pyrex!

I know a lot of people will be happy about this appearance. Personally, I have been hoping that this show would just stay focused on new characters specific to The Mandalorian and not become a revolving door of familiar characters from other Star Wars-related properties. I was already thinking they were veering off of the path I wanted them to stay on with the Ahsoka Tano appearance (which was apparently intended to be officially announced at Star Wars Celebration in August -- an event that is probably going to be canceled, but has not been canceled yet), and now this news makes me think they are straying further from that path. (I am one of the few people on the planet who could not care less about Boba Fett! lol) But... again, I know this will make a lot of viewers happy and get them to tune in, and I guess that's the goal of the people who make the show. So, I'll keep an open mind and hope for the best!

I have to watch this episode again, as I was half-asleep when I started it at 1:30 a.m. and had a hard time concentrating. But at least Pedro Pascal got to talk a little more in this one than he did in the previous installment! It's interesting because I used to be able to listen to Mando speak and hear a bit of Pedro's regular voice in there somewhere, and I could listen to Pedro speak and hear a wee bit of Mando in there too. But when I looked away from the screen and listened to Pedro talk in this episode, I couldn't hear any Mando in there. It was probably because I was so tired and not as focused, but I think it's also a credit to Pedro that he can change his voice just enough to fully convey the personality of this character whose face we don't see for most of the show. It's not like he is using an accent -- that would be the expected way to change someone's voice to portray a character. But he manages to become Mando just with some subtle adjustments to his own voice and speech patterns here and there. It's not a dramatic transformation of his voice, but the changes are just enough to turn Pedro into Mando/Din.

I think it's not so much that they (Favreau, Filoni, Disney, etc.) didn't think people would find Baby Yoda adorable. They knew that people would fall in love with him once he was created in the version we now know and love. It's just that Jon Favreau didn't want him to be that cute in the first place, it seems -- and I am thinking it's very likely that Disney fought him on that (wisely so)! lol I even remember reading an article at one point that mentioned that Jon Favreau wanted the music/score in the Child's scenes to not be cute or funny, because the Child was already "overly cute" and they didn't need to play it up beyond that. So he was very insistent that there would be no cute music to enhance Baby Yoda's scenes. It seems like he might have lost that battle for Chapter 5 though, because the music is lighthearted and playful when Peli (the mechanic) first meets the Child after he sadly waddles down the ramp of the ship, with his pouty cheeks puffed out, after being left behind by Mando! lol Both Bob Iger and Pedro Pascal have said that they pretty much knew right away that people would go crazy over Baby Yoda when they saw him, but, of course, no one could say anything about him. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Disney went to great lengths to keep the Child a secret, so he was never mentioned in any of the press or promotion for the show before it premiered -- all because they wanted the moment he first appeared onscreen to make a big impact (and it certainly did, so that was a good call on their part!). Some viewers had a whole different idea of what the show would be like -- the overall tone of it -- because they had no clue that there would be this sweet little scene-stealing Yoda-esque character who was a big part of the Mandalorian's story. I was just watching a portion of a YouTube interview with Yoshi Vu, who worked on some of the visual effects for Chapter 4 of Season 1 (I think he might be doing something for Season 2 as well, but I missed part of his interview so I'm not sure). A lot of the scenes for TV shows are filmed out of order, and the episodes themselves are filmed out of order, and so Yoshi caught glimpses of Baby Yoda from other random episodes and concept art before he started his own work, and he -- as a Star Wars fan -- was surprised and amazed. There was no context to any of it yet, as he had no idea which scenes were airing in which episodes, or which concept art went with which episodes, or the order in which the episodes would be presented -- but Yoshi knew right away that people would fall in love with the Child. (I think the first scene Yoshi worked on in Chapter 4 was the one in which Mando takes off his helmet to eat by the window, and Baby Yoda is seen toddling around outside with the Sorgan village children.)

If they are going to rapidly age him, I hope they wait until the final season to do it. I've read a few other comments here and there (but not many) from viewers who said they hope the Child ages a bit in Season 2. They want him to get out of the toddler stage and start talking and saying things to Mando. Having the Child talking to Mando would change the whole dynamic and vibe. Unless he has the cutest voice ever, and unless he says something sweet like "Papa," it is risky. They'd have to handle him talking very carefully. They've lured in many viewers because of this young child's baby-ish ways, which include babbling, giggling, cooing and making odd little sounds and what not. If he suddenly started having full conversations, it could be weird. When I first saw Baby Nut earlier this year, my main thought was... "Oh, they're trying to make something cute enough to compete with Baby Yoda/The Child." Sure, Baby Nut is cute in the most basic way, I suppose. But he is no Baby Yoda! If they were hoping to create the same sort of pop culture phenomenon with Baby Nut, they failed. Alligators are not very cuddly and lovable either! I suppose that Favreau means that we might think a baby animal or a baby alligator is cute, but then they do something gross (like a cat will bring in a dead bird or whatever) and remind us that they are animals at the end of the day. So... is that supposed to make us think that Baby Yoda is not as cute? I guess Favreau thinks that by having the Child scarf down a frog or Force choke someone, we will suddenly think he is less cute. Meanwhile... despite the frog-swallowing and the Force choking, and despite the little hairs on the Child's head, he is still adorable! I have a feeling that Favreau has probably had all sorts of ideas to ugly up the Child (or make him less cuddly) behind the scenes, and he has probably had some of his ideas shot down by Disney more than once. For example, he might have wanted a Force choking scene in a different setting, where it wasn't clear that the Child was trying to protect Mando and was instead just being bad. And I can picture Disney shooting that idea down and making him change the scene with the Force choking to be more about protecting Mando than about being evil. lol Disney knows their brand, even if Star Wars is part of their whole empire now, and they will want to keep the Child lovable and adorable enough for people to still want to buy all of the merchandise. I remember Bob Iger (who was the CEO of Disney when The Mandalorian was in development) saying something about how Jon Favreau was yelling at him, or biting his head off (can't recall the exact phrase he used), when he referred to the Child as Baby Yoda, because Favreau did not want him to be called that under any circumstances. So I think that edict was passed along to the cast and crew of the show -- no one could refer to the Child as Baby Yoda -- until it became clear that there was no way to avoid it anymore, and they just had to go along with it and let people call him Baby Yoda. Favreau was probably not happy, but it couldn't be stopped. Favreau is integral to creating this show and making it what it is, and he and Dave Filoni have a lot of great ideas. But I think he had a very clear vision of what he wanted, and he probably did not get his way on certain things. lol Some of his wishes were probably squashed. And in the case of wanting to ugly up the Child, he was just wrong! It sounds as though Favreau wanted a green, younger version of Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch). Baby Yoda's teeth are precious -- they are not off-putting at all. Whether he is laughing or not, whenever the little teeth briefly appear, it only makes him cuter. I still have a plush Ewok (which I got sometime back in the '80s or '90s), sitting on top of a closet next to a plush Gizmo (from Gremlins). Long ago I used to think nothing could be cuter than the Ewok and Gizmo... and then the Child came along and changed my mind!

Yeah, that's the cereal I mentioned above, in my Chia Pet post. I saw the photo then. I just didn't post it because I had already posted quite a few things. The green shapes just barely resemble the head shape of The Child, but it's a cute idea, for sure!

The Child... is a Chia Pet! I also saw the adorable Baby on the front of a General Mills cereal box too -- and the cereal had little green Child-ish pieces in it -- but I thought the Chia Pet was interesting and oddly charming. I've been out of the Chia Pet loop for a long, long time, so I had no clue that they were even still a thing. Here is where to order him -- https://www.entertainmentearth.com/product/star-wars-the-mandalorian-the-child-chia-pet/ncje00944 Speaking of the adorable little bundle of joy... This Vanity Fair article linked below explains how Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni wanted the Child to be less cute. Reading between the lines, to me it kind of sounds like Favreau might not be too happy that Baby Yoda is as cute as he is, and that the cuteness can't be controlled at this point. It sounds like the whole Baby Yoda phenomenon is a monster that was created, and he can't put it back in the cage. He's done little things to make it seem as though the Child is so weird-looking and ugly on the show... but clearly the Child is not ugly. So I think Favreau and Filoni should just embrace the fact that they have a hit show, and the merchandise is flying off the shelves, and people can't wait for Seasons 2 & 3, and the current documentary series, etc. However, I fully expect that Favreau and Filoni will find a way to speed up the Child's aging process (after Season 2) so that he grows out of this cuddly, adorable stage and becomes the weird, strange, "uglier" creature they want him to be. There might be a time jump in which the Child magically begins to get noticeably older very quickly (he might suddenly be old enough and strong enough to train as a Mandalorian!), while Mando continues to age at his normal human rate and is only a couple of years older. "How The Mandalorian Fought to Keep Baby Yoda From Being Too Cute" An excerpt from the article -

I really enjoyed the whole episode, and look forward to the remaining 7 episodes. I mean, obviously I didn't like it as much as I like the actual Mandalorian series, but it kept me entertained from start to finish. Considering how infrequently Pedro Pascal was on the set during production of Season 1, I'm glad that they managed to throw in a little clip of him talking about Dave Filoni. (I know that Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder dos Santos were the ones who were usually in the Mando armor in Season 1, but Pedro is the one I associate more with playing Mando/Din Djarin because of his voice -- much like James Earl Jones is the one I associate with Darth Vader, even though I know James was not the one physically in Vader's costume.) I think that the directors are likable and/or interesting, and they each came to this project from different types of working backgrounds, as well as put their own individual stamps on the episodes they directed. While some people didn't like Chapter 4, I think that Bryce did a good job with it, seeing that she does not have extensive directing experience and anything Star Wars-related must be very challenging to take on as a new-ish director because of all that goes into creating each scene. I don't think that's the last we will see of the directors talking. I think we will see little tidbits of them commenting on certain things interspersed with other footage, but I guess this episode was meant to introduce everyone to them (if they didn't already know who they were) and make them the focus. I liked Dave's story of thinking that those wacky SpongeBob guys were essentially pulling a prank on him when he got the call from Lucasfilm Animation years ago! lol

Robert Rodriguez conveniently chose May the 4th to confirm that he is, indeed, one of the directors involved in Season 2! Peyton Reed also confirmed his involvement... ____________________________________________ Also... although the title of this article linked below indicates that there are spoilers to be found, there actually are NOT any real spoilers. It is misleading. The only bit of actual info the IB Times is giving us is that actor/stunt guy Sala Baker (who was in Chapter 4 of Season 1) let it slip that he will be in Season 2. However... IB Times admits that they are not sure if Sala is playing the same role he played in Season 1, or if he is playing a new character. Everything else in the article is pure speculation and jumping to conclusions, not actual information. They are basically just guessing, but misleading people to think they have romance spoilers (in the title). However, read at your own risk -- even though this article is almost all speculation and not actual spoilers, you might not want to read it. I won't quote any of the text. I will just post the link... From IBT (IB Times) -- "'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Spoilers: More Romance At Familiar Planet" ____________________________________________ So far, the confirmed/official directors for Season 2 are: Jon Favreau Dave Filoni Carl Weathers Rick Famuyiwa Robert Rodriguez Peyton Reed If there are 8 episodes in Season 2, then there are either going to be 2 additional directors involved (for example, Bryce Dallas Howard has neither confirmed nor denied if she is directing again), or a couple of them are directing 2 episodes each. When Peyton's name was first mentioned a while back, the rumor was that he was directing 2 episodes, but that has not been confirmed. And, so far, the actors who are confirmed to be appearing in Season 2 are: Pedro Pascal Gina Carano Carl Weathers Giancarlo Esposito Rumored -- but very likely -- actors appearing in Season 2 are: Rosario Dawson (as Ahsoka Tano) Emily Swallow (as the Armorer) Michael Biehn (as a bounty hunter Mando knows) Ming-Na Wen (probably as Fennec Shand again) Bill Burr (as Mayfeld) Sasha Banks Sala Baker (not sure if he is reprising his role from Chap. 4, Season 1) Temuera Morrison (as Boba Fett) Rumored, but not as certain, to appear in Season 2 or Season 3 are: Jamie Lee Curtis Taika Waititi was at one point rumored to be involved in Season 2 in some way, but no one knows if it's as a director, actor or producer.

A writer for Parade magazine mentioned on Twitter that the Summer TCA Press Tour (in July/August) has been canceled. So even if Hallmark had decided to jump back into the TCAs with their annual summer party to promote their programming slate through the second half of the year, they would not be able to now because the whole Press Tour was canceled. I doubt that Hallmark had planned to appear at the Summer TCAs without a CEO in place, but this year has not been normal in any way so it's hard to know for sure. I wonder if Hallmark will to be able to sign on for the next Winter TCA tour in January. They'd have to register and submit their paperwork in September, I think, if they want to be part of the Winter TCAs in 2021. Will they have a new CEO by September? At this rate, it's anyone's guess.