bethy

I found the series as whole disappointing. I mean, is it even a "twist" at this point to have it turn out that the good guys are the bad guys and the bad guys are the good guys? It's not a new concept anymore from a story-telling perspective in our cynical age, and I could see it coming from the moment it came out that the Jedi were hiding something about what had happened. I'm not saying that the Jedi should be perfect, but it's sad to me that the current tendency in Star Wars shows/movies (admittedly I haven't watched all the animated shows or read any of the books) is to undermine the heroic aspects of the Jedi. It makes me think of this quote from C.S. Lewis "Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker."

Harrison Ford is no dummy.

I definitely see what you’re saying here. But I also think that Din doesn’t see himself as a peacemaker, though we’ve seen him do that well a number of times. I hope, too, that there will be some recognition of Din’s positive influence on Grogu, but I doubt it will come from Din himself.

I’ve been watching The Chosen, which is about Jesus and the disciples. The latest episode I watched had Jesus exorcising a demon (and kudos to the show for the creepiness of that portrayal), and when He said, “Get out!” I legit expected black smoke to pour out of the guy’s mouth. 🤦🏼‍♀️😄

Ah! And Moff Gideon had requested them at the super secret meeting at the beginning of the episode. Thanks!

Really, really enjoyed this episode. I loved seeing the tribes come together, even if things were bumpy at times. I had to laugh at Grogu's first word being "no." Very toddler-like. Din all "This isn't working for me" when Grogu was at the merchant stall and playing keep away with the fruit/juice was hilarious. I remember when my nephew started to talk and how disconcerting it was to have him suddenly express his disagreement so clearly. 😄 Din captured was horrible. I'm torn between wanting Grogu to save him and wanting him to be able to save himself for once this season. I liked Din's support for Bo multiple times over the course of the episode and that he came to her and admitted that what he had been taught was wrong before swearing his fealty to her. Very nice. Who were the people in red who killed Paz?

Initially, I thought he was warning them about the incoming fighters since they appeared so soon after Grogu's babbling, but I saw a clip of that scene, and it definitely sounds like he's trying to say, "This is the way." Aw!

Agreed on the reading glasses (I've got them in every room in the house, but they somehow all manage to congregate in one room over the course of the day, so I'm still always looking for them!), but I would assume the Mandalorian visor has some sort of special vision thing.

Thanks, y’all!

Out of curiosity, is the cure question settled in the second game? I skimmed through the wiki but I don’t remember seeing it mentioned. Thanks!

I don't think that Joel was in a place to weigh the likelihood of the success of the plan for Ellie one way or another. I don't think he thought that the plan was sure to produce a cure and didn't care; I think he had just regained consciousness from being clubbed in the head, been told that the child he'd been traveling with and come to love like a daughter was - at that moment - about to be killed, and then was given no option but to abandon her. I would agree that Joel didn't care, but I don't think it was because he came to any rational conclusion about the hope for a cure or the truthfulness of Marlene's assertions. I think he was a trapped animal whose child was in danger and he went berzerk.

I wonder if some of Joel's complete ruthlessness when it came to killing the people who had endangered Ellie also arose out of the fact that they had just survived another situation where Ellie had been in danger and Joel hadn't been able to save her. Ellie saved herself, yes, but we know that Joel has a ton of guilt for not being able to save Sarah (and Tess), and I can see that Ellie's trauma from the last episode would add to Joel's feeling of helplessness and shame for not being able to protect those he loves. To me, Joel's hunt through the hospital came across a lot like Joel was just done. He shut himself down completely and was going to burn it all to the ground, no survivors, including himself, if Ellie was dead. And I found the scene of Ellie's birth incredibly tragic - not just that her mother was infected and killed, but that some of the first words spoken over Ellie were about her being "tough." She wasn't tough; she was an infant. From the very beginning of her life, she was, in many ways, on her own and without true protection. As someone pointed out up thread, even the guy holding her didn't shield her ears from the sound of the gun killing her mother. And Marlene doesn't seem to have done much to nurture her or protect her, in spite of her relationship with Ellie's mother, putting her in the FEDRA school fairly early on in her life. (I don't remember that I even got the idea the two of them actually knew each other much at all in the first episode.) It just made me so sad for her.

Is that what Bo Katan was flying when she went to rescue Din?

Mando telling the R5 not to be a baby was weirdly endearing to me and one of the highlights of the episode. I think the new ship is stupid and completely impractical. When Mando had Grogu in his lap and the R5 was in Grogu’s spot, all I could think was, “Where do they sleep? How do they go to the bathroom? When and where does the baby get to play?” Dumb. I loved seeing the Mythosaur there at the end! I think Bo Katan may be reconsidering the tenets of her faith.

I loved Greef Karga “translating” for the Anzellans. That whole scene made me giggle and go “aww” that Mando considered the IG unit a friend he could trust even after it initially tried to kill the baby.