S02.E04: Chapter Twelve - The Siege

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The Mandalorian rejoins old allies for a new mission.

Dropping on Friday, November 20, 2020.

[AnimeMania]

Throw your hands in the air 

and wave'em like you just don't care.

So Mando rushed back to town and thought the safest place for Lil' Oda is in an aerial dogfight with me.

Don't be ashamed Lil' Oda, I have that same reaction to Pumpkin Spice. 

[Zahdii]

@AnimeMania, you've seen this episode?

I can't find it on Disney+.  All the other episodes shown so far are listed, but not this one.

[magdalene]

Some use the force for good, some use the force for bad.  Some use the force to get yummy Star Wars oreos.  That kid was mean not to share with Baby Yoda.

Dear Mando, is it really a good idea to make a toddler attempt wiring?

I wonder if this is the way they are writing Cara Dune out of the show with her scene there at the end?

Were those clones of Darth Vader there at the end?

Yeah, Moff Gideon needs to die a brutal death. He wants to take the baby's blood!

[FnkyChkn34]

Um... was that episode written or directed by James Gunn?  I feel like I just watched the second half of Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Same plot, in reverse order:  A dangerous task needs to be done in a very small space that only the adorable Baby figure who barely understands English and/or directions can fit to do it.  Different outcomes, but both did involve an explosion of some sort.  Then there is a rough space flight where afterwards the adorable Baby figure adorably pukes on itself.  Don't get me wrong, it was... adorable... but I did feel like I had seen it before. 😉

Did anyone else yell at Mando when he let Greef convince him to leave the baby at the school?  And then yell at Mando even more to hurry up when he needed to jet back and get him??  I almost threw my tablet across the room, but I was on the edge of my seat.  

Wow those mechanics fixed that ship fast!  Last time I took my car to the shop, it needed a new engine, and they kept it for 7 weeks.  Those guys were done in 30 minutes.  I want to take my car to them next time.  Someone can track me, it's ok... I don't ever do anything fun or noteworthy anyway.

[callmebetty]

So Baby likes Macaroons. At least that's what they looked like to me. Kid is lucky he didn't force choke him for the cookies.

Loved Mando cleaning him up with his cloak. But Dad does take him on fun rollercoaster rides. 

Loved Greefs interaction with Baby.  And kudos to Carl Weathers on directing this episode.  Did a great job. 

[magdalene]

With this episode we have seen every scrap of trailer footage.  We know nothing about the remaining four episodes.

[dwmarch]

That was fun. I thought the blue guy was toast but he actually made it through to the end.

There were a couple of bits that might have been prequel references. The Imperial doctor's hologram mentioned an "M count" which I assume means midichlorians. There was also the scene in the school where the teacher was droning on about trade routes and no one was paying attention which reminded me of the opening crawl for The Phantom Menace.

I also wonder if the clone plot ties into the later movies. I don't need that to be the case but I am not one of those Star Wars fans who thinks movies 7-9 should be stricken from canon.

The Child puked and did not puke up a lizard egg so I guess that settles that. Interesting that we have seen the kid puke but we've never seen Mando change a diaper (which has some comedy gold potential in and of itself). Mando also said "oh boy" which reminds me - has the gender of The Child actually been established?

Mando is following the fundie rules, eating with his helmet on. That was hilarious. No wonder he prefers soup.

Apparently Greef's favorite song is "Fuck Tha Police". Dude was just trying to help and apparently he's one of only two cops in the Outer Rim.

[FnkyChkn34]

6 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

Mando also said "oh boy" which reminds me - has the gender of The Child actually been established?

Yes, the doctor said he is a boy in the third episode of the first season (I think).  The other characters have also referred to him as him. 

[Sakura12]

That kid is lucky the baby didn't force choke him for the macaroons. Also Mando maybe it's not a good idea to have a baby do your wiring. 

Its a good thing that Mando is going to find a force user just as Moff Gideon is on his tail. We better get a light/dark saber fight next week. 

[paigow]

Favreau needs to check dictionary.com for the definition of SIEGE. This is a contender for irrelevant title of the decade.

Edited November 20, 2020 by paigow

[FnkyChkn34]

3 minutes ago, paigow said:

Favreau needs to check dictionary.com for the definition of SIEGE. This is a contender for irrelevant title of the decade.

Yes!  I kept waiting for a siege...

[Penman61]

Well, Yodito laid SIEGE...

...to my heart when he Forced the Tiffany blue macaron from his stingy classmate.

Edited November 21, 2020 by Penman61

[SnoGirl]

2 hours ago, magdalene said:

With this episode we have seen every scrap of trailer footage.  We know nothing about the remaining four episodes.

I think that’s how last season was too, the trailer was only for the first half of the season. I thought last episode set up a lot of potential for future episodes so I’m not surprised the trailer only showed up to this episode.

Loved the beginning with The Child in the ship helping Din. The equivalent of “hey, you have small hands/arms, come help” from a parent so that was amusing. So was Din drinking his soup and The Child looking upwards to see under his helmet. Feeling like that was pretty loose choice for Mando. All we saw last season was a peek of his wrist 😂. Really though, if he doesn’t take off the helmet in front of even The Child, when does he do it? Not even when he sleeps?

Loves this episode. Really action packed. That ending, whew. I think the last episode is going to be one giant fight-yikes I hope Mando has enough friends for that!

Edited November 20, 2020 by SnoGirl

[thuganomics85]

Oh, Mando!  I understand father/child bonding time with automobiles and machinery is a thing, but I'm not sure Baby Yoda is at the age where messing around with wires is a good thing.  At least he handled the vomiting better.  Daddy Mando is slowly, but surely learning!

Cool seeing Greef and Cara again (even if Gina Carano has apparently been revealing herself to be kind of an asshole on social media, from what I heard), and I also like how they worked back in Mythrol/Horatio Sanz again.  I'm sure he'll work that debt off!  Someday...

The mission was entertaining, even if I wouldn't exactly describe what they did as a "siege."  But they do learn some interesting tidbits.  Mainly that Moff Gideon and the doctor from last season have been using Baby Yoda's blood to attempt to create some kind of clones.  I'm sure it won't be for nefarious purposes at all!

Found it kind of funny at the actress playing the comm officer who reported to Moff at the end plays a similar role on Black Lightning.  I guess she has a "loyal underling to the big baddie" presence about her that casting directors love.

Who knew macaroons existed in the Star Wars' universe?!

Carl Weathers did a good job directing-wise as well.

Next week's episode should be a big one!  

Spoiler

I read somewhere that it's being directed by Dave Filoni himself, so I imagine it will be the one to finally introduce Ahsoka into the live action world.

 

[AimingforYoko]

So the NuEmpire is trying to manufacture some Force Soldiers? I don't think that's how that works.

[paigow]

Greef is "The Man" now... so who is running the Bounty Hunter Guild Office? Mando has no source of income now. 

Why does anyone still have access to the forge room? Cara should have sealed everything down there.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Favreau needs to check dictionary.com for the definition of SIEGE. This is a contender for irrelevant title of the decade.

One definition for siege is a prolonged period of misfortune which isn’t too far off for Mando. Looking at the titles known for this season makes me think that it might be deliberate. The titles are often only loosely accurate. 

[pezgirl7]

6 hours ago, magdalene said:

I wonder if this is the way they are writing Cara Dune out of the show with her scene there at the end?

Were those clones of Darth Vader there at the end?

I thought maybe this was a lead-in to Cara getting her own show, since it's been hinted at. But I wonder if that would happen now after the Gina drama.

The helmets did look similar to Darth, but I don't know if they are clones. Darth Vader had force power, so I wouldn't think they would need to inject the clones with Baby Yoda's midichlorians. Unless midichlorians don't carry over in the cloning process. But a clone army of Darth Vader's with force power would definitely be scary! Whatever they're planning, it can't be good.

ETA: apparently people on Reddit think they are Dark Troopers, aka battle droids. 

I really enjoyed this episode. I liked that those of use who thought, from watching the trailer, that they were breaking the blue guy out of prison were totally wrong! I can't even remember why they went on their little mission. I'll need to rewatch. Mando coming in and saving the day at the end was cool, but I agree that it was the quickest repair job ever!

My favorite parts of the episode were with Baby Yoda. Mando has turned into such a dad, although he still makes very questionable choices, like letting the baby hold live wiring! I enjoyed seeing the baby using the force to steal the macarons. I think his powers are growing, so people better be careful around him!

Many times, the baby doesn't seem to sense when he's in danger, so he just giggles like he's on an amusement ride. Unfortunately, the last ride was a bit too much for him! Seeing Mando use his cape to clean up the mess was such a dad move.

I think my most favorite part was the baby and Mando drinking soup together, and the baby trying to get a better peek at Mando's face. At least now we know that the baby realizes that Mando actually has a face under the helmet!

Edited November 20, 2020 by pezgirl7

[tennisgurl]

Baby Yoda has many wonderful talents, but I dont think that doing electrical repair is one of them. Never a dull moment, being a single space dad traveling around the galaxy with your space baby. A classic "your tiny, get into that space" idea that always seems like a good idea, but so rarely turns out like you planned it. 

Really nice seeing Greef and Cara again, and that they have turned that wretched hive of scum and villainy into a pretty nice little town. We even see the guy who Din caught and carbonited way back in the first episode, who I was really expecting to either die or betray them, but he made it out and back to his life long accounting job. It even has a school and a statue of IG-11 in the center! Also interesting seeing that Rebellion is aware that something is going on out on the outer rim, and that they are trying to keep things kind of ordered, with varying degrees of success. I like seeing these bits of what is going on in the broader galaxy without it being in focus, plus we got to see Carson the X-Wing pilot again, who also knows Cara as it turns out. Not too surprising that talking about Alderaan is a sore subject. In general its nice to see how much Din has grown since we first met him, now he is the kind of guy who actually has friends to call on for some help and a quick repair who he can make friendly shit chat with, and not the guy who just skulks around looking scary. 

Now we know more about why Gideon wants the child, or at least one reason. No way does "I want to harvest the babies blood" sound like a good goal, so now it looks like we are moving even faster towards a confrontation. We also got possibly what is the closest the Disney Star Wars will ever get to referencing the dreaded midichlorians, one of the worst additions to the mythology in the prequels, and are now thankfully ignored for the most part. 

Lots of great action this week, I especially thought that the canton chase was really exciting, this show really does a great job at its action scenes, they're exciting, while also not feeling too over the top as to feel cartoonny. 

Macaroons the baby wants. Oh Baby Yoda, I cant stay mad at you, no matter how many goodies you force steal. The baby waving his arms around when Mando was having his chase was so dang cute, it was like he was on a rollercoaster. Also Din wiping the babies chin with his coat, so much cute, its taking awhile and its a rough road, but he is starting to get the hang of this fatherhood thing. Just maybe don't let the baby try and fix the ship again... 

[paigow]

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

In general its nice to see how much Din has grown since we first met him, now he is the kind of guy who actually has friends to call on for some help and a quick repair who he can make friendly shit chat with

When Season 3 starts it will be more like Magnum P.I. than A Fistful Of Dollars

[Sakura12]

Now I'm thinking that the reason the baby will stay with Mando is, Gideon will want to go after Ahsoka instead. They think they killed all the Jedi or lost them. Mando is leading him right to an adult force user. She'd be more valuable then a baby. 

[Starfish35]

I really enjoyed that.  Although I was convinced the Child was going to get kidnapped or something when Din left him there in the school.  I was relieved to see him in the RazorCrest.  Hahaha “onboard maintenance” indeed.  😂

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

Now I'm thinking that the reason the baby will stay with Mando is, Gideon will want to go after Ahsoka instead.

Gideon has trouble defeating non Jedis without using his super cannon...If Mando, Greef & Cara can defeat an entire garrison, Ahsoka will "John Wick" that Star Destroyer and recapture the Darksaber. 

[Epeolatrix]

In case this is useful for anyone.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

Now I'm thinking that the reason the baby will stay with Mando is, Gideon will want to go after Ahsoka instead. They think they killed all the Jedi or lost them. Mando is leading him right to an adult force user. She'd be more valuable then a baby. 

A vulnerable baby with a life span of 100’s of years or an adult force user trained by Anakin Skywalker? If Gideon is smart he’ll run from Ahsoka and stay focused on the Child. 

[wanderingstar]

Fun episode.

Great seeing Greef and Cara again. Greef's joy at seeing the Baby again was delightful.

The Baby stealing those cookies was adorable, as was his giggling through the big climatic battle.

Greef, Cara and Mythrol escaping the Imperial base was a fantastic action sequence.

Kudos to Carl Weathers' direction of this episode. I thought he did a great job!

Edited November 21, 2020 by Gillian Rosh

[merylinkid]

The episode where OSHA has a heart attack.

Baby doing wiring.   Although the electrical jolt seemed rather enjoyable to him.   He looked like he wanted to try it again.

No safety rail around the power controls over the reactor (I believe the first Death Star had something similiar with controls over a pit).   No safety rail around a lot of holes.

Lots of storm troopers falling and going boom.   

Baby Yoda loving Daddy's flying and begging him to do it again.

Cara being the new Marshall in town.   

Some fun parts.   Some very dark parts.    It's a LAB.   They are trying to figure how the force works so they can use themselves.    Because just waiting around for someone to show up with the power and hope they turn to the dark side takes too long.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Epeolatrix said:

In case this is useful for anyone.

The same problem happened on Fargo a few weeks ago...

[bethy]

For all the hubbub about Din arguably referring to the Child as a pet in the last episode, it was fun to see him treat the Child as an actual child in this episode, and even his own child. I loved him trying to talk the baby through the electrical wiring and looking back as he left the Child in the class - poor daddy on the first day of school. Then the Child with his hands up during the chase while eating the cookies and then puking made me LOL, along with Din cleaning up the baby afterward. 

I obviously need to watch again for substance, but I enjoyed seeing Cara and Greef and even Blue Guy again.

[pezgirl7]

1 hour ago, Epeolatrix said:

In case this is useful for anyone.

Do I get points for being the only person in this thread to spell it correctly? lol  To be fair, I googled the spelling before posting. 😆 I've never eaten one before, but now I want to try one. And I'm guessing bakeries will start selling blue "Baby Yoda" macarons now! They would make a cute Christmas gift for a fan of the show.

[bethy]

Thanks to The Great British Bake Off I know the difference between a macaroon and a macaron. I think. 🙂

[Babalooie]

10 hours ago, magdalene said:

Dear Mando, is it really a good idea to make a toddler attempt wiring?

It was like a real father-son thing when Dad needs the son to help him repair something around the house or fix a car.  It was a cute scene.

[paigow]

What is the title???? The opening credits still say The Siege. Regardless, The Republic is somehow more irrelevant...

[WatchrTina]

I'm not gonna lie . . . I'm pretty unhappy with that episode. Back to Navarro AGAIN?  Also, the idea of dragging an unwilling participant along on a caper like that seems so ill-advised than I can't get over it.  What was the point of bringing the blue dude along?  He had no special skills and you can't even say he was the get-away driver because they couldn't trust him enough to leave him alone with the car.

And no, Mando, you can't just dump the kid in a classroom like that and just assume everything will turn out fine.  Similarly, it's probably a really bad idea to ask a child to assist with engine repairs.

I have no problem with the willful suspension of disbelief when it comes to things like cloning and space travel and giant dragon creatures, but when it comes to human nature (or whateverthehelll blue guy is) I expect characters' motivations and behaviors to make sense.

And how many times are we going to see Mando hire a mechanic to work on the ship only to have something dubious happen as a result?  It's happened four times in the 12 episodes we've seen and 50% of the time the results have been bad.  It really is a shame that he was unable to convince that Ugnaught (Kuiil) to come along and be his on-board mechanic.  

Edited November 21, 2020 by WatchrTina

[j5cochran]

3 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

Great seeing Greef and Cara again. Greef's joy at seeing the Baby again delightful.

Greef is just one big old, cuddly grandpa!

[Runningwild]

Great seeing Cara, Greef, and the blue guy again. 

[AnimeMania]

I'm American so all I saw was this!

[Cthulhudrew]

I enjoyed the episode well enough, but holy poop, did it feel like it was directed by the biggest Star Wars fanboy ever! I lost track of all the callbacks to the movies: trawling imperial star destroyer; biker scout pedal acceleration; obi-wan fishman on the reactor cooler; stormtrooper dialogue. There were so many, it was ridiculous. I'm pretty sure they used some of the same lines from the early films as well. 

I also lost track of how many Wilhelm Screams were used.

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I'm American so all I saw was this!

Same. I'm pretty sure they make green oreos for the holidays, which is what I thought they were.

[Macbeth]

I completely loved this episode.  When I saw the Imperial bikers come out to chase them - I was like yes!! And then 2 of them managed to kill each other before they could get anywhere.  It reminded me of Chuck Wendig's Star Wars books that took place soon after the destruction of the 2nd Death Star.  A lot of the competent troopers died there - and you are left with a lot of refuse.

And I was thrilled when Mando came to the rescue and took out the remaining tie fighters.  I wasn't expecting that.  Especially as his ship was basically scrap metal when he landed it.

Baby Yoda has the need for speed.  He loves going fast.  We have seen it when he has been on the land speeders.  Maybe the child doesn't want to be a priest of the force.  Maybe he wants to be a pilot.  And he can use the force to help him fly the ships.

 

 

 

[paigow]

6 minutes ago, Macbeth said:

Baby Yoda has the need for speed. 

A quarter parsec at a time, I live my life

[Msample]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

A quarter parsec at a time, I live my life

You see that krayt skeleton over there? When the two suns dip below the horizon, I’m going for it.

[Neurochick]

I loved this episode.  Action packed.  Reminds me of how I felt when I saw "A New Hope" when it first came out.

[Morrigan2575]

This was a fantastic episode. Carl Weathers did a great job directing. It was fun, exciting, tons of Easter Eggs and advanced the main plot.

I know Mando and Baby Yoda are safe (Even though I did jump last week when Baby Today was pushed into the water). However, I was on the edge of my seat worried they would kill off Greef or Cara. So happy to see both safe.

Poor Baby Yoda, first the mean boy refuses to share, then he pukes up his hard won bounty because of Daddy Din's flying. 😁

Edited November 21, 2020 by Morrigan2575

[Kel Varnsen]

21 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

Now I'm thinking that the reason the baby will stay with Mando is, Gideon will want to go after Ahsoka instead. They think they killed all the Jedi or lost them. Mando is leading him right to an adult force user. She'd be more valuable then a baby. 

Is there any reason he has to find Ahsoka? It's like 5 years after Jedi right? Luke Skywalker is out there, is a Jedi and is like the most famous person in the galaxy.

32 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

 

32 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Poor Baby Yoda, first the mean boy refuses to share, then he pulls up his hard won bounty because of Daddy Din's flying. 😁

If he gives one to Baby Yoda he has to give one to everyone else.

Also what was that medal thing that the pilot gave Cara and the end?

[raven]

On 11/20/2020 at 11:09 AM, FnkyChkn34 said:

I feel like I just watched the second half of Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Absolutely.  Totally this scene; unfortunately Din doesn't have anyone to ask "does anyone have any tape" 😆

 

 

3 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Luke Skywalker is out there, is a Jedi and is like the most famous person in the galaxy.

I thought of this too!  My guess is because Filoni wants to stick with his characters 🙂

Fun episode; nice to see Greef and Cara again.  Lots of great action and I enjoyed Din doing his Han Solo impression, zooming in to save his friends.    I also thought he left the child kind of quickly at the school but Cara did say she guaranteed his safety.  Still!  I hope Din sticks with "where I go, he goes". 

I thought it was very helpful of what's his name in the hologram to say "Moff Gideon" so that our heroes would know he's still alive - though really, Din should have shot the Tie fighter after it crashed back in S1 - always double tap!  The scientist did say "the child" so he's talking about our fan favorite.   Nice creepy set up.

I'm happy with the adventure of the week format.  I don't need galaxy wide implications even though we have them.  I just hope we don't spend much time on them. 

11 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Also what was that medal thing that the pilot gave Cara and the end?

A way to contact the new Republic if she changes her mind.

Oh!  loved the space meerkat or whatever that was.  Glad he didn't get his head chopped off. 

[paigow]

10 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Is there any reason he has to find Ahsoka? It's like 5 years after Jedi right? Luke Skywalker is out there, is a Jedi and is like the most famous person in the galaxy.

Mando is getting a lot of fake news - like Mandalore is cursed - so not knowing any details about Rebel Heroes is understandable...

[Morrigan2575]

47 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Is there any reason he has to find Ahsoka? It's like 5 years after Jedi right? Luke Skywalker is out there, is a Jedi and is like the most famous person in the galaxy.

I don't see how they could get a 20+ year old Luke on the show for very long. I would think the de-aging CGI would be too expensive.  However, that would be freaking awesome!

Edited November 21, 2020 by Morrigan2575

[MissLucas]

On 11/20/2020 at 10:42 PM, pezgirl7 said:

I think my most favorite part was the baby and Mando drinking soup together, and the baby trying to get a better peek at Mando's face. At least now we know that the baby realizes that Mando actually has a face under the helmet!

Baby clearly got object permanence ticked off his to-do list 😂

I normally try to figure out the inspiration/genre behind each episode. Obviously this time it was Star Wars, duh.

I enjoyed it although I had hoped to see Ahsoka - but it was a fun filler episode. The only part I did not enjoy: mention of the dreaded M. And the score at the end was reaching Michael Burnham levels.

 

[laprin]

23 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

I'm not gonna lie . . . I'm pretty unhappy with that episode. Back to Navarro AGAIN?  Also, the idea of dragging an unwilling participant along on a caper like that seems so ill-advised than I can't get over it.  What was the point of bringing the blue dude along?  He had no special skills and you can't even say he was the get-away driver because they couldn't trust him enough to leave him alone with the car.

And no, Mando, you can't just dump the kid in a classroom like that and just assume everything will turn out fine.  Similarly, it's probably a really bad idea to ask a child to assist with engine repairs.

I have no problem with the willful suspension of disbelief when it comes to things like cloning and space travel and giant dragon creatures, but when it comes to human nature (or whateverthehelll blue guy is) I expect characters' motivations and behaviors to make sense.

And how many times are we going to see Mando hire a mechanic to work on the ship only to have something dubious happen as a result?  It's happened four times in the 12 episodes we've seen and 50% of the time the results have been bad.  It really is a shame that he was unable to convince that Ugnaught (Kuiil) to come along and be his on-board mechanic.  

He’s not an unwilling participant. He’s an unwilling prisoner on release because of the deal he made with Greef to work off his debt (not unlike community service).  Given this, I would say his motivations are not unlike any other person that dislikes community service, but knows the alternative is worse. At least Greef offered to cut his community service by 150 years. As for his value, it seems like he was the designated driver/lookout. He ended up going inside mainly because of the danger of staying outside alone. His technical knowledge came in handy as he was able to uncover data from the lab.