The Mandalorian (SPOILERS possible)

[Rob]

Best part about the cantina was that after no droids being allowed in ANH, now it was run by EV droids, with other droids rolling around. 

[Dave]

Do we think that The Mandalorian actually has a bloodline to one of the clans from Mandalore?  Its not clear to me if he has a bloodline or has been adopted by Mandalorian refugees. 

The armor maker keeps asking him about a crest (if I recall correctly) and he keeps deferring.  I'm not sure if he doesn't feel he lives up to the Mandalorian ethos or doesn't deserve one because he doesn't have a blood line, or both.

[Jeff]

My take is he was a "foundling" who the clan took in.  That's why he's got a soft spot for giving extra beskar for the 'foundlings" and why he's so into the orphan TINY/The Asset/The Child.  Also why he has no crest/sigil/signet yet - he hasn't earned it yet.

I've read a few theories/speculation that his "not mando by blood" is part of why his helmet rule (take helmet off in front of people, can never put it on again) is so different from blood mandos like Pre Vizsla or Bo Katan in The Clone Wars or Sabinein Rebels, all of whom took their helmets off in front in people all the time.

Helmet thing is odd because we saw Jango take off his helmet and he wasn't blood Mando (or was he?).  Maybe it's just the clan The Mandalorian is in is like super devout/religious about the helmet stuff where other clans (like in TCW, Rebels) didn't seem to care?

[Jesse James]

I figure it’s something simple(r) like that...  some are more strict than others.  Just my opinion but I have seen some people getting bent out of shape on this issue that shouldn’t be that big a deal.

I really enjoyed seeing his backstory in flashbacks with the clone wars.  Kinda rad to see SBDs and the droid Gunship zipping around.

[Matt_Fury]

I have a feeling that the whole no removal of helmet has to do with a restructuring of the Mandalorians after the purge.  Kind of a back to basics type of philosophy.

[Nicklab]

OMFG!  That was an awesome episode.  And the cast was fantastic! 

[Muftak]

I wasn't feeling this week's episode. It felt like one of those slapdash Clone Wars episodes that led me away from that show.

I enjoyed Bill Burr's performance. The rest were kind of cartoony. The bit at the end with the Child's surprise made me laugh.

The middle episodes have all had so little impact on what should be a building storyline. You could literally watch episodes 4 6 and 6 in any order and it wouldn't change a thing. Mando goes somewhere, helps someone out, Child is endangered, they leave. Reset for the next one. It is reminding me more and more of "Kung Fu" (not that I have seen that since I was under 10.)

I am still a geeked out fan watching it, I liked the allusion to something on Alzoc III this week. I just hope the next two episodes have rising stakes and the story develops.

And I hope Favreau gets his wish and we get a Mandalorian Holiday Special next Christmas.

[Matt_Fury]

Clancy Brown as the Devonarian was cool.

Another great episode!

[GrandMoffNick]

I thought that was perfection.

I've watched plenty of TV shows where each week is a new adventure with a grander story that plays out in small pieces. Not sure there has to be a point A to point B etc story you can specifically find every week.

I'm loving this.

[McMetal]

I thought that was perfection.

I've watched plenty of TV shows where each week is a new adventure with a grander story that plays out in small pieces. Not sure there has to be a point A to point B etc story you can specifically find every week.

I'm loving this.

Same. There was just so much to take in during that episode, great cast too. I love breakout/heist stories like that and it played out to perfection.

Was it all a big double cross to begin with or was that just an impromptu decision to screw him over? I need to watch again. Captioning helps a lot too I find.

Seems like he should be trying to hook up with the other Mandos at this point, or hunkering down somewhere now that he has some money.

[Nicklab]

There were points during the episode that I got an 'Alien' vibe.  Notably when the Mandalorian was stalking Mayfield.

I was kind of skeptical about how Bill Burr would play in this setting. But it actually worked pretty well! I loved the bit where Mando questioned Mayfield having been an Imperial sharpshooter, and he retorts "I wasn't a Stormtrooper, wiseass!"

Bringing in Clancy Brown as a Devaronian thug was fantastic casting. The man is 60 and can still deliver on a physical role like that??? Wow! And I guess in the process we learned that Devaronians are impervious to fire.

I was genuinely surprised to see the crew locked up in one of the cells at the end of the episode. I had fully expected Mando to take them all out. And then for Mando to place the beacon on Qin, and let the New Republic X-wings take out him and the station? The poetic justice was pretty great to see.  And it was also cool to see Dave Filoni in a cameo role as an X-wing pilot.

Mando seems to be in a pickle - his old underworld partners are clearly not to be trusted. And it seems that Mando is going to have to stay on the run while the Child remains as an active bounty. The tracking fobs that the bounty hunters have seem to be a curiosity - how does it actually work? Was some sort of chip implanted in the child?

[GrandMoffNick]

Plot / Storyline to me so far:

There's a Mandalorian bounty hunter.
E1) he captures a bounty and holy crap it's baby Yoda.
E2) this is a special bounty and holy crap it can use the force.
E3) still gonna do his job and turn in the bounty. Wait I'm having second thoughts I'm gonna break him out and screw myself as a bounty hunter.

Now that he's made that choice what to do
E4) go into hiding. Never mind if I want baby Yoda to live.
E5) freelance bounty hunt. Never mind what I did is out there and others are after me too.
E6) go back to my past. Never mind I burned bridges and they are on to what I did to guild.

Seems story-liney enough to me.

Now. Two first season 40 minute episodes left. Yes let me know a little more about baby Yoda. Who wants him. Etc.

[Jesse James]

Fantastic episode.  I’ve loved each one so far.  You can tell differences in directors but they all seem to “get” the character in the same way. 

Curious ending to see how he defined them getting “what they deserved”, and how the other two wound up getting what they deserved, which was decidedly worse.

The P38 fighter/Gunship was a nice EU and clone wars nod.

[StBrianOfMinneapolis]

So, given that the Child seems to know the Force instinctively as if any member of species is absurdly powerful... what if the race is revealed to be the Whills?

[Matt_Fury]

I thought we saw the Whills in the last season of The Clone Wars cartoon when Yoda went on his spiritual journey to turn into a force ghost.

Although the child is still a baby, he's 50 years old, he's got some rudimentary use in the force and it guides his instincts, but he definitely uses it like someone who is untrained....even though he is fairly strong in the force.