The big Mandalorian rewatch

Cathy and I started rewatching the Mandalorian series before seeing the film that was released in the summer. After seeing the film we completed the whole story arc so I thought it would be fun to publish a mega-review. The film is now streaming on Disney Plus and we've watched it again.

Spoilers follow - read on at your own risk!

Season 1

Synopsis: The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter named Din Djarin, who is given a commission to find a mysterious child of an unknown species. His client is a former high-ranking officer in the Empire. He discovers the child has special powers when the child saves his life. Feeling indebted to the child, the Mandalorian reneges on the bounty and goes on the run with the child, taking on various jobs while trying to keep ahead of Imperial warlords.

In the finale, another Imperial faction led by a new main antagonist, Moff Gideon, appears and comes after the child, leading to a massive shoot-out. 

(I blogged a detailed review of the first series back when it came out.)

Favourite episode: probably episode 6, 'The Prisoner'. It's a prison break episode with some interesting other characters, with guest stars Bill Burr and Richard Ayoade (voicing a droid), and it adds to the wider narrative of the post-Empire rebuild of the New Republic. There's lots of action and I think it has the best dialogue in the series. 

Least favourite episode: although it's pivotal to the Mandalorian's relationship with the child, the second episode where the Mandalorian's spaceship is stripped for parts by thieving Jawas is probably my least favourite. 

Departure point: The child is identified as a Jedi and the Mandalorian is quested to return him "to his own kind".  So, off they go... 

Meanwhile, in a very end scene, Moff Gideon is shown to be in possession of the darksaber, a potent Mandalorian weapon that imbues authority to rule on any Mandalorian who wields it.

Season 2 

Synopsis: The Mandalorian tries to find a Jedi who will take responsibility for training the child. Moff Gideon intensifies his hunt for the child, needing his Jedi blood for a mysterious cloning project.

There are throwbacks aplenty. The Mandalorian meets former Jedi, Ahsoka Tano, first introduced in the Clone Wars and Rebels cartoon series and now played in live action by Rosario Dawson (who went on to lead the Ahsoka series shortly after). Ahsoka reveals the child's name is Grogu.

Another character making the jump from animation to live film is Bo-Katan Kryze, deposed ruler of Mandalore, played by Katee Sackhoff. And then the last few episodes reintroduce the legendary Boba Fett, who allies with the Mandalorian, and Luke Skywalker, who promises to train the child.

Favourite episode: I think episode 7 of the series, 'The Believer', is the absolute pinnacle of Disney Star Wars. It brings back Bill Burr's character from the first series. It's a dangerous heist plot. There are loads of lore references, like a discussion of Operation Cinder, and there is a philosophical conversation that was so surprising I blogged about it when I first watched the episode.

Least favourite episode: the second episode with the ice spiders, Grogu eating the frog lady's unhatched children and a deus ex machina rescue.

Departure point: with Grogu heading off to become a Jedi with Luke Skywalker, the story arc was kind of done. There was a hanging thread left regarding the darksaber and the restoration of the planet Mandalore, but that could have been left dangling.

The showrunners had also nicely set up the Rangers of the New Republic series with Cara Dune officially a New Republic marshall. However actress Gina Carrano imploded her career and subsequently got fired from the project. (I blogged about it at the time.) The Rangers series never happened. Cara Dune was erased with a passing reference at the start of season 3.

There's also a tiny post-credits scene where Boba Fett returns to Tatooine, as a trailer for the new series: The Book of Boba Fett. 

The Book of Boba Fett (episodes 5-7)

Synopsis: Boba Fett is trying to establish his authority on Tatooine. He needs help and hires the Mandalorian. But actually, the Mandalorian is the sole focus of a full episode and Grogu's Jedi training takes up a good chunk of another episode. There was some discussion at the time about how the series was clunky and the inclusion of the Mandalorian and Grogu was a "rescue mission". (Read my full blog about it.)

In terms of the wider Mandalorian story arc, though, these episodes are essential because it acts as a jumping off point to season 3 after reuniting the Mandalorian and Grogu.

Favourite episode: The Return of the Mandalorian (episode 5) includes a stunning city on a ringworld, where the Mandalorian learns more about the darksaber. He also takes possession of a new starship. 

Least favourite episode: all 3 are essential for the ongoing story arc but episode 6 drags a bit. Uncanny CGI Luke Skywalker is a bit boring for a Jedi master.

Departure point: After helping Boba Fett beat the Pyke Syndicate, the Mandalorian and Grogu fly off in their starfighter to their next adventure.

Season 3

Synopsis: The Mandalorian and Grogu are reunited. Seeking absolution for breaking the creed, the Mandalorian visits the devastated planet Mandalore, with Bo-Katan. They work together to reunite the Mandalorian factions to re-colonise their homeworld, only to find it's being used by Moff Gideon as a base for his experiments with clones and 'dark troopers'. 

Favourite episode: possibly episode 5, 'The Pirate', as it features lots of Mandalorians in action against a space pirate who has taken over the planet Nevarro. Although the next episode, 'Guns for Hire' has a very unusual focus - a hitherto unseen droid subculture when they are off the clock - and references to Clone Wars era politics. But it also guest stars Jack Black and a very unconvincing Lizzo as the planetary rulers who hire the guns of the Mandalorian and Bo-Katan. So, a real mixed bag episode. 

Least favourite episode: episode 3 starts and ends with the Mandalorian and Bo-Katan as they shoot their way out of trouble and start their journey together. But most of the episode follows two ex-Imperials on Coruscant in a story that is visually very interesting but isn't particularly relevant to the ongoing story. It ties up a loose end with a side character and adds some depth to the back story of the New Republic, but it's not necessary. (The two bits either side are necessary, though.)

Departure point: after the destruction of Moff Gideon's horrifying project, and the Moff himself, the Mandalorian formally adopts Grogu so the child can become a Mandalorian apprentice. The Armourer tells Din Djarin that he must take Din Grogu on "his journeys". The Mandalorian makes a pitch to the New Republic to work for them as a private contractor. He then heads to his new, gifted dwelling on Nevarro to wait for a commission.

The Mandalorian and Grogu 

Synopsis: The Mandalorian is now working as a freelance contractor for the New Republic. The film works as three episodes. Part 1 shows the Mandalorian hunting down an Imperial warlord and being tasked to find the "missing" son of Jabba the Hutt, Rotta, a character first introduced in the Clone Wars animated series. Rotta's aunt and uncle, known as the twins, want the Mandalorian to find him and bring him back to them. Part 2 is about finding Rotta and making sure he is safe from both his captor and his conniving aunt and uncle. Part 3 pitches the Mandalorian and Grogu against the twins, who are angry at being double-crossed.

(Read more in my review of the film.)

Favourite bit: The opening section with the Mandalorian taking out an Imperial warlord by blasting his way through a column of AT-AT walkers is highly enjoyable. Particularly the bit where Grogu is trying to hurry him up before the AT-AT they are in explodes.

Least favourite bit: The aftermath of the escape from the Hutt twins where Grogu is caring for the wounded Mandalorian is cute but a bit sedate.

Departure point: With their enemies vanquished and all their friends safe, the Mandalorian and Grogu take off from the New Republic base for an unknown destination. Possibly just heading back to their homestead on Nevarro.

In praise of the physical format

This blog post is a response to an innocent question from Connor a while back that got me thinking. Here's the Q:

Now, a bit of an odd question: Why do you still buy CDs? Do you not have any music streaming services?

And here are some reasons.

Tangible items are nice to have. I've mentioned this before when comparing cardboard baseball cards with non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and I was reminded of it recently when I bought a new box-set CD retrospective released by 90s shoegazer band Thousand Yard Stare.

The set contains four CDs and a book, all housed in a sturdy slipcase. It's a thing of beauty.

(I was one of the first people to buy it and got a free bonus 7" single as well!)

(Some) physical format items retain their value as well. We recently cashed in some old console games, which have become a bit collectible. If you just download a game, then it's not as easy to sell on. 

(I also find it frustrating when I can't just turn on a console and play a game any more. I found the PlayStation particularly bad for this. There were so many administrative steps before I could start playing, I actually gave up.  The same dynamic happens with music. I don't want to have to log in to anything to play music.)

Generally, I don't like the idea of streaming services deciding what I can access. If you rely on Disney Plus for watching Star Wars you can't see the original versions of Star Wars before they got monkeyed around with (and, in the case of Return of the Jedi, ruined!). But while you can't watch them, I can, because I still have the DVD box set released 20 years ago.

Similarly, Disney insisted on several cuts to Bluey episodes and for a long time didn't have the episode 'Dad Baby' available. This reflects the strong small-c conservative, easily offended, quick to complain American market. Which is why you can't see a male cartoon dog pretending to be pregnant or ponies at a fete do a poo like ponies do. (Seriously.)

Why should I surrender control over what I can watch to a corporation? I'm aware that my online activity is feeding the algorithm because the machines are listening. But I want to retain control over my playlist as much as possible. 

And that's before we get to the one line modern horror story: What happens if the wi-fi goes down? 

(Well, I'd have something still to watch.)

Even if the wi-fi stays on, streaming services don't hold content forever and they can drop stuff without warning. In effect, while you aren't limited to the content you own, you are limited by the content they own. We end up paying for another person's library and they decide what's in it.

As an example, this year Cathy and I have started watching the show Manifest. The problem was Netflix only had the first, second and fourth seasons available. The third season was on another streaming service. What to do? We opted to buy the series on DVD. (And then, after we bought the physical format that Netflix reached a deal with the other streamer. However, at this rate, we will have finished the fourth and final series before season 3 arrives on Netflix.)

I realise this sounds like a regressive rant by an irritable Gen X old man who is reluctant to surrender control and autonomy. But I don't care. I'm going to keep buying CDs and other physical format items and, in the long run, I think I'll be proven wise to do so. There's safety in being a late adopter. 

Lastly, I'm Generation X. I remember the 20th century. I lived a pre-Internet life. Nostalgia is the weapon pointed at me most often. Having the physical artefact is a reminder of back when I was more innocent and less cynical. And is that a bad thing?

WandaVision provides a beautiful perspective on grief

Warning: Mild Spoilers below the picture of Vision

We have been watching WandaVision, the new Marvel series extending the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that is exclusive to Disney Plus. The series is trying to unravel a mystery concerning Wanda Maximoff who was introduced to the MCU in the film Avengers: Age of Ultron and the sentient humanoid machine Vision, who was also introduced in Age of Ultron and was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. 

Wanda and Vision had developed a relationship in those movies. In this TV series, Wanda and Vision are back together, recreating family life in various sitcom scenarios set in classic templates from sitcoms in various decades. The mystery is how this could have happened as Vision was dead, and Wanda had been absent for five years after the events of Avengers: Infinity War.

It's a very well-made series and I've been able to follow it despite not really knowing anything about the characters from their long-established histories in comics. However, I have been catching up on the MCU since starting to watch WandaVision. I had a week off work in February and watched Age of Ultron and the 3 Thor movies. Since then I have also watched Captain America:Civil War, Black Panther and Avengers:Infinity War.

Watching those films together really helps with the wider picture. I didn't remember how much Wanda and Vision featured in Captain America:Civil War, or how that film also operated as a prequel for Black Panther. Seeing the Wanda and Vision story arc across Age of Ultron - Civil War - Infinity War has really added to my enjoyment of the show. 

But the reason I'm writing about it is because of a line in the most recent episode, which was released on Friday - Episode 8.

In Episode 8 there is a flashback scene where Vision talks to Wanda about the loss of her brother. He is trying to understand the emotions she is feeling. 

Wanda explains that is feels like wave after wave comes crashing over her and she doesn't know if she can keep standing while they hit. Vision says that she will and then explained why with one of the most lovely descriptions of grief I've ever heard. He says

"But what is grief, if not love, persevering?"

That was one of those pieces of dialogue that really struck home with me. The Marvel writers have form for this. Eric Killmonger's defiant dying words in Black Panther is another such moment, and I have blogged before about the underlying theological implications of the depiction of deicide in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 

This line took me unawares because in the last few weeks I have really been missing my Dad. I have been sorting out my stamp collection ahead of a presentation I am doing in a few weeks time and as I went through a small box of material that needs sorting I found a little trove of stuff that Dad gave me, complete with a data-packed note of where he had acquired the items 

There are no hard and fast rules about what triggers a little wave of grief and a renewed sense of loss. But it is comforting to think that those feelings are rooted in love more than anything else. Dad wrote those notes to accompany the things he gave me because he loved me. And I feel the way I do when I read them because I still love him. That is one of the hallmarks of love - that it perseveres. It is "stronger than death" as Song of Songs puts it. 

And my grief is love, persevering.

Review of 2020 - new films

I watched 41 films for the first time in 2020, but only seven of them were actually new releases. I saw three in cinemas before they closed under lockdown rules in March, and I saw another five new releases on Netflix and Disney Plus. So this isn't going to be a long post at all.

Even though we only went to the cinema three times, Cathy and I did get to meet a film star. 

The eight films were (in order):

• 1917
• JoJo Rabbit
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
• Onward
• Enola Holmes
• Mulan
• Soul
• The Midnight Sky

1917 was a very well-made first world war film where the central conceit was that it was filmed as if it was a continuous shot. Although there were a few 'fade to black' moments. I thought it started really well, with the panning shots down trenches, but a bit like the central protagonists who got sent to deliver a message, it got lost a little bit along the way. It captured that sense of danger, especially in the quiet bits not knowing when or if a shot or bomb would come out of nowhere. I would say it was worth watching, but I wouldn't want to watch it again.

JoJo Rabbit was a second world war film that tried to be three films in one - a film about the Nazification of children by the Hitler Youth, a film about Germans resisting the Nazi regime, and a film about Jews in hiding from the Gestapo. The second theme was the one least served by the script. There were some very clever touches throughout the film, which focused mainly on the little boy, JoJo, and his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. 

I was uncomfortable seeing the Hitler Youth sections played for laughs, but that's probably just as well. It was very black humour, particularly the lines delivered by the ever-excellent Sam Rockwell. As it became apparent that the regime was willing to use children dressed in paper uniforms as cannon fodder to slow down the advancing Allied armies, the real dark heart of Nazism was exposed, and if it had been played entirely straight, then it would have been unrelentingly grim. 

Changing the tone slightly, the film I saw most recently in a cinema was A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. This starred Tom Hanks, as the real-life Mister Rogers whose show 'Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood' was a hugely popular children's TV show for decades in America. I have never watched that show so can't really compare Hanks' portrayal to the real person. During the film, Rogers is interviewed by a hatchet-job reporter who sets out to find the real Fred Rogers behind the TV persona, only to find that Fred is the genuinely nice guy he portrays on TV.

It's a schmaltzy film. Probably the schmaltziest film I've seen in a long time, with a family reconciliation theme in the life of the hardbitten reporter that was saccharine. There was a bit of the 'uncanny valley' about Hanks' portrayal as well. So overall it wasn't a film I'd bother watching again.

Onward was Pixar's film most affected by the pandemic, with it's release date bumped and then pulled completely in favour of release on Disney Plus. It's set in a fairy-tale style world that has modernised and magic has died out, although there are still creatures like unicorns (which knock over garbage bins to root through the trash) and fairies (who are a biker gang). The main story is about a young troll who discovers his late father was a magician and has created a spell that could bring his dad back from the dead for a short period of time. The spell goes wrong and only half his dad appears, so he and his brother go on a quest to finish the spell.

It had its moments, and lots of funny gags. The scene at the Manticore's Tavern was probably my favourite. But I felt it was trying too hard to make an emotional impact and unfortunately it couldn't land its punches. 

Enola Holmes was released on Netflix. It stars Millie Bobby Brown, who played Seven in Stranger Things, as Enola, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. She has the same sleuthing mind and puts it to use when her mother disappears. There is a sub-plot involving the suffragette movement but the main story involved Enola getting mixed up with a young aristocrat who is on the run because his life is in danger. 

I liked the film. Millie Bobby Brown carried it well, with lots of breaking the fourth wall. There was a scene filmed at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, and having been there and seen the sheds full of train carriages that are used in various period dramas, I found it quite amusing to try and see how many different coaches they used. This was based on the first book in a young adult fiction series, and I would be very keen to watch sequels.

Mulan was a live-action remake of the classic Disney cartoon, released on Disney Plus in lieu of a cinema release. I have two main issues with the film. Firstly, if you are going to remove the best character from a film, in this case Mushu the dragon, for the sake of 'realism' why replace that character with another supernatural character who was a bit crap? Secondly, if you are going to recreate an iconic scene, like Mulan triggering an avalanche with a fire rocket, why change the mechanism of that scene, and make it crap?

Disney keep remaking their classic cartoons as live action movies, and I've been disappointed with them. (Cinderella is perhaps the exceptions because the original cartoon is a really boring film anyway.) If Disney are going to keep doing remakes, they could at least be making Muppet versions of these films, which would be a lot more entertaining. 

On Christmas Day I watched Soul, which was released on Disney Plus. Ostensibly it's a film about death and making sure you actually live your life before you die. The  main protagonist, voiced by Jamie Foxx, is a music teacher with dreams of playing in a real band, who gets his shot only to die in an accident. As a disembodied soul he tries to make his way back to Earth, only to wind up in a therapy cat that has been brought in to comfort his comatose body in the hospital. 

There are other stories around that, with some telling points about people losing sight of their lives by focusing too much on one thing, or being afraid to actually live at all. The animation is absolutely gorgeous at times. There are several jokes with the usual selection of clever gags that will probably go over the heads of kids who watch it. And overall there is that bold theme of actually experiencing life while it is being lived and finding joy in that. Pixar often take these deep themes and present them in a new way, and they are probably the film studio making the most philosophically challenging mainstream movies at the moment. 

The final film I watched this year was The Midnight Sky, which starred and was directed by George Clooney, and released on Netflix. George was the sole survivor of a catastrophe on Earth, and spent the film trying to warn a returning spaceship crew that the planet was a radioactive mess. It was two hours long, but felt longer, was pretty bleak throughout and didn't have much of a resolution. The few action sequences had predictable conclusions. By now, if there's a spacewalk and everyone is really happy at how successful its been, there is bound to be a disaster. And there was.

So, of those eight films, I think three were worth recommending. They would be JoJo Rabbit, Enola Holmes and Soul. Whereas Mulan and The Midnight Sky are ones to avoid.