Tag Carl Weathers

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 21: The Pirate” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Carson Teva poster, The Mandalorian, season 3, Paul Sun-Hyung LeeSERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E5 – “Chapter 21: The Pirate”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
WRITERS: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR: Peter Ramsey
PREMIERE DATE: March 29, 2023
SYNOPSIS: Din Djarin and his tribe come to the aid of Greef Karga on Nevarro.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’re five episodes into season three of The Mandalorian, and I’m starting to worry that the bloom is off the rose. Not that the show isn’t good anymore, or that I’m not enjoying it. I’m just wondering if this season isn’t a step down from seasons one and two. I maintain that they should have saved what they did with Mando and Grogu on The Book of Boba Fett for this season. Because this show is ultimately about them. Right now it feels like we’re watching a show about Bo-Katan Kryze. Or at the very least, this tribe of Mandalorians. Maybe that’s what the show should be called now. The Mandalorians, plural.

How bad is it that when I see Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who reprises his role as Carson Teva in this episode, I keep waiting for him to break into the accent he used for all those years. on Kim’s Convenience? Still, it’s nice to see them bring that character back again. In terms of people we have to check in with every season (Greef Karga, Migs Mayfeld, etc.), his name is definitely on the list.

Gorian Shard, or “the swamp monster” as Mrs. Primary Ignition calls him, is voiced by Nonzo Anosie. I thought he sounded familiar, though I couldn’t quite place his voice. He’s probably best known for playing Thomas Jepperd in Sweet Tooth.

The moment from this episode that got a lot of online buzz was when Zeb, the big purple guy from Star Wars: Rebels, briefly cameos (shown below). This isn’t as big a deal to me as it is to other people, as I haven’t seen much of Rebels. But it’s cool to see Zeb in live action, and Steve Blum rightfully returns to do his voice.

Zeb, The Mandalorian, Chapter 21 the Pirate

Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows pops up in this episode as Colonel Tuttle. Much like me waiting for Lee to do the Kim’s Convenience accent, I kept waiting for Meadows to do the accent he did in the “Ladies Man” skits.

The tree full of Kowakian monkey-lizards was a cool visual. Reminiscent of classic Star Wars, as we obviously saw a monkey-lizard in Salacious B. Crumb back in Return of the Jedi.

Mrs. Primary Ignition brought up an interesting point: Do all Mandalorians have the nickname Mando? Obviously it was used for Din Djarin because he never told people his given name. But if someone were to casually know say, Paz Vizsla, would he also get the Mando nickname? It’s possible, I suppose. It’s not like Mando is a huge leap from Mandalorian.

Wait…the New Republic uses Lambda shuttles too? I thought those were an Imperial thing? Palpatine and Vader rode around in those things, for cryin’ out loud! I realize that in-universe it’s probably the equivalent of a car brand. But from a viewer’s perspective, those things are identified with the Empire. Not what I would have done, per se.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 20: The Foundling” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E4 – “Chapter 20: The Foundling”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Ahmed Best, Wesley Kimmel
WRITERS: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni
DIRECTOR: Carl Weathers
PREMIERE DATE: March 22, 2023
SYNOPSIS: The tribe works to save a taken child.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is the second episode of The Mandalorian to be directed by Carl Weathers, who also plays Greef Karga. His first episode was “Chapter 12: The Siege.”

Great shot of the ship and the dragon flying into the sun. One of the more memorable moments in the entire episode.

I’ve always felt for Ahmed Best, the actor who did the voice and motion-capture for Jar Jar Binks in the prequels. He must have thought he was getting the role of a lifetime. And then, after all the backlash, it became an albatross. So to see him in this episode as Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq is really cool.

I actually had no idea Kelleran Beq wasn’t a new character. Apparently Best played him in the 2020 YouTube show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. It’s really nice that they found a way to incorporate him into The Mandalorian. I imagine Star Wars guru and Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni had a hand in that.

Two questions coming out of Grogu’s flashback to the siege of the Jedi Temple…

1. Why were there so many Jedi protecting Grogu? Is it the obvious answer, i.e. that he was a young and defenseless child? Or had he been designated special in some way?

2. During the attack, the Jedi were bound and determined to get Grogu to Kelleran. Why? Is he a designated caretaker for young initiates?

It’s not necessarily evident to non-Star Wars geeks, but those were Naboo pilots that helped Kelleran, and a Naboo ship he flew away in. That’s a nice touch.

Very convenient that Bo-Katan didn’t have helmet hair when she took hers off to eat. Come to think of it, has anyone on this show ever had helmet hair? Maybe Mando in his unmasking scene with IG-11. But that’s about it.

When Mando, Bo, and the team return with the rescued Ragnar, the other Mandalorians clap. Or rather they…kind of clap? They clang their gauntlets together repeatedly. Same effect, I suppose.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Catching Up With The Mandalorian – “Chapter 8: Redemption”

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

The Mandalorian, season 1 posterSERIES: Star Wars:  The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S1:E8 – “Chapter 8:  Redemption”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Taika Waititi (Voice)
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR:  Taika Waititi
PREMIERE DATE: December 27, 2019
SYNOPSIS: Trapped, the Mandalorian and his allies struggle to keep the child out of Moff Gideon’s hands.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Taika Waititi, who directs this episode, and is also widely known for directing Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, serves as the voice of IG-11. Fitting, as this episode is a big one for the repurposed droid.

That scout troopers punching the child in the bag is one of those things that makes you hate the bad guy, but where you also can’t help but laugh a little. What can I say? It was funny. As was the target practice bit moment later.

This episode is the first time we hear the Mandalorian’s given name: Din Djarin. Not the worst name, by Star Wars standards. “The Mandalorian” has more mystique, of course.

The appearance of the super battle droids in the flashback sequence was a nice touch. It set the period.

It was pretty bad-ass to see IG-11 riding through that town on a speeder bike, twin guns blazing. Question: If his new base function is to nurse and protect, why does he bring the child into a town occupied by Imperial troops? Granted, none of them can shoot…

It’s funny to me how none of the stormtroopers can hit a target, as this episode makes light of. But when the episode needs him to be, Moff Gideon is a crack shot.

Din Djarin, The Mandalorian, Redemption, Pedro Pascal

I’d never seen or heard of Pedro Pascal prior to The Mandalorian. So what he looked like was news to me. He didn’t necessarily look how his voice suggested he looked. But that’s not a good or a bad thing, per se.

The armorer tasking Mando with reuniting the child with its own kind was a great hook for season two. As the last of the Jedi, the obvious implication was Luke Skywalker. Or perhaps Ahsoka Tano. But we couldn’t have realistically expected to see either of them…could we?

The big moment in this episode is when IG-11 sacrifices itself to save the rest of the group. I’ll say this much: The episode does a great job making us care about the repurposed robot, which we didn’t see again until the previous episode. It feels genuinely sad as he walks through the lava.

Something I appreciated about this group mission as opposed to some others we see in Star Wars is that there were consequences and casualties. Kuiil and IG-11 didn’t make it, and Mando was wounded to the point that he wouldn’t have survived if left to his own devices. The bad guys come off threatening and dangerous even in defeat.

Mando taking on Moff Gideon in the TIE fighter was a cool climax for the season. Suitably suspenseful, as you’d expect a man in a jetpack trying to take down a plane to be.

Din Djarin, The Mandalorian, Redemption

The one thing I didn’t like about this episode was how rushed everything was after said climax. Mando literally lands from taking down the TIE fighter, and everyone announces what they’re going to do going forward. Felt uncharacteristically clumsy.

The revelation of Moff Gideon with the Darksaber at the end was a fun little moment. Star Wars geeks knew what it was, obviously. And those who didn’t know would come to know as the series progressed.

Disney bet a lot on this first season of The Mandalorian. The first episode premiered with the launch of Disney+, so it was a great added incentive to give the service a try. But beyond that, it set the standard for all live action Star Wars TV projects to come. And thankfully for the fans, that standard wound up being pretty high. The Mandalorian season one isn’t just great Star Wars television. It’s great television, period. It’s compelling, intriguing, gorgeous to look at, and perhaps most importantly, very accessible to those not well-versed in Star Wars. (I’m trying to get my parents to watch it to this day.)

All in all? It was a home run for everybody involved.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Catching Up With The Mandalorian – “Chapter 7: The Reckoning”

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

The Mandalorian, season 1 posterSERIES: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S1:E7 – “Chapter 7: The Reckoning”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, Nick Nolte (voice)
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR: Deborah Chow
PREMIERE DATE: December 18, 2019
SYNOPSIS: The Mandalorian recruits help to take down his former client.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The objective in this episode is to neutralize Mando’s former client, played by Werner Herzog, thus ensuring the safety of the child. Herzog’s character is only known as “the client.” He gets no name, no backstory details, nothin’. That’s not to say we need a lot in that sense for this character. He shows up, serves his purpose, and exits at the natural time. The fact that (and the way that) Werner Herzog plays him is enough to make him memorable. It would just be nice to have something to call him other than “the client.”

Even years later, I can’t decide if it’s a little too convenient that the people Mando recruits for the mission just happen to be the ones he’s recently met during the events of the show. Obviously I get it in the sense that they’re telling a story, and it might be a little late in the season to be introducing new allies. It just feels a little, well…convenient. You’d think he’d have some other contacts or comrades, not unlike the lot we met in “The Prisoner.”

After picking up Cara Dune, they travel to Arvala-7 to meet with Kuiil. When he sees the child, Kuiil remarks, “It hasn’t grown much.” How much time has passed since the last time these two saw each other? A few months, maybe? How much did Kuiil expect the kid to have grown?

We see Kuiil has repurposed IG-11 as a sort of butler/protector. It definitely makes sense that someone as small as Kuiil would want a guardian of sorts. He’s apparently very resourceful, but doesn’t seem like a fighter.

Mando and Cara pass time aboard the ship by arm-wrestling. Even with a Force-powered little goblin on my side, I don’t think you could pay me to wrestle Gina Carano. I base that purely on the size of her arms compared to mine…

Nice little monologue by Werner Herzog’s character about what life was like under Imperial rule as opposed to what things have been like since “the revolution.” Great insight into his character, his privilege, and his justification for the horrors of the Empire.

We meet Moff Gideon in this episode, played by Giancarlo Esposito. I mention this in a future review, but I’ll say it here too: Moff Gideon really wants to be Darth Vader. He’s got the black armor, the cape, his own personal TIE fighter. I wouldn’t be shocked to see he had a black helmet laying around somewhere.

In our final shot of the episode, we see that the speeder bike troopers have killed Kuiil and taken the child. Kind of a shame to see Kuiil go. But like the client, he arrived and left the story very naturally, and was memorable in his own right. I couldn’t have asked for much more from him.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 17: The Apostate” Review

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

The Mandalorian, season 3 posterSERIES: Star Wars:  The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E1 – “Chapter 17:  The Apostate”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Emily Swallow, Marti Matulis, Katee Sackoff
WRITER: Jon Favreau 
DIRECTOR:  Rick Famuyiwa
PREMIERE DATE: March 1, 2023
SYNOPSIS: The Mandalorian continues his journey toward absolution.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I know this gripe has been…uh…griped, by many already. But it must be said: This premiere should have been about how Din Djarin and Grogu are ultimately reunited after the latter’s time training with Luke Skywalker. Instead, they did that story on The Book of Boba Fett, stealing thunder that should have been reserved for this third season. Choosing to give us those critical moments under the banner of a different show was the biggest, and perhaps only major, mistake The Mandalorian has made thus far.

Simply put, The Book of Boba Fett should have been about Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and the characters that show is specifically about. The Mandalorian should, conversely, be about Mando and Grogu’s journey together. Going forward, let’s not color outside the lines anymore. If they want these characters to appear in one another’s shows, be my guest. But events and moments that are critical to a particular show, should be done on said show. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Between this new season of The Mandalorian, and the success of The Last of Us on HBO Max, I think we can all agree Pedro Pascal is living his best life right about now.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought that opening sequence was a flashback to Din Djarin’s childhood. It would have made sense, given this episode, and apparently this season overall, are about him seeking redemption in the eyes of his people. Mando did get a nice entrance, though. So there’s the upside.

Vane and the other pirates want to break into an in-session school before being stopped by Mando and Greef Karga. That’s a nice heelish bad guy move.

I call BS on the notion that Mando thinks IG-11 is the only droid that can help him in his quest to find the living waters of Mandalore. IG-11 had a nice little story in season one. I even liked the statue in town being dedicated to him. We didn’t need to revive him for more.

Gorian Shard, the big lead pirate behind Vane and his crew, looked like, in Mrs. Primary Ignition’s words, “a swamp monster.” I did, in fact, get a Swamp Thing vibe from him. That’s not a bad thing. Just a thing. Either way, you know we haven’t seen the last of him this season.

Seasons one and two were largely held together by Grogu’s story. Mando’s quest to learn his origins, get him back to the Jedi, etc. This season, we don’t have that. So I’m very curious to see what they’re going to do with the Grogu character going forward. As fun as it is to watch him do cute things, there has to be more to him than that.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Rob Watches The Mandalorian: An Attack of Conscience

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S1:E3. “Chapter Three: The Sin.”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, Omid Abtahi
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR: Deborah Chow
PREMIERE DATE: November 22, 2019
SYNOPSIS: After returning the child to his client, Mando has an attack of conscience.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I assume those stormtroopers have to keep their armor on full-time, as if they were still on duty. One would think they’d want to avoid outfits that would get them recognized. But I suppose you can’t be recognized if you don’t go out in public.

I wish we had something to call the Werner Herzog character besides “the client.” Even the mad scientist character has a name: Dr. Pershing. Granted, that sounds like the name of somebody’s podiatrist. But at least it’s there.

While we’re on the subject, are we to assume Baby Yoda has no name? See, that one I’m okay with, as we can assume he’s been in Imperial research facilities for much of his life.

Carl Weathers’ Wikipedia page says that he took the Greef Karga role on the condition that he be able to direct an episode in the second season. Take everything you read on Wikipedia with a grain of salt. But if it is true, that’s some clever bargaining on his part.

With this episode, Deborah Chow became the first woman to direct a live-action Star Wars project. Those kinds of milestones are a double-edged sword for me. Yes, you obviously want diversity in the director’s chair. But the fact that it took more than 40 years for it to happen is cringeworthy.

Then again, it’s not like there’ve been a massive surplus of live action Star Wars projects. The Mandalorian is, after all, the franchise’s first live-action TV series.

Don’t get personally involved. That’s got to be, like, the first rule of bounty hunting, right? If it’s not rule #1, it should be rule #1A.

One of the big themes in The Mandalorian, and Star Wars at large, has to do with fatherhood and parenting. We’ve had Luke and Vader, Boba Fett and Jango Fett, Han and Ben Solo, etc. And now, we’ve got Mando and the child. Heck, even Mando himself has some lost parent issues.

What I like about this episode is that we’re with Mando as he makes the decision to become a parent, albeit a surrogate one. We see the struggle between his mercenary instincts and his conscience. And we get through the whole thing with minimal dialogue from him. It’s beautifully done.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Rob Watches The Mandalorian: #FireGinaCarano?

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S2:E4. “Chapter 12: The Siege.”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Horatio Sanz
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR: Carl Weathers
PREMIERE DATE: November 20, 2020
SYNOPSIS: Mando reunites with Greef Karga and Cara Dune to take out an Imperial base.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m happy to see Cara Dune again. But I had no idea her actress, Gina Carano, was such a heat magnet. #FireGinaCarano is apparently a thing on Twitter because of her views about the trans community, COVID-19, masks, and the Democratic party. Instead of spouting off about this, I’ll simply invite fans, viewers, and readers to come to their own conclusions…

Mrs. Primary Ignition popped for Baby Yoda putting his arms in the air as the ship lands. Cuteness quota: Reached.

Carl Weathers, who plays Greef Karga, directed this episode. He’s got several directing credits. But nothing as high profile as this. Based on how well this episode turned out, I imagine he’s got many more directing gigs coming his way.

“The Siege” has a lot going for it. We’ve got familiar faces from last season. But we’ve also got a really nice balance of action, excitement, and intrigue. I wouldn’t put this episode in the same league as “The Prisoner” last season. But it was still a thrilling watch.

Listen carefully during the classroom scene. You’ll hear the protocol droid say the New Republic is headquartered on the planet Chandrila, as opposed to Coruscant. Makes sense. Coruscant had become synonymous with the Empire. Best to start fresh somewhere else.

Writers need to start being careful about stormtrooper dialogue. Specifically, parroting lines from the original trilogy. Remember, these movies have been ingrained into people’s minds for 40 years now. So a seemingly harmless line like, “Alright men, load your weapons” can harken back to a very specific moment, and take you right out of the episode.

Another stormtrooper gripe: During the shoot-out sequences I found myself wishing one of our heroes, specifically Karga or Mythrol, would take a non-lethal blaster bolt. Just to show that these stormtroopers can in fact hit a target more than once in a blue moon.

So our base, it turns out, is actually a lab. We don’t find out what exactly they’re doing, but we know it involves blood from Baby Yoda. Given the child’s strength in the Force, that means these experiments could involve the creation of Snoke, or even the Palpatine clone we see in The Rise of Skywalker. On the other hand, it could simply be a matter of Moff Gideon creating clones to serve as the Dark Troopers we see at the end of the episode.

And yes, Dark Troopers were a thing in the old canon. I’m anxious to see them in action.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.