The Reel Rejects - STAR WARS: MAUL - SHADOW LORD Episodes 1 & 2 REVIEW - CLONE WARS MEETS ANDOR?!

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Starting point is 00:00:27 More on them in just a bit. Ready to watch this. I'm really looking forward to the show. I, I'm really excited to see the non-Darth Tallinn, Darth Tallinn. Let's do it. You're telling me. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's what you're supposed to say. Waka, waka.

Starting point is 00:00:45 All right, let's watch the movie. Too good to be true. Two episodes. Two episodes. Yes, two episode premiere. Oh. All right, ladies and gentlemen, Michael Tessor and I have watched season one, episode one,

Starting point is 00:01:05 and two of Mall Shadow Lord. If you like to support the channel just a little bit extra, you can support us by going to Patreon.com slash real rejects, becoming a royal reject. You get the full reaction watch along where you sing up with your own copy.

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Starting point is 00:01:35 All right. I'm excited to talk about this, man. This is a journey. This is awesome. This is some of the best animation workday I think they've done so far. This might shape it to be in their, one of their best things they've ever done, honestly. I think the last four episodes of Clone Wars are some of the best Star Wars has ever been ever. And this show, the way it's shaping up, this might be just the animated show that they need right now to meet the middle ground of where Star Wars' respectability has evolved into. Like when it's getting, when it's gaining respect, you know, versus capturing what the hardcore people like. I thought this was like a wonderful addition, man. How did you feel about it? Do you think that having the middle ground in this era is equal to the high ground? I'm just the worst. No, I mean, I think like many people, the last few episodes of Clone Wars, I thought was likely going to be the end-all peak of Star Wars animation.

Starting point is 00:02:44 The arc that was always the most interesting to me was the dynamic between Asoka and Mall. And for them to have this opportunity, and mild spoiler, for those, if you haven't seen rebels, and if you're watching this, that's confusing. I mean, not really. I guess. Rebels to understand this. What do you mean? people don't watch every little piece of Star Wars

Starting point is 00:03:08 Star Wars is like let's do the beginning and end this, keep feeling to the middle, slowly until we finally convert. Until every glove shito has a spin-off. But there is a big missing chunk for Darth Mall. Oh, 100%. This is like something that is something we'd want to see fleshed out.

Starting point is 00:03:24 Well, and it's a, they've done so much a terrible thing to say. They've done a lot of legwork on Mall. And... Wacker, walk. but this series i think answers a lot of the questions of you know we do see mall again canonically in rebels what happened between clone wars and rebels that explains how he got from where he began and where he ended then solo threw in the wrench that he was the leader of crimson

Starting point is 00:04:01 dawn yeah which uh well he does a little coup d'etatha of Crimson Dawn, if I'm remembering correctly. But Crimson Dawn was a member of the Shadow Collective at the time of the Battle of Mandelor. But I'm talking about, because doesn't it take place... Solo would take place in the future. Yeah, after Coln Wars. Yes.

Starting point is 00:04:24 But then I only saw Solo once whenever ago. Isn't the big reveal that he, like the Crimson Don is the big organization and that he is now the leader of that? Yes. So even though it was part of the... syndicates that he was acquiring. Yeah, but I, yeah, I think the answer is, I, because in here he's setting, sorry, I interrupt, it's like, in this one, it's setting up that he's going to get revenge at them, but now it looks like he's going to take control and lead them. Yeah. Yeah. I mean,

Starting point is 00:04:51 Crimson Dawn feels like a name that he should have, you know? Yeah, I don't know much about, Crimson. I don't know much about Crimson Dawn. Yeah, I just know, that's a thing that sounds cool. It's one of the gangs, one of the many syndicates in the, uh, in the galaxy. But, no, it's going to be an interesting thing. I think for me it's really cool to be able to continue to explore the thread that Maul had with Asoka in the form of him and this potential new apprentice. Yeah. Um, which there is a, uh, we talk a lot about gray Jedi and fandom. And we've never really gotten a great Jedi. And mall, well, straight up evil in many ways, does have sort of a weird moral, predicament and like she will have a weird moral predicament of i mean we we saw it how many times in just

Starting point is 00:05:41 these first two episodes a jett i in this era is not able to act openly to help others sure and when you are existing in a time of moral peril there creates a necessity to perhaps make some exceptions to the rules and you know i'm i'm sort of curious of like, could an apprentice of Moll really be a balance of the dark and the light? Because he really is fascinated by the idea of balance and the chosen one and sort of all these sort of concepts. So, you know, but visually, this is stunning. I love that we both sort of leaned into this noir sort of gritty cop story set in the Star Wars universe. So what do you know? what do you mean what do I know?

Starting point is 00:06:35 I don't know much about anything I don't Do you have any knowledge The comic The comic is supposed to be five parts And they've only They're releasing one issue a week Yeah

Starting point is 00:06:44 The next issue doesn't come out Until April 8th So this is very new This is a new I was gonna say How do I not know about this? It's a prequel comic And there's only one issue out

Starting point is 00:06:54 And it focuses on law On, I can call on Lawless Lawson And like he's a cop who You know He's the kind of cop who the chief of police is always on the verge of being like, turning your badge because he's just constantly doing things his own way.

Starting point is 00:07:10 Yeah, him in two boots and getting in trouble with, I don't want to give like every detail way, but it also is a start of how he, you see a little team that he has here, and you see how he gets introduced to them, but he's very much like his own rogue person, then it ends with mall doing something. So it's like, it's really like not much as revealed.

Starting point is 00:07:29 It just gives an insight into who Lawson is and helps set up the world, of, I think it's called Jerricks as this planet. So yeah, I kind of just like did a lot of jamming of information from the rewatches and the comic books in like a matter of a couple days. So my brain's a little foggy. You don't want to spread that shit out when you rewatch it. So that's about all I really know from it.

Starting point is 00:07:49 But in terms of what we're doing here, I'm surprised by how much it's living up to that trailer. Because the trailer surprised the shit out of me. It was definitely like a, it's like, it's just, a good trailer. Yeah. Because they've done that. They've done just a good trailer before.

Starting point is 00:08:06 And this is, this is like a really good storytelling. Like the, the vibe and aura of it is so strong where you don't even need the dialogue to feel something a lot of the time. Like, it's just the visual,

Starting point is 00:08:23 the experience, in the way they capture, like, motion and fear and the dread is so strong. I was surprised. I am surprised by, like, how effective. it is and pretty much every aspect.

Starting point is 00:08:35 And whilst still managing, it feels like gritty. It feels like they can push a boundary, which they probably won't. But it feels like they can push a boundary into something that feels more, that can feel more violent than maybe we'll actually see. Well, I think with the droids, too, there's sort of always that opportunity to, like, take it to that level without necessarily taking it to that level. But there's certainly, you know, Bad Batch, as much as I adored it,

Starting point is 00:09:04 very much still felt like a definitive kid's show. Yeah, it still felt like more middle era of most of Clone Wars. Some episodes better than others. Yeah. I don't know what you're talking about. I miss record so much.

Starting point is 00:09:19 They would have the occasional episode that feels like super cinematic. So cinematic. And then the next episode, you'd be like, what? We're going to find the treasure. Treasure. Echo?

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Starting point is 00:10:38 You can go to Shopify.com slash rejects. That's Shopify.com slash rejects. Thank you Shopify for sponsoring this video. Whereas like I feel like they're telling a very specific story here that is focused and has a direction and an end point that they really want to land on.

Starting point is 00:10:54 Or Bad Batch, I kind of got the impression that they were trying to expand and start a new series. And maybe this does want to be another series and has multiple seasons, but right now I could see it being a really strong, limited series that has a bunch different influences from film noir to cyberpunk, to retro, to a bit of like Japanese inspired animation too, anime. Like, there's so much amazement here to be had while knowing when to make Darth Mall the protagonist, but also really leaning into, he's still a bad guy. He is bad. Like, I don't think there's a great with, like, he's a

Starting point is 00:11:30 bad guy. He's a bad. He's a mass murderer. He's an awful person, but I love him. He's like my favorite character. He got treated so poorly. So what? You know, what's your favorite line of malls? I don't know. I don't know. I'm not that guy. My favorite line is

Starting point is 00:11:46 in Clone Wars when they resurrect him and he looks at Mother Towson and he says, Mother Towson, I got my legs back. That's my favorite line. No, I agree. I think you said something earlier about sort of it feels like an animated, you've taken the Star Wars of Andor and you've applied the Clone Wars animation to it. And I feel like one of Andor's great strengths is that it knew, it saw the scope of limitations in terms of like the vastness of the galaxy and all of that as an opportunity to really be focused in on the characters and to let people get.

Starting point is 00:12:30 invested in the settings. And by the time that the show got bigger, it all felt very earned because it wasn't necessarily using the spectacle of jumping across the galaxy as much as let's really hone in on the experience of Cassian. And by the time that season two comes around,

Starting point is 00:12:52 everything just feels like so justified and so excited. But I also think there's just a this sort of era continues to be one of those it existed in our imagination for so long that it is really fun to see all these different interpretations of what it looks like from different sides. I mean, the fact that Star Wars will now have been able to show you, hey, like, what was the politicking that Mon Mothma had to deal with in the Galactic Senate at the same time that we're seeing like, how did Maul as sort of this, you know, sort of this. sought after by the Jedi and by by Sidious now trying to rebuild syndicate while also trying to because the other thing too is we have the fate of Mandelor

Starting point is 00:13:40 that has to unfold at some point I can't help but imagine that storyline collides in some way, shape, or form. God, there's so much. So much. Well, remind me. Yeah. Okay, without spoiling too much in case people just haven't happened as seen rebels.

Starting point is 00:13:57 Yeah. When we do see Maligan and rebels at the pyramid, that's where the Dark Saber is, right? Mm-hmm. So he left it there, and where's that pyramid again? That pyramid was on, was it on Moriban? Formerly Corbyn. I don't know what those places are.

Starting point is 00:14:18 He said to be like, let me explain, formally Corbyn. No idea what you were saying to me right now. No, no, no, no. So originally the Sith home world was called Corribon. It was established in the Knights of the Old Republic. And then George Lucas, for reasons unclear, was like, I wonder if we should call it Moraban,

Starting point is 00:14:33 which fans were a little upset about it. He's like, well, you know, sometimes planet names change. I don't know why he's Nicholas Cage. I don't know plenty of names change. It's like where you can find the Declaration of the Bags. But they went to some ancient Sith planet. I'm not sure if it was Corban or Moraband. But he left the Dark Sabre there.

Starting point is 00:14:57 Because he doesn't have the... Dark Saber and Clone Wars in the finale. Who has the Dark Sabre? Because he had it, he had it in, he's given it back by the Mandalorians and son of Dathamere. So he's using it, but then in Clone Wars he doesn't have it. Part of the issue is that the, who gets to keep the, it's like the elder wand and Harry Potter.

Starting point is 00:15:16 It's technically the last person that won it in combat, which is why, spoilers, sorry, Sabine, she gets it because she finds it, but she doesn't feel that it belongs to her because she hasn't earned it in combat. Right, I'm just saying that like when the Dark Saver comes back. Technically Obi-Wan Kenobi is the rightful owner of the Dark Sabor, which makes Darth Vader

Starting point is 00:15:40 the rightful owner of the room, which makes Luke Skywalker the rightful. But when it comes back, the Dark Sabor, it's finally returns in that period. But that's what was confusing when I was reading son of Dathamere because I was like, okay, they give the Dark Sabre back to him. The Mandalorians rescue him. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:16:00 And then he doesn't have it in the Clone Wars final four episodes. And we don't see it again until that pyramid section. So I feel like this show has to explain how it landed there. How it landed there? He's not using it now. I mean, I assume that. Unless there's some fact that I actually completely forgot. I mean, we're probably going to get reamed in the comments for not.

Starting point is 00:16:22 remember any very simple thing about this. But the other thing to factor in is that the Mandelor during Order 66 ended up getting occupied by the empire. And you have, oh my gosh, Satine's sister. Bo? Bo, Catan. Thank you. That is embarrassing. I'm so sorry, Internet. I think she has the Dark Sabre temporarily and is in control of Mandelor. Maybe is where it's at. And maybe after the siege of Mandelor, the final...

Starting point is 00:17:00 That's not what's happening. Order 66. Internet, help the center. Order 66 happens during the Siege of Mandalore where the Republic was working on trying to liberate Mandelor from Mall and... In the sequence of... Yeah, the sequence of events.

Starting point is 00:17:19 Then the... Then the empire controls Mandelor. The technical leader of Mandelor at the time after Mall was deposed was Boca Tan. Oh, I guess they didn't make that clear. Then, what's his name from the Mandalorian? From Dinhard. Denskos. Posoloco.

Starting point is 00:17:41 What? Els Pollo Los Pos, Hermanos. Oh, oh, fucking. Gass Fring. What the hell is? What is that character's name? Carlos Esposito's character. But who is this character's name?

Starting point is 00:17:56 Anyway. Grand Moff. Grand Moff. Man guy. Not a grandmaph, Tarkin. Mof Gideon? Mof Gideon. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:18:01 Thank you. Look at that. We know names. So he then takes the Dark Sabre from somewhere. He got it from... I thought he won it off of... He defeated Boca Tan. He did.

Starting point is 00:18:18 or stole it from Bo. But anyway, okay, we had so caught up in the dark scene. No, but you know what? I just wanted to know how it landed on that pyramid. I think the internet is going to love this. I also think it's interesting because who mall is with or not with at the time of rebels also has implications on some of the things that are happening right.

Starting point is 00:18:40 Well, yeah, it's like those mandolorens are with him. He's like he's lost his whole group. Maybe. Or maybe they're all chilling on down. Sathamere, just having a great time. He's back to, he's a little bit back to, like, how we first met him again in Clone Wars. Yeah, he's broken. He's a crazy dude.

Starting point is 00:18:56 Oh, I wouldn't say crazy. He is so kooky in that. He's kooky. I love kooky old mall. Me too. I like Kooky mall. Yeah. Cookie mall.

Starting point is 00:19:04 But either way, in terms of, that's kind of what's cool about this show. Where do you think the Dark Sabre is? In terms of the immediacy, it's just a great immediate thriller that's also embodying, like, crime epics, like, heat, departing. the town where the two main characters are the thief and the cop you know it's and i like how they're doing like that those are two main characters that were cutting between and the most interesting one is the is the bad guy so yeah i like this i'm really i thought like okay the first episode's pretty awesome but let's see the second and the second episode followed through it moved way too fast for me i literally i felt like we started and then it ended felt short and in a way that

Starting point is 00:19:48 meant we want more. No, like we want more, more, please now. But I also, I love that you have this, like, local cop, protective of his jurisdiction, pushes the limits and rules, does not want the feds to get involved. Right. And that is absolutely where the story is going, where, like, eventually it's going to boil over. And then he's risking his whole operation and his whole sort of, you know, I mean, even him having like a relationship with who would appear to be, like, the primary gangster in his, you know, this is fun. I'm having fun. And my favorite part about it is I get to watch it with you, Greg.

Starting point is 00:20:24 Oh, yeah, I'm really happy to be here with you, Michael. This is fun. My apprentice. My good friend, Greg. Good. Internet. What did you guys think? Is it nice to be watching Star Wars again?

Starting point is 00:20:38 Is it weird that this is the first thing that's coming out before Mandalorian and Grogu? Is it weird that they put more promotion into this than Mandalorian? and curroo. You didn't see the Darth Mall Budweiser at? They've promoted

Starting point is 00:20:51 this shit out of this and I feel like they're barely promoting Mandalorian and I worry greatly. It's we

Starting point is 00:20:56 I should not be concerned about the box office numbers for Star Wars film but it's weird how his animated

Starting point is 00:21:03 show looks more cinematic than the movie that's coming out I know I know crazy

Starting point is 00:21:08 that's the but they don't have a cute baby Yoda in this do they? No no they do not all right

Starting point is 00:21:14 well if you enjoyed this video, that's good. Yep. That means we're here. We're ready to go now. Thanks for being here, guys. We'll see you soon.

The Reel Rejects - STAR WARS: MAUL - SHADOW LORD Episodes 1 & 2 REVIEW - CLONE WARS MEETS ANDOR?!

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