The Reel Rejects - Star Wars: MAUL - SHADOW LORD EPISODES 7 & 8 REVIEW! THE EMPEROR PALPATINE FLASHBACK IS HAUNTING!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Guys, guys, I'm here with Michael Tesler. He was just pitching me his Star Wars fan film idea. And I was like, I don't know, man. I think we should do it. Anyway, we're going to watch episode seven and eight, which is the best of the, you know, the new trilogy. And so we're here to a two out of three are the best of the new trilogy. Well, eight, eight, nine are really the, uh, that's what it peaked.

Starting point is 00:00:28 I think nine is arguably the greatest film of all time. Not even Star Wars. Well, let's see if these episodes of Mall can possibly compete. I want to thank you all for being here, Michael. I want to thank you for being Michael. And Greg, I want to thank you for liking Michael. All right, guys, leave a like on this video. Let's do it.

Starting point is 00:00:47 All right, guys. We're here to talk about Mall 7 and 8. If you're here, thank you. Please leave a like on this video. Leave down the comments you thought about this episode. Fifthly, if you want to support the channel, help fight some copyright gods. Full reaction watch along

Starting point is 00:01:07 you sync up with your own copy. You're available for a royal rejects. Those are patrons. Patreon.com slash real rejects. Sync up with your own copy. I'm a patron. And we praise you for that. Thank you.

Starting point is 00:01:23 Thank you. It's the only way I get to really spend time of you. Yeah. This is the price to be my friend. You can get a shirt. If you want to spend, More than an hour of me buy a shirt. All right.

Starting point is 00:01:38 I'm not going that far. Well, Greg. Well, well, well. Okay. I mean, that last episode was really the substance one. We had the seventh episode, which had a great fight in a showdown and separation. And what is that? What's the brother?

Starting point is 00:01:53 Which was that inquisitor? The one who's not America. The first brother. Ninth. I get the numbers. I have a learning disability. Around numbers called, just Calcula? It's called, it's been a while since I had to look this information.

Starting point is 00:02:09 Yeah. Fifth Brother, maybe. I'm saying my bet's on the fifth. Can I look it up? Yeah, let's look it up together. Let's look it up. Which Inquisitors appear? Okay, which inquisitor first thing?

Starting point is 00:02:24 Okay, Merrick, 11th brother. That's what I said. The Crow Inquisitor. The Crow. Awesome. That's great to hear. Excellent. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:02:33 Nailed that. Well, well. Well, guys. But the next episode was the real, like, emotionally juicy one, where we got to get some of them flashbacks so we haven't got to see yet. And then, you know, two boots finally made a choice that we've been fucking waiting for him to make the whole episodes,

Starting point is 00:02:54 which is great to get a payoff for. And he made it. And he made it. He made it. Everyone's still alive. Which is absurd. Dockey lives. that's going to be the next thing that we

Starting point is 00:03:06 hashtag dockey lives hashtag docky lives where do you think we're going to go I mean well what do you think about this episode here to finally get some I kept saying it during the reaction of how the impression that I got was like oppressed and mall

Starting point is 00:03:22 are blood brothers but they never knew each other that was the impression I had I'm trying to remember the exact specifics but if memory serves correct mall was taken when he was a young lad and everyone was sort of made to like forget him and he was made to forget them

Starting point is 00:03:40 and he's... Okay. Basically puppeted and manipulated into the silent arm crossing phantomenus that we know him as. Only for him to have the opportunity to be reconnected with his family after they rescue him from the dump.

Starting point is 00:03:58 Yeah. And then he gets his he gets his legs back. And then the rest, as they say, is history. Well, that flashback sequence was beautifully anime. Yeah. It was like a completely different type of animation style that they provided. It was gorgeous.

Starting point is 00:04:19 I think it was cool because they made such a big deal about when Maul was brought back how hate against Canobi is what kept him alive. Yeah. And I think it was really sort of. of beautiful to like watch that play out in real time only it's his hate for palpatine but his motivation is it goes a step beyond revenge when he says he never wants this to happen to somebody else that means does he have pity for anakin like there's so many different layers it's also just making his final moment in rebels so much better.

Starting point is 00:05:04 Like every sort of inch forward that we get of this character and what his true motivations are. And like, you know, like when he asks spoilers for rebels, like, is he the chosen one? He's looking for that validation that somebody is going to finish this and make sure that the emperor doesn't get to hurt more people. It's like he's so beautifully tragic And he doesn't know how else to be anything than what he is But like there is a Broken good person Who has been robbed of every part of their authentic self

Starting point is 00:05:43 And has had to become this other thing in order to survive But somewhere deep inside he knows And maybe that's why he wants an apprentice So that he can like Give them what he didn't have You know? Well, the strategicness, too, of being surrounded by Palpatine from that young makes much more sense why he is as intelligent as he is, why he is able to think 10 steps ahead and be so smart because he wasn't just raised to only fight. You know, eventually, Duku becomes the apprentice.

Starting point is 00:06:21 But I don't feel like it was that as formatively young. No, Duke Duku is middle-aged. the time he became an apprentice. And honestly, it was more of a, it was an apprenticeship of convenience. Yeah. Less so than a, you know, mall getting cut in half was not part of the plan. Well, like, even with taking on Anakin, you know, it's not the same thing where when you see this, you're like, oh, this makes, for some reason, it just never hit me. I'm like, oh, I know, I've, I've known that he's been taking an education. There is a mentor, mentee relationship between him and Palpatine. Yeah, I'm like, this is why he's so intelligent. Yeah. I feel like it's so obvious.

Starting point is 00:06:57 Well, I mean, I think that's sort of the cool, and like, I'd read the heck out of that book of like Palpatine teaching mall how he intends to manipulate the Senate and play the political game and then turn these two foes against each other because he was present for all of the planning. And he obviously knew a lot more than. He knew all about Order 66. By the time he'd talked to Osoka. Yeah. It's a really, it is an amazing thing that they took a character that has what, five lines in the first film and have managed to create one of the most complex, interesting, dynamic characters

Starting point is 00:07:39 in the whole series. Well, Sidious also rules the empire so it would make sense that he would hate the empire as well. Well, it should have been his too. Which there's a certain level of portrayal there of like he was discarded by his fake family.

Starting point is 00:07:57 in the form of Sidious. Well, I also like this desperation for an apprentice like Devin, and to do right by that makes more sense, too,

Starting point is 00:08:06 when you, for some reason, like, it's weird to, like, logically having the information, but just seeing, like a little scene,

Starting point is 00:08:12 like, oh, suddenly this all makes emotionally way more sense so I'm so drawn to this. Yeah. And it's a,

Starting point is 00:08:18 it's a powerful motivator to, um, to want to do better. Like, it feels weird to say, but like, he's almost trying to break

Starting point is 00:08:25 a cycle of generational trauma, you know, definitely. Like the rule of two is inherently not a great rule, you know, because it always ends with somebody getting messed up. Yeah. And it's, it's tough because that moment when he loses his temper with Devin, when he doesn't get his way, and it's sort of messing with his plans, I think he begins to, there is a hatred of himself that he experiences when that comes out. Right. Because he is embracing this part of Palpatine that he is so, uh,

Starting point is 00:09:05 Palpatine of force electrocuting him as a child in order to like whip him into shape and to like bend him to his will. He doesn't want that side of him to come out. He wants to do it through trust and respect. And, you know, even in giving her the option to leave, giving her the option to, you know, let her reach those own, let it be heard. decision. And I think that's why he'll never and why he was never going to be the ideal apprentice for Palpatine because he is inherently not that.

Starting point is 00:09:40 This is beautiful, as what I guess I'm trying to say. It's beautiful stuff. And exciting. I love the whole chase sequence with them going with a Devin leading the charge. I think the chase sequence is in the show. I've been really solid so far, but the chase sequence was awesome. It was no book of Boba Fett. in terms of chase sequence.

Starting point is 00:09:59 Oh, man. No, it's funny because I feel like they've done such a better job at like the punk aesthetic in the series than that series did with its brief little, you know. I feel like it was trying a little hard to do something different where this by, because it's like it still takes place in tattooing and stuff. No, that's exactly. Like, you have to mix up the planet and like Janix, the vibe of Janix lends itself to being a little more bludely. They'd runnery or cyberpunkty, you know. But yeah, seeing like the factions actually divided up now, death watch no longer really death watch like rooks here.

Starting point is 00:10:37 But a lot of them are not around as much. And there's not, there's a few of them just got killed off. Fuck. The fight with the Inquisitors was awesome. Again, it's like it's really hard to make danger and stakes be felt for our main character because before I was like, it's really good. We like all these main characters, these supporting characters, because that's what the stakes are because we know mall's fine.

Starting point is 00:10:56 but so it was interesting to be like, shit, it's kind of like intense for Malthy like to see this sequence. Well, and there's a moment where I'm like, is he going to get captured by Palpatine again? And I think that's sort of the, a lot has to happen in order to get us from here

Starting point is 00:11:11 to the end of rebels. And I'm just so, so grateful that they had the good sense to, to tell this story. And honestly, like, I didn't think I'd ever be excited about Crimson Dawn, but.

Starting point is 00:11:25 here we are here we are being like they said it Dryden Ross that was Paul Bettney's character oh my god it's really coming back did you think Paul Bettney's gonna be in it that'd be awesome that would be awesome it's so funny

Starting point is 00:11:39 that's just actually getting paid off is Amelia Clark gonna get it they gotta bring them all back bring them all back they got all that all the air right to play Han Solo do it all let's do it all wow crazy

Starting point is 00:11:50 but no there's another great pair of episodes and you know I don't really really know where the last two or next week. It was really emotional when it can, like even this RIA character, you know, like I wasn't, I wasn't expected to be that invested in her, but that was a moving moment as well. Yeah, that was a sacrifice that actually felt like a sacrifice. I like smart characters. Like the second, it was like, guys, it's obviously a trap. Then you have the two Jedi being like, I sense danger. It might be a trap that's called them like, oh, fuck, this is so smart.

Starting point is 00:12:19 Yeah. They're actually doing what Jedi are supposed to be. Yeah. Yeah. No, she was phenomenal. She, She reminded me a lot of, you ever play Mass Effect? No, I haven't. Oh, Greg. I know, that's one of the games. People are like,

Starting point is 00:12:31 that's a great game. Well, honestly, I'm sure they're adapting it at some point, because it's cinematic masterpiece. But she reminds me of one of the characters there. But I guess she'll just have to play. Let's find out. One of these days,

Starting point is 00:12:43 one of these days. Well, I don't know where it's going to end. I mean, so is there two episodes left? Two episodes left. So I've been feeling like they'll be going to Dathamere and that's all based off of,

Starting point is 00:12:54 America. I mean, they still don't have a way off the planet. They don't, but you know, that could happen in the penultimate. The ships continue to dwindle. Could happen in the penultimate. Good stuff all around. I'm really loving this show. This is some amazing Star Wars.

Starting point is 00:13:11 And just one more shouts out, especially since, like, I don't know if any of the VFX artists who got fired from Disney were involved in this shit. But holy crap, like, this is a beautiful looking show. And everyone who worked on the animation. just it continues to stay so fucking the animation the sound design uh just every single thing about this is elevated cinema this is this is storytelling great this is cinema guys leave your thoughts down below on what you think will happen in the finale thank you so much for being here we'll see you got soon rejects

The Reel Rejects - Star Wars: MAUL - SHADOW LORD EPISODES 7 & 8 REVIEW! THE EMPEROR PALPATINE FLASHBACK IS HAUNTING!

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