The Reel Rejects - THE MANDALORIAN 3x5 Review & Breakdown | Chapter 21 "The Pirate"

Episode Date: March 29, 2023

EVERYTHING IS ABOUT TO CHANGE! The Mandalorian S3 Ep 5 Breakdown, Easter Eggs, & Spoiler Review feat Zeb from Star Wars Rebels, Moff Gideon Escaped Ending Scene, Bo-Katan & The Armorer Form A New Path For Mandalore, & SO MUCH MORE involving Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) & Grogu (Baby Yoda) as The Mandalorians Vs Pirates to save Navarro! #TheMandalorian #Mandalorian #EasterEggs #Breakdown #Review #StarWars #Mando #Grogu #BabyYoda #Episode5 #Season3 #EndingExplained #SpoilerReview #Reaction #thingsyoumissed #bokatan #KelleranBeq #AhmedBest #MoffGideon - Follow Michael Tessler On Social Media INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/mjtessler/?hl=en TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MJTessler - Become A Super Sexy Reject For Full-Length T.V. & Movie Reactions! https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects - Support The Channel By Checking Out Our Bomb A** Merch: http://shopzeroedition.com/collections/reel-rejects-merch - POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-reel-rejects/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who else do we know out there with some best guard to spare? Well... The Mandalorians who were not with Bo Catan anymore. Could be them. They're also, historically speaking, the Imperial Super Commandos, were ex-mandelorians I don't think it's going to go that path What was it?

I don't think it's going to go that path You know, a boy can dream A boy can dream All right Let's chit-chat about it, gang You are right, Michael, it is Zeb My man It's Zeb

Steve Blum and everything What in extraordinary Live action appearance Of one of my favorite Animated Star Wars characters That's crazy yeah uh i mean i was the timeline makes sense what does that imply though because he's not with the other rest of the game i mean sabine left off yeah well when soka but now we're i don't know he'll be is he

confirmed to be in isoka no no well so last we left off in the epilogue of rebels phoenix squadron had gone their separate ways uh zeb uh his home world was destroyed by the Imperials and one of the big arcs was them finding a new hyperspace lane that led to a new planet where they were able to bring this species back. This is all so vaguely familiar. I know it's in there, Greg. I know it's in there. But it is.

I binged like so quick. Admittedly, I watched Rebels like four or five times. Give you an idea of my memory just to give everyone an idea. Breaking Bad, I praise is my favorite show of all time. I'm watching it for the third time with my wife because she's never seen it and 90% of the time I'm like I don't remember any of this

and that's my favorite show I don't know they jam packed a lot into rebels that's why my main thing is like the last yeah but you know last we saw him he was taking a former ISB officer

and showing him the home world and the ISB officer was the one that flipped. I was the double agent. It was just one of my favorite arts in Rebels. But, no, I mean, it makes sense that Zeb would be part of the New Republic. And I just, I thought the live action was just really, really well done. I always was worried about how a Lassat would translate on a live action screen.

With a very pricey CG effect. Yeah, that's probably the number one reason we won't see Zeb in Asoka. But he weirdly looked taller than I remember him in the show. I mean, I know he's taller than everyone else, but he looked even taller than I was like, oh. You remember Fallen Order, the Jedi Master. Of Cal. Yes. Yeah.

Same species. So it's cool. We've now officially seen LaSotte's. This is the first live action. Yeah. Live action, animation, and in a video game. So. I'm sure.

I'm sure everyone else is caught that it is at. right away too but like i thought it was one of the creatures well it was for a minute i was like is it just a lassad and then once you hear the the voice i mean uh steve blum uh just an amazing voice actor all over the place um and it was just i don't know at moments like that uh where you know for for those of us that watched rebels uh it's just a really nice payoff and a little homage um can we can we can we talk about yeah i was going to say can we Kick us off, John. Yeah.

Kick us off. John. This is a blast and a half in this episode had a, like, a substantial amount of, I feel like, most of the things that are fun that you want, but also most of the things that by episode five of eight, you should feel like there's a direction kind of tying all of them together. So, yeah, I thought this was, it's been an interesting season overall. I'm curious to see how they stick the landing, but I appreciated the immediacy of this as well as just the sort of strange and unconsorably. comfortable tones that peppered the sort of ending of both the situation with the Mandalorians intervening on the pirates and Boca Tan and the armorer having this whole sort of, you know, maybe you should take up the torch exchange. And then are you trying to lift the camera up? Trying to force choke me into. We have an audio version on our like Spotify and stuff, but you guys can't see what I'm doing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My goal is just throw John off his game and everyone on the audio side have no idea what we're doing.

It's happening why John's trailing. But yeah, so many disparate threads from both across this season as well as across just the whole show kind of coming into the light. And yeah, you have your sort of micro situation with Grief Carga, the Mandalorian's finding hope for the future. I thought was really kind of just a nice cathartic thing. And I like the way that they really kind of wound you up and then gave a nice subversion with Pazvisla actually being like, no, we should absolutely do. take this cause up. I thought that was really kind of rewarding after you know kind of exactly what you

expect to happen having happened before in just him being you know sort of naturally in opposition that's true. Interesting Tim Meadows appearance which it worked perfect it was the perfect character for that exact kind of role

he's the right yeah I'm very fascinated because I've heard at least some some vague criticisms of the show at this point being sort of like, okay, we don't really know what the perspective is as we're looking out at the new republic, at the remnants of the empire, even the persistence of these Mandalorians and the other, you know, kind of disparate groups across the galaxy, other than like the basics of just like, ah, we want to have our society and live in peace and whatever.

So I'm curious to see because it seems like in casting Tim Meadows here as this new republic officer. It seems like so many of the new Republic people are a bit dwebby or sad sackish or just ineffectual seeming. And then you've got this guy like blue who's sort of caught in the middle of it who's like that beat cop who just wants to actually make a difference and getting caught up in the red tape.

Yeah. And so like I'm curious to see that theme like be substantially committed to but I can feel the sort of like seeds of it there. Yeah. Well I mean you're describing the birth of the resistance which is something that, like, when the sequel films came out, I did not jive with. I was like, this just seems a little, why have they just kind of thrown in the towel on the New Republic?

You know, why did Leah feel the need to create this, like, paramilitary organization? And the reason is because the New Republic is absolute garbage from what we've seen. And so I think we're beginning to see the people, historically speaking, after a war, They kind of lose the appetite for fighting. And I think people are just kind of content for a little bit of calm, you know, when in reality, when you're dealing with evil space fascist, you've got to always be vigilant. So, yeah. No, this was such a great episode in that I think Navarro, as we all talked about in the beginning of this season, it was really wonderful to watch the transformation of this planet. and now for the Mandalorians to really kind of plant their flag and have a new home base,

you know, the Mandalorians are much more than just Mandalor, as it's kind of been alluded to. You know, it was at one point very much an empire and of itself, you know, with lots of different systems and lots of different planets. And I kind of love the implication that maybe this is the beginning of that. And, you know, I think they've really subverted expectation, particularly between the armor and bow, which I think all of us really felt strongly they were not going to get along. But I feel like they're, you know, little finger and veris kind of using each other in a poetic way to achieve a means to an end. but like Bocatan is a really controversial like I love her

but might not be the one to actually make this happen and I'm beginning to think that they are going to die a heroic death that will lead to the return of the Mandalorians truly but I do not see a world in which they are actually capable of leading the Mandalorians

so yeah Greg what did you think think. I got no thoughts. Slog. Tough to sit through. No stakes. No stakes.

You're just baby Yoda on Dinn's lap the whole time going on. Yeah, no, I mean, I agree with everyone's sentiments here. I do, I do like how they handled it. There's something about the scenes, though, with the armor and Bocatan that they, I feel like they purposely play up a little, even now. It's like, there's something leading in that feels like a dark presence is looming amongst that, like in the atmosphere between their conversations. Until she like goes out there to talk and it sucks about like, hey, let's accept the fact that we got kind of different denominations. And it's just about everyone coming together.

And it's not about which, which religion is the proper way to go about it, you know? We're all Christians, guys. Well, I was going to, it does give a lot of those crusade type vibes where it's like, all right, Orthodox and Catholic. We're just going to remember that the Muslims are in Jerusalem. Well, what happens, though, when you're dealing with very passionate people, though, people like Vizla, whoever Bocatan decides to bring by is you, I guess I'm wondering if Star Wars is going to chicken out and not actually do something interesting with different ideologies. And like Vizla was a little bit surprised to see her helmet was.

off, but is that going to create a ripple effect of distrust? Especially with their mantra being so much of being, this is the way. With this being a specific way to live and fucking what dinges had to go through just to get back in, can they accept the fact that there's other, and will the show do that? Or are they going to be like, no, we're just hopeful and nice and we're going to be coming together? Yeah. Well, I think it's this idea of conversion where they're welcome to come into the fold,

also bathe in the living waters of the minds of Mandelor, and then at that point be able to walk the way. But in order to get them there, you've got to get them there. And I think there is a surprising amount of wisdom coming from a cult leader in the form of the armorer in trying to bring in the night owls and any other kind of Mandalians. You know, I just, I agree with you. The tone, it always feels so sinister and dark.

And it feels like the Mandalorians are just, like, doomed to repeat their history over and over and over again. And, you know, what kind of preceded all of this was, you know, Boch Tan's sister, who was part of, like, the peace-loving Mandalorians who tried to break that cycle. And it worked out so well for them. And so, yeah, I don't know who you're talking about. We're talking about Duchess Sateen. Yeah, Obi-1. The pacifist one of the Mandalorians, and it created a whole problem for everyone.

Yeah, sure did. Got killed by Darthal. I remember that. Not Zeb. The only thing that matters. Well, it's, I mean, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the father of the confusing nephew of Bo Katan and the duchess.

Sure. Damn, a lot of the directors were fucking in this episode. I want one episode where only the director. This is it, Faloni, Famua, and Chow were all in this episode. Where's Bryce Dallas Howard? Where's Robert Rodriguez?

That was wild. I just noticed that right now. Yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, but as an episode as a whole, I thought while it was very entertaining, the pirate, there is something about when you're translating live like i don't have the pirates ever been in clone wars rebels i don't recall not those particular not the it's not these like vein and all that piracy is a concept exist but with with these guys as much as they were like blowing up navarro

and stuff this show it's the episode itself the as big and scoping as beautiful as a lot of these shots were i like more of the context of where it all led us to i felt more um tension and suspense and stakes in like the last minute of this episode and the in the dread in the dread space moment than anything dealing with the pirates agreed and that's something that i feel like this ought to have had it does and that's why i'm kind of hoping that okay we're five episodes in and they tease something that feels off about these conversations. Like one of them's manipulating it. It just seems that way.

I don't know if we're reading into it, but they play some dark-ass music, and they talk slow to each other. If they don't, it's a waste. Yeah, that's an absolute way. If it's a fake out, it would be a bit of a drink. No, instead of just like, yeah, we all get along, hooray. I think they're building this something that is going to be a little sinister,

and is it just going to be something as simple as, you know the empire is lurking in the shadows again they're on the rise you've got someone in the new republic who they think is reformed or liberated but she's really helping to you know string things up yeah yeah we have that going on we got maf who's been broken out who else might be siding with the dark side right as the first order blah blah blah blah and then what mandoloreans they fight alongside them and where were they in the sequel trilogy do they all die by the end of like is that where we're going with this is that they all band together because i like when it's more intimate and personal with them.

And I think that that was one thing. This episode was really fun, but it did lack a certain substance of emotional weight rather than just like, I like the context a lot. I think that's been a challenge that they've had since bringing all the Mandalorians together. It's almost like these victories feel a little bit too inevitable. And because of that,

the stakes are never really as high as they should be. I mean, that last, you know, two minutes of the episode, I think a lot of that tension is because it captures a lot of the tone of something like Andor, where it's a, I mean, it's like, it's one of the things that I love about the Mandalorian. It's one of the things that I hate about the Mandalorian is that there's this constant desire to emulate, like, the fantastical craziness of something like the Clone Wars. Yeah. but it doesn't always translate to live action and sometimes those those darker more grounded live action moments just feel a lot heavier and and like the stakes are there yeah this season is so far felt like it's it's bigger and way more action like it's been feeling that way like it's bigger and way more action yet it hasn't felt as uh within its action scenes as truly

emotionally gripping even in the way of like when the Assocato's return episode the one that like really felt like it was riffing on like seven samurai in a way. Even though I don't know these people and everything there's a certain

mood about it where you're like this is captivating and here you're just like this is big and cool. Yeah. You know? And there's a quality too where like during this episode I did find myself getting distracted going like okay well you guys are sitting around while you're flying across the galaxy to get approval for this backup and while you

mandoloreans are arguing about whether or not to go to navarro in the first place these pirates can decimate anything that matters kind of immediately and when they get there you have this like little pocket of all of them and they kind of get out of town and you get this and like yeah they've destroyed stuff but you don't feel the true harsh like they're they're just mass occurring innocent people and you don't really have that flavor actually present in the episode and so well that's why I was liking in it to the Asoka episode. Sure. Because that's the first time you check in with them.

And it just seems like such a bleak, miserable situation. Yeah. To hear this still feels bright and colorful. No, I mean, I think we described it best. I mean, it was like the Pirates of the Caribbean pillage sequence. And like, where it's like weirdly kind of fun. Like, like, oh, look at this occupation and the salacious crumbs getting shot at. I didn't get a true sense of the suffrage.

Yeah. Well, and there's also a thing, too, that, yeah, there's, like, a true sense of the suffering and the, and just the sheer harshness of, like, this is like, you know, they don't adhere to any law, but this is like a war crime of massive proportions, essentially. But also, I think there is a certain thing that, to me, it makes me curious because I think there's a potential for the show to be at odds with itself in the fact that when the show was just about Dindjaran, I feel like you can have your Mandalorian cake a little bit and eat it, too, in the sense that you have all the mystique, but you don't necessarily have to confront it as. head on as you do when you have them all together and trying to reform their whole culture and society because the Mandalorian culture has one rot on like violence

and all sorts of conquest and things that are like really dark and hard to rectify in a way that's like a really easy to root for protagonist situation. Ideal for Disney Plus. Yeah. So I feel like even though it is like fun and interesting to watch them rebuild at the same time I'm like

how much is this show going to have to kneecap itself from the true potential? of what's really interesting about that without nerfing the Mandalorians or creating this weird face turn that doesn't quite jive with the rest of the galaxy. I'm going to make a weird comparison here.

I feel like the Walking Dead had the same exact issue. In the early seasons it was really intimate and personal and then it wanted to evolve into a very different type of show

where all of a sudden there's like settlements and factions and it's much bigger and it never really knew how to make that transition and i feel like this season i hope is the growing pains of them figuring that out and that they do figure it out by next season because the stakes are much higher than just din and grogu uh and and i think that you know kudos to them for being brave enough to try uh and i i think I'm going to have nothing but faith in optimism in our Lord and Savior

I still, no, I still quite like I just think the first and this episode were the ones that I don't, I like this more than the first episode. I do. It's just more like, yeah, this is, this was fun with a very interesting last few minutes. Yeah, with the armor and stuff.

But yeah, there is a lack of tension. The most tense. When there should be tension in a lot of, even the scene when you had, oh my God, wait a minute, I have the cast list right here. What is his name? What's the, what's the Asian guys there? Oh, he kept saying it. Blue, blue, for sure. Yeah, it's called him.

It's something with a C. It's, oh, boy. Crimson, no, Chris. I'll look at Chris Pine. Chris something. Well, anyway, that scene with blue and Tim. Carson. Carson.

Carson, Carson, you're right about that. Carson. uh carson and tim meadows and the girl from the episode that was divisive for people that i i loved i second that i love that was the most tense and most sort of intimately perilous feeling i love that the and or laureate yeah that one and or but yeah i thought that um that scene too was like ah this is kind of like moving it's like the first episode ever made it's moving a little quick it's been a little too quick for me yeah it's all it's not tense enough it's those multiple multiple POVs and it's that transition to that type of show that is just I cannot imagine how that writer's room like their formula you just had to throw out this season but I think the second and third episode were fucking fantastic I think the second third episode were really fantastic they weren't afraid to be intimate and the focus what episode was the fourth fifth what was the fourth episode it's all flurring what happened last week

Finding out who saved Grogu. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, he's not going home. That was a blast of an episode. Sure. That was one where I was like, it was just a pure blast. But, yeah.

Getting back from. Yeah, I think that's the challenges. But that is also a really quick episode. Yeah, no, absolutely. It was a lot in it. This is an interestingly shaped and tonally paced. You think it would be more focused and breathe better, considering how serialized it is?

I feel like there was a shortage of Adderall in the writer's room this season. It feels a little Ryan Murphy. Yeah, but you know what? It's still so fun. True. And, you know, that's what Star Wars is at its core. Fun to the point where you're angry about it.

Because you're not having the right kind of fun that I'm having. Final thoughts. Please. Because it's been 23 minutes. Yeah, this was a good talk. The Besscar, Alice. at the end uh i i feel like you might be on to something with it being the the night owls and those kind of abandoned bow but part of me also wonders like this guy occupied mandolore and had

access to like bescar i wonder if there is some cool stuff that we haven't seen yet um true so you know and for the rebels fans throwing out my last little nerdy tidbit here but like i also I guess it wouldn't be surprised if, you know, the Garra Saxon's relatives, who was the Imperial Mandalorian, there were Imperial Mandalorians. And I don't want to write that off because I feel like as you talked about the different sects of the Mandalorian culture, that would be really neat to show that that was, you know, part of what played a role in the downfall of Mandalor. So final takes. Show's coming a bit MCU-ish. Come on, Zab. with the spacewell

anyway guys thanks for being here what did you think about the episode though please leave your thoughts down below I'll respond follow Michael check us on Patreon get that daddy shirt

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