The Reel Rejects - THE MANDALORIAN 3x7 Review & Breakdown | Chapter 23 "The Spies"

Episode Date: April 12, 2023

THAT ENDING SCENE! The Mandalorian S3 Ep 7 “Chapter 23: The Spies” Reaction, Breakdown, Recap, Ending Explained & Spoiler Review where Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) returns, challenges Thrawn, Grogu (Baby Yoda) Gets The IG-11 (IG-12) Droid, Paz Visla Death Scene, Praetorian Guards, Bo-Katan & Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) lead the way to Mandalore, Cameos, Hux, The Shadow Council, The Armorer & so much more as we lead into the Ahsoka series, & the other announcements from Star Wars Celebration 2023. Can't wait for Episode 8 Finale - gotta avoid the plot leaks! - Get Yourself "The Last Daddy" T-Shirt Peeps! https://shopzeroedition.com/products/t-shirts-1 -Become A Super Sexy Reject For Full-Length T.V. & Movie Reactions! https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects - Follow Michael Tessler On Social Media INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/mjtessler/?hl=en TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MJTessler - POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! #TheMandalorian #TheMandalorianSeason3 #StarWars #Disney #DisneyPlus #MoffGideon #giancarloesposito #starwarscelebration #StarWarsCelebration2023 #Ahsoka #AhsokaTano #DinDjarin #PedroPascal #BoKatan #clonewars #StarWarsRebels #DaveFiloni #EasterEggs #Episode7 #AhmedBest #MoffGideon #AhmedBest --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-reel-rejects/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See, when you get both of them to write together, you get something great. The heart and the canon. This is a perfect follow-up after the hilarious episode that came prior. Definitely feels like a direct tonal continuation. It is the same show, right? I'm not missing something. I think Rick Famo Yiwa is my favorite mandolour. director.

Oh, for sure. He's been really consistent. The first 10 to 15 minutes, I found myself a little bit on guard. Sure. I was like, of course. Don't let it down just yet, man. Let's just wait how the rest of this goes. Every once in a while, a show knows how to wrap it up in two episodes.

I just crammed the entire story you were hoping for into the two. Just remember in the last season of Game of Thrones being like, okay, where are the danger zone here? But, no, they're pulling it back. All right, guys, Disney Star Wars back on top. They did it. Ratings are through the roof. The company is safe. The company's safe.

Everything's fine. I'm excited about those announcements. Glad that's over. Bob Iger wrote this episode. Yeah, I thought this was a great episode. I thought that they did all the things that you would want from a solid Mandalorian episode. You know, I wish studios would just cooperate and not. drop things so early in the morning on Tuesdays and then because then we got to shoot this at midnight

it was just like 5.30 in the morning. I feel like I'm going to be especially loopy during this discussion right now. We got you. We're prepared. We've got to conserve energy for the edit tonight. But no, I thought this was a fantastic. It just felt like this wave like, oh, zoning out. I'm ready to go. Let's lock and load. Let's go. Get that cheap. Yeah, I thought that this episode was directed wonderfully. I The second episode in this one are usually my favorites of the season so far. And it's funny that they both take place on Mandelor. I feel like this is where they care the most. And everything from the sound design and the atmosphere building and just the overall mood, you know,

like you get a sense of the forlorn history with the other characters that you're picking up with as well. I thought it was, it had a real, like, mood about it that I could, and that's all you could really ask for sometimes. If you don't have time to, like, get into the specifics and the exposition of these characters, sometimes all you need is just capturing the right essence to know, okay, I understand the experience prior to this while you're giving me the exposition of what went on. Like, to me, some people are fine when it comes to, I got context and I like context. And to me, I'm like, well, I personally need context and good filmmaking, good storytelling and well-written dialogue. Okay, you know, I need, I need all that. I don't understand why, Greg.

Because sometimes people can just, like, look past all that and just go, I love what the context is good, you know? And I thought to me this, and really encompassed all that. Like, Moff Gideon, I remembered feeling towards the end of season two, he just started feeling a little campy, start feeling a little goofy. Like, I've always liked John Carlo Esposito. Yeah. But here, it brought back that menace, you know, that he, you've, you felt. when he first showed up in this series. Yeah.

You know, when he first showed up on Navarro, and here, I thought they really brought it back. But, yeah, when we saw the chicken restaurant, while they were flying in, I was like, oh, man, this is going to get real good. This is going to tie into everything I've been waiting for it to tie into. Most Manos, Mandoz, Hermanos. But I feel like we all love this episode, right?

For the most part, yeah. I mean, it was a wonderful return to exactly why we love the Mandalorian, but also, like, it took that really big leap forward. that I've been waiting for for a long time now where it needed to capture that essence of something bigger and it was a really hard transition for them this season and this was the first episode where I thought they really, really stuck the landing in making that transition.

In Mandelor, you have this setting that is both ancient and apocalyptic and it's textured and it feels different from everything else we've seen, but to your point it's so lived in and it's really the first time that I'm just like really I believe what's happening yeah which is just a wonderful feeling yeah because I've had my complaints about the way some of the visuals are done in this season and this episode was like the same thing with the second episode it's where they put the budget I don't feel that I feel this reminds me like the first second season a little bit more of that gritty tone but let's dive I mean, some specifics.

John, I'm going to set you up for success here. Are you feeling about Thron? I'm excited to see his blue ass show up. No, I mean, I'm curious, though. It was really quick. Like, for some of, I'll be through all this shit when our Osoka drops. Like, there's other, there's other Thron women, like, there's been rebels and all that. But did you, how do you feel as someone who is not informed on Thron?

How do you feel as a viewer here sitting going, they're building up this guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They're building up another big bad. I mean, it's only as good to me as the episode is because, yeah, not having, I mean, I've seen Admiral Thrawn, Grand Admiral Thron. I don't have much direct experience. So, yeah, I mean, to me, it's sort of like, okay, we're just building up another big

bad who I understand already has a reputation. So, like, I'm here for it. I'm with it. And now it just all, most of my association with what they're doing with that is based on what I have heard from people up until now. And they haven't really done anything to make me go, I don't think this throne stuff's going to pan out. Yeah.

You know, and I like seeing them, you know, bicker about like, well, where is he now? You know, like if he's such a big player in this operation and if we're all going to reestablish the hold of the empire, why isn't he showing up? Why all the secrecy? And, yeah, I think that's a nice way to draw that tension out for a viewer like me. He was like, I keep hearing about this guy.

Where is he? What's he going to do? But, yeah, I mean, he certainly seems like a convincingly foreboding presence up till now, and I think it's good that they re-established Moff Gideon as a formidable presence as well, and a presence who is, like, steps ahead of the game and is, like, you know, really cunning and crafty. And a self-annointed rival, which is something that, like, as we delve into the imperial remnant, I think that's just one of the really fun parts of it is, you know, all season we've been hearing about these imperial warlords and then to discover, you know, with the Shadow Council, that there is that kind of concerted effort.

But between that, you've got a lot of... egomaniacs all vying for control and nobody that quite fits into the emperor's slippers. Well, I've been reading the Air to the Empire comic adaptation and I've been reading the Theron comic adaptation

as well. Blushing. Don't tell me to read the goddamn novel. I want the pictures. I have a YouTube version of... I want the kids... No, no, I need to read it. I don't know how to read it. I need to feel like I accomplished something.

and I've been reading that and it is interesting like when you're when especially reading the Thron arc and then you're getting Moth Gideon here where you see how Thron is always is this master strategist who can rise through the ranks and piss off all the wrong people. And you got someone like Moth who resembles that so much of you know you guys keep wanting him but I'm better I'm you know like we're see you know we're see I'm here you guys keep wanting that throne but we're seeing I'm here you guys keep wanting that throne but we're worsey you know i'm the one taking showers with a living water in the mandelor but knowing the i mean obviously you know so much we've actually read the novels and shit but knowing so much more about thron but with the limited information that i have on him uh i loved knowing that oh but he's just he's just building it up in the shadows right now i'm i mean i think what i'm most excited about for those who haven't read the books or or comics or or even seen rebels is that thron is of of all Star Wars villains,

the most complex and interesting, and I would argue, might not even be a villain, which... He doesn't come across that one. No, well, as you kind of get the bigger picture, which is beginning to come into focus. I did think what was really interesting

is the fellow that was in the Shadow Council talking about Thrawn. So he was part of the Seventh Fleet, and he was actually, that was Thrawn's really big Armada, and when Thrawn fundamentally disappeared from the known galaxy that was the last

time unless they have some way to communicate which I don't know or think they do based on where Thron ended up and so that speaks a lot about Thron it's been a long time since he went MIA so it was also it was great seeing Hux

that was General Hux's his dad which is really cool Oh holy shit really and went over mine and that's okay Greg And it was played by his brother. Oh, really?

Yeah, which is really smart casting. That's fun. Yeah, no, it's really nice to see that. I'm really curious how they tie it in because, canonically, Hux follows a different wing that ends up becoming the new order. And I'm really, I hope that we get to explore the imperial infighting a little bit more in the next.

I'm all about that Hux. That's where I've been championing for. more hucks. All right. So we got some things to really touch on, though. Vizla dying was kind of expected. I guess it was down to two people for me. Somebody's going to die. I was like, one of the two. Right? The show seemed like it was going to be one of those two. No, he's coming back. And then he did have an epic death. Yeah. And I thought, I cared more about his death than I expected. Because Vizla, while I think always

had a great brooding presence about himself, I've never been like the most emotionally invested in the guy. I feel like the show tried giving us an effort by being like, he's got a kid. He's a dad. Yeah, I mean, it's like, oh, there is a guy underneath the tough exterior underneath the helmet and all I'm.

Yeah, and then the way he like comes around as someone who's closed off, but then will show his support in a way where you might not most expect it. They've They've had that with his character, and he's had some real badass scenes. And I thought he had a great way to go out. You know, you've got to say this is the way twice he did. True.

And I think the use of the Praetorian guards to take him down was really, really honorable. Yeah. Like, especially when we had that moment after the Imperial Super Commando's death troopers got their asses handed to them. He said the troopers was just really quick. Was Moff Gideon saying that his suit is in best? or the troopers suits are in Bessar. The troopers are in Bessar. The troopers are also in Bessar, which started when they recruited Gara Saxon

and the Imperial Super Commandos who were bad Mandalorians. And so, bad do you sum this up in a crane? The bad Mandalorians, the not nice ones. Yeah, no, I thought that was established in the show? In Rebels, yeah. It was? Yeah, yeah, the Garaxon from Klan's. Saxon from House Feisla.

Come on, yeah, anyway. But him and his brother end up getting, well, I'm not going to spoil it's fine. But this is what's left of him. And it was really, really cool to see that live-action adaptation and to see that they've moved fully on to Besscar. Something that I'm curious if it will get brought up or if they're just going to leave it in the past

is Sabine Wren's Duchess that she built. That was the imperial weapon designed to attack Baskar. um i remember that yeah it was terrifying i remember that what in the thanno snap is this but yeah i mean it i'm i'm curious to see what other elements they'll pull from there um but also the bow revelation uh about surrendering to moth gideon really really hitting the fields yeah thought of a physical bow yeah all that archery in this episode what is talking about well for the bad batch fans oh mega yeah maybe Yeah, that was surprising because I think a lot of us thought that he challenged her and she lost. No, no, no way, no, she would have to die then, right? No, I mean, you can just yield. Yes. They talked about that.

We've been here. This is what I was worried about. It's okay. This is the way. I do appreciate, though, with Beau's arc that she's made it abundantly clear that she does not feel the dark. Dark Saber is a big enough symbol to get all the Mandalorians to stay together. For a moment, I thought it was the Mythosaur, but now I'm realizing it's Grogu's heart. That's going to be the thing to save the day.

Well, they had this, there's been a complaint about the show that I understand. There's a few. But one complaint is how Dinjarn has, I mean, if any episodes even made it more clear, it's this one, how he has become, not even really, sometimes it didn't feel like he's a supporting character. A simp? Sometimes it feels like he's just a Mandalorian. He's just a Mandalorian. Yeah.

He doesn't feel like the Mandalorian. But I, no, here he is the full on supporting character in a more defined way. Like he is in so, literally in support for Boataton's leadership. You have my axe and my bow, the fellowship of the bow. And I prefer if you're going to take that direction with him that, I prefer you're going to take a direction with him. I prefer you're going to take a direction with him making a supporting character than you make him the ultimate. him in supporting character. And I did like the speech

that he does give to Bocatan. And I do, I would simp them Simplorian with them. I would absolutely. What did I say? You said you would simp them. Stop a bitch. I mean, I would simp for both of those too.

You know, at the first five minutes of this talk, I was like, I'm doing all right. You are doing, for the most part, doing great. You're doing about as well as Mandalorian. They're very close. They're very close. This is like some of the writing

of some of the episodes in the season. Yeah, I would absolutely. love for them to get it but it doesn't need to go that way either but you do see a bit of a family trio there This guy's always writing on her lap Well I like the tension that they draw out of that and I think us sitting here going like okay Was the the armorer Pocatean what's their whole thing together are they on the same pay and like I like that? I like that I like that they ring so much out of that and things like oh, you know should just Pocatean and did draw and beat together or anything like that like they're really good at at Ringing the real tension out of all those different juxtaposition well yeah well they play the audience

too in the same way that I mean this whole season has been about Mandalorian's greatest adversary has always been the Mandalorians and they made us as an audience feel that same way and get super defensive and concerned to be like well the armor is going to kill

Boe like yeah the armor what she's been saying is true yeah she's just been honest every time they cut away from her I'm like oh I guess she's just doing her thing I guess I'm usually not one to be like huh that religious zealots really on to something But in this particular case, they might be.

So this episode had the most, I think, of any of them this season that felt like I was peering on to a, it felt the most like a Lord of the Rings style map where you're like, oh, wow, we're finally filling in a part. And I can feel all the other parts kind of alive across the map, but we're not really focusing on those right now. And I thought the way they represented the Imperials, the Mandalions, all that stuff made the map feel. Like, I like a silly last week. I enjoy that for different reasons. But this was the most, this season, it's felt like a truly interconnected, big sprawling world that we're just shining a light on one significant part of

that will interconnect with a bunch of other significant parts. Yeah, I do kind of wish that they cut out some other stuff and other episodes. Because when you have episodes like this, it shows you what they're capable of. Yeah, what the strengths of this show can be. And there's been a lot of buildup, too, especially with these two camps meeting together

and didn't really do much with it. Yeah, I mean, it was, well, so many things have had to be rushed because of how much time we've spent in other places. And they do gloss over. They made a couple things. They made good beats out of those tensions in this episode and a couple other points,

but it should have been a meat of the season. No, yeah, yeah. Like, this season should have like a significant... Strong side, left side. 100%. But instead, we got Groku doing this, which was really sweet. So I'm completely there with you.

How do you feel about, as the note here says, Robo Grobu Groku, which is right. Robo Groku. That's a John of original. Robo Grogo. Robo. How do you feel about a robo Grogo? It's about time he got another upgrade.

Got him next year. He's going to be like... It's literally the Matrix Revolution's. There he is. Yes. And Pas-Pasvis was gun to IG12, and there you go. No, I love it. Grogu's going to be like a catamari.

Like, by the end of the series, he's going to have his chain mail. He's going to have, like, all sorts of different accoutrements from all across the galley. He's going to be like the nexus point of all cultures. It's definitely the coolest action figure set that's ever been made by Star Wars. I mean, listen, if the note, if the note, was you have to keep Grogu, I can't lie, like, I'm really happy with the direction that Grogu's going. I wish he was still studying with Luke, but, you know, I get it. Yeah. Chairholders. All these should just take place on weekends and then Mando picks them up. Oh, joint custody sounds like

a great idea. Yeah, you can't help, but sometimes let your mind trail off onto. Oh, what this season could have been, if it was like you cut back to Grogu once in a while training and you're seeing like Din dealing with the grief of having to let Grogu go. Yeah. And then maybe Grogu having, like, a Luke moment in return to the Jedi being, or an empire, rather, needing to be like, I need to go rescue my friends. The last Jedi where Luke almost kills him because he's a way too powerful kid. And then he's like, I'm going back to my other dad. That guy trying to kill me. What are you thinking?

Groger ran away and he started the Knights of Rent. We're going to explain everything, guys. everything yeah i think that's a neat tie-in i'm happy with robo grogo uh i think that's really cool the din art is uh satisfactory enough for me why not i'll roll with the punches my my gut says this i think if they're serious about keeping din in a major way he's going to be the one to end up with the mythosur i hope so and bo's gonna keep the dark i think he deserves it at least Because that is a true, like the Dark Sabre means nothing to the guy. It doesn't.

And so to me, I wasn't even like, a lot of people were really upset about him, like, not. I didn't go home and be sad. I didn't do that. I didn't even give a shit. I was like more like, I don't like the way it was executed. They should have just made him do it in the cave the first time she saved him. Yeah, because like it means nothing to him. But the Mithosaur means something to him and his culture.

And he's going to name. Razor Crest. No, but it does. Like, I mean, they even brought the Mythsar way back in the second episode, at least. I mean, it's always been around. But it's been indoctrinated to the culture

and the iconography, all the imagery, right? But I remember it was Queal, who was the first one to mention, like writing the Mythesar in the second episode. So, yeah, this is something that I think has been foreshadow. If they don't do it, they make freaking bog. Then I'm upset.

I don't really care about it. with a Dark Sabre. Listen, the myth of Sar, though, he has to write it. I'm happy for Bo. I love Bo as a character,

but like, let's give Dinn something. But the two of them coming together, I mean, that's a... Where's Boba Fett? No, that's a great question.

Yeah, he should be helping out. Yeah, or all of the other friends. I'm Boba Fett. Wow, that's good. No, what I want to see is the Tuscan Raiders come and help. Yeah. With Boba Fett.

yeah and uh and what's your name uh john nick shan no no no the oh my goodness our wonderful who built him the starfighter uh pel oh pelly motto thank you course same is my girl yeah that's what i'm saying i think she's the one that saves them in the end pelimoto let's hope so yeah pelimodo and babu frick will come in all right guys well what you think what did you think what are your theories for how the finale's going to go down uh i thought this was a good the I still personally prefer the second episode Yeah, no, me too

That was my second favorite That was the cave episode Back and forth, right? You just had so much more possibility ahead of you During that second episode Yeah, I think that's the thing We're like, wow, if this whole season's gonna be this

This is gonna be fair This is gonna be sick Oh wait, let's look at four episodes off Come back And we'll get to the business I have to say I still don't think that that alleged imperial spy is bad.

Sure. Why not? I think she's a good character and that love is loved. I hope so. All right, guys. What did you think about this episode? Leave your thoughts down below. You can go grab yourself a Last Daddy shirt. Do it. It's really nice.

Hey, let's end this with a Patreon. Mikhail Linden. Mikhail, you're from Sweden. You know what I found out about Swedish people recently? Oh. They get like so much paid time. time off. Oh, yeah. They work people like people.

You get weeks. What kind of communist nonsense is that job? They make sure you get like at least a month off and you get really good pay for it. And they kind of enforce that you relax. Does that mean that the real rejects

is subsidized by the Swedish government? So, Mikhail. I want you to use your vacation money. to up your pledge right now. Because that's the American attitude. Investment, capitalism, invest in us, and then not see a profit return. Nope.

And at the real rejects, we don't treat people like people. No, there's no need for that bullshit around here. McHale, come on. What are you doing with that vacation money? Sleep, recycle the money back into us. Inflation's high. We need. While your vacationing, we're working.

so come on man send those good good euros up the attitude a little bit here in a more positive direction attitude increases altitude or over the phrases what does it say you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take michael scott wayne gretsky but mikhail thank you so much for being part of our page my friend i hope you are enjoying your non-word and i hear that even when you're actually working you're just like smoking hookup and uh even prisons nice there. People want to go to prison. Everyone goes to prison. No one works. Somehow the country

just runs on its own. Thanks, Bicayle.