The Mandalorian Chapter 21 Spoiler Discussion

[KillerMcQueen]

Yeah, I'm starting to understand how Boba Fett fans must have felt after Din's character basically hijacked his show.

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder why they even gave the darksaber to Din in the first place. We have not seen Din hone his skills with it since the Bobba Fett's show and it's clear that they're setting Bo Katan up as the new leader of Mandalore.

It feels like this show should have just ended after Season 2.

I'm not too bothered by it, it's not nearly as much of a tangent as what happened with BoBF, we're on the third season so Din's already had a fair amount of development, makes sense to shift the focus a bit to flesh out the side characters. The Coruscant plotline and what's happening with Bo is at least all very much relevant to the larger plot and heavily involves characters and plot points set up by this show, and Din is still given a fair amount to do. On BoBF we had one less episode, spent two entire episodes focused on plots that had nothing to do with what Boba was doing, and during those two episodes Boba was reduced to a cameo with a grand total of one line.

 

[Drizzle]

So far, this was the best episode of season 3 by a country mile. Mandalorians vs. Pirates was so satisfying to watch. Don't really have much else to say apart from how much of a pleasant surprise the Zeb cameo was. It was only a matter of time before we saw him in live action and I knew they'd be able to pull it off based on Jaro Tapal's design in Fallen Order but I didn't expect him to show up before the Ahsoka series.

 

[flickchick85]

Ok I enjoyed this one. Probably my fave of the season thus far, though that's not a high bar. Nice to be going somewhere.

The directing was certainly a step up, but the New Republic stuff is still clunky as all get out though, imo.

Loved the Swamp Thing puppet.

Did not even recognize Zeb lol.

 

[TheVileOne]

The Children of the Watch are suspicious, and The Armorer is suspicious. She always has been.

Also, how does Bo-Katan really have no idea who Paz Viszla is? Were Paz and Pre estranged? Did Pre really have no idea that his relatives were starting a cult on Concordia and started a no taking off the helmet rule?

 

[TheVileOne]

The creepy cult leader vibes were entirely too strong in that scene at her old forge, she's up to something. I won't be surprised if she's directly involved in whatever happened with Gideon.

Did Gideon make a deal with her after Din Djarin escaped Nevarro in the third episode?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Ok I enjoyed this one. Probably my fave of the season thus far, though that's not a high bar. Nice to be going somewhere.

The directing was certainly a step up, but the New Republic stuff is still clunky as all get out though, imo.

Loved the Swamp Thing puppet.

Did not even recognize Zeb lol.

I think my favorite is still 2, but that's down to Bo getting to actually do interesting character stuff. Plus, darksaber action!

I agree on the New Republic stuff. It feels incredibly vague and sketchy. Like they are putting it together on the fly, without much forethought. Doesn't feel as thoughtout or "real" as I would like. Especially compared to how the Bad Batch is exploring the undiscovered Imperial era.

You hurt my Zeb loving soul.

 

[Snow Queen]

I like the idea of the New Republic stuff, but not really the execution. It feels sterile and imprecise so far. I like the idea that doing good is being strangled under bureaucracy, the reintegration of former Imperials, but it just feels like it lacks the texture of stuff like Andor and Bad Batch's presentation of the Empire. Even Obi-Wan I'll give a shout out here as the way ordinary people are weaponized was one of the most effective scenes the show had. But it just feels like they haven't settled on what the New Republic actually is.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Was it me, or did the cockpit stuff feel more The Last Starfighter then Star Wars? Not complaining. Loved it. But it felt different to me.

 

[flickchick85]

Was it me, or did the cockpit stuff feel more The Last Starfighter then Star Wars? Not complaining. Loved it. But it felt different to me.

I feel like all the puppet pilots had a lot to do with that lol.

 

[flickchick85]

I think my favorite is still 2, but that's down to Bo getting to actually do interesting character stuff. Plus, darksaber action!

I agree on the New Republic stuff. It feels incredibly vague and sketchy. Like they are putting it together on the fly, without much forethought. Doesn't feel as thoughtout or "real" as I would like. Especially compared to how the Bad Batch is exploring the undiscovered Imperial era.

You hurt my Zeb loving soul.

I did dig Episode 2 quite a bit. Mainly because of that creature that captured Din and the Bo Katan stuff. But it also had those awful Power Ranger creatures. Idk...it's a toss up for me. I haven't LOVED one yet, but I did like this one and the 2nd one well enough.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I feel like all the puppet pilots had a lot to do with that lol.

Good point.

I did dig Episode 2 quite a bit. Mainly because of that creature that captured Din and the Bo Katan stuff. But it also had those awful Power Ranger creatures. Idk...it's a toss up for me. I haven't LOVED one yet, but I did like this one and the 2nd one well enough.

All fair, all fair.

 

[Man in the Suit]

I'm curious how they record with Pedro. This season he sounds different then he did the first 2 and even Boba. I don't think it's COVID. Maybe he was just busy and had to record them on his own. I don't know, but he sounds more like he's reading lines then acting.

 

[Sithborg]

I like the idea of the New Republic stuff, but not really the execution. It feels sterile and imprecise so far. I like the idea that doing good is being strangled under bureaucracy, the reintegration of former Imperials, but it just feels like it lacks the texture of stuff like Andor and Bad Batch's presentation of the Empire. Even Obi-Wan I'll give a shout out here as the way ordinary people are weaponized was one of the most effective scenes the show had. But it just feels like they haven't settled on what the New Republic actually is.

Never forget.

I will be quite honest, there is a lot going on that feels like prepping for a big crossover event. They seem to be constantly salvaging stuff and putting them in what one would think would be unrelated shows. Mando stuff in BoB and Rangers stuff in here. In many ways, it kind of feels like Iron Fist, in a way. In that a lot of what it was doing was trying to get ready for Defenders.

 

[herolee10]

I'm not too bothered by it, it's not nearly as much of a tangent as what happened with BoBF, we're on the third season so Din's already had a fair amount of development, makes sense to shift the focus a bit to flesh out the side characters. The Coruscant plotline and what's happening with Bo is at least all very much relevant to the larger plot and heavily involves characters and plot points set up by this show, and Din is still given a fair amount to do. On BoBF we had one less episode, spent two entire episodes focused on plots that had nothing to do with what Boba was doing, and during those two episodes Boba was reduced to a cameo with a grand total of one line.

While I have nothing against devoting more time towards fleshing out side characters, I don't think that it should come at the expense of pushing the titular character to the sidelines.

What's worse is that Din doesn't even have a character arc anymore. During the past three episodes, Din has done nothing but partake in side quests with no long term goal in sight.

It would make more sense to just retitle this show as "The Mandalorians".

 

[misjuevos]

These pirates turned out to be not a big deal after all. Mando took on the same ship he ran from in episode 1. Now he has no trouble. You probably could've put episode 1 and this one together. We meet the pirates then they die. There was no need to have Grogu with him either. Watching the X-wing pilot go on a requisition run was like watching someone going door to door asking for help. It is like they really want us to hate the New Republic.

The justification given as to why the Mandos would help Greef after he is the reason they are homeless was not good. Why do they want to live in Navarro when they now know Mandalore is not poisoned like they thought before. The main focus should be going to Mandalore. For some reason it is ok for Bo to walk in both worlds but Dinn can't. Even though he has the darksaber, but I suspect Bo never really lost it because she weilds it easier.

 

[Drizzle]

Was it me, or did the cockpit stuff feel more The Last Starfighter then Star Wars? Not complaining. Loved it. But it felt different to me.

I feel like all the puppet pilots had a lot to do with that lol.

As an admirer of all things puppety from '80s sci-fi/fantasy, all I have to say is bring on the muppets.

 

[Kane52630]

Eh, it was okay as a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way. The only thing missing from this episode was the Halo music playing in the background.

 

[Kane52630]

Was it me, or did the cockpit stuff feel more The Last Starfighter then Star Wars? Not complaining. Loved it. But it felt different to me.

I was thinking more Star Trek.

 

[Holy Slapper]

The darksaber needs its user to be in tune with his or her spiritual side. I’d say that Din hasn’t accepted that he no longer fits with the creed that he’s still trying desperately to follow, and that’s interfering with his connection to the sabre. Even Bo probably wouldn’t be able to wield the sabre effectively most of the time; it was the emergency in the mine that brought everything temporarily into perfect alignment for her.

Nah, I'd say it's decades of experience with it.

 

[Weather Witch]

This a small thing I hadn't noticed initially, but Din confirms in his speech that it's been many cycles (years) since Chapter 3. I hope they'll do a proper timeline before the next show/season.

 

[Gaultheria]

For some reason it is ok for Bo to walk in both worlds but Dinn can't.

Bo never spoke the oath, so taking off her helmet doesn't make her an oathbreaker.

 

[Sithborg]

Bo never spoke the oath, so taking off her helmet doesn't make her an oathbreaker.

She did though. She told Din that she did it when she was young and it was a big public celebration. Which makes sense, when you have a culture like that not in hiding.

The cult are essentially extreme fundamentalists.

 

[Gaultheria]

She did though. She told Din that she did it when she was young and it was a big public celebration. Which makes sense, when you have a culture like that not in hiding.

The cult are essentially extreme fundamentalists.

Ah, okay.

Maybe it's like how infant baptism doesn't "count" according to some denominations.

 

[Holy Slapper]

She did though. She told Din that she did it when she was young and it was a big public celebration. Which makes sense, when you have a culture like that not in hiding.

The cult are essentially extreme fundamentalists.

I'm beginning to think The Armorer may not be so fundamentalist after all, after what happened with Bo Katan.

 

[Babillygunn]

While I have nothing against devoting more time towards fleshing out side characters, I don't think that it should come at the expense of pushing the titular character to the sidelines.

What's worse is that Din doesn't even have a character arc anymore. During the past three episodes, Din has done nothing but partake in side quests with no long term goal in sight.

It would make more sense to just retitle this show as "The Mandalorians".

I’ve felt like that has been the narrative structure of the show from the start. Din goes on his quest and has a side adventure each week as he proceeds. This season has been a bit different just because he thinks that he finished his quest in the second episode (his redemption so that he can reassert himself into the Watch) but I think that we are going to see him have a crisis of faith as this season progresses such that he becomes more enlightened as to what being a Mandalorian really is, as opposed to a legalistic devotion. This will probably be the season with the most character growth for him.