THE MANDALORIAN Episode 8 Discussion Thread

This is a discussion thread, so there will be spoilers.

We made it. Season one of The Mandalorian ends with an episode written by Jon Favreau and directed by the great Taika Waititi (you can tell because it has slightly anachronistic but also very fun music cues - also Baby Yoda gets punched a lot). By the time it ends, ol’ Mando has shown his face, gotten a jetpack, and received a standing order that could keep this show in seasons until the end of time (it turns out Mandalorians have a very strict adoption policy). If you expected anything bigger or more world-shattering than that… well it also featured a dark saber and an R2 unit that has humanoid arms and legs.

This episode is also longer than normal. Not for any epic season finale reasons, really, but so we can listen to two stormtroopers (Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally) do an extended comedy bit. I didn’t want to, but I laughed. Plus the scene ended with Taika Waititi droid violence, so it’s difficult to complain.

It’s also a good episode for folks asking more from Pedro Pascal’s character. Mando talks more than ever before here, perhaps revealing some limitation in focusing a show on a character with no face. But then we get to see his face. He looks like Pedro Pascal. I hope every season finale features an arbitrary and somewhat underwhelming unmasking scene.

And with that, the urgency of having Disney+ diminishes for a while. I’d cancel it but I still have so many episodes of Clone Wars and Rebellion to finish. Maybe they’ll keep me with the service long enough for those Marvel shows or another season of The Mandalorian to come along.

But speaking of the Marvel shows, if The Mandalorian’s quirky nature and delightfully smaller scope indicate what they have to offer, I doubt I’ll be complaining much. Others likely will (they always do) but I love that The Mandalorian knew it was a television show rather than try to be an eight-part movie. I hope the Marvel shows share this feature, even with their higher-concept premises.

Goodbye for now, Mandalorian. I will miss our early Friday mornings together. But our separation is only temporary, and we’ll be back together again before either of us know it.

Below is your space to discuss all the deeper Star Wars business this episode had to offer. While you’re down there slinging words and opinions, don’t forget to be kind to each other or I’ll Baby Yoda your asses.