Maybe time works differently in the Star Wars universe because it feels like it was just yesterday that we were flipping over the calendar from 2022 to 2023. We were so young and naive. We didn't know a Hollywood strike would bring production of all our most anticipated projects to a grinding halt, and we hadn't yet learned to never trust a movie announcement from Lucasfilm, or that Mando S3 would land with such a thud. But here we are, a year later, looking ahead at another year of Star Wars. We are still waiting for the next movie in the franchise, while some of the best animated content is about to come to an end with the final season of 'The Bad Batch'. Plus, some intriguing new live action shows are just around the corner in 'The Acolyte' and 'Skeleton Crew', though we still don't know much about either one. It's a tumultuous time, so to kick things off on the right foot, Julian and Rachel take a moment to enjoy their Star Wars themed Christmas gifts before diving back into the nitty gritty.
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S3E8 “The Return”
'The Mandalorian' brought it's third season to close with a climactic battle for Mandalor, capping off a rocky eight episodes that have left some fans disappointed after what was such a stellar conclusion to season two. "The Return" ties up many of the loose ends from this season and the action set-pieces alone are worth the price of admission (more jetpack heavy battle sequences please) but taking a step back, we're left with a feeling of emptiness, as we may have a worse understanding of our lead characters psyches than we did coming into the season. With so much to do in the finale, and only 39-minutes to do it in, there just isn't any time left to hear what anyone thinks about the major events that just took place. It's plot in absence of character, and it's a real shame. It's not that the show is now bad, it's just that it certainly took a step back this season in pacing, plotting, character development and probably even musically with the absence of Ludwig. The hope being that it can learn from it's mistakes and course-correct going into season four.
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S3E3 "The Convert" + The Bad Batch S2E13 "Pabu"
After a massive bombshell at the end of last week's episode of 'The Mandalorian', we take a sharp left turn into a completely different part of the galaxy and largely leave the Mythosaur thread to dangle... for now. The shift to concentrate on Dr. Pershing and his attempt to reintegrate into a post-war society, though surprising, was actually chalk-full of deep world building and does the leg work to set up a fascinating mystery. The Mando bookends featuring some stellar dog-fighting, and a surprisingly quick resolution to the whole "redemption" arch, were appreciated for their ability to keep the central story moving forward. On 'The Bad Batch' front, the season put the pause on things as it took our heroes on a short vacation that reminded us of what was actually at stake. It was slower, but intentionally so, and took the time to let us just "live" with the characters for a moment. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take nearly as long to unbox this episode compared to Mando
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S3 Premiere + The Bad Batch S2E11 "Metamorphosis"
The big brains at Disney have decided that for the next 4 weeks, Wednesdays will be Star Wars double-header day, with episodes of season 3 of "The Mandalorian" premiering alongside the ongoing season 2 of "The Bad Batch". It certainly makes for a very fun double-feature for Star Wars fans, but also makes covering those shows on the podcast slightly more complicated. As such, Julian and Rachel will be reviewing both series simultaneously. So look for more 2-part episodes of "Small Screen Star Wars" over the next few weeks. The episodes themselves lacked much of any connecting through-lines (except the inclusion of large space monsters). Mando kicks off with a reset episodes that brings some fun adventure, and The Batch is seemingly back on track with an "Alien" inspired episode that starts the process of looping the main cast back into the wider story.
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S2E8 "The Rescue"
Wow, what a season. It really felt like ‘The Mandalorian’ came into its own as a show this year, and it never once felt like they needed to water down Star Wars to make it fit on the small screen. To be treated to the introductions/reintroductions of so many iconic characters was worth the price of admission alone, but the way each of these new, or returning, characters was treated felt like something you’d see in a blockbuster movie, let alone a streaming service. Which brings us to the finale, and what a finale it was! It jumps right into the action and never slows down, only taking a breath to acknowledge a well deserved goodbye (hopefully Din keeps his promise!). The inclusion of almost every new character we met this season (sorry Cobb!) added to the spectacle but the surprise inclusion of [redacted] was really the cherry on top. With all that said, there remains many lingering questions, and with you-know-who now watching over Baby Yoda, where does Din go next?
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S2E7 "The Believer"
After the return of none other than fan favourite/original Mandalorian himself, Boba Fett last week, we are treated to a classic Star Wars infiltration mission to retrieve the whereabouts of Moff Gideon’s cruiser. The episode is written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, who also directed last season’s prison break episode, so it’s not surprising to see Bill Burr’s Mayfeld character return. Although traditionally a standup comedian, and with his appearance last season raising some eyebrows, we’re glad to report that Burr’s performance in this episode is top notch. His karisma is a breath of fresh air for a show that now has two stoic Mandalorians under helmets. The episode also does some great character building. Not just for Mayfeld, but also for Mando and Cara as well. Although having a relatively short runtime again, the pacing was spot on, and laid the groundwork for next week’s unpredictable season finale, where it feels like almost anything can happen!
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S2E6 "The Tragedy"
It was teased all the way back in season 1, and then again, more directly, in this season’s premier episode. There was a chance that the showrunners were taking it slow. Maybe we wouldnt get the big reveal until next season? But this show has been anything but shy when it comes to fan service, and this episode does nothing to change that. Like last week’s introduction to Ahsoka, that took place within the first few minutes of the episode, Chapter 14 wasted no time before giving us a hint as to what was to come. Notbaly, this episode was directed by none other than renowned action director, Robert Rodriguez. A great fit to finally show off you-know-who’s combat chops (that until now we’ve only ever heard about)! With only two episodes left this season, and two major reveals under our belt, the stage is set for what could be a very thrilling finale. A finale that may yet bring more surprises. Time will tell!
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S2E5 "The Jedi"
Rumours have been flying about a certain Jedi (ahem Citizen) making their appearance this season for a long time, and though those rumours may have spoiled the surprise for some, seeing that character brought to live-action was absolutely worth the wait! Besides the obvious excitement about seeing live action lightsabers on the small screen (and who is wielding them), this episode brought several other reveals that are arguably just as exciting. Not the least of which being the reveal of Baby Yoda/The Child’s actual name! Hard to believe it took a season and a half to get the name of one of the most popular characters on screen today! But wait there’s more! We haven’t even started talking about the craftsmanship of this episode or the homages to Akira Kurosawa’s work. It’s truly something special and I’m sure this episode will likely be a favourite of Star Wars fans for some time. Yes there’s a lot to unpack, but don’t let your fear (or anger) at missing everything turn you to the darkside. Julian, Dan, and Rachel break down every detail for your benefit. Enjoy!
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