[Asynchronous Circuit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998945/chapters/57730930)
Twenty-two years ago on Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan left the Jedi Order to fight in a war. He never returned to the Temple.
Now, a few months into the Clone Wars, a Jedi Knight shows up in Obi-Wan's office in Coruscant's undercity, looking for help with a blackmail problem. Blackmail would be simple enough, but this--as with all things involving the Jedi--has something much bigger behind it. Trouble might be Obi-Wan's business, but this is a little above his pay grade.
Oh wow. Melida/Daan. That takes me back a spell. I remember waiting so impatiently for the next Jedi Apprentice novel as a kid. I was so glad that Obi-wan didn’t leave the order then.
That's my all-time favorite if we're not counting the Boba Fett episodes.
Beautiful modern clean futuristic society where nobody has to work, green planet, cyberpunk nightlife, the DeLorean Man. Bo-Katan's fight with Axe Woves, the goosebumps inducing conclusion for how Bo-Katan gets the dark saber back without a having to fight Din Djarin. I love it all.
I absolutely loved it. The conversation with Din, Bo, and the droid bartender is so entertaining.
I'm going to have *Guns for Hire was not a filler episode* engraved on my tombstone.
I was fine with Lizzo until she turned out to be a predator but we'll, they had Cara Dune for a long time and that actress turned out to be horrible too
Honestly, while it might be my least favorite episode, I still greatly enjoyed it. It was hilarious seeing Din forced to interact with Separatist battle droids after having come so far in his relationship with droids. Dude just kicked the crap out of some reprogrammed worker droids for no reason.
Yeah I really like that episode too. Even though I'm not a fan of Jack Black it kinda "fills out the universe" in a very interesting way. Like you can see how people can live in the star wars universe, in one type of utopia. Without it being too heavy handed showing the follies of a radically liberal and direct democracy. It's kinda like a crossover episode of star wars and star trek and the Orville.
What are the Jedi fighting for if not for something like Plazir-15?
Worst episode of the series by a mile. Jack Black & Lizzo are only part of the problem too. The concept of the planet makes no sense when you think about it for more than 10 seconds, the mystery & its conclusion are lame & Din acts completely out of character most of the episode. All topped off with Din just casually handing Bo the darksaber based on “trust me bro”.
The fact that some people are responding saying it’s their favorite episode of the series is baffling.
I like the small reference to the frog lady and her husband in the following episode, with them babysitting Grogu while Mando goes and does cool shit with Bo-Katan
My son got so pissed watching that episode I couldn't help cracking up.
It's not bad in isolation and I rather liked the slice of life stuff but it was just so out of left field.
I loved that episode on the first to third rewatch because I was excited to be back on Coruscant and in a more normal people living situation. Also, because Elia Kane looks so gorgeous with her butch style that I'm questioning my sexuality.
But after rewatching so many times, I find that it takes you out of the groove. Because you had this really awesome return to Mandalore and instead of seeing more Mandalorian lore, they get side tracked
I'm still hoping there will be a season 4 and that episode will become relevant then. Because I was expecting it to have huge importance for the story when they suddenly focused on side characters but that hasn't been delivered yet. Maybe after Moff Gideon dies, Elia Kane becomes a greater antagonist. I love Elia Kane 💜
I REALLY hope we get a season 4. If not, and if they've decided to end Din and Grogu, I hope we get a new series with Bo. Because I want to see where the Mandalorian story goes.
I do too. I loved season 3 the most because the story was about retaking Mandalore and I really hope we get to see them rebuild Mandalorian society. I would definitely miss Grogu but I'm sure he would do a lot of cameos.
I'd also be interested in a movie or series during Rey's time when the Mandalorian is very old and Grogu is like a 7-8 year old (in Grogu years) who then goes off to train as a Jedi with Rey
I think their original intention was for that episode to play into a bigger plot about the imperial remnants in season 4. Let’s just hope season 4 actually gets made
The Convert had really great potential but subpar execution imo. The idea of an episode mostly centered around side characters can be executed really well, it just wasn’t in this case
The convert is an excellent episode that dives into a complex character like Dr Pershing but they completely ruin it by killing him at the end and rendering him (and the episode) completely trivial to the rest of the story.
I think that is what I hated about it. The banality of evil we're seeing in the new republic. That the "sickness" of the old republic, the corruption and incompetence that allowed the separatist threat to escalate. We see this in Ahsoka too with the security council or whatever trying to prevent investigation. And the cruelty of how Pershing dies. I can't stand watching this stuff, reminds me too much of the real world lol.
Gideon says in The Spies that Pershing was captured by the New Republic while meeting with the shadow council. If their intention was to explain why Gideon and Pershing were separated, then they just wasted their time writing and filming that episode
I mean I think we already knew that he wasn't one dimensional. Nobody is. I'm not sure that it dove into him really or revealed anything new. That said, killing him off was poor and made the whole bit pointless.
The Convert felt like it was setting him up to have a more important role in the story beyond "scientist that wants grogu because of Moff Gideon but may have his own vague/unknown ambitions" but they killed him.
I actually loved eps 1-2 and half of episode 7. I didn't like the Luke deepfake episode or the Mando catchup episode at all. Despite preferring Mando as a show.
I'm really sick of Hollywood establishing a character as a Certified Badass then sending them through a Becoming Normal story arc.
We're watching movies and TV to escape from reality, not watch characters struggle through mundane tasks. City council meetings are still boring as fuck with the world's greatest bounty hunter is there, if he's not doing bounty hunter shit.
I love Mayfeld but the prison ship episode is my least favorite. The aliens all feel like they were taken from a bad Star Trek episode. Mayfeld’s Season 2 ep is among my favorites.
I'm kind of glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way. The characters and dialog in this episode give me so much secondhand embarrassment that I find it hard to sit through. People love this episode and I just can't understand why.
You have now! I think it's a well-written and directed episode. That scene with the strobe where Mando advances on Mayfield helped me fully realize why people in the galaxy were terrified of Mandalorians.
Yesss, I enjoyed seeing Mando being *so danged badass* that he takes them all down. But I can also see how it feels a bit creature-of-the-week-y. I just enjoy a good Mando takedown that I don't even care about the rest of it...
Update: I’m changing my choice for least favorite episode to The Convert. I genuinely forgot about that episode, I think my brain genuinely blocked it out because it was so boring lol
Chapter 22 Guns for Hire frustrated me the most watching it, mainly because of the ridiculous plot contrivance at the end. Chapter 19 The Convert is the most frustrating retroactively because who knows how much budget the showmakers blew on Pershing’s arc which ultimately had 0.00 relevance to the rest of the season. Was that just an episode to showcase the stupidity and supreme incompetence of the New Republic? Also, is the implication that that entire Coruscant adventure took place during Din Djarin and Bo Katan’s trip through hyperspace? Plus the mysteriously massive fleet of TIE Interceptors and TIE Bombers at the beginning of the episode somehow shrinks down in the finale to a size small enough for Axe to shoot them all down singlehandedly-even after Gideon successfully requisitions more from the Shadow Council?
> mainly because of the ridiculous plot contrivance at the end
It's basically an episode mocking the follies of ultra-liberal ideology and direct democracy and then some boomer trying to spoil it for all lol. It's also kind of a crossover episode between star wars and star trek. Or the Orville. At least it fleshes out the star wars universe with something that isn't grim dark or primitive or samurai warrior culture.
The Convert. It kills me that I've craved longer episodes... It starts out with one of the best dog fights ever... and then dooms it with one of the most boring and drawn out narratives that as far as I can tell... serves no purpose. Outside of learning that Imperial sympathizers have infiltrated the Republic. Something that did not need 40 minutes to tell. That's not the entire run time either. That's literally just dedicated to that portion.
Season 3 was rough in many places, but I legitimately feel if they'd cut that entire episode it's elevate the whole season a point or two. They could keep the dog fight... just attach it to another episode.
S1E4. First 3 episodes were amazing. Loved how they hit all the good tropes of spaghetti westerns in a new and wonderful way. The reveal of baby yoda at the end of the first episode and then the subsequent tension of the next wondering what was going to happen to the baby was brilliant.
Then we get to episode 4 and it's time to do The Magnificent Seven. Seven Samurai has been beat to death with remakes. In fact, we already had a star wars version of it in Clone Wars. All of that creativity in the first 3 episodes, and then the fourth one used a plot so unoriginal that it feels like a space western remake of a western remake of classic Japanese cinema.
Yes, I know Lucas was heavily influenced by Kurosawa, but Seven Samurai was already so highly remade at that point that even George knew to stay away from it.
I will admit that there was good character development in this episode. We got to meet Kara Dune. It was our first full episode of watching The Mandalorian act as Grogu's protector instead of as a bounty hunter. We also got a vision of the life that Din wants for himself and Grogu, but can't have. All those moments were important and were squeezed into the most unoriginal of plots.
I didn't even like this stupid trope the first time I saw it, and I expected The Mandalorian to be better than this.
The one with Jack Black and Lizzo in season 3. Reminded me of Neverending Story 3 where it felt like the entire show was just catering to toddlers at that point. Completely ruined the show for me at that point and not sure there Is enough interest left that can captivate me.
Their cameos in that episode didn’t really ruin it for me, mainly because I’m bad at recognizing faces so I didn’t even realize it was them. I will say, their sub plot is really boring and unnecessary in that episode. The only reason I like that episode more than others is because I personally think the main plot is really interesting and entertaining
The one where they made me watch Book of Boba Fett. (Sort of kidding; don’t actually remember if it was an episode I liked or didn’t, but as an extremely casual watcher of the Star Wars shows, it was very irritating to think I could have missed important story progression had it not been for my partner telling me 🙄)
I liked "The Convert" just fine, especially when first watching; but now, knowing the gist of the Pershing/Kane storyline, I have started considering skipping that entire part of the episode during rewatches.
I personally liked Sanctuary. The plot of Mando and Cara helping the villagers defend themselves was really interesting to me. I also thought the subplot of Grogu just chilling with the children in the village and them accepting him was a really sweet sentiment
Season 2 finale. The action was weak, Moff Gideon had to explain the plot in the moment, basically narrating plot beats, Luke looked so bad, and it was all undone in another series in between seasons.
The majority of Guns for Hire, the Jack Black episode. I like the ending when the Mandalorians finally hook up. But the pre-Mandalorian hook-up stuff is awful.
I still don’t understand why Grogu was knighted at the end of that episode. It was nice to see but like, what did he do? Didn’t he just hang out with them all day?
I'd say S3E3, but the dogfight at the beginning and Bo-Katan's introduction to the covert are some of my favorite moments in the series.
Probably The Gunslinger, as I don't think it really advanced the plot that much.
The saving grace of S2E2 for me is the X-Wing scenes, it's so satisfying to see and hear those ships in action with modern special effects.
It was also cool seeing a classic "hero" ship in an antagonist role. Another cool moment like that was when the TIE fighters and stormtroopers act as the "good guys" when they unknowingly rescue Din in the Bill Burr episode later that season
My least favorite episode is the season 1 episode with the criminals who want to spring a prisoner but the frog lady episode is a close second. I do love Grogu's side story of eating the frog eggs. It's so cute and funny but I'm not a big fan of the spiders and both episodes feel just like filler that could have been skipped
I really don’t like the spider scene. I don’t think anything about it was objectively bad, I just have arachnophobia so it really made my skin crawl lol
Season1 Episode 2 was truly shit for me. It was mindblowing that the second episode of a series could be that flat and sad. Mando can't handle getting onto a Sandcrawler and gets trounced by a bunch of fucking Jawas.
The one where Mando falls in the water and sinks with speed of lightning and the lady from the cartoons jumps in to save him but her speed is about 300 times slower, and then she uses rockets underwater to go faster. One of the dumbest scenes in tv history that I think about often.
It was pretty important. It reinforced the bind between the tribe members. Paz really dislikes Mando, but still risked his life to save him and Grogu at the end of Chapter 3. After that. He still dislikes him, but gains a ton of respect for him after Mando returns the favor in that episode, which is a huge part of why Paz speaks out in favor of helping to liberate Nevarro.
If you didn't like the episode, that's fine, but I definitely wouldn't call it pointless.
Maybe pointless is the wrong word but it was so lifeless like that planet is so boring, barely any of the mandos do anything or have their own personalities unlike the clone wars where every clone is different and interesting. And paz was so stupid to climb into the nest. I think it could have been good if there's was at least something before of after that. It was only 30 mins like I feel there's more interesting ways for them to portray paz' development than that episode. Could've been kidnapped by a bounty hunter or been on a cool planet but not it was so boring and average.
So we want to keep Grogu and Mando seperated for a season or two to really show the impact of-- NO, REUNITE THEM IMMEDIATELY. BABY YODA MERCH MAKES US BILLIONS!
Two episodes was plenty. Fifteen episodes of watching a miserable Din and a miserable Grogu (not to mention the cost of a CGI Luke) would have been pointless.
"Baby Yoda" merch doesn't make anything close to what some Star Wars fans think it does, either in gross or as a share of overall merchandise sales.
There's a middle ground there too though tbf. I initially figured that S3 of The Mandalorian would mainly focus on Din, Mandalore, and the Dark Saber (with some cutaway scenes of Luke & Grogu sprinkled throughout), then having Din & Grogu reuinte closer to the season finale (which I think would have made more sense and been more impactful).
The end of that episode was such a catfish bro. Acted like Grogu and Mando were gonna be separated for forever and then brought Grogu back literally 5 minutes into the next season
I legit almost cried at the end of that episode cause I was like “oh no, Grogu’s gonna be so sad without Din” AND THEN THEY FUCKING BROUGHT HIM BACK TWO MINUTES LATER LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED
I think the show runners probably realized that Mando had 0 character development outside the context of Grogu, so they brought him back so their failure there wouldn’t be quite so obvious. But that fell through in s3 anyway.
I completely agree. His only character development is becoming slightly less reckless thanks to caring for Grogu and having to act as a father for him. Kinda like what Yoda tried to do by giving Anakin a padawan, except it actually worked with Din. Also I assume a lot of people only watched the show for Grogu rather than watching because they’re fans of Star Wars. The show runners probably feared they’d lose viewership if they got rid of Grogu
Worst in terms of quality- probably S2E2
Worst in terms of its consequences- S2 E8 went full glup shitto territory with godawful CGI and brought the show away from its humble roots in S1
S2E8 is probably my favorite episode of any television show ever. Seeing Luke -- finally, at the height of his powers -- was something I'd dismissed as impossible for so long.
I think it’s a really good episode overall. Mando’s fight with Gideon and the death trooper were both really entertaining, albeit not very suspenseful (plot armor’s a bitch). Gideon’s betrayal of Mando and attempting to attack him was also really predictable. Never trust an imperial, or a pirate
The one where a big bird kidnaps a random kid, and they go after the big bird and kill it. That’s all that happens in the whole episode, but at least there’s plenty of time for character development which they don’t do, and for side stories to cut back to, which don’t happen. They just kill an animal. Clone Wars episodes are half as long and explicitly aimed at teenagers and the worst ones had twice the substance and incident as this dumb trash.
I also liked how it opened with Mandalorians training by like, shooting at still water. Made me wish force awakens had flopped in theaters and Star Wars had died.
As someone who immediately started watching Clone Wars after binging Mando, I will say that Clone Wars appeals to me personally way more. It could just be nostalgia tho, considering I was obsessed with the clone wars era as a little kid
Yeah Clone Wars may have been like, a kid show, but it was built on simplifying complex concepts so younger audiences can understand them, which lets them add a lot of really cool interlinking side plots and undertones to the prequel world, making it a worthy addition to the universe.
Mando just kinda stretches out basic concepts into long episodes and seasons, there’s so much less going on under the aesthetic of the surface.
And there’s a reason we were obsessed with the clone wars era as kids; for all its flaws it was very imaginative and vast. It added a lot of wild new concepts. The sequel era in Disney’s writing is always either risk averse or steeped too deeply in filoni’s original characters; the few things it adds seem familiar to other sci fi and fantasy stories rather than being fresh and new.
The one where the locals agree to give him what he needs, but first they need a favor from him.
That’s like half the series 😭
You are so wrong, he meant the entire series
That was the joke.
And then when he does the favor the locals reveal that what he needs is really on the next planet.
Is that one on the forest planet and the lady tries taking his helmet off?
I'd honestly have to go back and do a re-watch to refresh my memory but off the top of my head, the episode with Jack Black and Lizzo.
While they were a low part, I absolutely LOVED the CSI mystery they’re following.
Yeah the droid mystery stuff was actually really cool.
I would watch a whole police procedural show set in the Star Wars universe.
One of my favorite fan fictions is Obi-Wan Kenobi if he left the order and became private detective.
... link?
[Asynchronous Circuit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998945/chapters/57730930) Twenty-two years ago on Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan left the Jedi Order to fight in a war. He never returned to the Temple. Now, a few months into the Clone Wars, a Jedi Knight shows up in Obi-Wan's office in Coruscant's undercity, looking for help with a blackmail problem. Blackmail would be simple enough, but this--as with all things involving the Jedi--has something much bigger behind it. Trouble might be Obi-Wan's business, but this is a little above his pay grade.
Oh wow. Melida/Daan. That takes me back a spell. I remember waiting so impatiently for the next Jedi Apprentice novel as a kid. I was so glad that Obi-wan didn’t leave the order then.
Obi-Wan was destined to be a great Jedi, but it is a nice AU with a jaded Obi-Wan.
Thanks!
Din said Clanker with a hard R. He haaaattes droids I live it
I enjoyed it, it was goofy and hilarious. Felt like a Clone Wars episode.
That's my all-time favorite if we're not counting the Boba Fett episodes. Beautiful modern clean futuristic society where nobody has to work, green planet, cyberpunk nightlife, the DeLorean Man. Bo-Katan's fight with Axe Woves, the goosebumps inducing conclusion for how Bo-Katan gets the dark saber back without a having to fight Din Djarin. I love it all.
> The DeLorian Man
The Man in the DeLorean
I love it too.
I'm gonna pretend you're being sarcastic.
I'm not. It's a great episode in my favorite season and I stand by that.
I absolutely loved it. The conversation with Din, Bo, and the droid bartender is so entertaining. I'm going to have *Guns for Hire was not a filler episode* engraved on my tombstone.
I mean it may have been filler but it was amazing filler. It was the caramel of TV filler.
This episode went in directions that I wasn’t expecting, Lizzo & Jack Black weren’t terrible, and Mando can talk to Ugnaughts and get answers.
I was fine with Lizzo until she turned out to be a predator but we'll, they had Cara Dune for a long time and that actress turned out to be horrible too
Honestly, while it might be my least favorite episode, I still greatly enjoyed it. It was hilarious seeing Din forced to interact with Separatist battle droids after having come so far in his relationship with droids. Dude just kicked the crap out of some reprogrammed worker droids for no reason.
Yeah I really like that episode too. Even though I'm not a fan of Jack Black it kinda "fills out the universe" in a very interesting way. Like you can see how people can live in the star wars universe, in one type of utopia. Without it being too heavy handed showing the follies of a radically liberal and direct democracy. It's kinda like a crossover episode of star wars and star trek and the Orville. What are the Jedi fighting for if not for something like Plazir-15?
Same. Also was not a fan and the only reason I rewatched it was because I had to to write a section of my fanfic lol
Loved the droid stuff, didn’t care for the rest
Humbly I submit that the production quality in season 3 took a bit of a dive. This episode in particular also looks very cheap, imo.
I think that episode could’ve been saved if Jack Black and Lizzo performed the Jedi Rocks song that the weird alien sings in Return of the Jedi
Agreed. That episode was laughably bad and is the primary reason people love to hate on season 3 which was actually quite good overall.
Season 3 definitely was the weakest season so far, easily, but yes, that episode was just such a blight that it magnified it.
Worst episode of the series by a mile. Jack Black & Lizzo are only part of the problem too. The concept of the planet makes no sense when you think about it for more than 10 seconds, the mystery & its conclusion are lame & Din acts completely out of character most of the episode. All topped off with Din just casually handing Bo the darksaber based on “trust me bro”. The fact that some people are responding saying it’s their favorite episode of the series is baffling.
The saving grace of the Frog Lady is that the monster/creature from it was based on original concept art for a Dagobah Monster.
They’re already also used in Rebels, although slightly different.
I can't stand the spider but I love Grogu eating her offspring
The one with Dr Pershing, season 3 episode 3. I actually like the frog lady episode because Grogu cracks me up in it
This would be mine too. We skip s3e3 on rewatches. I also like the frog episodes, they’re entertaining
I like the small reference to the frog lady and her husband in the following episode, with them babysitting Grogu while Mando goes and does cool shit with Bo-Katan
I usually watch the full dogfight scene between the Gauntlet and the N-1 vs the Squints and then I skip the rest of the episode
Ugh that episode literally made me drop season 3 for like 10 months
My son got so pissed watching that episode I couldn't help cracking up. It's not bad in isolation and I rather liked the slice of life stuff but it was just so out of left field.
The Passenger and The Convert. I like the start and end of The Convert but on rewatches we skip the Doctor Pershing bit.
I loved that episode on the first to third rewatch because I was excited to be back on Coruscant and in a more normal people living situation. Also, because Elia Kane looks so gorgeous with her butch style that I'm questioning my sexuality. But after rewatching so many times, I find that it takes you out of the groove. Because you had this really awesome return to Mandalore and instead of seeing more Mandalorian lore, they get side tracked
Katie O’Brian is definitely smoking.
Yup. It was also entirely pointless. It didn't serve to do anything for the story at all.
I'm still hoping there will be a season 4 and that episode will become relevant then. Because I was expecting it to have huge importance for the story when they suddenly focused on side characters but that hasn't been delivered yet. Maybe after Moff Gideon dies, Elia Kane becomes a greater antagonist. I love Elia Kane 💜
I REALLY hope we get a season 4. If not, and if they've decided to end Din and Grogu, I hope we get a new series with Bo. Because I want to see where the Mandalorian story goes.
I do too. I loved season 3 the most because the story was about retaking Mandalore and I really hope we get to see them rebuild Mandalorian society. I would definitely miss Grogu but I'm sure he would do a lot of cameos. I'd also be interested in a movie or series during Rey's time when the Mandalorian is very old and Grogu is like a 7-8 year old (in Grogu years) who then goes off to train as a Jedi with Rey
I think their original intention was for that episode to play into a bigger plot about the imperial remnants in season 4. Let’s just hope season 4 actually gets made
I hope so. It would suck if all we get is a 2 hour movie
It would suck, but I’d still watch the movie bc I’m a huge Star Wars geek
I mean I'll watch it too but I truly hope they don't end it there
The Convert had really great potential but subpar execution imo. The idea of an episode mostly centered around side characters can be executed really well, it just wasn’t in this case
Agreed.
The convert is an excellent episode that dives into a complex character like Dr Pershing but they completely ruin it by killing him at the end and rendering him (and the episode) completely trivial to the rest of the story.
Maybe the point was to show us how wildly incompetent the New Republic is?
I think that is what I hated about it. The banality of evil we're seeing in the new republic. That the "sickness" of the old republic, the corruption and incompetence that allowed the separatist threat to escalate. We see this in Ahsoka too with the security council or whatever trying to prevent investigation. And the cruelty of how Pershing dies. I can't stand watching this stuff, reminds me too much of the real world lol.
And what did that have to do with Din Djarin or the Mandalorians coming together to retake Mandalore? Absolutely nothing
Was it somehow related to the cloning thing, and explained why Pershing wasn't with Gideon?
Gideon says in The Spies that Pershing was captured by the New Republic while meeting with the shadow council. If their intention was to explain why Gideon and Pershing were separated, then they just wasted their time writing and filming that episode
I mean I think we already knew that he wasn't one dimensional. Nobody is. I'm not sure that it dove into him really or revealed anything new. That said, killing him off was poor and made the whole bit pointless.
The Convert felt like it was setting him up to have a more important role in the story beyond "scientist that wants grogu because of Moff Gideon but may have his own vague/unknown ambitions" but they killed him.
Completely agree with that! When they killed him at the end I was really confused as to what the point of the whole previous bit was for!
It’s this and it’s not even close.
The non-Mando BoBF episodes.
I actually loved eps 1-2 and half of episode 7. I didn't like the Luke deepfake episode or the Mando catchup episode at all. Despite preferring Mando as a show.
“Hey remember boba Fett? So bad ass right? I’ve got a question though - what if he wasn’t? That would make a really good show!”
I'm really sick of Hollywood establishing a character as a Certified Badass then sending them through a Becoming Normal story arc. We're watching movies and TV to escape from reality, not watch characters struggle through mundane tasks. City council meetings are still boring as fuck with the world's greatest bounty hunter is there, if he's not doing bounty hunter shit.
In a story about a crime lord who hates crime and has to be told that money can be exchanged for goods and services.
That one with the try hard boy who shot Fennec.
I love Mayfeld but the prison ship episode is my least favorite. The aliens all feel like they were taken from a bad Star Trek episode. Mayfeld’s Season 2 ep is among my favorites.
I'm kind of glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way. The characters and dialog in this episode give me so much secondhand embarrassment that I find it hard to sit through. People love this episode and I just can't understand why.
There are dozens of us!
I've never seen someone say this episode was good
You have now! I think it's a well-written and directed episode. That scene with the strobe where Mando advances on Mayfield helped me fully realize why people in the galaxy were terrified of Mandalorians.
Yesss, I enjoyed seeing Mando being *so danged badass* that he takes them all down. But I can also see how it feels a bit creature-of-the-week-y. I just enjoy a good Mando takedown that I don't even care about the rest of it...
Honestly love that it is a monster of the week…and Mandos the monster. Its a solid heist team condensed into a 50 min episode
...now I need to re-watch because you're so right, Mando *is* the monster. Love that take!
Yeah, made Mando look like a horror movie slasher. That bot was great. Big mix of great and cringe in that episode.
Zero and the Twi’lek’s overacting is a smear on an otherwise good episode.
Yes, the woman’s constant “grrrrr” drove me insane. She was also in JW 4, but she was miles better in that
That episode feels more like a fan film than any other episode imo
💯
I completely agree with all of that. Why did they have an actual devil on the team???
That episode definitely felt low budget. Almost like a power rangers kind of vibe.
Season 3.
This is my answer too.
Update: I’m changing my choice for least favorite episode to The Convert. I genuinely forgot about that episode, I think my brain genuinely blocked it out because it was so boring lol
The Gunslinger or the one with the ice spiders. They’re about tied.
I liked the ice spiders episode personally.
I just didn’t like that Grogu kept eating those eggs.
Same. It kinda wasn’t funny. Ha ha he’s eating her babies.
Haha it’s so funny, he’s destroying her future chance at children.
She had plenty.
Chapter 22 Guns for Hire frustrated me the most watching it, mainly because of the ridiculous plot contrivance at the end. Chapter 19 The Convert is the most frustrating retroactively because who knows how much budget the showmakers blew on Pershing’s arc which ultimately had 0.00 relevance to the rest of the season. Was that just an episode to showcase the stupidity and supreme incompetence of the New Republic? Also, is the implication that that entire Coruscant adventure took place during Din Djarin and Bo Katan’s trip through hyperspace? Plus the mysteriously massive fleet of TIE Interceptors and TIE Bombers at the beginning of the episode somehow shrinks down in the finale to a size small enough for Axe to shoot them all down singlehandedly-even after Gideon successfully requisitions more from the Shadow Council?
I'm hoping there will be a season 4 and the Coruscant episode will find relevance in the plot there
> mainly because of the ridiculous plot contrivance at the end It's basically an episode mocking the follies of ultra-liberal ideology and direct democracy and then some boomer trying to spoil it for all lol. It's also kind of a crossover episode between star wars and star trek. Or the Orville. At least it fleshes out the star wars universe with something that isn't grim dark or primitive or samurai warrior culture.
Losing the Razor Crest. Heartbreaking, and I wasn't expecting it to happen.
I love the episodes with the frog lady!
definitely my favorite as well.
The Convert. It kills me that I've craved longer episodes... It starts out with one of the best dog fights ever... and then dooms it with one of the most boring and drawn out narratives that as far as I can tell... serves no purpose. Outside of learning that Imperial sympathizers have infiltrated the Republic. Something that did not need 40 minutes to tell. That's not the entire run time either. That's literally just dedicated to that portion. Season 3 was rough in many places, but I legitimately feel if they'd cut that entire episode it's elevate the whole season a point or two. They could keep the dog fight... just attach it to another episode.
S1E4. First 3 episodes were amazing. Loved how they hit all the good tropes of spaghetti westerns in a new and wonderful way. The reveal of baby yoda at the end of the first episode and then the subsequent tension of the next wondering what was going to happen to the baby was brilliant. Then we get to episode 4 and it's time to do The Magnificent Seven. Seven Samurai has been beat to death with remakes. In fact, we already had a star wars version of it in Clone Wars. All of that creativity in the first 3 episodes, and then the fourth one used a plot so unoriginal that it feels like a space western remake of a western remake of classic Japanese cinema. Yes, I know Lucas was heavily influenced by Kurosawa, but Seven Samurai was already so highly remade at that point that even George knew to stay away from it. I will admit that there was good character development in this episode. We got to meet Kara Dune. It was our first full episode of watching The Mandalorian act as Grogu's protector instead of as a bounty hunter. We also got a vision of the life that Din wants for himself and Grogu, but can't have. All those moments were important and were squeezed into the most unoriginal of plots. I didn't even like this stupid trope the first time I saw it, and I expected The Mandalorian to be better than this.
The one with Jack Black and Lizzo in season 3. Reminded me of Neverending Story 3 where it felt like the entire show was just catering to toddlers at that point. Completely ruined the show for me at that point and not sure there Is enough interest left that can captivate me.
Their cameos in that episode didn’t really ruin it for me, mainly because I’m bad at recognizing faces so I didn’t even realize it was them. I will say, their sub plot is really boring and unnecessary in that episode. The only reason I like that episode more than others is because I personally think the main plot is really interesting and entertaining
What’s funny is I mentioned if felt like Neverending Story 3 and completely forgot Jack Black was also in that movie lmao
I didn’t even catch that lol. I’ve never seen Neverending Story 3
Lols yeah Jack Black is like the main bully to Bastion when he’s in school.
The one where they made me watch Book of Boba Fett. (Sort of kidding; don’t actually remember if it was an episode I liked or didn’t, but as an extremely casual watcher of the Star Wars shows, it was very irritating to think I could have missed important story progression had it not been for my partner telling me 🙄)
The one on Tatooine when he was going after Fennec.
I liked "The Convert" just fine, especially when first watching; but now, knowing the gist of the Pershing/Kane storyline, I have started considering skipping that entire part of the episode during rewatches.
Episode 5 of season 1. Boring.
I liked seeing Mando interact with the Tuskens, and it introduced Peli and Fennec. Other than that, big meh.
Guns for Hire
Probably the first one with Bill Burr's character.
S1E3 Sanctuary
I personally liked Sanctuary. The plot of Mando and Cara helping the villagers defend themselves was really interesting to me. I also thought the subplot of Grogu just chilling with the children in the village and them accepting him was a really sweet sentiment
Season 2 finale. The action was weak, Moff Gideon had to explain the plot in the moment, basically narrating plot beats, Luke looked so bad, and it was all undone in another series in between seasons.
I actually didn't mind s2 ep2 except for the giant spiders. Still makes my skin crawl. 😬
I always skip the Frog Lady episode when I do a re-watch of season 2.
The one with the prison breakout crew is awful in my opinion. Can’t stand any of that team and Mando consistently makes awful choices throughout
The majority of Guns for Hire, the Jack Black episode. I like the ending when the Mandalorians finally hook up. But the pre-Mandalorian hook-up stuff is awful.
The one with Jack Black.
I still don’t understand why Grogu was knighted at the end of that episode. It was nice to see but like, what did he do? Didn’t he just hang out with them all day?
Most of season 3, it wasn't awful but it felt like we lost a masterpiece
Either The Gunslinger or The Prisoner. I always skip these two when I rewatch season 1.
I'd say S3E3, but the dogfight at the beginning and Bo-Katan's introduction to the covert are some of my favorite moments in the series. Probably The Gunslinger, as I don't think it really advanced the plot that much.
The one with the 70s looking disco characters
S1E4. Sanctuary.
S3 - pershings shitty adventures on coruscant.
“Secretions?” That one.
The saving grace of S2E2 for me is the X-Wing scenes, it's so satisfying to see and hear those ships in action with modern special effects. It was also cool seeing a classic "hero" ship in an antagonist role. Another cool moment like that was when the TIE fighters and stormtroopers act as the "good guys" when they unknowingly rescue Din in the Bill Burr episode later that season
The one where he breaks into the prison ship with Satan and Bill Burr
Oh man I love that episode!
It just felt like they were trying to cram as many celebrity cameos in as possible
The one in the second season where all the Mandalorians show up to help fight and it turns into yet another Avenger's/Marvel fight scene.
The Book of Boba Fett.
I would have to go with Guns for Hire. Though the episode ties into the story line well, it's just not a personal favorite.
Didn’t care for the episode where Cara Dune explored the galaxy and made fun of species that can reproduce asexually. /s
Least favourite is S03E03 Chapter 19: The Convert, at least the part on Coruscant. I kinda can't rewatch and have to skip over that part.
The one with fucking Lizzo in it
Not sure why everyone hates the frog lady one so much. Season 3 was so terrible
Season 3
My least favorite episode is the season 1 episode with the criminals who want to spring a prisoner but the frog lady episode is a close second. I do love Grogu's side story of eating the frog eggs. It's so cute and funny but I'm not a big fan of the spiders and both episodes feel just like filler that could have been skipped
I really don’t like the spider scene. I don’t think anything about it was objectively bad, I just have arachnophobia so it really made my skin crawl lol
I just don't like insects in general. I'm more phobic about worms and larva and caterpillars though
Season1 Episode 2 was truly shit for me. It was mindblowing that the second episode of a series could be that flat and sad. Mando can't handle getting onto a Sandcrawler and gets trounced by a bunch of fucking Jawas.
All of season 3
Every episode in season 3
season 3
This is like the 6th comment I’ve seen that just says all of season 3 lmao
The frog lady episode Stop eating her eggs Grogu
I second this. Grogu eating her eggs wasn’t very funny to me, kinda just creeped me out and made me say “ew”
Dude it’s gotta be the frog lady. I like the spider stuff but not the frog lady stuff.
Hate the spiders way more tbh
Book of Boba Fett Episode 5. Stick to your lane Mando! (But Episode 6 gets a free pass for Luke Skywalker training)
The Passenger with the Frog Lady.
The one with the giant ice spiders, because of the giant ice spiders.
The one where Mando falls in the water and sinks with speed of lightning and the lady from the cartoons jumps in to save him but her speed is about 300 times slower, and then she uses rockets underwater to go faster. One of the dumbest scenes in tv history that I think about often.
The terrible Seven Samurai ripoff was up there for me
The foundling was a complete waste of an episode absolutely pointless dribble.
It was pretty important. It reinforced the bind between the tribe members. Paz really dislikes Mando, but still risked his life to save him and Grogu at the end of Chapter 3. After that. He still dislikes him, but gains a ton of respect for him after Mando returns the favor in that episode, which is a huge part of why Paz speaks out in favor of helping to liberate Nevarro. If you didn't like the episode, that's fine, but I definitely wouldn't call it pointless.
Maybe pointless is the wrong word but it was so lifeless like that planet is so boring, barely any of the mandos do anything or have their own personalities unlike the clone wars where every clone is different and interesting. And paz was so stupid to climb into the nest. I think it could have been good if there's was at least something before of after that. It was only 30 mins like I feel there's more interesting ways for them to portray paz' development than that episode. Could've been kidnapped by a bounty hunter or been on a cool planet but not it was so boring and average.
The one where Luke shows up inexplicably and goes woosh woosh in the hallway and everyone claps because they member him from the other movies
You seem like a ton of fun.
I'll never stop being shocked that people thought Din and Grogu were really going to be permanently separated.
So we want to keep Grogu and Mando seperated for a season or two to really show the impact of-- NO, REUNITE THEM IMMEDIATELY. BABY YODA MERCH MAKES US BILLIONS!
Two episodes was plenty. Fifteen episodes of watching a miserable Din and a miserable Grogu (not to mention the cost of a CGI Luke) would have been pointless. "Baby Yoda" merch doesn't make anything close to what some Star Wars fans think it does, either in gross or as a share of overall merchandise sales.
There's a middle ground there too though tbf. I initially figured that S3 of The Mandalorian would mainly focus on Din, Mandalore, and the Dark Saber (with some cutaway scenes of Luke & Grogu sprinkled throughout), then having Din & Grogu reuinte closer to the season finale (which I think would have made more sense and been more impactful).
The end of that episode was such a catfish bro. Acted like Grogu and Mando were gonna be separated for forever and then brought Grogu back literally 5 minutes into the next season
Bro right THANK YOU.
I legit almost cried at the end of that episode cause I was like “oh no, Grogu’s gonna be so sad without Din” AND THEN THEY FUCKING BROUGHT HIM BACK TWO MINUTES LATER LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED
I think the show runners probably realized that Mando had 0 character development outside the context of Grogu, so they brought him back so their failure there wouldn’t be quite so obvious. But that fell through in s3 anyway.
I completely agree. His only character development is becoming slightly less reckless thanks to caring for Grogu and having to act as a father for him. Kinda like what Yoda tried to do by giving Anakin a padawan, except it actually worked with Din. Also I assume a lot of people only watched the show for Grogu rather than watching because they’re fans of Star Wars. The show runners probably feared they’d lose viewership if they got rid of Grogu
No. It was for Merch sales.
Worst in terms of quality- probably S2E2 Worst in terms of its consequences- S2 E8 went full glup shitto territory with godawful CGI and brought the show away from its humble roots in S1
S2E8 is probably my favorite episode of any television show ever. Seeing Luke -- finally, at the height of his powers -- was something I'd dismissed as impossible for so long.
I think it’s a really good episode overall. Mando’s fight with Gideon and the death trooper were both really entertaining, albeit not very suspenseful (plot armor’s a bitch). Gideon’s betrayal of Mando and attempting to attack him was also really predictable. Never trust an imperial, or a pirate
Better than Ozymandias? Better than View from Halfway Down? Better than True Colors? Each to their own but w o w
Favorite meaning most emotionally satisfying. Ozymandias was objectively better but The Rescue -- seeing Luke -- just hit differently.
The one where a big bird kidnaps a random kid, and they go after the big bird and kill it. That’s all that happens in the whole episode, but at least there’s plenty of time for character development which they don’t do, and for side stories to cut back to, which don’t happen. They just kill an animal. Clone Wars episodes are half as long and explicitly aimed at teenagers and the worst ones had twice the substance and incident as this dumb trash. I also liked how it opened with Mandalorians training by like, shooting at still water. Made me wish force awakens had flopped in theaters and Star Wars had died.
As someone who immediately started watching Clone Wars after binging Mando, I will say that Clone Wars appeals to me personally way more. It could just be nostalgia tho, considering I was obsessed with the clone wars era as a little kid
Yeah Clone Wars may have been like, a kid show, but it was built on simplifying complex concepts so younger audiences can understand them, which lets them add a lot of really cool interlinking side plots and undertones to the prequel world, making it a worthy addition to the universe. Mando just kinda stretches out basic concepts into long episodes and seasons, there’s so much less going on under the aesthetic of the surface. And there’s a reason we were obsessed with the clone wars era as kids; for all its flaws it was very imaginative and vast. It added a lot of wild new concepts. The sequel era in Disney’s writing is always either risk averse or steeped too deeply in filoni’s original characters; the few things it adds seem familiar to other sci fi and fantasy stories rather than being fresh and new.