Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore

This episode was certainly a step up from the first episode! This one added a lot more lore, knowledge and we begin to see the potential of this season!

As someone who has watched The Clone wars and are a big fan of this show, i really apreciate the layers of information given and shown to us! Could not help but feel a bit nostalgic! Mandalore becomes a world you invest yourselves in, especially when the best arcs in Clone wars, occured on Mandalore! You are left wanting to know more!

The show looks as good as always with some intense and creative action sequences! It is clear they are warming up for something bigger, since we have ssen most of the trailer already!

The end left me excited to see the next episode! Something the previous one lacked!

This week goes straight into Mando + Grogu heading to Mandalore to explore the mines and attempt to bath on the "living waters." After last weeks misstep of an opening I was concerned how much they were going to drag this out. However this episode made last weeks look like child's play. I feel like if the Book of Boba Fett wasnt a giant mistake than this probably would've opened the season with a 20 minute prologue to establish everything episode one did. However it wasn't perfect, the need for nostalgia still creeps around and feels a little forced given the circumstances of things. Like how "R5-D4" the same exact one from a New Hope that blew a fuse before the Lars were able to buy them is now Mandos new astromech. It was cute seeing him in previous seasons as a subtle nod. However having him be directly apart of the story just feels too much of a coincidence, as well as serving essentially no real purpose. Besides that, seeing Mandalore in live action and destroyed was a sight to behold. The landscapes are beautiful and the translation between what we've seen in the animated series of Clone Wars and Rebels goes perfectly into this series. As you can easily imagine the flashbacks of the Siege of Mandalore in the now desolate underground city. I still am a little shaky on where exactly this story aims to go, especially since I know that there's a heavy chance this is going to work in Ahsokas TV show into it somehow. On top of the fact that every trailer released has a scene with Jedi from Order 66 presumably, which I hope doesn't feel forced. For a second episode it was great, and definitely left me wanting more for next week.

This is such a pick up after last week's episode, it had good action, tense scenes and my man Grogu is the 🐐

Basically they need to go to Mandalore to gather stuff to prove it's hospitable so Jin can get his title back.

The visuals were really good, the soundtrack all of it, Grogu is developing, he isn't just a cute tag along partner he had a big role to play in this episode and I do hope we get more of that ! Mando was good, he is really set on his mission but also including Grogu and in his way trying to raise him.

Good adventure with some good turns, I really enjoyed the intense Grogu scenes they were the highlight and also the last 10 - 15 were unreal !

Sorry for being dramatic, but this show is incredibly frustrating. It's well cast. Well directed. Good VFX and design...

But favreau's writing and show running is bringing the whole show down. Not only does this broadly negate the entire plot of episode one of this season (which is bad when you only have 8 episodes total) but it also fails at actually telling a good cohesive story on its own.

Much like the last episode, none of the events here build on each other. One thing, then another, then another...but none of it happens because of what has just happened. The resulting story feels unmotivated, lacking tension despite there being action

The characters are very dry as well

Better than episode 1 but not nearly as good as season 1.

I was rather disappointed with the fan service-laden first episode of this season. In hindsight I understand how it served to set the stage for this masterpiece by reintroducing a certain familiar character.

We're once again treated to a lot of fan service and easter eggs, but this time it all feels very plot-relevant and had me on the edge of my seat for the better part of 40 minutes. Which felt a lot longer to me, almost as if a feature film plot had been condensed into this brief runtime.

PS: I loved the new addition to Din's party who goes all the way back to A New Hope. Here's to hoping he'll be a permanent addition from here on in.