The Mandalorian, “Chapter 15: The Believer”, Review!

Last episode, we had the loss of Baby Yoda, captured by Dark Troopers, and taken to Moff Gideon’s ship.  Mando had Boba Fett and Fennec Shand pledge their help to recover The Child.  He also went to Cara Dune to track down another to help save Baby Yoda.  This episode is directed by Rick Famuyiwa who also directed chapter 2 and 6 first season.  It is also written by him which would be the second episode not written by Favreau.  Famuyiwa also has a strong writing background with his film, Dope (2015) and co-writing Our Family Wedding (2010).  The other returning director, Bryce Dallas Howard, has experience writing shorts, but may have felt more comfortable in the director’s chair.  This may be very strong trust in his collaborators to create episodes.  A transport ship flies over a junk yard planet, Karthon Chop Fields, with crane walkers hauling up ruined TIE fighters.  Sparks fly as prisoners break down the scraps.  

A security droid walks through the work and reaches an inmate cutting a TIE fighter hatch.  This is Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr) from “Chapter 6: The Prisoner” (2019).  The mission was to free a prisoner, but Mayfield and his associates turned on Mando.  The New Republic security droid speaks to Mayfeld and introduces Marshal Dune.   She takes charge of the prisoner.  His leg binders detaches and Cara Dune starts walking away.  Mayfeld wonders what is going on, but he is threatened by the security droid with a stun baton to follow Cara.  She leads him to Slave I, he is startled by the Mandalorian armor, now cleaned, of Boba Fett.  Also, there is Fennec Shand.  Then, Mando walks down the landing ramp and Mayfeld’s smile is lost.  Cara and Mando explain that he is valued for his knowledge as a former Imperial.   Mayfield takes a look at the Karthon Chop Field and then boards Slave I.  

The ship flies from Karthon, inside, it looks like there is a rotation of the ship.  Mando explains that he has to find Moff Gideon’s cruiser and Cara says the kid is captured.  Mayfeld calls him, “the little green guy.”  She promises him “a better view” in exchange for his help.  Mayfield says he needs an Imperial terminal that he says is on Morak, new planet, where there is a secret Imperial refinery.  Boba Fett charts a course to Morak.  Later, Boba without helmet, shows a planetary scan and focuses on the refinery.  Boba suspects that the Imperials are mining Rhydonium, this is a “violatile” starship fuel, that first appeared in the Season 5 Clone Wars episode, “Missing in Action” (2013).  Slave I descends to the forest planet.  A large wheeled transport drives down a road.  This is a Juggernaut, we saw a HAVw A6 Juggernaut used by the Clone army in Revenge of the Sith (2005).  It is interesting to see how it has been modified from a tank to transport in the Imperial age.  This Juggernaut is lower to the ground with a triangular cockpit.     

The group observes the Juggernaut on a hill and while Cara says she will ambush it with Mayfeld, he says that the base is run by former ISB, the Imperial Security Bureau.  They were Imperial officers dressed in white in the Death Star and identified in Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (1987).  One of the members was Agent Kallus in Star Wars: Rebels.  Mayfield explains that there will be facial scans that will flag anyone on a New Republic register.  Fennec says she is wanted by the ISB.  Boba Fett also says he would be recognized!  Mando scans the Juggernaut driver with a helmet and then volunteers to go with Mayfeld.  The driver of Juggernaut-5 contacts the base that they entering a tunnel.  Cara, Mayfield, and Mando leap down on the Juggernaut from the top of the tunnel.  Cara drops down into the Juggernaut cockpit and makes short work of the pilots before stopping the vehicle.  

Mayfeld struggles to put on the armor as Mando appears fully armored and carrying his Mandalorian armor in a bag.  He entrusts Cara to take out the gunners on the rooftop and also his armor.  Mayfeld is the pilot while Mando checks the stabilility levels of the Rhydonium.  He tries to converse with Mando and then takes off his helmet.  Fennec is using her rifle scope to check the Juggernaut.  Mayfield sees the wreckage of other Juggernauts on the road.  They come to a village of huts alongside the road, Mayfeld sets off the Juggernaut’s horn, and they drive past refugees.  Mayfeld calls Empire and Republic “invaders on their land.”  This is a sophisticated colonizer discussion for Star Wars.  Mando is silent.  They hear over the comlink that other Juggernauts are encountering “resistance.”  I’m not certain why there isn’t Imperial troops or speeder bikes to protect the Juggernauts.  There is explosions of the Juggernauts that light up the forest.  It is a race!

Pirates use hover craft to jump onto the Juggernaut and Mando goes to handle them.  Mando blasts them and one falls dropping his thermal detonator to destroy a hover craft!  The one drawback to this episode is that these pirates of an unknown alien race are not trying to steal the fuel, but destroy it.  Also, that there is potential with the pirates working to help the refugees.  More pirates appear and Mando’s blaster runs out of charges, probably the first time we’ve seen this happen!  Mando has to go hand to hand battling the pirates with their weapons.  A pirates manages to pry open a hatch and plants a thermal detonator on the Rhydonium.  Mando defeats the other pirates and tosses the explosive at the hovercraft.  More pirates appear arming their thermal detonators!  They are saved by Imperials including Shoretroopers.  They have tan armor and brown pants uncovered by armor plates which were last seen in Rogue One (2016).  A nice reference to other Star Wars, but there doesn’t seem to be a shore at this base, it could be the Imperial Remnant is getting desperate.  

Mayfeld brings the Juggernaut into the base to the celebration of stormtroopers and Imperial officers.  This is the most bizarre twist on the victory of the heroes returning after destroying the Death Star!  Mayfeld searches for a terminal which he says might be at the officer’s mess.  He is about to enter the officer’s mess, but walks out, Mayfeld says he saw Valin Hess (Richard Brake).  This was an officer whom he served with and may recognize him!  Mando says he will use the terminal and Mayfeld wants to call it off since the network can only be accessed by a facial scan.  Mando takes the datastick from Mayfeld and enters the officer’s mess while Mayfeld waits outside.  We always have the question of The Mandalorian revealing his face and here he shows that he will do anything, including breaking the Mandalorian Code, to save The Child!  Mando activates the console and hesitates as the computer gives a warning.  He removes his helmet so now we finally see the face of Pedro Pascal and he uses the datastick. 

Captain of the Line Valin Hess goes to ask the trooper what is his operating number.  Mayfeld steps in to cover for Mando and explains that his hearing is poor from a pressure loss in Taanab.  Hess says that they were the only ones to be successful that day.  He takes them over to his table for drinks.  Cara and Fennec check their rifle sights at the base cannons that would fire on Boba Fett.  Hess is about to lead a toast and Mayfeld brings up Operation Cinder!  It was an Imperial plan after the Battle of Endor to disrupt the climate of planets with satellites.  This was in Shattered Empire #2 (2015).  Mayfeld says he was part of the operation at Burnin Konn.  This was the planet that was featured in the video game, Star Wars: Uprising (2015), alarm bells were ringing for me when I heard the name.  Thanks Famuyiwa!, for bringing two different works formally into the live action canon.  The captain says that with the Rhydonium they will have a greater victory than Burnin Konn.  We get that a side mission is to destroy the Rhydonium.  A very strong episode that fills out Mayfeld as an interesting character, brings in great SW references, and confronts Mando with some hard choices!  

Four Bars of Beskar Steel out of Five!   

#TheMandalorian, #TheBeliever, #BillBurr, #RichardBrake 

Reviewing The Mandalorian!

 It is not easy to review The Mandalorian.  The spoilers are everywhere in reviews and articles and photos on the show, but not here.  I think it is important to share the basic plot up to a certain point, but not spoil the important parts of the endings!  This extends to The Mandalorian’s real name which was revealed in the season one finale.  Why?  One, it is good to maintain the mystique of the title like The Man With No Name.  Two, his name is not mentioned yet in season two.  Three, it is good to keep up the familiarity of his nickname with the reviews.  This extends to the many spoilers that I would like to reveal, but think that this would take away from readers’ enjoyment even after everyone has seen the episodes.  Does spoilers somehow win points?  I think it takes away from the mystery of the series and Star Wars.  The secret of Baby Yoda was kept and I think led to The Mandalorian’s explosive popularity.  I think there is more such secrets ahead and don’t want to take anything away from them.  

The other challenge of The Mandalorian is available photos.  There is of course posters that can be used in a few episodes.  I realized that this is why I didn’t review the rest of last season!  I imagined that I would encounter the same problem when the number of posters would run out.  Of course, a little thinking made me realize that I could use photos of toys, so a shopping trip to World of Disney would provide some pics.  There is still a few posters left, but of characters that were not in the fifth episode of the second season!  We have three more episodes left and hopefully there will reviews for all of them.  The problem with photos is proper photo credit for live action shows and movies.  It may have been possible to use an old Boba Fett figure and others last season, but I disappointingly didn’t think of it.  Now there are figures for The Mandalorian.  The part that seems to be missing from other reviews that some don’t cover extensive SW knowledge.  Also, the influences behind The Mandalorian.  Key to this is Lone Wolf and Cub or Kozure Ōkami.  It was a samurai manga created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima that started in 1970 and it ran for six years.  

The manga followed disgraced samurai, Ogami Ittō, and his son, Daigorō.  It was published by First Comics in 1987 and then as graphics novels by Dark Horse in 2000.  The ominbus editions started in 2013 with volume 1 coming in at 712 pages.  There are six Lone Wolf and Cub films starting with Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) directed by Kenji Misumi and starring Tomisaburo Wakayama as the samurai Lone Wolf and Akhiro Tomikawa as his son.  I’m familiar with the manga, but have not read every volume.  Still, it is apparent that viewers understand the series, it is Lone Wolf AND Cub.  We will explore Baby Yoda’s past and his understanding of the Force, but we may only have him leave at the end of the series.  Their story is just the doorway to the rest of the SW universe.  This extends to the chambara genre, films by Akira Kurosawa, such as Seven Samurai (1954) and especially Hidden Fortress (1958) which was a strong influence on Star Wars.  The movie had two peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, leading to the rest of the story which is counterparts to the droids.  George Lucas said in an interview in the documentary, The Making of Star Wars (1977), “Hidden Fortress was an influence on Star Wars right from the beginning.”   

 

There is also the classic Flash Gordon serials that were inspired by the Alex Raymond comic strips beloved by George Lucas.  The 1980 movie might be well known, but it all started with Raymond’s strip in January 1934.  His epic run lasted until 1943 when the comic strip was continued by other writers and artists.  The brilliance of Raymond’s work is that he had worlds of imagination and beauty, alien creatures and people, and adventure that is still yet to be properly captured by other mediums.  It was collected with a first volume in Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo (2012) by Titan Books.  The first Flash Gordon serial was released only two years after the start of the comic strip.  Flash Gordon (1936) was directed and co-written by Frederick Stephani and featured the legendary Buster Crabbe as Flash.  The other media adapations include a television series starring Steve Holland and The New Adventures of Flash Gordon animated series.  This led to an animated show that teamed Flash with other heroes in Defenders of the Earth and a recent live action series.  Flash Gordon appeared in comic book form with Dell’s Four Color #10 (1942), numerous publishers over the years, including Dynamite Entertainment with Flash Gordon: Kings Cross. 

Star Wars also emerged from sci fi novels including E.E. Doc’s Lensman series.  The Lensman started with Triplanetary which started in Amazing Stories and published in book form in 1948.  We have two peoples, the Arisians and the Eddorians, the Arisians hope to work with two human families to create a weapon to fight this war.  We have in Dune (1965), the centuries long project to create the Kwitsatz Haderach.  Frank Herbert’s novel is of course influential in the desert planet of Tatooine and the spice smuggling of Han Solo.  The two families include Kimball Kinnison and Claire MacDougal.  The Arisians have helped humanity establish colonies across the solar system and they face the pirate, Gray Roger, who is part of the amphibious Nevians.  There is the discovery of the inertialess drive that moves at lightspeed.  We find that the alien races have mental powers like the Jedi.  The Lens increases that power like the Kaiburr Crystal that was in the Legends novel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (1978).  There are six books in the series finishing with Children of the Lens in 1954.  Six stories like the Original and Sequel Trilogies?  There was an anime film, Lensman (1984), and a series Galactic Patrol Lensman.  

We can also see some of A Princess of Mars (1917) by Edgar Rice Burroughs with its banths, lionlike Martian creatures,  Jeddaks, the title of Martian leaders, Princess Leia’s outfit as Jabba’s prisoner is the standard clothes for Dejah Thoris, and the Geonosis arena of Attack of the Clones (2002) is like the Thark arena.  It was of course realized on film in John Carter (2012).  Lastly, Westerns give the gunslinger Mandalorian, a former bounty hunter getting a drink from cantinas are in classic Westerns.  The vistas, the towns, and gunfighters are strong parts of Westerns.  The foremost of Western directors is John Ford.  Check out Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956).  We also have the Western threat of Native American tribes, which is interesting since we had a sophisticated understanding of such tribes with the Star Wars equivalent of Tusken Raiders in “Chapter 9: The Marshall.”  This also reminds me of Dances with Wolves (1990). The lone gunfighters is really seen in the Spagehetti Westerns of Sergio Leone including A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967).  There is also Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon (1952), and of course The Magnificent Seven (1960) based on Seven Samurai.  So the question is all of these influences if you blended them together, would you get Star Wars?  No, it is all through George Lucas’ creativity, his work on THX-1138 (1971), and his interests.  The point is that anyone who works on Star Wars should have all of these as primers before working on Star Wars projects.       

#TheMandalorian, #LoneWolfandCub, #FlashGordon, #Lensman 

Swamp Thing, “Long Walk Home”, Review!

Morning in the swamp, there is the wounded Avery Sunderland.  He uses his knife to carve into a tree.  There is footsteps.  His triangle carving is healed by the tree.  At the CDC headquarters of Atlanta, Georgia.  Abbie has brought samples to get analyzed with Harlan.  He mentions the new assistant director.  She is Dr. Palomar played by Adrienne Barbeau!  The actress played Alice Cable, the love interest of Alec Holland, in the first Swamp Thing (1982) movie.  Dr. Palomar is disappointed that Abbie has not kept up with daily reports.  Abbie brings up that she believes the disease is still present in Marai.  Avery limps through the swamp hearing movies and is confused by distortions.  He sees Sheriff Cable standing in front of him.  She takes out a shotgun.  He pleads for his life.  The shotgun blast is imaginary as is Sheriff Cable when he reaches out to her.  She sends out vines from her mouth, kinda obvious horror imagery.  

SWAMP THING -- “Long Walk Home” -- CRYSTAL REED, ADRIENNE BARBEAU -- Photo: Fred Norris/ 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. - © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment

In bed is Matt Cable, wakened by a phone call while he recovers from his knife wound given by Avery.  His mother, Sheriff Cable, wants him at the station.  At the CDC, Abbie is frustrated that Harlan didn’t protect her.  She leaves him.  At the lab, Jason Woodrue is studying a microscope.  Nathan Ellery enters wanting to discuss his work.  He has ordered a mobile biological lab.  Ellery wants Jason to look over the proposal for the lab.  Jason admits finding the specimen is a challenge.  Night, Avery staggers through the swamp.  He sees himself as a young kid.  His father calls out for him cutting wood.  The son tells his father that a tree has special powers.”  Sunderland hacks at the tree with his axe.  The tree starts to bleed and vines drag him as Avery tries to pull him away.  The vines drag Sunderland into a fire and Avery cries over his father’s death.  He collapses and then sees the shadowy figure of the Swamp Thing!  

Abbie returns to her apartment and flicks on the lights to get a glass of wine.  She opens a box marked Marais with a doll and other mementos.  Harlan has a brought a veggie pizza and a bottle of wine.  He picks up the doll.  Her mother found her interest in little anatomy of the doll funny.  She starts to tell about the man she’s trying to help suspecting that the Green Flu is out there.  Abbie admits he is Alec Holland.  Avery wakes up in a bed, it is in the lab, he pulls some vines from his shotgun wound.  Swamp Thing is there and Avery realizes that it is Alec Holland.  Avery thinks that the swamp took his father and daughter.  The Swamp Thing says that the swamp has been damaged and mentions the Darkness.  He says the Green saved him.  He corners Avery who shouts at the edge of the bed.  At the police station, Matt Cable sits at his desk, he has to filled out his road accident report.  Sheriff Cable calls him in her office to tell him to be careful.  He brings up his adopted father who left his mother because of Avery.  

SWAMP THING -- “Long Walk Home” -- DEREK MEARS -- Photo: Fred Norris/ 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. - © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment

Harlan can’t believe Abbie’s story that Alec has transformed since he was in an explosion.  He trusts Abbie over what he saw in Marais and will oppose Dr. Palomar.  Harlan is walking and taken by two men to a car outside of Abbie’s apartment!  Avery tries to say he tried to help Alec.  He thinks that Swamp Thing is talking about Dr. Arcane and starts to work out their relationship.  Avery brings up Dr. Woodrue.  Swamp Thing sends Avery from the lab and says that there is a boat for him.  He promises to bring Jason to a meeting place the next day, but the Swamp Thing isn’t there.  Abbie tries to use her card to gain access to the Infectious Study room.  She is told by Dr. Palomar to walk with her.  She finds that Harlan was reassigned to Bangladesh.  Abbie is taken to a board room with Nathan Ellery who want to discuss Alec Holland with her.  Ellery says that he has to brought in for treatment.  He wants the cooperation of Abbie and doesn’t identify himself.  Abbie walks away.  She calls to leave a message to Harlan.  

Avery enters limping into Woodrue’s house.  Catherine leaves as Jason checks Avery’s wounds.  He says he was in the swamp.  Avery reveals that the Swamp Thing was a scientist, Holland, Jason believes he healed Sunderland.  He tempts Avery with visions of the Swamp Thing’s regenerative cells.  Walking through the dark swamp is Avery and Jason.  They hear the voice of the Swamp Thing.  Alec knows Woodrue’s work.  He wants to get back to being human.  Jason says that he has to take him back to the lab.  Swamp Thing becomes suspicious and leaves when Avery appears.  Hunters with rifles surround the Swamp Thing.  He tries to warn them.  The mercenaries try to use smoke, Jason uses a shotgun on him, and the Swamp Thing is frozen by the mercenary charges.  Abbie finds that Swamp Thing is missing!  This episode focuses on Avery Sunderland, it seems the Green would know he is a threat to Alec, but spares and heals him.  The larger danger is with Nathan Ellery, but he seems less ruthless than Sunderland.  There is a loss of focus with Daniel Cassidy, Xanadu, and now Liz Tremayne missing.  

Three Vines out of Five!  

#SwampThing, #LongWalkHome, #DrPalmer, #AdrienneBarbeau

Swamp Thing, “Brilliant Disguise”, Review!

Night at the lab, Abbie sees Alec and he explains that the spores she inhaled is causing this hallucination.  He says “this Green is reacting to my thoughts”, he is slowly understanding his connection”, it brought this vision.  Abbie sees the vines growing on the lab wall.  Alec picks a plum for her to eat, this is a different scene in the comic book, she finds it delicious.  He can hear the voices of the plants that Abbie thinks is about the Darkness, what she calls the Rot, it is named the Rot in the recent comic books.  This is a better term for the evil since The Darkness is a name for another supernatural comic book character.  Abbie heads over to the boat under the lab.  Alec tries to warn her.  Matt is at the diner, Liz checks on him, he is contemplating a transfer request.  She wonders about Abbie.  He says he saw Alec Holland and Abbie.  Matt admits that he is scared about what Abbie said about the Darkness.

SWAMP THING --  “Brilliant Disguise” --  CRYSTAL REED, ANDY BEAN -- Photo: Fred Norris/ 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

Morning, Maria is preparing a meal in the kitchen, Avery mentions the Conclave Group.  Sheriff Cable enters to speak with Avery.  She slams Avery to a wall angry at involving her son.  The sheriff says Alec Holland is alive and wants them to take care of the situation. They leave, but Maria is suspicious.  Out in the swamp, Abbie finds the plants have become colorful flowers.  Um, pretty flowers, but the world of the Green is more surreal, like another dimension in the comics, so this episode is slightly off for me.  Alec mentions the Green keeps a balance. Abbie heads out to take a sample of the rotting vegetation.  Maria has come to the house of Jason Woodrue.  She finds his conclusions questionable with the revived patient who was in pain.  He answers that he trusts his work and she tells him to arrive to the dinner on time.  Night at the swamp, Sheriff Cable and Avery are in a boat on the water.  He says the swamp owes him for his dead father.  She gives him the rifle.  

It is now darker with Abbie and Alec walking the dead forest.  She takes a sample from a dead tree, vines reach out, but Alec pulls her bloody arm free!  Jason tries to put on his tie and his wife, Caroline, helps him.  He hopes to cure her Alzheimer’s with his discovery.  Sheriff Cable searches the swamp with her flashlight and Avery puts the rifle to her.  He is knocked down by Matt.  His mother tells him to take the body to the swamp.   The night of the dinner, Maria is checking the Conclave Group website on a laptop and it lists Nathan Ellery as a leader.  He is a character that first appeared in Swamp Thing #1 (1972).  The night is stormy and Ellery (Michael Beach) enters.  Ellery seems like the head of a corporation that is a great evil like Stan Edgar in The Boys.  At the lab, Alec checks on Abbie’s wound which is infecting her and causing her pain.  She mentions a Chinese Lantern plant, Alec concentrates, and vines grow the plant and Alec gives her it, but this does not work.  

SWAMP THING --  “Brilliant Disguise” --  JENNIFER BEALS, VIRGINIA MADSEN -- Photo: Fred Norris/ 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

Avery is tied up in the boat when he wakens with Matt holding the rifle on him.  He reveals that Matt is his son.  Avery stabs him with a knife and Sheriff Cable shoots his leg, but Avery leaps into the swamp water.  The rot is spreading up Abbie’s arm, Alec transforms back into the Swamp Thing to save her, I like that he briefly transforms so Swamp Thing is in the episode.  The dinner has started with Ellery, the Woodrues, and Maria.  She knows about Mod4.  She gives everyone Woodrue’s papers and it seems Maria is informed about all of his work.  Alec is checking on Abbie’s wound as she slowly wakes up.  They kiss.  At Woodrue’s house, Jason is happy at the approval, Caroline was silent and didn’t know who was at the dinner.  Matt and Sheriff Cable are stumbling in the dark with her covering his wound.  Maria gets a furious knocking from them and allows them in along with a doctor.  It seems like the good sheriff is working with Maria Sunderland!  Alec sends Abbie away as the Swamp Thing!  She tells Liz that she is going back to Atlanta.  Another creature emerges from the swamp!  This episode has some evil from the swamp and from people!  

Four Vines out of Five!   

#SwampThing, #BrilliantDisguise, #MichaelBeach 

The Outpost, “She Is Not A God”, Review!

This episode is directed by Imogen Waterhouse, actress, queen, and now director!  At the Nightshade Inn, Janzo serves drinks to the victors, Gwynn celebrates with a quiet Tobin.  Then, Falista enters, and of course reveals that she is married to Tobin.  We found out at the last moment of the previous episode that the zinj has chosen her.  At Janzo’s lab, Wren is working on solving the zinj problem, he worries that she is mad at him.  This is really a Wren episode.  Janzo tries to reassure Wren.  Gwynn is angry at Tobin’s marriage.  He admits that most of the army has left for Yovanna.  She tells him to leave.  He wasn’t too bright in hiding the truth.  Gwynn is given a crown as Queen Rosmund.  She shows the brutal soldiers Two and explains that she was part of the Three, the other one has ran away.  Zed says they should be killed.  Gwynn has them pledge their loyalty to be pardoned.  Garret agrees with her decision.  She wants the soldiers to fight against Yovalla and they vow their loyalty.  Gwynn has always been forgiving and whatever the consequences of her decision, she knows that she has acting as a queen.     

THE OUTPOST -- “She Is Not A God” -- JESSICA GREEN, IMOGEN WATERHOUSE -- Photo: Aleksander Letic/NBCU International © 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment.

Garret takes Two to the prison with Talon who speaks to her.  Two notes that Talon, whom she calls Blackblood, brought Yovalla.  Talon slams her against the prison bars.  She brings up the seventh zinj, the Black Zinj, that kills anyone and explains that the Three searched for years for it.  It looks like Talon is going to search for it to destroy Yovalla.  Two warns that the death zinj will kill Talon and everyone she knows.  At the prison, a man is taken in by guards so they can free Two.  She drains the life of a person to revive a fallen soldier.  Queen Gwynn is at her fireplace and meets with Talon.  They have a laugh over her killing by Talon.  It is nice to have a light moment between the two friends.  At the gate, Two and her Red Guard soldiers get to the door and leave the Outpost.  Zed wants to hunt them down.  Queen Rosmund has Zed and his men stay at the Outpost.  At the lab, Wren is experimenting when Zed enters.  She is tirelessly searching for the zinj cure.  Zed angrily wants to know where is Yovalla.  Wren sends him away.  

Lightning storms over the Outpost.  Gwynn has fitful dreams of things she has seen under the zinj.  She has seen a hill that might be where Yovalla is hiding!  At the throne room, Gwynn assembles everyone about the dream that Tobin shares.  Tobin knows that it is a pilgrimmage to the mountains.  Tobin and Garret want to join the group to find Yovalla.  Gwynn puts them in charge of the Outpost’s defense.  Janzo sees Wren asleep at the lab.  He starts to fill up a canister, another bomb.  Wren wakes up with a splotch of red on her face.  Morning, Janzo gives the bomb to Talon walking with Zed.  Wren is working again to try to save her mothers life.  He tells her that the group has left.  Tobin meets with Gwynn when a messenger says the food stores are running out.  Munt is moping the tavern when Falista pours a bucket of water on the sleeping Tobin.  He has returned to drinking and Falista is angry at him using her zinj power to inflict pain.  She is just beginning to come into her power so this may become important later. 

THE OUTPOST -- “She Is Not A God” -- REESE RITCHIE, JESSICA GREEN -- Photo: Aleksander Letic/NBCU International © 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment.

Janzo opens the box to find a parchment and he has tasted the seal.  Wren suspects it’s an antidote.  He shows her a text that shows a sap.  They use the seal to distill the sap, Wren kisses Janzo, and they run off with the needle of sap.  Janzo and Wren find a prisoner tied up and infected by the zinj.  He injects the needle and the zinj falls out.  They found the solution!  Janzo and Wren prepare for a journey with Janzo making excuses and goes to get Munt.  At a forest is the pilgrims, it reminds me of the followers of Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian (1982), they are watched by Zed and Talon.  They take up thier packs to follow the pilgrims.  Garret sets up forces to go out and find food with Gwynn.  They talk about their past relationship.  A captain reports that Tobin, Falista, and their army has left the Outpost.  He notes that Janzo and Wren are about to leave.  The series seems to be balanced with good natured people like Munt, warriors, and also the balance of having scientists like Janzo and Wren.   

Gwynn and Garret meet with them.  They take along Munt with his hammer.  In the forest, Zed and Talon are walking, they hear the chanting of the pilgrims.  Talon suspects the delay is because of Yovalla.  Wren, Munt, and Janzo reach a village.  She announces that she is a daughter of Yovalla.  A man goes to meet Wren.  She speaks to the man communicating with her mother.  They follow the man to reach Yovalla.  In the forest, they are ambushed by Red Guards.  They are being watched by a hawk controlled by Yovalla.  They reach the pilgrims and find a temple.  Everyone turns to hail them and then open a path to the temple!  The strange part is that Talon and Zed’s quest to kill Yovalla.  They ignore and don’t even talk to Janzo and Wren about their plan to find a cure.  This is unusual since Talon put faith in Janzo to cure the Plaguelings.  This show becomes interesting, there are developing relationships, threats that are ongoing, and enough complications to keep the series interesting!  

Four Zinjes out of Five!  

#TheOutpost, #SheIsNotAGod, #ImogenWaterhouse, #BlackZinj        

The Outpost, “Dying is Painful”, Review!

Yavalla has taken over the Capital and at The Outpost, a former commander, Jaaris, has taken over with the power of his zinj!  The weakened Gwynn appears as Zed splits up with the Garret and Talon disguised as guards.  A woman is brought out to get Zinjed by Gwynn.  The zinj is transferred and holds Tobin holds her up.  Zed removes his armor and has the bomb created by Janzo.  He fights with guards using a helmet and then his sword.  Zed has a sword to the remaining guard to try to discover Yavalla’s location and then slices him.  Then, Zed throws the bomb which ignites the statue to Yavalla.  A woman comes in to warn about the fire and everyone is sent to put out the fire.  The disguised Garret and Talon appoint themselves as guards to the queen and sent the other guards to the fire.  They knock out Tobin and put a sack over Gwynn’s head.  Talon asks Gwynn where is the last of the Three and Garret knows the prison she is held in.  

THE OUTPOST -- “Dying Is Painful” -- JAKE STORMOEN, JESSICA GREEN, IMOGEN WATERHOUSE, AARON FONTAINE -- Photo: Aleksnder Letic/NBCU International © 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment.

They take Gwynn and Tobin in a cart covered with a cloth and send the prison guards to help with the fire.  The last guard is knocked out by Garret.  They take the Zinjed inside the prison.  At The Outpost, there is battles in a ring with Blackbloods, it is savage.  Jaaris wants blood.  Wren is told to clean up the ring.  Janzo questions Jaaris and is told to taste food for poison.  Jaaris wants Walita to sit with him and Munt tries to defy him and suffers from Jaaris’ zinj.  Janzo says that he won’t work for Jaaris and reminds him that he is the only brewer.  The Zinj woman, Liecia (Tamara Aleksic), looks at Wren, she is about to infect a guard, but Yavalla tells her to only use it on her duaghter.  The woman decides to take revenge by Zinjing the guard.  At the Capital, Garret searches for Two (Jelena Stupljanin) and finds her.  He explains that she brought him back to life and wants her to do the same with Gwynn.  They are going to kill her to save her from the zinj.  She smiles at the desperation and wants to safely go The Outpost.  The other Three have left.  Two says that a life has to be given to revive another!  Makes sense, the mind control zinj drains the life from each Zinjification. 

The Capital, the smoke rises from the fire, Zed takes a stray cloak to hide from the castle guards.  The Outpost, the ring fights continue, Janzo gives water to citizens and has a quiet moment with Wren.  Janzo admits the Locuri are not responding to his summons.  At the prison, Two is freed, she has a menacing stare even tired and pale.  Talon checks the prisoners to find one who is without remorse.  Garret says the old man who lost his mind would make for a sacrifice.  Her green zinj drains the life from the prisoner.  Talon removes the hood from Gwynn wanting Yavalla to see her.  She starts to choke Gwynn, this is horrible under any circumstance, and Yavalla feels the suffering.  Captain Orlick (Dragan Micanovic) says that Yavalla is now queen with Gwynn’s death.  The Zinj leaves Gwynn and Two uses her zinj to bring her back.  Tobin revives and Garret stabs him and his zinj slips away.  It looks like Garret has already decided to sacrifice the other prisoner!  Two deaths is kinda startling.  Two takes the life of the other prisoner.  She uses her zinj to bring back Tobin.  Three resurrected people?  Must not be a coincidence.  

THE OUTPOST -- “Dying Is Painful” -- JESSICA GREEN -- Photo: Aleksander Letic/NBCU International © 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment.

On horses, Baroness Falista, she married Tobin in the fourth episode, demands to see him to Jaaris behind the Outpost gate.  If Tobin died, then his obligation with his wife may be invalid.  The rat test is waved around them and Falista has her warriors sheathe their weapons.  Her female warriors are very Amazon!  Jaaris wants their horses killed, but Falista and her warriors enter the Outpost.  She enters without any word about her husband.  Janzo is angry that Munt is eating food.  He realizes that Yavalla wants to cut food supplies to the Outpost.  Gwynn explains that they can leave the Capital, Yavalla would not detect them, the last prisoner is freed.  They disguise Two in the prisoner’s cloak.  Gwynn starts to leave the Capital as queen with Tobin.  A Zinjed man tries to reach out for Gwynn’s guards, but is killed by Zed in the shadows!  In a forest, the group moves seeing refugees, Gwynn wants to help them, but they need to get the Outpost as fast as possible.  Since they left the Capital, I wonder about Naya, the handmaiden who was in the last season, she went to find her family at the Capital.  

Two has contempt for Talon and gets a fist for it.  She says that the White Zinj was from the Plane of Ashes!  Falista asks about Tobin to Janzo and Munt knows her.  Janzo tells her that Tobin might be dead.  Night, at the forest camp, Garret tells Tobin that he has to tell Gwynn about his marriage.  Talon is suspicious about what Two said about the White Zinj.  Morning, Janzo at the Outpost gate is rat inspecting the refugees.  He realizes that the rat is freaking out at the infected guard who is dazed.  He calls the guards that kill him.  Jaaris closes the gates.  The infected woman watches them.  The gate and portcullis is lowered.  Jaaris threatens Janzo.  A woman pleads to Janzo for food to give to her daughter.  He tries to reassure her and then he sees the sleeping Munt.  Janzo is disturbed by the rats and realizes that they can be used as food!  He gives the woman food.  At the ring, Jaaris kills a fighter, but then Wren meets with the infected woman.  They struggle with Wren trying not to get Zinjed.  The woman is killed by Jaaris who helps up Wren.  Then, he has Wren fight in the ring!  Talon’s group has reached the Outpost.  Gwynn decides that they will all enter the Outpost.  We get a battle with Wren, the end of Jaaris, and the freeing of the Outpost with another surprise!  

Four Zinjes out of Five!  

#TheOutpost, #DyingisPainful, #JelenaStupljanin, #TamaraAleksic

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 14: The Tragedy“, Review!

The Razor Crest is headed to Tython in the Deep Core, Mando has Baby Yoda use the Force to grab the ball socket, and he tries to make The Child understand that he has to train with the Jedi.  Tython first appeared in the novel, Darth Bane: Rule of Two (2007).  There is no consequence of traveling far into New Republic territory.  They do not encounter or escape any X-Wings or other craft.  This episode is directed by Robert Rodriguez which I suspected it is all action with very little of the character development from the previous episodes.  The ship descends to some green scrub hills and Mando finds the temple on the top of hills.  There is no landing so Mando uses his jetpack to fly Baby Yoda down!  There are six slabs of stone pointed sideways, very Stonehenge, “`Tis a magic place.”  A half-buried rock is in the center.  He sets the Child on the rock and then begins analyzing the writings around it with his helmet’s scanner.  They are soon joined by what looks like a Firespray-31-class patrol craft, which could be Slave 1!  

  

The ship descends and Mando turns to see Baby Yoda in a blue energy field trance.  This looks like a Jedi version of the signal sent at the end of Revenge of the Sith (2005), this time a message of hope.  The Mandalorian is repelled by the field trying to get them to leave.  He magnifies his helmet to see a heat source of a cloaked person leaving the Firespray.  Mando makes his way to the bottom of the hill and is nearly struck by blasterfire!  He is told he was being tracked, the cloaked person pulls off his hood, this is the mysterious, bald man played by Temuera Morrison that we saw at the end of Chapter Nine last season!  We have also seen that he has two gaderffii sticks from Tusken Raiders.  He has been hunting for his armor, Boba Fett if you haven’t caught on yet, describes himself as “a simple man making my way through the galaxy.”  It is strange that it took so long for Boba Fett to catch up with Mando.  Fett says the armor belonged to his father and he brought along someone who has a rifle sight on The Child.  Fennec Shand!  She was an assassin, shot in Chapter 5, but we saw a person’s boots appear that implied she would return.  The team of Fennec and Boba reminds me of Jango and Zam Wesell in Attack of the Clones.    

Mando threatens to shoot both of them and Boba has the weapons lowered with The Mandalorian taking off his jet pack.  Fennec reveals the cybernetics in her belly after getting shot by the bounty hunter Calican on Tatooine.  Another ship interrupts their negotiations.  Mando tries again to reach through Baby Yoda’s field and fails again.  Fennec and Boba take out their rifles as stormtroopers spill from the lander.  They split up and Boba shows the lethality of the gaffi stick!  He seems like the warrior monk.  The strange part is Boba going hand to hand instead of racing to his ship, destroying the lander, and getting some firepower like what was in Attack of the Clones (2002).  Fennec cuts down stormtroopers, but they manage to use an explosive mortar and assemble a Mark II medium repeating blaster cannon!  It was seen in Empire Strikes Back (1980)  The cannon dislodges a large boulder and Fennec sends it crashing down at the blaster cannon.  Fennec can handle herself, this is really Ming-Na Wen's year with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. wrapping and appearing in the live action Mulan!  Still, they have to face another lander!  

Mando revives, tries to breach the field again, and then leaves for the defense!  The field fades and Baby Yoda falls asleep.  Mando adds his Whistling Bird homing projectiles to the fight.  He says he owes Fennec from the last time.  They are joined by Boba Fett in his armor.  The stormtroopers retreat back to their ships.  The Razor Crest is destroyed by a cannon blast!  Boba Fett rockets to Slave-1!  Then, Moff Gideon unleashes his weapon, the Dark Troopers!  These are droids in deadly heavy stormtrooper armor, black not like the silver in the game, they were introduced in Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995) by LucasArts.  If you have faced them in the video game, you will know their power!  They were teased at the end of "Chapter 12: The Siege."  There was Death troopers from Rogue One (2016) in the season one finale, now Dark Troopers, it looks like Gideon has access to a storehouse of old Imperial technology!  They capture Baby Yoda and the trio is not able to save him!  So the episode is essentially mis-titled, first time, "Tragedy" is strongly a death like in Shakespeare, the only deaths are Stormtroopers.  This episode would be better titled, "The Peril" and it would have more of a serial adventure feel to it.  It is a good episode bringing in characters, but while we get a little development, it is not independent of the core action.  

Three Bars of Beskar Steel out of Five!  

#FennecShand, #BobaFett, #SlaveI, #DarkTroopers