Not going to wade through all 19 pages, but it seems like my thoughts mirror everyone else’s:
1.) The concept of this show is great.
2.) Morrison and Wen are two pieces of awesome casting. As are Jennifer Beals and Matt Berry.
3.) The Sarlaac escape was waaaay too quick, and arguably too easy? Popping the flamethrower and then cut to him clawing himself out of the sand? Jabba tossed people in there because it was slow, agonizing and certain death, and presumably escape was unheard of. I know he looked like complete **** when he resurfaced, but I think we could have seen another minute or so on how he was able to accomplish this heretofore impossible task.
4.) His escape from the Tuskens seemed really poorly thought-out. Run out into the desert in the middle of the night, on foot, with no equipment or provisions whatsoever? I would think he is smarter than that, knows that that idea meant certain death, and would have taken the time to find a better play.
5.) After the ass-handing he gave all those Stormtroopers on “The Mandalorian,” I’m surprised these assassins in Mos Espa gave him and Fennec such trouble. Again, even if he’s slowed down a bit physically (but still, dem troopers, tho), you’d think he’d have a better handle on how to deal with this situation than just slug his way out. “Work smarter, not harder,” and all that.
6.) At 38 minutes, the episode was too damn short. Just like most of the “Mandalorian” eps. Sometimes, “lean” storytelling crosses the line into “anemic” storytelling. Again, another minute with the Sarlaac would have made the escape much more satisfying.
So, I still enjoyed it, but it feels like there were some missed opportunities in this first episode.
Is there supposed to be some connection between these two? Not sure if the timeline fits and doesn't really match up with Vanth's established history. Could just be a coincidence I suppose.
It was…okay. Not bad. Way too short, as usual. Not feeling the music. It’s too close to the style of The Mandalorian, and I’d like something different. Parts of it were just too dark, I couldn’t see what was going on. I still think his new costume isn’t as good, and that the weekly release is terrible, especially when you’re only getting like six episodes of twenty-five minutes apiece. I liked the Tuskens, liked seeing the different stuff they did with them. The sand bug/centaur was weird. The action scenes were the least interesting part, sadly. Very clunky, didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Why wasn’t anyone carrying a blaster? Why did Boba do so well against trained soldiers when he hadn’t had any bacta healing vs. not doing well at all against dudes with sticks after a long stay in the bacta tank?
Is there supposed to be some connection between these two? Not sure if the timeline fits and doesn't really match up with Vanth's established history. Could just be a coincidence I suppose.
In his “Mandalorian” episode, a flashback showed Vanth living as a local in Mos Pelgo when the Battle of Endor took place - roughly the same time Boba was held captive by the Tuskens. I guess it’s not impossible that he was “leading two lives” (or whatever) as a Tusken and as one of the townfolk, but I think the neck wrap color is more likely a coincidence.
Big fan of Olyphant, all the same. Hoping we see Cobb Vanth again.
I feel like these shows aren’t made with enough restraint. They spin the wheels for 40 minutes but never actually take the time to linger in the small moments.
I would also argue that the timing of everything in the beginning is too truncated, especially when you’re dealing with an actor that is clearly of a different stature and character than the last time he’s on screen chronologically. Introspection is important to the believability of Boba’s arc, and they haven’t explored that at all.
As for his physical health, maybe post Mando he began to degrade and though the bacta rejuvenates him it also has created a dependency.
Seeing a different tusken tribe was cool.. but much like Rodriguez's last episode, this just looked very flat. He doesnt use lighting well on Tattooine, everything is just perfectly well lit and bright. Overall it felt very meh.
Also, why the hell was there a Stormtrooper in the Sarlacc in the middle of the desert?
And no disrespect to Tem, but flashback Boba looks pretty old for being - what, 36?
I guess the idea is that the corrosive fumes inside the Sarlaac's stomach got in under Boba's helmet, ate away his hair and caused the scarring, which would make him look older than he actually was?
But I suppose Boba could have been scarred up for some other reason, long before the Sarlaac, but we just never saw it
Sotrmtrooper rebreather or whatever, I think he should have lost his helmet upon being ingested, which leads to the scarring as he desperately tries to find and put his helmet back on.
Also think he should have been bandaged up by the Tuskens, obscure the visage a bit as we adjust to his look.
I feel like these shows aren’t made with enough restraint. They spin the wheels for 40 minutes but never actually take the time to linger in the small moments.
I would also argue that the timing of everything in the beginning is too truncated, especially when you’re dealing with an actor that is clearly of a different stature and character than the last time he’s on screen chronologically. Introspection is important to the believability of Boba’s arc, and they haven’t explored that at all.
As for his physical health, maybe post Mando he began to degrade and though the bacta rejuvenates him it also has created a dependency.
I agree. I think the "40 minutes" is part of the problem.
I don't want the show to drag, but I think this episode, as well as most "Mandalorian" episodes, could benefit from an extra five minutes of run time. As you said, time for character beats, pauses, additional characterization and the time to soak it in. Again, not padding, but perhaps a richer narrative.
And introspective, as you said. Setting aside that homicidal nonsense in the SW comics where Fett wantonly killed innocent people who were of no use to him (who the **** approved that ****?), I always thought of Boba as thoughtful, crafty, clever, strategic.
He scrutinizes. He thinks things through carefully, he looks at all the angles, and he chooses his moves and his words very carefully. He can blast his way through any job, but he's skilled enough at this point that he's more likely to catch you by outwitting you than anything else. And you need to give that kind of characterization time to breathe.
(Of course, the Boba I have in my headspace may be totally different that what Rodriguez and Favreau have in mind, so what do I know?)
Sotrmtrooper rebreather or whatever, I think he should have lost his helmet upon being ingested, which leads to the scarring as he desperately tries to find and put his helmet back on. [/SPOILER
Agree 100%. I think Disney has enough money lying around to pay Lola to de-age Tem for 15-30 seconds of the flashback. It also would have made the escape a little more thrilling if we saw more of it, and there was a little more peril presented.
Yeah Boba strikes me as a Gunslinger (in the Kingian sense) and Tem’s older grizzled version works in Mando, but he needed to grow to that point IMO which he hasn’t really had time for from what we’re seeing.
I imagined so many fantastical scenarios in my head for Boba's escape from the Sarlacc since I first saw ROTJ. There have been awesome fan art, toys, comics and even fanfilms that try to give that scene justice. What we got in the first episode was underwhelming by comparison.
