My only narrative issue was that it did seem like two arcs joined together.
It does, but I think that’s a fair price to pay for including as much good ‘episodic’ content as possible. That’s why I think that the wetlands planet works well as a bridge, and its bridginess could be enhanced by it becoming more of a short world-building interlude via the full Mando childhood flashback. There’s a place in the dialogue where it’d fit neatly, and that’d help the viewer recognise ‘Oh there’s more to see here’ even as the story’s implying that things are quieting down, before the twist that he’s still being tracked.
It could be smoothed a little more by Mando receiving a call (over the radio, cribbed from existing dialogue) from the guy who gives him the prison break job, before he goes to the wetlands planet, which he then rejects (button press graphic, radio cuts off), before explaining to Baby Yoda “we’ll lay low in the wetlands”. Any kind of line saying “Got a job for you” or “No questions asked”, or whatever, passed through a radio filter. That might set up that plot earlier (again making the whole more cohesive) and make his appearance there later feel like more of a resentful acceptance.
Anyway, Acbagel, I would advocate for seeing a shorter wetlands planet, perhaps with less of the complications of settling there, and more just getting pretty quickly into settling down. The montage is lovely (let time pass) though I wouldn’t have Mando teach them anything about weapons. I wouldn’t say the content was boring, but a trim could make this long stay more of a shorter worldbuild/setup for the viewer. The core of it is that Mando is tempted by peace, intends to leave Grogu there, then discovers he’s being tracked even out here.
Thinking about Mando flashbacks, I think there’s a clean way to get that extra narrative beat in at the wetlands, whilst avoiding some of the challenges of technical unpicking:
- Pauldron scene: Scene begins, tools are revealed, forge is turned on, “the excess will spawn so many foundlings”, hammer comes down - leave on a nice long hammer ring sound, cut to Mando in space, and the over-the-shoulder shot of his new shiny pauldron. Nothing to unpick. Maybe include the shot of the Armorer holding up the new pauldron, if the transition needs it.
- Full armour scene: Play in full. Partial flashbacks intercut with forging. Not too much flashback context. This is now setup for the full scene later.
- Wetlands wife scene: “I wasn’t much older than they are…” cut to full scene from s01e08. Cut back. “You haven’t shown your face to anyone since you were a kid?” then use mixed dialogue from both this scene and s01e08’s post-flashback scenes: “No. My parents were killed. I was a foundling. The Mandalorians took care of me. I was happy that they took me in. When I came of age, I was sworn to the creed.” “I’m sorry.” “This is the way.”
So, while the “plot” beats of this movie end up being a little ‘sequence of events’, the real narrative is focused on “Who is the Mandalorian?” He’s a man torn between a job and a creed, we’re not sure if he’s good or bad, and we un-peel the layers as the movie goes, and as we build his relationship with Grogu throughout, ending of course on the lovely ball moment. But it’s for this reason that I’d include the tag showing that he didn’t kill even those who betrayed him. “Who is the Mandalorian?” A warrior, but one who shows mercy. That’s a nice beat, and a compelling end to a movie focused on introducing his character.