#mando and his many situationships

[malkaleh]

I have seen two episodes of the new Rings of Power season so far and I love so. Spoilers for those ones (I will be getting on to the rest)

Charlie Vickers I have no idea how you manage to become an ageless terrifying alluring evil but kudos. Because even just in his eyes, you can see it - that sense of not even immortality but beyond time, beyond space. And also how Sauron works! Like thank you for the terrifyingly competent evil!

(Side note the fact that Charlie is Australian made me think ‘Sauron but he’s an Aussie’ and I can’t stop laughing. Specifically from Geelong)

MANWE MENTION MANWE MENTION ULMO MENTION BY IMPLICATION VALAR SAYS NO

My beloved biracial icon Elrond continuing his mothers tradition of ‘fuck you’ :jumps into water with jewel: (also I completely believe he survives because Maia Heritage + Everyone Rightfully Has Soft Spot For Line Of Luthien) - and it makes sense! (I don’t know how much they can talk about Beren/Luthien and the Silmarils but Elrond knows what Jewellery Conflicts Can Do. Lived experience(s).

Cirdan being incredibly ancient and also incredibly incredibly chill with it is So Cool Actually. (Like yes obviously, he has seen So Much).

Celebrimbor is actually going to emotionally murder me because we know what’s coming. We know how Sauron is using all his desires to do good, to create/heal, to be known as something other than That Feanorians Son and also we know he is going to ultimately give Sauron Fuck All. I hope he does insult the fuck ass hair bow and flips him off before he goes to Mandos.

(Also listen that is a seduction actually just like with Galadriel he is Seducing and enjoying it).

I still want Sauron to somehow meet Elrond and run away in screaming terror, haunted by the Luthien Of It All.

DISA DISA 🥰 I think also, the way it hurts because we see so many places that in LOTR are well, fallen into ruin. But here we see them as they were, beautiful and alive and real. Disa the powerbroker, the peacemaker but also in her own right so much a leader. (And her singing!)

What they are doing with the orcs is so so true to Tolkien I will fight people on that one (because they were tortured and manipulated and essentially brainwashed and with the death of Morgoth, some of it shattering). Also SAURON YOU FUCK ASS MAIA EVIL HO.

(You ever manipulate a situationship so badly they stab you and then you get into it again and further manipulate them this time).

(Also OH MY G-D Sauron being like ‘I HAD FINROD FELAGUND IN MY DUNGEONS WHAT THE FUCK’)

(WEREWOLF GUY. Do not set a werewolf to guard a werewolf guy). Anyway as a tale of Beren and Luthien enjoyer!!!!

GALADRIEL SWEETIE. You did nothing wrong except all the things you did but also you did nothing wrong.

I love love the Istari plotline as well but I’m hoping we see some more diversity of Harad etc. (Also STARS. HI VARDA. HI).

Elrond my sweet baby kind as summer darling ILU forever

[bearsbeetsbeskar]

Mando Episode 4 Thoughts:

Well foundlings, we are 2 episodes away from the season being over and here we are. I truly don't know how to feel at this point. I mainly feel like I am still clinging to the vestiges of positivity and hopefulness that this season will turn out amazing, and BUILD upon what we have witnessed and learned in s1 and s2. I would however, be lying if I said I am losing hope and feeling frustrated/short changed at what we continue to receive for our Mandalorian and his little ward (also c'mon Din when are you going to just say that you are his father and he is your son???)

Buckle up cause this is long and I have a lot of feelings, and also I am sorry lol. I still love this show with all my heart but seeing Din and Grogu not really in the spotlight has got my panties in a bunch.

The Mon Calmari and Quarren romance that was dismissed as a FLING, I COULD NOT WITH THAT (she really said boy this was a situationship, cuffing season is over goodbye)

Din is playing sidekick to Bo as she embarks on this journey of reuniting Mandalore and reclaiming her forces (now let me be specific here and say that there is literally nothing wrong with sidequests, much of Din's journey with Grogu throughout s1 and s2 after The Sin, was completing sidequests, whether it was helping Cobb Vanth, the frog lady, or Cara Dune and Greef Karga. And I appreciate the friendship he has somewhat inadvertently formed with Bo up to this point, but it truly feels like he is being sidelined and she has been the main character). While Pedro confirmed that this season will show many other Mandalorians, the premise of this show focuses primarily on one Mandalorian and his journey with his son does it not??!!

It was endearing to see how he remembered speaking to Kuuil, and was educating Bo on how to speak to Ugnaughts but that was about it

WHEN JACK BLACK AND LIZZO APPEARED ON MY SCREEN I FULL OUT CACKLED AND SCREAMED YALL (because as much as I appreciate both respectively as actors and artists, that was the point that hammered home the writers and casting directors are taking their liberties with this season, not really serious, like yeah lets throw Jack Black in SW because why not???) Again, let me preface by saying there is nothing wrong with incorporating well known actors and celebrities when their characters add value, and depth to the storyline of the season or episode, e.g. Bill Burr as Mayfeld who appears in s1 and s2. But at this point it felt like shits and giggles that these two individuals were added to the storyline

I understand that the episode was called Guns for Hire, but it gets a little tiring to see the characters get sidequested into other things before they can accomplish their main mission. It feels like a plot line that has been overplayed at this point. Perhaps it would feel different if the stakes were higher with said sidequest, but investigating malfunctioning droids??? It's not really doing it for me. Now again, when Din was quested into helping Bo take that weapons freighter in Trask, or when he was quested into helping Cobb Vanth kill the krayt dragon for Boba Fett's armour, those had substance to them, and were genuinely enjoyable to watch because of the relationships he had with those characters, but this sidequest seemed so futile and put Din two steps backwards in terms of personal growth

Bringing me to my next point of contention, which is that we all of a sudden reverted back to Din hating droids? He made such progress with IG-11, specifically wanting THAT droid to help him navigate the atmosphere of Mandalore, or what about when he was rebuilding the N-1 starfighter in BoBF and working with Peli Motto's droids, like did we forget all that and return Din to his base programming of hating droids? I got a chuckle out of watching him donkey kick the battle droids, don't get me wrong, but the persistent comments to Bo and how his demeanour quickly changed up when he was interrogating them in the droid bar (it was hot but also disheartening) made me sad :(. What happened to that character development??

And lastly but most certainly not least, the relinquishing of the darksaber. LORD HELP ME THIS WAS THE HARDEST PART TO WATCH AND I WAS SITTING ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT IN DISBELIEF THE WHOLE TIME

I genuinely could not fathom that the writers would disregard the lore of the darksaber and everything we had learnt about it up to this point, from what Moff Gideon said about having to win it in combat, to the armorer telling Din in the BoBF the tale of the darksaber, explaining to him how to wield it properly

SO much of the anticipation built up towards season 3 has been placed on this weapon (including it in all of the show promo and posters) and it was handled so carelessly imo, its importance in Dins character and story building, his journey, him learning to wield it properly (lets face it, even though he isn't perfect at it, every time that man pulls out the darksaber and uses it I get wet) it was flippantly pushed aside just so he could hand it over to Bo and be like 'this is yours, you are the ruler of Mandalore now'

I, as I am sure many others did, wanted a good chunk of this seasons storyline to be Din's redemption, and some introspection into his pov of being a ruler, being a leader, reuniting Mandalore, what the Creed means to him now, how to be free of conflict so he can properly wield the darksaber, and how to be a Mandalorian after all that he has seen and been through (*cough* AFTER HAVING WALKED BOTH WAYS *cough*)

It felt like they struggled to connect the dots so so soooo hard by having him be like ' Bo defeated the mechanical bug creature that defeated me so it belongs to her' LIKE SIR WHAT

EVEN AXE WOVES ACKNOWLEDGES THIS. He was like girl the man you need to defeat is standing right behind you like a damn sidekick, I am not the one. And while I appreciated Bo standing up for Din and validating his identity as a Mandalorian just as much as they are, it all was such a mess and made no sense???

There is so much internal conflict within me yall, I keep thinking about what Pedro said in that interview of how interesting it is to play and witness a character that is thrust into a leadership position reluctantly, who has no desire to lead, and watching them grow, but Din has not done much growing to me in this season, he has stayed to Bo's side, watching her journey

no other thoughts of substance, except that grogu continues to be a cutie pie (he's a KNIGHT NOW ASDAGSKDASDJ), Din continues to look like a shiny WHORE without even trying (I still swoon)

I am really, genuinely, worried for the next two episodes, there is a lot riding on them. I have a sneaking suspicion that they also will not confirm Moff Gideon's return until the season finale, and end on that cliff hanger

If you have read this far honestly you are wonderful and I appreciate you following me and listening to my nonsense rambling cause this show has ruined by life in the best way but it feels so UNTETHERED rn

CAN I SCREAM IN SOMEONE'S INBOX ABOUT THIS PLS CAUSE I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS