TV News

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 4 – Review

Published

3 years ago

November 21, 2020

The Mandalorian season 2 episode 4 image — _{Disney Plus}

This episode was supposed to be a bit of a filler ahead of Dave Filoni’s next offering. But The Mandalorian Episode Four, ‘The Siege’ as the episode is titled, kept the story moving along nicely. It filled in gaps around the motivation what’s left of the Empire for Season Two.

SPOILERS: If you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the episode, but if not there are spoilers ahead.

This Mandalorian episode of Season Two was directed by Carl Weathers. It gives his character Greef Karga a lot more to do that we saw in Season One.

We start with the Razor Crest hobbling through space with Mando putting The Child to work in the tight areas of the ship. This feels like a little nod to the behaviour of Groot in the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Remember when Rocket is trying to explain the bomb to him? You know it’s all going to go badly.

With the repairs not working the duo head back to Nevarro for some help revisiting old allies.

Nevarro

Cutting to Nevarro we see Gina Carano’s Cara Dune character. She’s upholding the law for the town in her new role as Marshall (a link to The Mandalorian Season Two Episode One).

When Mando lands on the planet in his beaten up ship the camera hovers over the repair crew and immediately you know that they’ve been corrupted by the Empire. Mando heads of with Cara and Greef to discuss a job.

We head back into the saloon where they had their standoff at the end of Season One. The bar has now been turned into a school. As they walk in you get a background shot of IG-11. The droid has clearly become a local hero after his showdown in Season One. The Child is left here for most of the episode and this is where the blue biscuits are discovered.

We get to see the character Mythrol again, played by Horatio Sanz. He’s working off his debt to Greef Karga which is referenced throughout the episode. It’s at this point we learn about ‘The Siege’ plan to take out a remaining Imperial research base that’s still on the planet. By removing this they can become independent and potentially trade with the New Republic.

The Siege

Arriving at the site the crew enter the base passing a troop transport on their way in, which will play a part later. They override the safety systems so that the base is overwhelmed by the lava below. This is a nod to Obi-Wan Kenobi turning of the tractor beam function of the Death Star in A New Hope.

As they head out of the base we discover that there’s more going on in that site than believed. It turns out to be a cloning station with specific research around Midichlorians. We see some failed clones and a recent message referencing a directive to recapture The Child for Moff Gideon. Is this a tie into The Rise of Skywalker and how the Emperor had a new body to accept his consciousness?

Mando immediately races off to get back to The Child. Meanwhile, the others fight their way out in the troop transport we saw earlier.

After last weeks audio treat with the sound of the AT-AT’s at the dockside, this week we had a call back to Return of the Jedi with the sound of the speeder bikes racing off in pursuit.

Just as everything is going badly in the troop transport the Razor Crest appears to clean house. We get another Groot reference with The Child as the blue treats from earlier come back up after the brief battle.

At the point Mando signals to them that he’s off to get back on the trail of Ahsoka Tano again.

Darktroopers?

We then see the New Republic investigating the goings-on with the Imperial base explosion. It seems that they are going to keep popping up during this season and they’re kind of in support of Mando’s quest and adding support to their numbers.

Finally, we see Moff Gideon’s Star Destroyer as one of the maintenance crew reports back to the Empire that a tracker has been installed and ‘The Asset’ has been seen. As this is feedback to Gideon we see he has created a new group of Stormtroopers, possibly linked to the genetic experiments that were going on.

Next week we expect the Ahsoka episode to take place. That is going to be one to look forward to.

CULTURE CROSSING SCORE 7/10

Thanks for reading our Season Two Episode Four review for The Mandalorian. Do you agree or disagree with our points or have anything to add? If so, leave us a comment below.

Read more of our Mandalorian Episode Three Review HERE.

Read IMDB information about The Mandalorian HERE.

The Mandalorian is streaming now on Disney Plus.

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TV News

Cobra Kai Season 4 – Review

Published

1 year ago

January 1, 2022

Jennifer Noffke

Cobra Kai season four is out now on Netflix and the All Valley is back and better than ever. Here’s our review.

SPOILERS: If you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the show, but if not there are spoilers ahead.

It’s January, and new shows are popping up everywhere. This brings us to the show that I and my friends have been holding our breaths for: the fourth season of the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai! After three seasons, I wondered if there was anything left to mine from the Karate Kid lore or the Johnny/Daniel dynamic. I am happy to report that this might be my favourite season yet! It manages to not only expand upon the universe it has created, but to bring in a new villain, who is so bad that he threatens to outdo even John Kreese!

Alliance

Season four sets us off where the third left off, with Johnny and Daniel having joined forces to fight Cobra Kai. Their friendship arc is the glue that holds this season together. The story focuses largely on whether they will be able to pull it together and make their partnership work. As in previous seasons, their relationship has its ups and downs. The stakes are heightened, however, as the season leads up to the All-Valley Tournament. A bet between the three senseis – Kreese, Daniel, and Johnny – means that losing the All Valley is losing the title of sensei.

This season explores the ways that both Johnny and Daniel work with the kids. It also examines the kids’ struggles as they prepare for the All Valley while dealing with conflict within the ever-changing network of friends and enemies in the dojos. Robbie has left juvenile hall and decided to join up with Cobra Kai as a means of inflicting revenge on both his dad and Daniel. Tori and Sam continue their rivalry. And John Reese’s old friend Terry Silver (of Karate Kid 3 fame) shows up to kick Cobra Kai into high gear.

Daniel’s son, Anthony, who has largely been absent until now, faces his own dilemma when his friends begin bullying Kenny, the new kid in town. This soft-spoken middle school character brings us into the world of the younger kids, setting up yet another storyline. Kenny becomes the victim of a gang of kids (including Anthony), enduring round after round of bullying before Robbie takes him under his wing. After his induction into Cobra Kai, the formerly shy middle-schooler becomes a bully himself.

Shades of grey

This brings me to one of my favourite things about the show. The constant back and forth dynamic between characters makes us feel that anything is possible. There is no black and white in the world of Cobra Kai. Where the Karate Kid told us that Daniel was good, and Johnny was bad, this show gives us a very different point of view. It’s a world where we’re never sure who to root for. In this season, we even see Hawk make a return to the “good guys” side after giving up his spot at Cobra Kai.

With Eagle Fang (Johnny’s new dojo) and Miyagi-Do teaming up, the kids – and the adults – have to learn to work together. Of course, complications ensue. Johnny becomes jealous of what he perceives as Miguel’s preference for Daniel over him. Sam wants to learn both her dad’s karate style and Johnny’s, despite her father’s discouragement. Meanwhile, at Cobra Kai, Kreese is losing his grip on the dojo. His former war buddy, Terry Silver, puts off a rather benign appearance in episode one, growing more and more evil with each episode.

This season is lacking in many of the big fight scenes of the previous seasons, instead choosing to focus their energy on the characters. The All Valley Tournament features several great karate matches and offers a satisfying conclusion to Johnny and Daniel’s arc. In the end, Cobra Kai takes the tournament win, but Johnny and Daniel have reached an understanding.

New champions

Tori defeats Sam to take the women’s All Valley trophy but later overhears her sensei paying off one of the referees. It’s clear that Cobra Kai has pulled yet another fast one. But the season ends on an even more ominous – and unexpected – note. Terry Silver assaults the over-aged former Cobra Kai member, Stingray, sending him to the hospital. He then makes a deal with Stingray to blame the crime on Kreese. We end the season with Kreese in handcuffs, Terry Silver set to take over Cobra Kai, and the future of Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do uncertain. In a last shocking twist, Miguel leaves town in search of his biological father.

Although some may miss the school hallway throw downs, I found this one satisfying in a different way. It just goes to show that the ever-expanding Cobra Kai universe can keep bringing surprises season after season.

CULTURE CROSSING SCORE 9/10

Thank you for reading our review of Cobra Kai season four. Do you agree or disagree with our points or have anything to add? If so, leave us a comment below.

Check out our Hawkeye episode one and two review HERE.

Read IMDB information about Spider-Man: No Way Home HERE.