Hey Yo! What's going on!? This is "The Reel Geno" Geno Reynolds back with the newest installment of Reel Bumming. For those that don't know me yet, know that one of my favorite things in entertainment is Star Wars. You can say it was ingrained into my DNA from birth. My mom took my brother to go see the original Star Wars at a drive-thru when she was pregnant with me, but the showing got rained out. I like to think that I was doing a lot of kicking in my mom's tummy after that...in protest that I didn't get to finish "watching" the movie.
While there are many discussions that we could have about the Star Wars franchise...believe me, just ask the "fanbase"...there is one particular thing that I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about the breakout marketing chip from the amazing show that is The Mandalorian on Disney+. That's right! Today we are going to be talking about The Child, aka "Baby Yoda". I do have theories about this character that I have revealed on Twitter before and I may share again here on Reel Bumming, but we have something else to talk about today. Today, I want to talk about how I think the marketing for this character could possibly RUIN this character.
(Warning: SPOILERS for The Mandalorian Ahead)
Don't get me wrong...I don't want this to happen. I have no problem with the marketing (or overmarketing) of a character, just as long as they are still a great character...obviously...
I just don't want to see a character, especially one with the potential of The Child, get ruined because it has to do things in the show JUST so they can make yet another toy. The main reason I wanted to talk about this is because of the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Chapter 10: The Passenger. Before the season even began, images of a new Funko Pop! of The Child began to circulate over the web. It was of the "cute widdle guy" looking at a container with glee....awwwwwwwwwww.
Of course, as you saw with the picture of my Funko collection, I was ready to preorder yet another Funko Pop! of The Child...but then I witnessed the horror behind the Pop! The Pop! is officially called "The Child With Egg Cannister".
You see...The Child isn't looking at the egg cannister in wonder or delight...oh no...he's looking at it with hunger pangs. As we know from the first season, The Child likes to just...eat things. Until the last episode, this was a cute thing. In Season One The Child eats a frog and the kids around him giggle, it's fine. It even got a Funko Pop!
When we get to "The Passenger", his appetite takes the disturbing turn. Long story short, Mando has a new mission to escort a new mother known only as "Frog Lady" to a planet where her and her mate can raise their children...who are the eggs in the egg container mentioned earlier...do you see where I'm going with this? The Child, multiple times during the episode, eats the eggs...he EATS this mother's CHILDREN! This isn't the only mom's child he eats in the episode either. before they encounter a gigantic spider (Jon Peters would be proud), The Child eats one of her eggs too!
Now, like the frog from season one, the spider didn't bother me...wouldn't have bothered me...if The Child wasn't already eating the children of an intelligent alien creature. I think if the episode would have had The Child tease like it was going to eat one one time, but was stopped by Mando and that was the end of it, I would have been fine with it. It could have been a teaching moment, a bonding moment for Mando and The Child. Instead, with The Child eating Frog Lady's eggs, it makes him eating the giant spider's egg just as bad. The Child eats children...and it's disturbing.
The biggest problem is that the whole thing is treated like a joke...a punchline. Even the last scene has Frog Lady clutching onto the egg cannister and giving The Child the death stare...but of course, The Child turns around and reveals that he has gotten his hands on one more egg...the little scamp. The show could have turned it around and had The Child give the egg back...again, another possible teaching moment...but no...he eats it...as a punchline ending to the episode.
While the episode was overall still really good, at the moment, these actions by The Child are by far my least favorite thing that has happened on the show. The Child, as a character, has so much potential. I would love to see stories about him some hundreds of years in the future of the Star Wars Universe where he has taken lessons that he has learned from Mando and it shapes him into the adult he is. I also have my "Yoda/Time Travel" theory as well...yes, thanks to Star Wars: Rebels, time travel does exist in the Star Wars Universe. I don't want to see the character's actions and character development dictated by having to do things just so they can make toys out of them.
I'm hoping that the show can redeem the character, or even have consequences for The Child's actions, in the next episode.
(Editor's Note: Everything from here on will have been written AFTER I've watched Season Two, Episode Three...oh, and SPOILERS!)
Okay...so I forgive you...a little bit.
First of all, this was a pretty great episode. Entitled "The Heiress", this episode brings back a big time favorite of mine from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, Bo-Katan. In both cartoon and live action form, she is played by Katee Sackhoff (amazingly I might add).
For the Pro Wrestling fans on this site, this episode also feature Sasha Banks (Mercedes Varnado) as Koska Reeves. I thought maybe she was going to play Rebel's staple Sabine Wren, but that didn't happen. The show can't give away all of it's awesome stuff right away after all.
Also, the name Ahsoka Tano comes up...Both a character I love and who is also going to be played by the one, the only, Rosario Dawson...and no, this was not Photoshopped.
Okay, back to the matter at hand. Did they actually redeem The Child in this episode? Um...sort of. While the character isn't really punished in any way, he does learn something. While Mando is out on a mission with Bo-Katan and her Mandalorian Warriors, he asks the Frog Lady and her newly reunited Husband to watch The Child. While he's gone, The Child does take interest in the eggs once again, but this time for a different reason. One of the eggs begins to hatch and The Child Watches in wonder...a teaching lesson. When Mando returns for The Child, he is seen playfully petting one of the kiddos. So, yes, while the last episode left a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended), the episode at least tried to teach The Child a lesson. Along with this just being a darn good episode, I'm going to let it slide...for now. Oh, and about that Funko Pop!...It's already preordered...I'm weak...
Until Next Time - Geno
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