Father Malone's Weekly Roundup - The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026)

Welcome back midnight viewers to follow Alone's weekly round up. I am follow Alone and with me as always is the little black pug with the heart the size of a watermelon. It's gross. I can't take her anywhere. I'm kidding.

How have you all been as usual? It's been just a minute. I'm gonna start once again thanking everyone for their support over the past month or two regarding my broken brain. I'm feeling so much better and myself these days, and I definitely chalk some of that success up to the support I feel from all of you in kind of the same ballpark when I got laid off, there was no greater support system than all of you, believe me, in both raising my spirits and in the case of some of you, you know who, you are being quite generous on the Patreon page. Well, if you follow me on social media you already know this, and if you don't, what's wrong with you.

There's a link to my link tree in the show notes and that will lead you to the Instagram and the YouTube and the Patreon page. What's that we have a Patreon page? Yes, actually we do. It's patreon dot com. Slash fallom Alone and that's where you'll find shows like Vault seven oh two, the Fallout podcast I do with co host and a radiated ghoule missnooka Coda Quantum.

That's also where midnight viewing veteran and host of Knight Mister Walters a taxi podcast, and I do a show called step Off about the short lived MTV extravagance of the White Wrapper Show. Did I turn this announcement and thank you into a plug? Yes? I did. I'm just that skilled midnight viewers.

You are listening to a man who is now in employee of Universal. I want to say pictures, but I believe it's simply entertainment. That's right, the studio that brought us minor horror characters like Dracula, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Wolf Man. They've opened a year round haunted attraction called a Universal Horror Unleashed, and it is a permanent version of their famed Halloween horror night events right here in Sin City. And I sent in an audition tape a few months ago, and then I went in and I did a live one and I start tomorrow.

So now, my official occupation is scare actor, and I mean official. You have to get a government issued and license to work at the big properties here in town, and I actually had to put that down as my occupation, so it's legit. Obviously. I can't say much more than that. I haven't had one full day yet, nor do I know how much I am able to even say, honestly, but I feel pretty confident simply announcing the blessed event won't ruffle any feathers, and I will keep you informed of the things I can talk about, so stay tuned.

Oh. Actually, I am planning an episode about haunted attractions, given I used to do this for a living before, back in the days of Eli Ron's a goratorium here on the strip, so I'll be talking with some of my former Delmont family members. See. The premise was it was a condemned hotel where a cannibal family, the Delmonts, had been eating the guests. Anyway, that'll be in the future, but we're not talking about the future.

We're talking about a long time ago in a galaxy that's probably pretty easy to get to with light speed technology. I went and saw the Mandalorian in Gurugu and here's the trailer. We've all heard stories of the Mandalorian bounty hunter and a child. I only hunt Imperial war criminals. I'll take out every bad guy in your deck of cards.

This isn't about revenge. It's about preventing another war. If we're going into harm's way, check your armor first. We're protecting everything the rebellion for for. Good luck, you're gonna need it.

Strap it. We need a professional. Hang on. What happens when you're not there to protect him? You're good, I'll be right behind you.

Go go, will suffer. Then it will be his turn not stress. The old protect the young, and then the youngest protect the old. Time. Are you scared?

You should be. This is the way. What a Christmas present Star Wars fans received in twenty nineteen, the end of the misbegotten JJ abrams, array and ren era and return to form and maybe a step backward overall in the form of the Mandalorian. And it had John at the Helm who sent the tone for the entire MCU after making the first Christmas classic of the twenty first century. And Favreau is enough of a storyteller on his own that his approach to Star Wars wasn't the classic fans approach, which is more and more of the same.

Instead, he seemed to be coming at it the way Lucas himself did through Japanese cinema. It's a secret to absolutely no one at this point that Star Wars a New Hope is a remake of The Hidden Fortress the Akira Kurosawa Adventure flick right down to the transitional wipes. Incidentally, Star Wars nerds look up the last fifteen minutes of the old black and white British bomber drama The dam Busters and try to pick your job off the floor at how closely the Death Star Battle resembles it. Favro's take on Star Wars was in the same ballpark, not the Grand Adventures, but the solo Samurai tales, specifically the terrific and terrifically underseen series Lone Wolf and Cub about wandering Ronan and the small child that he's sworn to protect, Slash Rays, Slash turn into a ruthless killing machine, And on top of that, Favreau was centering the series around one of Star Wars' most mysterious characters.

Look, we all wanted Boba fet we got Jin Jarren played by Pedro Pascal. I think it's really the best acting gig in the world. Some guy runs around on set and you do voiceover and collect all the checks and then you get all the cheers at Star Wars celebration. Anyway, Favre set the series around the Mandalorian Race, so even if we weren't getting fat, we were getting the profile that made us fall in love with him in the first place. And it's a bounty hunting series and it's set on the Outer Rim, which basically makes it a spaghetti western as well.

What could be better? Well, add Werner Hertzog and Carl Weathers and Timothy Oliphant and Gina Carrano. I know, I know, I know, but I liked her character, Sue me. And it had the most memorable pumpet since Triumph the insult comic dog Baby Yoda. Remember that Baby Yoda.

For years and years, a million geeks on their channels crying it's not young Yoda. It is not Yoda's child either. Anyway, Favreau managed to follow in Lucas's steps here as far as marketing and toy sales as well, making the cutest, most adorable tiny sidekick of Mando. I fucking hate that. It conjures up images of British people calling everyone from Pakistan a Paki.

And maybe that was the point at first, but now it seems like a jolly nickname and I don't think fet would stand for that shit. I don't know where you all land on. Grogu, I fucking can't stand him. I hate the cutesa comedy. I hate the audience should be feeling this emotional reaction shots.

Oh baby Yoda's scared, Oh Baby Yoda's happy and fun, Baby Yoda is mischievous, making the Cub in this lone wolf and cub scenario a tiny Force user might be fun for Star Wars nuts who just can't get enough Jedi. But what appealed to me initially in this series was seeing the world so far removed from the Skywalker saga for the very first time. To the people out there, news of the Empire falling is just that news. It gave a real opportunity to get into unexplored corners of the universe. But Baby Yoda is so cute and yeah, the first season plot of everyone trying to get the critter was fun while providing plenty of standalone episodes, which for me is the bread and butter of a Bounty Hunter themed show.

Take me to an ice planet with giant spiders. I want to see him help the Tuscan Raiders defeat a create dragon. And yeah, I particularly liked in season two when these standalones came together in a mini seven Samurai to cap that season off. And then there was Lou and then this series went to shit. Maybe your guys held on.

I mean I watched it. I did not enjoy the sudden shift to fucking Mandalore and all their stupid rituals. You gotta have a sword, so it's like King Arthur and a watery tart has to lobb a scimitar at you to prove that you can govern. That to me is way worse than the endless cut siness of Grogu. How they stripped the Mandalorians of their mystery.

Don't get me wrong, some of it is super cool, particularly the old school Mandalorian ways with the Forge and the best scar steel obsession and the Foundlings. But now that I've watched all those fucking felony characters infiltrate the show as live action, I couldn't care less about these once shrouded secrecy race of characters. Did you know that Boba Fet has Wookie braids hanging from his armor? Woh, oh you know what? Else?

Not much, although he's way out of shape, because Boba Fet does show up, and it's Timuerra Morrison who was clearly unprepared for that sudden appearance in season two. Although I will say, as a formative Star Wars human, the moment Slave one appeared in the sky, my soul left my body for a little while. Anyway, I guess all this was leading to this movie, right. That entire season about restoring the glory of Mandelre, that couple of seasons of different factions fighting over control of Baby Yoda and his potential, the Dark Troopers, deep Fake Skywalker Bill Burr, They were all leading to this grand movie, right a culmination? Nope, this is a standalone adventure with Mando working for the man.

Now that man is Sigourney Weaver, who just keeps being New Disney princesses. I guess right. They all count now, right Ripley Disney Princess? No not you, oh you are named after her. I would love to see roaming through tomorrow Land with a flamethrower.

Sigourney Weaver is running a group out mopping up the new imperial presence, and Mando and baby Yoda, which I call Grogut. The Grogut is also kissed. They have to help in a mission to rescue Rota the Hut, son of Jaba, from a mysterious villain, and Sigourney Weaver has been hired by the Twins Jaba's cousins or sister and brother or something. I don't care. There's a lot of plot going on with who is motivated by what and what side are we really on, or there would have been if the movie slowed down for one fucking second to take a breath and let anyone really be part of the story.

I was intrigued by a man who'd done a lot of bad finally turning his back on that and siding with the good guys to find that they might not be so great, colluding with gangsters and potentially aiding them and consolidating more power. But I think I thought about that more than the creators here. But that's not saying the action isn't spectacular. Some of it is the opening infiltration of a snow based complete with walkers and canyons and big old explosions, is pretty fucking awesome, as is the entire sequence of the film where Mando and the Groganaut go to the planet Rota the Hut is being held on. I love Urban Star Wars.

No one was more excited than me to visit the planet of Corascant at galactic central point, a city planet after desert planets and swamp planets and ice planets. Yes, let's see some couches, some culture, some street crime, some traffic. I want it all. Also, Lucas had promised a series of his own around the time of Revenge of the Sith, and the test footage is out there and it was definitely going to be about the Black Sun Syndicate and take place in the lower levels of corasant. In this film, we get a fully above ground city, though it is definitely gritty and urban, and we get Martin Scorsese as a multi armed food vendor yeehah, and then we meet Rota Rota the Hut.

I would have preferred Pizza the Hut because I'm sure pizza is anatomically viable, whereas they need Rota to be fully action activated in this movie, so they've given him popeye forearms. Remember Jaba's tiny hands and his tiny arms and his tiny reach. He could barely swing to knock over three po Not so with Rata. Jaba must have had sex with one of those he Yozum's remember them concept ard for Return of the Jedi, and they get a mention in this movie. Weirdly, anyway, they have really long spinly arms, is my point.

And my other point is that Rada the Hut is ridiculous. I could not take it seriously. And it's Jeremy Allen White, but they've lowered his voice to make him sound more appropriately huttees and quite frankly, I don't even know why he's playing the part. I mean good for him, but like Dave Filoni could have played this part. Oh but have no fear, him and his cowboy hat do show up in this film and he gets to fly an X swing yibbie, look at me, George, love me, I'm your son, George, call me little Davy just one time.

So anyway, there's a bunch of Hut intrigue and sins of the father's stuff, with Rada not wanting to be his dad and okay, sure, And then there's grow just being fucking adorable, I guess, including an entire sequence that is Grogu centric. Mando gets himself unconscious and off we follow Grogu for some silent hilarity. Actually, that does have one of my favorite moments in the film. Grogu stumbles upon an alien sitting on a porch Cook and Fish, who eventually stares down the Imperial Menace, and that scene as top notch. Just watching two aliens hold the screen for a few minutes is kind of cool on its own, but I like that new guy a lot.

The action is as brutal as you can get in Star Wars. I think this is the best hand to hand combat I've seen in any of the Star Wars properties. Lightsabers don't count. That's fencing. That's a whole other category.

I'm talking about shooting someone and using their body as a shield to get close enough to cave in somebody's head with the butt of a blaster. This film is a replete with that. Maybe it's the layer of John Wick that has settled on all modern action. Also, I really like the mixing and matching of new and old tech. There's just as many prequel droids and chips on display here as there are y wings and the Razor crest, which is backed by magic.

I mean, they bought it stock and they refit it, but it felt like a weird reset at the beginning of the movie, especially because he doesn't really use it. It's like a carrot to finish the mission. At least that's not as bad as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Here's your ship back rebuilt in a day? Bullshit.

Oh here is something I loved. First, let me say I think the Mandalorian theme is the best thing musically in Star Wars since Ray's theme. Say what you want about those fucking awful well, they're like they're fucking awful. You could say that those fucking awful JJ Abrams sequels, where he at least got John Williams to compose something worthy of the rest of the scores. That's Ray's theme.

To me, I think it's his best work in decades. Here it is ain't that sweet anyway. That was Ludwig Gorenson giving us the tribal and very fluty theme to the Mandalorian Andy's back for the score here. Now, I will say there were times when I winced at how Mickey Mousing this score could get. Here's a tender moment, the puppet is smiling, and here's the music telling us exactly what we should be doing.

But but when we get to that city planet, suddenly there are synths on the soundtrack, and it was like somebody said, what if we slice the bread before we sell it? Bravo. It's the best thing since the other best thing that Ludwig Gorenson has added to the Star Wars universe. I loved it, loved it. The movie not so much.

It was a great two parter of the series. In fact, I suspect that this was the plot of season four, and then they realized theatrical was dying and they finally had a proper mature series set in the Star Wars universe already on the air. That's and or Go Watch and or. So they cramped all the major beats into two hours. And it's fine.

Like I said, a little too breakneck for me, a little too light on character, and those fucking arms the arms of Rot of the Hut will be my first scream O album. Also very distracting is the fact that he flops around everywhere. I don't know what they were thinking. Was a Rodian out of the question. You could have made him Grido's son, and then everyone would have been jizzing in their pants about a chance to correct who shot first.

Okay, here's one thing. Is this a spoiler? I'll try not to spoil it. There's a moment to fit service that took my breath away. It's during the gladiatorial sequence that you've seen in the trailer.

An original series character too actually walk out, and for a moment I had to piece together why they were so familiar. And then I don't remember the rest of the scene. It's that fun, but the rest of it. Like I said, if you love old school Star Wars, this is the rollicking Saturday morning serial version of those flicks that will definitely make the kid in you happy. I just found myself more interested in the moral conundrum of serving crime lords when you've sworn to destroy them.

Maybe in another series. I also watched Mortal Kombat two for this episode, but it was so fucking bad that I don't have much to say. Watch it for free. It's worth exactly that much as for everything else. Midnight viewers, thank you all for listening and I hope you'll bear with us.

I know we were supposed to have a Von doom Fest here, but that's been pushed. It's been a bit crazy here with getting a job and rescheduling everything in my life, but it's coming together. So next week is going to be the first of Tales of the Unexpected with Mike White, and then after that on doom Fest returns, although both will be available on the Patreon page. Go to the show notes Gang push all the links for Ripley Jean, I'm father alone. Try to enjoy the daylight.