The Mandalorian’s Latest Season is a Major Improvement Over The First — But…
The future of Star Wars is on the small screen.
*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
During the first episode of the latest season of The Mandalorian, the titular character (played by Pedro Pascal), with the aid of Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), fight a Krayt Dragon in Tatooine. The entire sequence is presented in an IMAX-like aspect ratio, with superb special effects and fantastic action direction — setting the stage for what’s to come; a season filled with spectacular action kinetics and fun side quests lacking in purpose.
The Mandalorian’s first season had the same problem. Dazzling moments stand out above its non-existent story, too busy trying to stick so much fan-service out there to please the community as much as possible. Yet, amidst all of the fan service (and there’s quite a lot), The Mandalorian’s second season still manages to rekindle with some of Star Wars’ best mechanics, even if the non-story feels inherently overstuffed.
Season 2 seems to be focused on setting up the multiple (and eternal) spin-offs we’ll get in a few years; introducing the live-action versions of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) from The Clone Wars and Rebels, an updated, more badass iteration of Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) accompanied by a resurrected Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen, who we’ll see in next year’s The Bad Batch). Even if most of the side-quests involving these characters are excellent — particularly the ones involving Bo-Katan, Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado), and Axe Wolves (Simon Kassianides), it still feels too “fan-servicey” for my taste.
Season 2’s plot is essentially comprised of The Mandalorian tasked to bring back The Child (revealed to be named Grogu…but no fan will be calling him that anytime soon) to his own kind. The first six episodes of the series feature a “character of the week” in which Mando is tasked to do a pointless side-quest or encounters a bump in his adventure to obtain information on Jedis, which will allow Grogu to be back with his own kind. “We’ll give you this one word if you do this thing we have to do that does not correlate with the actual story” is a line MANY characters use during its second season — and the “thin plot” that’s holding the fort is barely there.
However, most of The Mandalorian’s “bonus adventures” are fantastic to watch and provide great, weekly catharsis to liberate yourself from the uncertainty we’ve been living in since March. Bryce Dallas Howard’s episode is, bar none, the season’s very best — both containing terrifically choreographed action that combines exciting combat with pulse-pounding blaster fights, directed with such passion that it brings out the best in Star Wars action, making the audience on edge during the entire sequence. Who can forget the thrilling tie-fighter chase in the fourth episode that contains’ some of the series’ very best CGI pyrotechnics and action with an emphasis on movement taking center stage? Most of its action sequences and visual effects don’t feel like a TV show but an actual movie, one of The Mandalorian’s most impressive feats.
Only one episode has such a drop-down in quality with terribly shot and cheaply choreographed action that made the episode feel like a true fan film, and Robert Rodriguez’s. This director is known for making films on the cheap, and it (embarrassingly) shows this time around. None of the action is as impactful as the previous (and next) episodes and feels like the production level of a SyFy TV show. Thankfully, it’s the only episode that felt televisual, and the human performance of Pedro Pascal manages this episode to be somewhat watchable.
*Last warning: Major spoiler ahead!*
Pascal’s performance as the titular character is much more nuanced this time around. His emotional attachment to Grogu only grows stronger, making the final sequence of the episode feel particularly heartbreaking. When The Mandalorian has finally accomplished his mission by delivering Grogu to a Jedi, you can see the genuine emotion of sadness in his face that the adventure he’s had with The Child has come to an end. He does not know what to do anymore since everything he’s known his whole life as a “Mandalorian” was progressively shattered. The Child will now train with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), but what will Mando do?
This is the only effective emotional moment of the season, even if Luke Skywalker’s appearance breaks complete continuity and is a glaring example of pure fan-service, lacking in actual value and purpose. Sure, it was cool (?) to see a (badly) de-aged version of Luke and nice to hear Mark Hamill lend his voice again, but what was the point of the sequence aside from pandering to fans who thought Luke’s arc in The Last Jedi was “ruined?”
The Mandalorian also lacks a compelling antagonist, and even if Giancarlo Esposito plays a convincing Moff Gideon, we barely see any of him as the audience is too busy following Mando’s innumerable side-quests that, when Grogu becomes kidnapped, emotional attachment to The Child and the threat of the new Empire isn’t there. We don’t understand the villain’s motivations or feel any form of hate towards him; the only thing we know is that he’s evil, and that’s all we should care about. Yet, the greatest Star Wars villains allow the audience inside their psyche to understand what made them tempt The Dark Side. That’s what makes characters like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren iconic.
Yes, The Mandalorian’s second season is overstuffed with fan-pandering and pointless side quests that practically do not move the story forward, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. The action sequences are vastly superior to the first season. Pedro Pascal’s humanity as the titular character makes his performance more powerful than the previous season. Some of the greatest moments of the season involve pandering to the hardcore fans of The Clone Wars.
Disney might be developing 15 spin-offs out of The Mandalorian for their streaming service. Still, even if I complain about its structure and focus on pandering to every single Star Wars fan at once, you know I’ll probably be watching the rest of their films and shows because Star Wars was an extremely influent part of my childhood that I’m always eager to explore its world, regardless of its issues and forms that exploration will take. May the Force be with us, always.
