Recap: “The Mandalorian” Chapter One
I want to try something new, so bear with me; I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet instead of the longer form things I tend to write here for The Spinchoon.
Let’s just take a quick look at Chapter One of “The Mandalorian”, which debuted alongside the launch of Disney+ this week.
I love Star Wars, so I was excited for this new project, but wary as to whether it would work in this format; the early returns are strong though. This was a damn solid pilot, and by that I mean it fit the typical criteria I’ve started to lay out for pilots of new shows (I mentioned it on this week’s episode of Flix and a Six):
- Is it well made? Does it look cheap?
- Was it interesting? Do I care what happens next when the credits roll?
- Do I hate what’s going on? Do I hate all the characters right off the bat? If I hate them, am I willing to stick around to see if they get their comeuppance?
This nailed just about all of that.
While I didn’t think that the episode, or more specifically the ending of the episode, lived up to the hype that it “contains a dramatic Star Wars-universe spoiler,” I thought it was compelling. I want to know what comes next, especially after that last scene (no substantial spoilers in this recap).
I’m intrigued by the characters we have met so far. At bare minimum, I want to see what this not-quite-silent protagonist is all about. Certainly, his quick flash back to a traumatic childhood begs a follow up.
I do think it was damn well made. Some of the set looked like, well, sets, but that can be OK as long as they look well crafted. I couldn’t escape feeling like most of these town and bar sequences were shot on back lots, but I’m willing to roll with it if they look authentic, and if the show can continue to prove to me the dollars were spent on the CGI looking great (it does) and the writing and acting being strong (so far, so good).
The show looks, sounds, and just feels like Star Wars, so that’s a big box checked off. I’d like to say I could give you a real, concrete definition of what that means, but it really just comes down to feel.
Just seeing the silver Lucasfilm LTD title card flash onscreen is enough to set the tone.
You see some aliens you recognize and some you don’t (and, you know, humans too)
There are dimly lit bars, and dimly lit starships, and dimly lit hideaways where backroom dealings go on. Now that I think about it, “The Mandalorian,” Solo, and Rogue One have been in a three-way duel to see who can look the darkest and grittiest. This is all in keeping with the Dark Age aesthetic of Imperial — and now, immediately post-Imperial — movies/shows/games so I’m on board with it.
Obviously, the iconic Mandalorian battle armor is partially responsible for the four decades of cultural dominance that Star Wars has exerted dating back to — wait for it — the Star Wars Holiday Special
Getting to see our (as of yet unnamed) protagonist interact with other Mandalorians, measuring up his look and his standing among peers, allows a glimpse into a mysterious corner of the Star Wars mythos we’ve all long wanted to see more of.
Of course, there’s a million other little Easter Eggs too, from Kowakian monkey-lizards, to bounties frozen in carbonite, to Storm Troopers, to Beskar Steel, etc., that you can appreciate if you’re a superfan, but none of it is annoyingly thrust upon you in a way that should offend a more casual fan.
There’s a crotchety old man with an air of authority, who’s played by an actor leaning into the camp a bit, which certainly rings a bell.
To sum it all up, “The Mandalorian” gives you alien beings in alien worlds, space travel and lasers, a sense of wonder and dread and even a sense of humor. It gives you interesting story threads — nothing groundbreaking just yet, but certainly intriguing — and interesting characters that you want to learn more about. There’s danger and fun.
And droids. Laugh at them or with them, but they’ve always been the comedic relief, among a long list of metallic cast members. The new “guy”, IG-11, is no exception to the rule.
Verdict
A damn solid pilot, that looks good, and delivers on giving you the start to a story that you should want more of. Obviously, there’s a long way to go to see if our strong and silent-ish Mandalorian lead has enough going on underneath his inscrutable mask, but we’ve received a glimpse of his past and how it informs his big choice at the end of the episode.
I’ll check in again at the halfway point, with a longer, spoiler inclusive look at what we’ve seen and what’s to come.
Pilot Score: 8.5/10
If you enjoyed this, read more from me here at The Spinchoon, and follow us on Twitter @TheSpinchoon & @AlessandroB1187. My most recent reviews were on Season 2 of Amazon’s Jack Ryan, and my first Retro Review: Mass Effect. We post three times weekly, on Sports, TV, Video Games, Movies, and more. We have a movie and beer podcast too: Flix & a Six.
